Hawkeye's Blog - HiC Photography

PPR-08

29/2/2016

Well yesterday the day was as good as over for me, not a lot going on and at 23:15 I got out of the van for a quick lungful of clean crisp fresh air......and....oh my goodness, that slightly green cloud burst into a short unspectacular showing of the Aurora. So the rumours are true, they are here. Lasted about three minutes which cheered me up. They only managed to show through a break break in the cloud cover. All the same hopes remain high. 👍

Not expecting much else this week, weather forecast is complete twenty-four hour cloud cover through to Friday.

Pretty similar day as yesterday, bunch more analog pics, but finally got around to using some other gear as well. Nothing to write home about, which is actually what I'm doing I suppose. Just to share.

Also the light here is so different to what one tends to be used to I need to get my head around it and how the gear deals with what I ask it to do.

Really would love your opinions on the comparisons original to B&W conversion. Pop on over here and make your own decision:

http://www.hicphotography.com/norway-early-2016.html

PPR-07

28/2/2016

So what great events did the day bring with it. None of which are really worth reporting,
just keeps me out of mischief. 🙄

Plenty of sunshine during the course of it anyway with nice cloudy skies. Know someone that will envy that.

Did not travel very far, but visited some possible locations and took a bunch of snaps with iPhone App which lets me study them in peace and quiet and decide which lens etc., would suit the idea best.

Apart from that I amused myself by spending the rest of the daylight hours using my old Pentax Spotmatic SPII which I lashed out on in 1971 in J'burg.

So analog images of black and white mountains on black and white film. Have to wait at least eight weeks now to see if I wasted my time, and film. Digital age has spoiled us, no doubt. Re-reading this they will probably be crap 'cos I think I forgot to set the right film ISO on the light meter. (rude word)🤔

Of course as the light started to go so down came the clouds and finally closed in completely. Mmmm., will be no visible Aurora tonight.

Woke up this morning thinking my goodness but my bedroom (read van) pongs awfully of fish, whats wrong? The image below cleared that up as can be seen, if not smelt.

The Cod (millions of them) have started "running" or whatever they call it when the fish start their long swim to wherever to make babies and things. They follow the Gulf Stream apparently all the way from Greenland and unfortunately, for them, brings them past the Lofoten Islands. Oh woe, seems it costs rather a lot of them their heads. The ones in the image are really extremely fresh and as I mentioned getting a wee bit pongy. Reminds me of the fishermen in Sohar, Oman who used the tarmac in front of the site office to dry their sprats, or whatever, in the sun. As they were Omani and we not we were powerless in getting them to desist. They were very kind though, they would blow and flick the sand off and offer us handfuls of the beastly things.

The heads, the ones below that is, are very popular in the Far East and, would you believe, Italy. It seems. No wonder they can't win a Rugby Match.

So to the image which fortunately is not outside my bedroom window, although the smell is in it.

This is only one small rack off many, and as the season has just begun and continues thru'

March, oh dear.😷☹️

Night night.

PPR-06

27/2/2016

Oops nearly had another of my "episodes". Ferry took just over four hours and by the time it arrived I was feeling pretty drained, presumably because I had let go bit having arrived at my main destination.

Anyway as soon as we docked I was off the ferry drove north towards where I was hoping to be able to set up my base, only 29 km from the ferry. After less than 3 km there was a brilliant lookout point that had recently been completely cleared of snow. So thats it he thinks and camped up for the night. I had taken a look at the skies which were not particularly threatening and a few snowflakes were floating around.

Similar adage to that applied to camping in the bed of a Wadi. Never rains in the places you find them, except the night you camp in them. Same last night.

I woke up at about 4:30 thinking it was eerily silent and slept on a bit. Finally it was just a wee bit too eerie so I took a peak out. Only had a really heavy snowfall and bloody noggins here was snowed in.

As it was still snowing, jumped up cleared the snow off the van and putting a great deal of faith into my studs, drove out. They did a sterling job I must say, poor old engine groaned a bit but all worked out fine. Another time I was thankful I opted for four wheel drive and the biggest engine VW put into the T5.

Reminder lesson learned and alls well that.....

