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11th collection of OFR's

17/5/2017

3 Comments

 
PPR-45 09.05
Start: 06:15    Finish: 18:30
Total km., for day: 219,4
Camped at: N60°55’32” E7°04’45”.
Great nights sleep again, something I seem good at. Quite a surprise to peek out and find myself in the clouds which is hardly surprising I suppose at 600 meters, snowing as well. I took it slowly as it looked as though it might clear up for me to try for my images.
Drove down to the camp site, updated the Blog and stuff and drove down into the village in the valley back the way I’d come in yesterday to the only shop for literally miles around. Could have saved my self the trouble, I almost had more in the van as leftovers than they did. Nary mind, means I can try for my images back in as they are all on the way. Started raining during this, of course.
Going past the camp site again I dived in to take advantage of the good wifi connection to check the weather. This changed my timing drastically but not my route.
Heavy snow storms moving in over the whole area that I had planned to be whiling in for the next couple of days so I decided to scarper rather than risk getting stuck up high.
From here I have to negotiate a quite steep pass, which reminds me of the Ouzzlem Bird as the Pass is so well blessed in hairpin bends I might just finish up like him, to arrive at the Ferry across the fjord. This gives me the run into the pass up over the Fjell and back down again into Voss. Only 200 kilometres but more than interesting ones. They shut the passes down as soon as real bad weather comes in and then its wait and convoy time. Don't really need all that.
Turns out to have been a good decision as I learnt waiting at a tunnel to be driven through in convoy due to roadworks in it. Seems the area I was “fleeing” from was more or less shutting down behind me as I drove out due to the storm up above the snow line.
This stretch is a continuous tunnel, or at least that’s the feeling one gets. I’m on the E16 as there is no other possibility through these high mountains. This evening I took a sharp left coming out of an eleven kilometre long one. Where you exit it you literally just have time to grab a breath before disappearing into the next one which is only five kilometres long.
The E16 is like this for kilometres. In the morning I have to go through the five kilometre one and then a series of baby ones until you have the choice of going North. This takes you through what I believe is currently the longest one in the world. Twenty five kilometres of it. Alternatively you can go Southeast down the 50 through a series of shorter ones.
Me I’m going Southeast, we went through the long one in 2008, great piece of engineering, wide, well light etc., but as boring as hell. Apart from which if you go that way its hard to play “Who can hold their breath going through?”
Anyway after my sharp left I drove down to the bottom of the road to a small village, Undredal, on a very large Fjord. Where much to my surprise I realised I had been before  on our 2008 trip, never been able to remember where it was.
Went halfway back up the road to a spot ID’d as my overnight home, probably go into the village again before leaving for a couple of buildings.
Great camp nice and quiet. 

PPR-46 10.05
Start: 06:30    Finish: 17:15
Total km., for day: 309,7
Camped at: N61°02’36” E7°47’45”.
Once on the move back for the images then out onto the E16 and dived off down the 50. It wasn't really surprising that it started to snow and didn't stop until about 16:00.
The climb up the mountain through the pass to get up on the Fjell was truly amazing with some equally amazing tunnels. Once up on top the snow was really getting into its act and the temperature dropped down to -3,5°C, really wild up there. Hats off to the road and tunnel builders, power line folks as well.
Came down off the 50 onto the 7 and along to Gol, and from there up and over again, not as high and wild but still windy and snow. This brings you down into a small village called Borgund, just off the E16 where there is a Stavkirke, look it up if your interested, there are only twenty-eight of them left in Norway. They are really old wooden churches, quite amazing old things.
Start heading North again tomorrow I’ve decided to go via Dombås and over the Dovrefjell. There are Musk Ox up there, not that I’m likely to catch a glimpse.

