Stelvio goes Norge

[Nic in Western NYS]

"Ain't nothing but time
Between this silver goose
And that arctic line"

Well, I guess the Norse Gods were kind. At least it wasn't raining when I packed the tent. But it started again as soon as I set off.
 
I'm in Aust-Agder. A little foretaste of what the North looks like. I put a couple of pics in the album.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/5a3838

Great photos!  Was that rainbow photo from Aust-Agder?

[Xlratr]

Figured John must have passed through a while earlier, but waited half an hour then went on to Dalen, a Shangri La-ish place....
Wishing John a nice trip, looking forward to his photos and stories!

Oh man, sorry about that. I just checked the board now and saw your message. That's a pity. I'm heading up towards Geiranger now.

@Nic, yes it was! I had to force myself to stop and get the cameras out in the rain! 😀. Today has been pretty reasonable so far though.

[Xlratr]

"No matter what the cost
That Zard exhaust
Makes my motor sigh"

Today was a great day. The roads dried out and I was in motorcycle heaven. I can't really post pictures that do it justice, all I can say is that it doesn't matter which road you choose, because everyone is a motorcycle road. I'm still heading north, passing some beautiful scenery, crossing some impressive bridges and going through quite a few tunnels.

Norway has a lot of mountains and fjords, so they built a LOT of tunnels. It's very impressive. I rode through two today that were over 8km long. One had a roundabout in the middle and another spiraled up inside the mountain. Very cool! But it's always nice to get out again, at least of the sun is shining.

Rode through Roldal and meet up with Guzzistaracing who is on this board. Had a coffee and chatted about Moto Guzzi and Norway. Nice! Unfortunately I missed meeting up with Pebra. If I'd been up here one day earlier or paths would have crossed. WG isn't only an online community! :-)

Decided to find a place to sleep a little earlier tonight, so I came off the road just after 2000 and started looking. I found a great place in the woods next to a stream with a Glacier up on the mountains above me. Very picturesque. There's a little circle of stones with dead birds in it, but I think I'll be fine! :-)

Can't post any pictures because the signal is too weak, but I'll do that tomorrow.

[Xlratr]

Got Wi-Fi so I put some pics in the Album

https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/xRE9W8

[twowings]

More! More!! 

[Nic in Western NYS]

Great pics - even one of a glacier!

[Xlratr]

"Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats an 8 Valve Moto Guzzi and a Redheaded girl.
Now Triumphs and Harleys and Beemers  won't do.
Oh, they don't have a Soul like the Guzzi V Twins do"

Today was a great day! Headed north towards Geiranger Fjord. Temperature just right, sunshine and lots of twisty roads. The Fjords look magnificent, sheer rock faces dropping down into the water. They're deep too, so it's no problem for the big cruise ships to come in and dock right next to a little village. The sound of the ship's horn reverberating down the Fjord is pretty special!

It was still quite early when I came through and there was a thin layer of cloud at about 50 metres height stretching for miles down the Fjord. I though it was a natural phenomenon until I realised it was the diesels of the QM2 idling!! Not so nice! Those ships have exhaust emissions, big time!

I came over one hill and struggled to understand what I was looking at. It looked like a hole in the mountains full of blue sky and clouds. It took a couple of seconds to realise that it was a reflection of the sky in the water, but the water was so flat and calm it was a perfect mirror image!

The road from Geiranger up to Trollstigen is probably one of the nicest I've ever ridden. Breathtaking scenery and beautiful curvy roads. Trollstigen (Troll's Steps) is a dramatic serpentine road down the side of the mountain. I've ridden it before, but this time it was dry! :-)

Took another ferry and then started heading north. I managed about 1,000 km today which is pretty good for those kind of roads. But I'm still not at the arctic circle. I'm around 64.5 degrees North, so I'll cross over tomorrow in time for an early lunch or a late breakfast.

Put some more pics in the album

https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/Ax5o3g

[River Rat]

stunning photos John, what camera do you use?  btw that road looks awesome!!!

[Xlratr]

stunning photos John, what camera do you use?  btw that road looks awesome!!!

It's an iPhone. 

A friend of mine has been playing with the colors. I think she's very talented. It isn't reality, but the pictures do look nice I think.

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

by -Xlratr!-

[Markcarovilli]

great pics John - keep having fun and be safe....