Got to the village Ramberg, where there is a camp that I'd used before but it is usually summer only. Nothing ventured etc., I stopped into the restaurant that is part of it and always open and lo and behold I have a base. Asked if we could do a deal as I was intending to stay for at least four week. This brought a smile to the good ladies face and instead of the usual € 31 per night plus electric I get to use it all in, incl.,wifi, for € 6 per night. Not bitching about that.

If your interested 68°05.557' N 13°14.068' E

So lets wait and see what develops, today and tomorrow just chill and check out a few locations. No stress.

PPR-05

26/2/2016

Well that is more or less it for today. Made it to Bodø without any problems. Long wait for the ferry, four hours, but not in a hurry. Just set sail, crossing is 3 1/4 hours so should be in Moskønes by 19:45 and that was my targeted destination. On the group of islands known as the Lofoten Islands. Not sure how many but they are all connected either by bridges or tunnels, and here I intend floating around. Hopefully getting some good images.

Restless night, probably because it was -11 degrees in the van when I woke up. At least it guarantees you get into your day clothes pdq.

Anyway got the LJ's out.

Beautiful run over the Saltfjel which is where the route crosses over the Arctic Circle.

Put a pic at the end of the post as no "Out of the....." Today as I shall camp up on the quay where we dock later. Been there before and it's not a particularly good view.

Temperature went down to -23 going over the Fjel which served to freeze up my good old German windscreen fluid. Label said good for -18, so I guess it served its purpose.

That's me for the day just sit back and enjoy the crossing.

The pic was snapped exactly on 66 33 N looking west parked at the side of the road.

PPR-04

25/2/2016

The last posts were made from my phone and for a reason I have not yet worked out the background and text are gray with black text. Makes it difficult to read, sorry about that.
Rev. 25.03.2016 found out how to correct but not the why.

25.02.2016
Missed out yesterday as too tired. The distance travelled was not so much as in the first few days, the difference being the Norwegian roads combined with the maximum speed limit on open roads of only 80 kmh. So overall an average speed of about 55 kmh for the trip is the result. You have to cheat a little to achieve it as well.
Anyway yesterdays drive was a ten and a half hour one and the weather gave its very best all of the way. Had everything from bright and sunny, hail, snow and slushy rain. Knew what to expect so that is not a complaint, just hadn't wanted it all at once.
I was headed for a place called Stinkjer which is about 150 km NNE of Trondheim but about 67 km before it was already dark and the slushy rain had set in well and truly, so I dived onto a lay-by with loo (get those here), quite respectable ones too, just at the side of the E6. After about 19:30 all goes quiet with very little traffic so "taint so bad as it sounds.
Hence the lack of an "Out of my Bedroom Window" image for the day.
Woke up with the van covered in snow and with two monster trucks as neighbours.
26.02.2016
Hit the road at 07:30 in driving snow but not a lot of traffic. made good time and kept to the stop and stretch rule every two hours. Today all it has done is snow. Destination was Mosjøen in the part of Norway designated as North Norway? Mine is not to reason.......
One thing was brought home quite early, and that is that even with spiked tires one is not exactly safe from all disasters. On at least three occasions the van went very independent and brought on a few severe cases of the "Buttonhole Syndrome", one of our Mum's favourite sayings, "making button holes", never mind about the rest. Anyway served to keep me awake and concentrated.
Of note three things:
i) Past by an Elk on the way, lady one and very happy she was as well, in the middle of a field at a stack of plastic rolled straw balls the farmers build for winter, and had found her way into one of them. You could almost see her belly swelling up. Didn't look as though anything was going to move her on.
ii) On a frozen lake at the side of the road a small herd of Reindeer had laid themselves down for a midday siesta and seemed quite content.
iii) I have maintained for a longtime that all of the warning signs "Beware Elk" were a con to make the tourists think they actually still have them here. But all of the snow puts the lie to my theory. When you see all of the tracks in it that the animals have left, mostly overnight obviously, it is quite an eye opener. Elk, Deer and Hare at least. me being the wild life expert of course. Just a shame one hardly ever gets to see them.
What was of interest though as I checked into my first non wild camp site on this run, the bloke at reception said watch out for the Elk on the roads, lot of them about at the moment. We shall see.
Tomorrow I finally hit the 66°33'N marker. Nothing really special about it, just gives me a personal little kick. The weather forecast is sunny through to midday and temperature not forecast as more (or is it less?) than -9°. As long as I'm in the van I don't really care.