PPR-47 11.05
Start: 06:00    Finish: 15:26
Total km., for day: 271,8
Camped at: N61°52’27” E9°05’56”.
Up early and moved a little closer to the church for breakfast as I was camped somewhere I shouldn't have been.
From there about eight kilometres down the road to a truckers stop to use the WC facilities the local authorities provide. Get to wash and brush up with hot water and in conditions slightly less cramped than in the van.
After that off on the route the SatNav had planned, and I’d approved, until she started to take me up a mountain on uncleared gravel roads. Gave her the rest of the day off, switched her off for a rest. Bit too hairy what she was asking of man and material and I chose my own way.
At Fagernes topped up on all the necessary fuels, diesel, water and a cuppa cocoa and good to go for fair while again. Picked up the 51 which up and over the pass onto the Fjell. Incredible amount of snow up there but the road completely cleared. Most of the peaks are over 1,500 meters plus so hardly a surprise. That drops down into Vågåmo, an interesting little town, boast its own Stavkirke from 1,100, and was a favourite place of Edvard Munch for the artists amongst you. The Scream?
Spent sometime walking about, back starting to give a bit of gyp. Camped on the large Parking area at the entrance into town. Lots of wonderful opportunities up on the Fjell, but everywhere it was possible they had put up big unmissable NO CAMPING signs the buggers, so didn't have much choice.
Got quite an interesting route for my drive out of this great country, just have to see how it pans out.
At least this spot is quiet, maybe because it backs onto the Kirke Graveyard.👻

PPR-48 12.05
Start: 06:15    Finish: 14:15
Total km., for day: 171,9
Camped at: N61°58’45” E10°01’32”.
Milk off, no breakfast, what a bummer.
Unbelievable camping spot off the 27 near Folldal, its right off the road in the trees and bush in an area with quite a few clearings with campfire sites right on the river. Guess its popular with the Angler folks in season.
When I arrived sun was shining temperature about 8°C so I grab the chance and threw open every door, cupboard and any storage areas and took out all bedding, fleece jackets etc., and gave everything a good long deserved airing. I have a vague suspicion that the interior smelt a wee bit like and animal transporter. Really hasn't been a chance before to do so.
If the weather is like this in the morning might risk a quick skinny dip in the river and wash properly.
Van all packed and closed up by 18:00, sun disappeared behind the mountain and it cooled off pretty quick then.
The normal route out of Vågåmo takes you down the E6 which is the worst Euroroute of all, it serves as the main arterial road straight through Norway, South to North and every Tom, Dick, Harry and all their relations use it. So I just told Kate take me here but DO NOT USE the E6 to do it. Great move, didn't touch it once, she took me mostly up on the hillside high over the E6 on the other side of the river and all the way down to the 27, which is where I wanted to be.
The 27 took me where else than up and over another Fjell. Plenty snow again, too much to get off the beaten track but found a grand spot for  a good old Omani style Mountain and Desert trip lunch. Sardines in oil and dry bread. Unfortunately not the Omani bread.

PPR-49 13.05
Start: 06:45    Finish: 17:20
Total km., for day: 197,5
Camped at: N63°04’12” E9°53’18”.
WOW, it was cold in the night, ice on the inside of the van windows when I woke and the ground temperature was -4°C. I am more than snug in my sleeping arrangement so didn't notice. Did make me change my mind about a quick wash in thriver though.
It soon warmed up as the sun came up and a wonderful run up to the E6, which unfortunately is the only road over the Dovrefjell. Where the road starts to go down towards Oppdal there is an old way station on the right and a bit further on the left an old, but in service, Railway Station. About 100 meters before the way station I nearly fell off my perch, I had difficulty in realising my amazing luck. Two Musk Ox grazing away. There are about 200 hundred in Norway and they all roam about up here on the Fjell and are rarely seen and very shy. Outside of seeing them in animal documentaries I never thought I’d get to see one in the wild. Grabbed camera, 200mm lens and a 2x converter. Lets hope!
After that into Oppdal tanked up again and left down the 70 until I could hang a right. This I did and the whole way until this stop, which I cannot exactly locate on the map, but have the coordinates, I was in my own little heaven, dirt roads all the way, camped off it as well.
Just off a bridge with a rapids hurtling through under it.

PPR-50 14.05
Start: 07:00    Finish: 18:25
Total km., for day: 301,6
Camped at: N63°11’18” E11°09’18”.
Not a bad night considering the noise the rapids made. Loafed around a bit just enjoying some sunshine and the location before heading off and down to where I connected with the 705, dirt all the way but good eighty kilometres in all. Changed my route on a whim and decided to shoot up to the Swedish boarder. Mistake was a lousy run, E14, all the way up to the boarder I kept feeling some things were vaguely familiar until just before the boarder two signs, fairly close to each other gave my memory a wee bit of a nudge and I decided to investigate on the way back down from the boarder.
On the way back I checked out the signs and sure enough I had been through this way before with Brigitte on our last trip up here. Only we had come down from up North, Narvik I think, via Sweden and had been going in the opposite direction back into Norway.
The second sign I followed took me into the location of an interesting “Wooden” Dam, and Lake. It was where we had camped last time. So I had my lunch there for old times sake.
On the way back down to where I could exit the E14 all sorts of things suddenly slotted into place. Amazing how the direction of travel makes such a difference.
Where I have landed for the day is about where I had planned for my jumping off point on the drive down south and home. Kate was making a real dogs breakfast of finding exactly where I wanted to be so I fired her and headed up into the hills and found a suitable abode.

