Reindeer on the island Obbolaö

Annika and I live on an island called Obbolaö. If you want to leave it by car you can take the road E12 either to the west in direction Holmsund or to the north directly to Umeå. When you take the latter you hardly realise, that Obbolaö is an island, because the channel that separates it from the mainland is less than 40 metres wide and you can easily miss it.

Anyhow you have to use one of these roads if you don’t want to take the boat (or swim) in summer or cross the ice in winter.

I wonder, how the reindeer have come to the island. Probably they crossed the ice somewhere. They have been around for some days as Annika told me. She passed some of them when she cycled to or from the bus station and they have been quite near to where we live.

Today I took the car to Holmsund but was I stopped on the road Södra Obbolavägen, little more than one kilometre from home. A large herd of at least 100 reindeer blocked the road. They hardly moved, a sign that there might have been another car on the other side. I stopped the car and waited.

Soon I could hear some glee shouts from the other side and a man on a snowmobile appeared. He was the owner of the reindeer and used the snowmobile and his voice to lead and guide them.

After some minutes all reindeer had left the road. I greeted the man, he waved back and I continued my driving.

It’s not the first time that I experienced reindeer blocking a road, but I never experienced this so near from home. Lovely!

2 comments to “Reindeer on the island Obbolaö”

  1. Margrit Schneider 2021-02-22 18:21

    Do you know, where the owner with his animals live ? Perhaps you will see often this herd ? Great ! Yours Ma

  2. way-up-north 2021-02-22 18:38

    Usually the reindeer are a bit more to the north but this year the owner decided to have them here because we have a bit less snow and the reindeer have less trouble finding food. So, yes, I may see them again.

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