This is tonights "Out of my Bedroom Window"

PPR-02

23/2/2016

Short but successful day. Was at the workshop just after 07:00 & all finished by 10:45. As expected the two board batteries were completely shot & had two new ones installed.

Also had some minor wear & tear repairs done. Solar panels checked & I wasn't completely wrong. They also are showing their age but are good for a few more years I'm told. Not that they'll get much work where I'm going.

Arrived at the Puttgarden Ferry at 12:45, boarded at 13:08, sailed at 13:15 and disembarked at 14:10. like clockwork. They have pointy ends both ends as well as two Bridges so they just chunnter back and forth. Not sure if they have a Captain both ends as well.

The Danes are checking everyone at the boarder before one can exit the port area.

Parked up at 54 56 53N 11 59 15E same place as last year. Good enough for an overnighter. Early to kip, get an early start and might catch the sunrise over the Øresund Bridge. Quite a bridge it is as well and if the sun plays fair it's a grand sight.

Longer run tomorrow straight up the West coast of Sweden into Norway, nice little lake near Halden.

Pic that follows is the view from my bedroom window today:

PPR-03

23/2/2016

Must have gone to bed too early, thrashing around just before 2:00 am wondering why I couldn't sleep. Then realized I'd had almost eight hours of it.
So set off after a cuppa and was on my way by 2:50 to be just short of Goteborg in Sweden before the sun came up. It did actualk maje an apoearance but the Øresund Bridge was a long way behind by then.
Hit the working folks traffic jams in Goteborg otherwise an uneventful run.
It was lovely to hear the buzzing of everyone's spiked tires and to know I was not alone at last and legal😉
As I got across in Sweden the odd brass monkey Ir two were to be seen stamping their feet and blowing on their fingertips. After Goteborg they weren't looking so happy and coming into Norway they were all over the place with their polishing cloths and brasso working up a lather.
Camped up on this frozen lake middle of nowhere about 40 kilometers into Norway. Should make it to Steinkjer tomorrow.

Today's "Out of the Bedroom Window" image.

PPR-01 I'm off up North

22/2/2016

So all done and dusted. Will be heading off after lunch expecting heavy rain and high winds all the way to Leezen.

Set off at 12:30 and parked in Leezen with a pot of tea and the van rigged up for the night. 544 km and 5hrs12min. So the good old rule of thumb 100 clicks per hour holds good.

Rained all of the way and the wind did its best at sweeping me off the motorway. Nearly managed it twice. Anyway as long as I do not get into a hailstorm like number two son just did. In Oman of all places😳.

See what the morrow brings, apart from two new batteries for the onboard power. Need to get the solar panels checked as well. To my expert eye they look a bit strange, which probably means they'll last another hundred years. I hope!

Mobile version

19/2/2016

Added the App to my mobile to test how it works. Idea is to perhaps post a daily PP report. Just in case there are folks silly enough to be interested.

The image is one of the selfies that my mobile keeps making of, wait for it, it's own screen.

Norway Trip 2016

15/2/2016

Disgusting, almost a year since I was in here last. Oh well best laid plans of mice and...... .
Later to day then.

So preparations are well under way. Tomorrow get a new starter battery and the spiked tyres mounted in the hope they will keep me out of the ditch.

Sunday after dark head of to Leezen near Schwerin to the guys that did the camper conversion. Doing the run after dark to minimise the risk of a control, they are illegal in Germany.

Need two replacement board batteries as well. Beasts died on us in Wales last year. Will have the solar panels checked as well as they are looking a bit sorry for themselves. Not that they will be doing much at 67°39' North.

From there sneak up to Puttgarden for the ferry to Denmark after which I don't have to sneak no more😎.

And from there on just a long drive to Bodø for the ferry across to the Lofoten. Take four or five days I suppose based on past experience.

Hoping to be near some internet connections there and if I get any images worth sharing will post them.