A look at our tent, as Wendy packs up from inside. Sunny skies were turning cloudy...
It's chilly and windy here above the Artic Circle, driving through the mountains at ~2400'. Cloudy skies today, though it was sunny and hot at 6:30am this morning, back at camp.
We all got up shortly after 7am again, and Wendy and I cooked up oatmeal on the kitchen stove, and cleaned our dishes. We were all packed up and hit the road at 8:45am, as the skies had turned from blue to overcast. We hit some single file construction on E6 early on, and then crossed the Artic Circle! We pulled over at the Artic Circle visitor's center to use the restrooms. We passed on the opportunity to buy official documents proving our presence above the Artic Circle, so you'll just have to trust my word. :-) Mariann realized she left her disposable camera in the overall pockets of last nights cave tour. I told her I'd have the entire trip covered... We hit another single file construction stoppage just north of the Circle. It's moving again, time to go!
A look at our tent, as Wendy packs up from inside. Sunny skies were turning cloudy...
Breakfast in the kitchen. More oatmeal and ceral. Co-op brand Muesli with berries was excellent! And a good bargain at ~$3.50 for a 1.5lb box. Better than in the states! Also, I took a liking to this banana spread (suggested by Mariann). 35% banana...
A look west from the Artic Circle visitor's center parking lot. There was a monument signifying the famous latitude. Chilly and windy here...
A gushing and very cold looking river runs along E6, just north of the Circle...
12:22am, Kabelvag Hostel
First night in a hostel, and ironically I'm not even taking a shower! The bed sure is very comfy though...
The northern drive up E6 from Fauske was very dramatic, with tons of lakes, fjords, jagged peaks in the distance, and tunnels cut through the arms of mountains along the water. Highly entertaining drive. We filled up on gas in Fauske, and finished our first package of fish cakes. We also kept eating the "brown cheese", which I now realize tastes like Velvetta (something I hadn't had in 15+ years). I'm a bit "fish-caked" and "brown-cheesed" out, and probably need a break from these...
A marble pillar stands in this roundabout, in the city of Fauske. The marble used in the UN headquarters was mined from here. The scenery north of Fauske was quite dramatic...
Varying zoomed shots of a village at the bottom of a mountain...
We passed impressive mountains, and eventually stopped at a rest/vista area, where several tour buses of people were gathered, having "snack time" at a folding table...
Karl and Mariann give Darwin some love during the break. This trip was a brand new experience for the 18 month old dog, who has rarely been in a car (since K & M don't have one). ..
More scenery as we head north...
I didn't remember seeing this metallic whale along the road. Wendy was in charge of taking pics in the car while I drove, and did a great job. I managed a few blind shots out my window occasionally too (good for a few keepers), always keeping my eyes on the road ahead...
We reached the Bognes ferry terminal at 2:15pm...
The scenic drive north culminated with a ferry from Bognes to Lodingen, which put us on the northern end of the Lofoten Islands. We arrived at the Bognes ferry stop just as the ferry arrived, and waited at the end of a long line of cars and RVs, hoping we would make it on to this ferry. For the first time on the trip, we lucked out with our ferry timing, and only waited 10 minutes before gaining one of the last spots on the boat. Would have been a 90 minute wait for the next ferry. The views from the deck were spectacular over the 50 minute voyage. We could see the Lofoten Archepelego stretching out to the southwest, and the mountainous Norway mainland running north and south to the east.
We got one of the last spots on the ferry, parking on a very steep ramp (good thing I have great clutch control). Fortunately they raised the ramp later, and we had a level surface to depart from (I was only slightly bummed to miss out on more hill challenges). This ferry was HUGE, and had 2 stories for cars, and a large, impressive lounge...
A look at Stetind, Norway's "most distinguished" peak (on the left). At one point I had considered climbing this during the trip. No dogs were allowed in the lounges on all the ferries, so K & M once again stayed out on the deck for the duration, though with such great weather and views, most people did too...
More boats and light houses to use as subjects for my zoom lens...
Plenty of grey clouds today, but clear views of all the mountains...
Here's a stitched shot looking west of the Lofoten Archipelego. We be spending most of our time towards the left half of the picture...
On board we discussed our plan for the rest of the day. The itinerary was largely open ended for the next 7 days in Lofoten, with plenty of options available. We were pretty tired from driving a ton and getting to bed late over the past few days. Wendy and I had a reservation at the hostel in Kabelvag, so we planned to all head to Svolvaer (~100km from the ferry stop), a large city in Lofoten, next to Kabelvag, where the Svolvaergeita climb, a recommended hike on my list, awaited.
Within minutes of starting the drive southwest to Svolvaer, we were amazed by the jaw dropping terrain. Huge sharp mountains, covered in green grass, rising up over lakes. Very Tolkienesque, and this was just the beginning of our time on Lofoten. The best was supposedly yet to come, as the most popular area is the southwestern-most islands. The scenery was a significant notch up, compared to the fine views on the drive over the past 3 days. We stopped at a gas station in Svolvaer at 5:30pm, to decide what to do with the remaining day. Given the 24 hours of sunlight here, anything was possible. In the end, we decided to hold on climbing Svolvaergeita until tomorrow, and relax tonight.
