21st July 2023 (sun, cloud, mild) 50km

I'm so over rude people in campgrounds. Due to a bunch of noisy drinkers, I got virtually no sleep last night.  The little I did get was from 5-7am and we were fully awake by 7.26am.  I was looking forward to getting on the road this morning to wake myself up properly.

Outside the camp, with the clouds moving from the summits, were the Seven Sisters.  Seven different summits and what a spectacular sight.  We know of one person that we follow on You Tube who has scaled all seven in a day.  To see them ourselves we can truly understand what a feat that is.

The weather today was lovely for cycling and we were enjoying the cloud cover.  The temperature was perfect, the road surface was great and we only had 10kms to Sandnessjoen, where we were picking up breakfast, lunch and dinner, as pickings were slim if we didn't judge it right.

This was quite a large town with plenty on offer, so after shopping we rode down to the marina to take some shots of the incredible rock formations on display in this region.  This marina was also a sleeping spot for camper vans.  Loads of them all lined up along the front, paying around 250-350 NOK, or $40-50 NZ.

 

We grabbed a table down the far end and enjoyed a lovely breakfast overlooking the sea, boats and mountains.  Even used the toilets and rubbish bins provided for the camper vans, so that was a bonus.  The light was great for shooting, so we rattled off a number of shots.

But what we have both really been looking forward to seeing is a moose.  And in the most unlikeliest of places, there he was  standing on the top of a rock looking regal and magnificent. He looked over the valley so proudly,  seemingly carved from the very rock he stood upon.....but actually we think it was some sort of metal, copper perhaps. 

Then it was time to hit the road for the ferry at Levang, 27kms away.  We weren't under a time restriction and to get out of Sandnessjoen, we had to go over an amazing bridge.  From here the views were spectacular.

There was a foot/cycle path on one side, elevated above the road which wasn't particularly wide.  We were very glad it wasn't a windy day but were amazed at how much windier it was on the bridge.  A sign warned motorists it was 5 metres per second, or 18kph.  As we reached the halfway mark which was also the crest of the bridge, we stopped for a photograph.   I saw a speeding cyclist approach from the other end but he opted to stay on the road and hold up the traffic.  But not by much, he was flying and flew past us with no acknowledgement.

Another cyclist came on the footpath and we nestled ourselves right to the side so he could get past.  He was in no hurry though and stopped to have a chat.  An older guy, probably in his seventies, switching his brain to English so he could converse with us.  We really admire this as it must take a lot of effort to talk in a language that is foreign to you.

He was telling us about the area and we got onto football. He is a Bodo fan but also a massive Liverpool fan.  What are the chances of that...?  Had a great chat about footy in general and the fact he's followed Bodo for over 50 years.

It was a very pleasant ride from the bridge at Sandnessjoen to the ferry at Levang. Nice scenery, good road surface and a slight tailwind.   We stopped and took a few photos,  not hurrying at all figuring if we didn't make the 1.50pm ferry, we'd just have lunch and catch the next one.  But as it turns out, we crested a hill, rounded a bend and saw the ferry sitting in the harbour.  It was 1.38pm so it was hammer down to catch this one as the next one wasn't until 3.30pm.

We raced down to the harbour and were surprised to see they hadn't even started loading the cars and campervans yet and there were only about ten vehicles waiting. Turns out the ferry had broken down and there may not be a sailing for the rest of the day.

A guy wandered out from the ferry to deliver the bad news....no more sailings today and no telling when the ferry would be fixed.  It might be a week.  Bugger.  Thank God we'd bought all the food we needed for the day as the closest shop was 15km back the way we'd just come.  Fortunately there was a campsite 3km away so we cycled to that as we could see some ominous looking clouds heading our way.  Met a lone bikepacker on the way and told him the bad news about the ferry.  His name was Kaspar from Switzerland and we all ended up at the campground,  hoping the ferry could be fixed by the morning.

Had a late lunch about 3pm after we'd got the tent up. Then it was off to shower and wash a few clothes seeing as we had a bit of extra time today.   Still no wifi so couldn't get the blog uploaded.

A nice outlook from the campground with the out of action ferry sitting lifeless in the water.  At least from our vantage point we could see whether it swung back into action again.

Kaspar invited us to have a beer with him as he had an emergency spare beer. We said 'yes please' and all migrated to the lounge as a cold wind had sprung up.  Sat there drinking beer and eating cashews and chips for about an hour just having a good chat.  Even though we were out of the wind, it was still quite cold so got on our warm cycling pants before heading to the kitchen to make dinner.

Into the kitchen to cook our mackerel and rice, but who should we meet in there but a Dutch couple, Heidi and Alfred and their daughter Famke.  Talk about hard case and just the loveliest couple.  We chatted for ages and as we were getting ready to cook the mackerel, from a can of course, Alfred comes in with some freshly caught Ling and gave it to us.  There was plenty there so we asked Kaspar if he would like some as well.

We all chatted and laughed easily and found out that they'd been coming here for twenty years.  The weird thing was they only came to this camp because the ferry broke down....hmmm  wonder if the camp owners pay the ferry captain a percentage to have the ferry "break down"?

Heidi and Alfred bring their boat with them from Rotterdam, 2500 kms away.  They know all the regulars and even speak some Norwegian now.

So, Alfred decides to cook the fish, Julia gets me to watch, cause she knows how much I love Masterchef.  Meanwhile, Heidi's got the wine going and the chat is brilliant.

Alfred the Great.....great fisherman, great chef!!

Kaspar is picking up some cooking tips.

The girls just watch and laugh.

Needless to say the fish was delicious, caught by a man who has been to the World Championships.  Heidi kept her secret for a while, but she was a European medallist for fishing and is sponsored.

So the chat continues, Famke goes off to ride one of the owners horses, called Sarga and brings this Icelandic pony to meet us.  He was a stunning little horse.

Back in the kitchen, we are onto coffee, which Alfred insists on making along with stroopwaffel, which was delicious.  We all talked until 10pm, exchanged e-mails and retired to bed, where Julia was asleep before I could spell str......💤