PPR-51 15.05
Start: 07:00    Finish: 17:50
Total km., for day: 279,4
Camped at: N62°16’24” E10°46’25”.
The day was everything other than planned. This was to explore the very interesting looking small roads between the 30 and the Swedish boarder. It turned out to be an absolute no go for two reasons:
  1. They are either private roads, toll roads or both.
  2. More importantly they do not open until the beginning of June, earliest.​
My own stupidity as usual, the toll bits not a problem, the private is, but the fact that they are all at an elevation of 900 metres upwards in an essentially unpopulated are should have been obvious. Ah well!!!
These images will help to support the facts, at least to point 2 anyway. The first image is the view on the righthand side of the van and the second the lefthand side. I was on the only open road through the area.
Instant switch to plan B and off down the 30. Saw plenty of interesting stuff, one was a very large and handsome looking Elk who was taking a break in a lay by, until I showed up, and one very startled and frightened deer, with antlers I might add. He was stood in the middle of the road in a curve and if I hadn't hit the brakes full on both he and the front of the van would have looked quite sorry for themselves. He took off with rather relaxed set of  bowels into the trees, thank goodness. Also spotted a lot of Goosander on a lake and a Grey Plover, yes I am sure, and he was a long way inland from where he was supposed to be.
I finally landed up in Tynset again on this trip as fool that I am I couldn't find an excellent and remote camping place that we have used before.
Camped on the parking lot close to the railway station which turned out to be pretty noisy up until about 2 am., due to all the boy racers giving it stick all over with Harvey Wallbanger style music blaring out at Trini Maxi Taxi volume. Even my van metalwork was vibrating with it. I just hope the were Daddies vehicles and that they bent them before they got home.
All in all I had a good day but one that can be categorised as an “Oh, I think I’d better think it out again,” day. I enjoyed it all the same.

PPR-52 16.05
Start: 06:00    Finish: 09:20
Total km., for day: 28
Camped at: N62°25’36” E11°05’27”.
Very short day and one that reinforces the fact that I’m and idiot. I could get no peace over not having found the camp site I had wanted so decided I would locate it before moving on.
Easy explanation I had it in my head that it was off the E3 just outside of Tynset going north to Trondheim,. It’s off the 30 just twenty eight kilometres, as you can see from todays kilometre tally, just before coming into Tynset from Røros, passed in on the way in last night. Oaf!!!
So here I is, and here I stays, it really is a lovely spot so no more driving for the day. Chance to catch up on the blog and do some walking for the back, it really does need it.
There were plenty of places with wifi connections in Tynset, which I have to drive through tomorrow, that should be good enough for me to make another post.
Most important part of todays post, wildlife seen, Mouse out on a bridge pontoon in the middle of this rather large river?
Bugger, sitting outside of a large Supermarket doing this 17.05 at 09:00 and wondering why they are still closed. Opening time is 08:00. Jest checked on the web, todays a public holiday. Someone is going to be bit peckish by the end of the day.😕


NOTE TO BLOG POSTS:
This will be the last one before I’m back home I think, the last two weeks I shall be flitting about all overrun my way going down south trying to find places I’ve never been to before, need some Brownie points with the Boss who wants to come up again next year for a bye-bye visit. I think Norway has been pretty well covered by us, both together and alone, over the years, and they are telling a bit on the driver as well.
I shall be doing what I have done all of the trip and keeping notes for the sake of completion and my own personal record of what, when, where and I shall post them for those that are interested on how I found my way home.
Stop before last will be the first stop as on the way up. With the guys that put the van together for me to get the electrical trip switch replaced and that is bridged out at the moment.
I’m with them on the morning of the 31.05 so don't be expecting anything much before end of first week in June.
3 Comments

