17th August 2023 (cloudy, cold) 53km

Awake at 5.50am.  The wind that we thought was going to rip Vango apart during the night, had subsided into a gentle breeze by comparison.  The rain which had also thrown it down for a time had well gone and the tent was dry for pack up.  Once we'd packed everything onto the bikes, we went into the lounge for a cuppa.  Only the odd person was moving around and it was still very cool at 10C.

It's not hard to imagine what these places would be like in winter, we don't realise how lucky we are to live where we do.  It would be bone chilling cold here and most of these coastal villages, don't have much to distract you from the freezing temperatures. You'd literally be counting the days until spring arrived.

Riding out of Bleik we could at last see the mountains. 

Looking back at Bleik, you can see the potential on a nice day.

On our way to Andenes. 

Rode the 9kms to Andenes, a military town, with a ferry to Senya.  I doubt there would be much left of this place, if the Russians were looking to knock out the early warning systems here.  Not a lot here, but it would be decimated.

On board the old ferry we claimed seats where we could amongst the day trippers and tourists and of course, the screaming child. There is always one.  This ferry would be the oldest that we've journeyed on and in open waters, I think they should maybe reconsider how long it's in operation.
It had a nice rock on and the sea was calm.

We had been planning on eating breakfast on board, but it was too full for us to start breaking out our breakfast ingredients.  Halfway through the journey and the screaming child had decided that it would raise the decibels as everyone on board looked a little too relaxed.  Glances from the passengers toward the parents indicated that it was time to put a stop to the screaming.  The parents pretended they couldn't see the anger rising amongst the surrounding mob.

As mothers do, she was quietly humming a "heavy metal" tune to her daughter after the "wiggles type" effort on the fathers cell phone had failed to correct the problem.  I sat there quietly smiling, with the little sweet, laced with arsenic, resting on the table in front of me.

Disembarked at Gryllefjord to high, dark, dismal mountains and prepared for a 600 metre climb out of there.  But first, breakfast, which we ate in the very good waiting rooms, unlike Andenes, which had nothing.  So, if it was raining, you would be soaked as a bikepacker or a hiker.

Did a shop at the supermarket by the ferry, then took off around Senja.  Not far up the road was our first tunnel of the day.  As we approached, it everything looked fine and then once inside we were on an incline.  Have to say though, it was a nice gradient.

The scenery, especially the rock faces, were stunning.  Massive structures that have been there for thousands of years.  They seem to be looking down and saying, "Enjoy, because I'll be here long, long after you've departed this earth."

Pulled into a car park for a troll garden and a German lady was trying to convince us that we should see Nordkapp as the scenery is beautiful.
"Sorry Fraulein, not on our to do list"
As we were talking, a Chinese bikepacker came along.
He was telling us how bad the opression was in Hong Kong nowadays.
People are not allowed a say in anything and citizens can be arrested for the slightest opposition to the government.
He is travelling on his bike for the next year partly because he's in no rush to get back to Hong Kong and you can't blame him.
I'd have been shot years ago if I lived there.
In fact, I believe they've got people looking for me as we speak.
He told us we had a 730 metre climb coming up shortly.
Bollocks....we thought it was 600.

The layers come off as we climb.

Rode on and soon we were climbing.
It's funny how your perceptions alter.
We would have dreaded that at the beginning, but we just took it in our stride.
At the top of that was another tunnel, 1.6kms and quite dimly lit, but no problem as traffic flow was barely noticeable.

That brought us out to and amazing set of mountains.
As we were getting a shot, a Finnish guy came out of the tunnel, followed by his sister, in a car.
He'd gotten his sister to drop him at the bottom of the climb, so he could get some exercise.
Posey git.......!!

Pete with the Posey git. He was that Posey he even wanted to pose for our photographs.

Down the mountain for a way,  to a very different lookout.
Now we were the Posey gits.

The view without the Posey gits.

Spent our lunch break there overlooking a beautiful view of the fjord.
Down, down.....heading for Skaland and a Joker store.
Grabbed what we needed for dinner and breakfast and went to the checkout, where we met a lovely girl who kept trying to sell us different items, that were on sale.
She had us in stitches laughing.
Said she'd had some Aussies in a while back and conned them into buying stuff.

Not a lot of flat land in Norway,  so reclaiming it is pretty popular, as was happening in the foreground of this shot.

Out of there and passed by the camp site, as tonight we freecamp again.  As we rode along here, an otter crossed the road in front of us.  Had to climb a small hill leading to yet another long tunnel.  This was an old one and poorly lit, but with virtually no traffic.  Out into the light and there before us sat a beautiful bay, surrounded by magnificent mountains and a lovely beach.  This was a recognized freecamp called Camp Steinford. Only a long drop toilet and no drinkable water, but a cracking setting.  However.....as lovely as it looked, it was now late afternoon and the temperature was 10 C, dropping to 6 C overnight.  So no swim for us tonight.
Shit it was cold.

As the sun broke through at the end of the day, we put out the washing.

Unfortunately it was too cold for a swim.

After getting the gear off the bikes and the tent up, we put everything inside to prepare for our usual pre dinner snacks and drinks before tucking into a lovely dinner of bacon bits and mushrooms with flavored rice.  Then a lovely hot cup of coffee to round it off.  Keeping all the layers on tonight.  Pretty sure we're going to need them.

Ju here....One of the things I love about Pete is he's just so confident.   Today for example, I asked him if it was Wednesday or Thursday.  

"It's Wednesday", he says, "no question".

"Are you sure?", I ask.

"Yep, absolutely positive. Here, I'll show you", he says, grabbing his phone and opening the calendar. 

"Oh.....Like I said, it's Thursday".

Writing the blog tonight.

"What was the name of the place with the shop?" he asks.

Well we'd been into three supermarkets today so I asked him which one he meant.

"You know, it began with S...Ah Skagen, that was it."

"Skaland", I corrected (as my wifely duty dictates).

"No way was it Skaland. Yeah it was Skagen".

This despite the fact that it's me who looks at the map and plans the route and susses out where the shops and camping grounds are.

"Look, I'll show you," I say.

I show him on MapsMe. 

"We're not there. There's a Skagen further back," he says.

There is no Skagen on the Island of Senja.