Once in Lofoten, the scenery jumped to a new level of impressiveness. I looked forward to spending the next 7 days in this amazing area...
About halfway to Svolvaer, we stopped here, before a tunnel, cause K & M were looking for places to setup a tent. We checked out a dirt road that ran around the tunnel, but decided to continue to Svolvaer first...
More pics from the drive...
The clouds were thinning throughout the afternoon over Lofoten...
A look up at Karl's car as we're about to head through a short tunnel right before Svolvaer. We stopped at a gas station in town at 5:15pm to decide what to do next. The green mountain in the backdrop is what we were planning to hike...
A zoomed in look at "the goat", the two-horned rock pinnacle, officially called Svolvaergeita, that is a popular rock climb. We brought climbing gear to attempt the final 50' rock pitch. The 2nd pic is a blow-up of the 1st pic. Notice the guy hanging on the left horn, and the red dot lower on the left...
After agreeing to meet back here at the gas station at 11am tomorrow, to hike to "the goat", and potentially climb to the horns, Wendy and I headed to our hostel just 5km up the road in Kabelvag, while Karl and Mariann looked for a place to camp with Darwin (no dogs allowed in the hostels). We checked in at the hostel, and got a room with a sink inside, which had a common kitchen area, and bathroom, similar to school dorms. I checked the weather on the internet, and was pleased to see sunny weather for the next 5 days! Amazing, considering Lofoten averages 18 rainy days in July.
The hostel was a flashback to college dorm living. Sink included...
With our room set, we had a free evening. Wendy looked up an "Artic Menu" restuarant in Svolvaer, which specicializes in fine dishes made with local products. Tonight seemed like the perfect time to go out to a nice place for dinner. We drove back to Svolvaer, and stopped at a store to buy local maps, but they don't have one for the island I'm most interested in. Driving in Solvaer is a bit crazy. There are no stop signs, and it's not obvious which streets have the right of way. Fortunately there wasn't much traffic, and soon we found the reastaurant. There were spectacular views, in the vicinity, of the mountains, canals, and houses, so we walked around taking pics before goign inside to eat. They asked if we had a reservation, and seemed concerned when we said no, but sat us anyway within a couple minutes.
We spent some time before dinner walking along a bridge and admiring the phenomenal views. Here's a few pics of tomorrow's goal, "the goat" (Svolvaergeita). Some guy is on the right horn this time. Climbers can jump from the left horn to the right, though after a piece of the right horn broke off last year, the gap is wider...
A look south from the bridge towards the center of Svolvaer. Then a look north at the sunlit "rorbuer", or traditional Lofoten fisherman houses, which are now updated and used for tourists. Lots of rorbuer exist over the islands, and very from simple cabins to deluxe bed and breakfasts. The wooden structure behind is a dry rack for cod...
What a postcard view from the bridge! Svolvaergieta on the left (tomorrow's hike), and the reddest of red rorbu over blue water. I couldn't figure out if I like the pic with the boat better, so here are both...
The Artic Menu restaurant was part of a fancy Rorbuer. We waited a couple of minutes at the bar before being seated...
The menu is full of tasty sounding fish dishes, but the "Lofoto-lamb" strikes me, and I must order it. I've had a fancy for lamb ever since visiting Patagonia last year. I didn't expect lamb to be a local dish on Lofoten though. Wendy orders a traditional cod dish, where the fish is dried for a day, then boiled with salty water, and served with side dishes of egg butter, potatoes, and bacon. I'm blown away by my lamb! So tender and a flavorful greenish spread on top. We agree it's better than Patagonia. Wendy's dinner was excellent too. I really loved the texture of the semi dried cod, and it was delicious when combined with the sides. It was ~$80 for the meal, which wasn't too bad, considering this was a top of the line meal in a touristy area of Norway. You'd easily find something comparable for that much or more in major US cities.
Too bad the pic of us at the table is blurry. The decor was very fitting for a fishing village, with lots of beautiful dark wood. Wendy had the semi-dried cod with egg butter, bacon, and potatoes on the side...
I had the delicious Lofoto-lamb (which indeed was raised in Lofoten, and we would soon find out there are quite a bit of sheep on the islands). A look around the room...
We head back to Kabelvag, drive through town, and walk out to a lighthouse on a rocky pier as the sundrops behind some mountains, before returning to the hostel.
After driving through the completely dead town of Kabelvag (it was 10:45pm, so everything was closed), we found this lighthouse, and went for a walk...
A look back towards the town, where the sun was blocked by the mountains...
Then it started to get sunny again, as the sun slid north, and appeared over a gap in the mountains. This zoomed in pic of a boat shows the mainland of Norway in the distance...
A couple of white birds sit on the lit island. A look south at the waterfront, with a towering peak behind...
Gotta love the creamy bokah (blur) from the 70-200mm zoom lens, behind sunlit Wendy. Looks like Norway buys all their light houses from the same store (they're starting to look familiar)...
A couple last looks from our late evening walk, before heading back at 11pm...
I'm tired, and decide to skip the shower tonight, as it turned out to be an easy hike-free day, and I don't feel grimy. Would rather get some extra sleep instead. Very glad for a soft and comfy bed. Breakfast is included during our stay! Wonder what it will be. Need lots of rest for what's planned the next couple days...