Mark

[Spuddy]

WAY COOL pics,iPhone, adventure.  Thank you

Spud

[Xlratr]

"Goin' on the corner and havin' some fun
Takin' my Guzzi on a long, hot run"

Today I stopped 50 km short of Bognes and rented a hut for the Night. I stopped pretty early because I was feeling a bit tired. It was cold today, dipping down to 9 degrees Celsius which I find a bit uncomfortable on a long trip. When it's over 14 degrees I don't think about the temperature, but below that and it's tiring.

At 66.33N I crossed the Arctic circle. It's pretty elevated at that point and the landscape looks quite dramatic. You do not want to be stuck out in those hills when it's cold and dark!

It was threatening to rain all day, but although the skies were grey it stayed dry. But it wasn't great photography weather so I only added a couple of pics to the album.

I'm close to the harbour so tomorrow I'll take a ferry over to the Lofoten islands and then start to head south, taking another ferry back to the mainland.

The day was marred a bit by a stupid accident. After 4 and a half years, my Stelvio kissed ground for the first time! I rolled down a hill and stopped behind a van to wait for the lights on a narrow bridge. Suddenly, the guy starts backing up! I can't push the bike backwards uphill, and I'm sounding my horn. Didn't help. He hits the front wheel and I can't hold it. Scuffed mudguard and hand protector and the left crash bar is bent and cracked! I suppose it could have been worse. Spoilt the day though.

A nice meal tonight and a fresh start tomorrow.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/3T1U6z

[Nic in Western NYS]

Nothing much to do about getting backed up into when heading downhill. Great adventure reports from the Arctic - thanks for keeping us informed and look out for reindeer!

[Huzo]

Where was the town that the large Cunard liner was berthed ? Are you going to the Nordkapp ?

[Xlratr]

Where was the town that the large Cunard liner was berthed ? Are you going to the Nordkapp ?

I think it was Olden on the Fjord just south of Geiranger. Not really a town, just a couple of souvenir shops for the cruise people. And a gas station!
No Nordkapp this time. I'm on the ferry to the Lofoten. This is my plan for the next few hours.

Lofoten by -Xlratr!-

[Xlratr]

"I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"
And that GS pulled over and let me by"

Packed the bike this morning and thought it was strange that things didn't fit just quite right. You guessed it, the left side box is buckled. Oh well. Not gonna let it get me down.

Took an early ferry over to Lofoten. Sun was shining and I was looking forward to the ride. It didn't disappoint. What a great run from one end to the other. Lofoten has a very dramatic landscape, few trees, rugged  hills and little bays. It feels a bit like being on Jurassic Park, isolated from the rest of Europe. Some beautiful little sandy bays too, but I think the sunbathing season is very short here! Oh, and there's that wonderful twisty road to have fun on.

The scenery is so pretty you want to keep pulling over to take pictures. Which I did, maybe once too often. When I arrived at the south end I was just in time to see the 1400 ferry pulling out. No problem, I'll take the next one. Checked the timetable and found out the next one leaves at 2115. So, time to kill.

I'm in a restaurant eating fish soup. It's very good!

Put some pics in the album.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/47t86a

[Huzo]

I think it was Olden on the Fjord just south of Geiranger. Not really a town, just a couple of souvenir shops for the cruise people. And a gas station!
No Nordkapp this time. I'm on the ferry to the Lofoten. This is my plan for the next few hours.

Lofoten by -Xlratr!-

The people at the Hammerstad Camping e mailed me and said they would look after you. Ask for cabin # 5 !!!

[Huzo]

BTW, it's 12 k east of Svolvaer on the right

[Jerdo1]

Really great pictures - VERY like the north west of Scotland - fabulous, empty roads that, if the weather could be guaranteed, would be all I'd ever need...

Keep 'em coming!

Jerry

[PJPR01]

Put some pics in the album.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/47t86a

Fantastic pictures and scenery...last time I was in Norway was a while ago visiting friends in Sandefjord and Larvik....wish I had had a motorcycle back then to ride the roads you've been on...maybe in the future one day a tour of Scandinavia again on the Guzzi...

Keep the pics coming!

[Xlratr]

"The last 6 hours the rain was un-stoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine

"There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine"

Yep, like Tom said!

As you know, yesterday I missed the afternoon ferry and had 7 hours to wait until the next one. A couple of other bikes pulled in, a Honda Blackbird from Sweden and a new model Africa Twin from Italy. That's a long haul from Milan to the Nordkapp! That was good because chatting with the other riders helped pass the time. The Italians offered coffee and I said yes. So they got out their stove and Bialetti espresso maker! You've got to hand it to the Italians!!

The ferry left on time but it was a long way back to the mainland and we docked around 00:30. It was raining heavily. What to do? Ride on through the night in the rain? Not attractive. Find a campsite and pitch a tent in the wet and the dark? Not really. No hotels anywhere!

I found a roofed over area around the back of a warehouse and there were big plastic bags filled with bubble wrap! Perfect! I laid some out next to each other like a bed and lay down and slept a few hours while the rain poured down. I actually slept well, woke up around 05:30 and moved on. A couple of miles down the rode I saw the Italian Africa Twin parked among some trees. They'd obviously not got far in the night and opted to put up a tent in the rain, in the woods, in the dark. I wonder how that went?

No pictures to share on where I spent the night, because it would make me look like a bum! :-)

What I like to do if camping (or sleeping rough!!) is to go in to a nice looking hotel for breakfast. So that's what I did today. I think it's a great strategy. They've always been very nice even when I come in dripping wet. And even in very nice establishments the prices are usually reasonable, probably because they're not really set up to do just breakfasts. So for 14 Euro I was able to partake of a very nice breakfast buffet, several cups of coffee and use the WiFi. Not bad I think! You'd pay around that much for a hot dog and a coffee at the gas station!

Crossed the Arctic Circle again but this time heading down south. I didn't take any pictures because I was in low cloud and rain the whole way. Not nice!

I stopped at a camping site just outside of Trondheim and rented a hut. Nice to freshen up and have a hot shower. Tomorrow heading further south to Lillehamer

The bike's been performing like a champ and never missed a beat, even in all that rain. Must be due to my meticulous preparation! :-)

Only a couple of new pics in the album today due to weather.  A couple of breakfast shots and the Italian espresso, :-)

https://www.flickr.com/gp/125498347@N05/f1K3vU

Oh, and this one which I think is pretty cool.

Stelvio Red by -Xlratr!-

[Xlratr]

BTW, it's 12 k east of Svolvaer on the right

Hi Huzo, thanks very much for going to the trouble of contracting the campsite. Actually though, I went all the way to the south of the islands and crossed back to the mainland. But I appreciate your help!
John

[Xlratr]

- VERY like the north west of Scotland -

Jerry

I know what you mean Jerry. But the scale is a bit different.
I looked at my GPS this morning and it said "take the second exit out of the roundabout in 268km" 

[pebra]

You're moving fast, John! I didn't think it was possible to ride 1,000 km in one day in Norway.
No speeding tickets yet?
I'll be in Sandefjord for the next days, but without a motorbike. If you're heading this way, let me know if you have time for a coffee or need a simple place to spend the night.
Your poems are great!

[Demar]

John,
Thanks very much for taking the time to stop and take pictures and then posting them with your excellent write-up. I'm enjoying your trip, although, not as much as you are. Safe travels. 

[TobyJug]

You're moving fast, John! I didn't think it was possible to ride 1,000 km in one day in Norway.
No speeding tickets yet?
I'll be in Sandefjord for the next days, but without a motorbike. If you're heading this way, let me know if you have time for a coffee or need a simple place to spend the night.
Your poems are great!

Talking of your poems .. I got the reference to Richard Thompson's '1952 Vincent Black Lightning' but what were the others?

[Xlratr]

I'll be in Sandefjord for the next days, but without a motorbike. If you're heading this way, let me know if you have time for a coffee or need a simple place to spend the night.
Your poems are great!

Cool. I will probably pass through there Saturday morning. I need to be in Kristiansand just after midday. I'll text you this evening!

[Xlratr]

Talking of your poems .. I got the reference to Richard Thompson's '1952 Vincent Black Lightning' but what were the others?

Oh, I didn't want to create the impression that these are my poems. They're just clips out of songs where I changed some of the words to have more Guzzi or Norway relevance.
I won't tell you the songs though! :-). You'll have to puzzle that it!

Here's a nice modified picture that I got mailed back to me. This is the one of Sakrisoy on the Lofoten islands that I took a couple of days back.

Sakrisoy 2 by -Xlratr!-

[Nic in Western NYS]

"The rain was un-stoppable
It was always cold, no sunshine

"There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine"

'Yep, like Tom said!'

Runnin down a dream indeed!

[River Rat]

"I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly!"

Hot Rod Lincoln