10th collection of OFR's

9/5/2017

2 Comments

 
PPR-40 04.05
Start: 06:45    Finish: 17:26
Total km., for day: 207
Camped at: N62°07’47” E6°14’21”.
Woke at 5:00 but crashed out again until 6:45. Moved off at about 9:00 and by the time updated and posted the Blog it was 10:00.
Turned out to be a confused but fantastic day. First off I became really annoyed with the Road Toll System, not because I object to having to paying, although the way it is organised it’s a straight rip off. No simply because the way they do it, and they do it rather effectively, they want to force you into using the main highways.
Stir me being who I am I persevered and found an incredible drive and some great camping spots to boot. The one I wanted to use I left for now as its in a complete mobile signal blackspot which as the Boss is in Hospital back home for an OP I didn't want to risk not being contactable. maybe I will be able to work things so that I can come back through after my Rock image thing and the all clear is sounded from home.
Might be a bit difficult though, I’ve been browsing my map here where I’m camped for the night and have found all sorts of exciting alternatives to my original idea. Sure I ca, we shall see, after all they are only kilometres after all. Hate to think what all the fuel is costing for this traipsing around. Leave that until at home and can't change it then,👹
Camped up out in the boondocks here, looks like the cleared area I’ve chosen is a loggers collection area. Hope I don’t wake up in the morning to find they are early starters and have just taken delivery of a large amount of logs.

PPR-41 05.05
Start: 06:30    Finish: 17:30
Total km., for day: 288
Camped at: N62°06’13” E5°16’07”.
My mate Dieter comes under the knife today. Thinking of you Buddy and you get up and bounce around again ASAP. Please!
Spent quite awhile driving without a clue where the hell I was but finally found out I was on the 651. Nary to worry and my own fault for diving off the road I was on to avoid a long tunnel that suddenly loomed up ahead. Later in the day on a break and a lot of rooting around on my raging maps found the road and how I managed to get on it. Either way no harm done, rather the opposite, another one for the list. Tremendously interesting and scenic as hell.
Now back to what has been one of my prime objectives on this trip and this was too get to see the Kannenstein. For anyone that is interested and wish to know where it is located it can be found at 61.96873323N 5.0673580169E an what it looks like this is the first image shown below in this post.
I guess it is about three meters high and just a lump of rock on the shore at, you've guessed it, Kannen. It has all hell beaten out of it over who knows how much time, by stormy seas and fellow rocks blasting away at it. I originally saw an image in a Photographers exhibition, in Black and White. It appealed to me so much I contacted the guy for it’s location and decided “This rock I have to see”.
You folks having seen my iPhone version of it will probably only have your opinion of me as not being all there confirmed, but I can assure you the ride in to see it is worth the effort.
From there started back on a route which will take me back to where I got all gooey about yesterday, (Boss is back home and OK), so having no phone contact not a problem anymore. The little ferry that I need to catch to get across to it doesn't run Sundays so if I don't take the chance tomorrow it'll have to wait until next year. Devious little me has discovered another baby Ferry that I can loop around to and get back to including all the other exciting things I mentioned yesterday. It’s only a detour of 400 kilometres. Hi Ho life just a bundle of fun, I haven't a clue why I spent all those years pretending to be working.
Landed up on a pass crossing from one side of the land mass to the other, about 500 meters up and quite breezy but with views forever.

PPR-42 06.05
Start: 05:30    Finish: 12:00
Total km., for day: 214,8
Camped at: N62°08’34” E6°44’41”.
Bro setting out on his Irish Atlantic Wall ride today. Have fun Squire and stay in the saddle.
Quick breakfast and on the move pronto, wanted to be sure of making the ferry, which worked out just fine. Made it for the 11:10, one after that as 12:45 so had some luck.
So now I’m back on the spot I’ve been all excited about, truly beautiful and serves to remind me just how pitifully tiny we really are. At the same time to have ones nose rub into the fact that to really enjoy it you have to get up into it, which is unfortunately no longer a physical possibility. Observation not self pity, fact of life, imagine whimsical sighs echoing down the valley.
Had a great lunch sitting in the sun enjoying my surroundings. Baby spinach (triple portion) and a 300 gramme chunk of smoked salmon.Main reason for that is to ensure the I don't have the same problems tonight as I did yesterday.
I as so finished after all the driving I couldn't be bothered to organise a decent meal so had a slice of bread with a bit of tinned Mackerel  on it, followed by a piece of bread with Reindeer Salami on it and for desert two slices of bread and honey. Seems they didn't seem to get on too well together and wage war al night long.
Will enjoy the rest of the afternoon walking around and watching, quite literally, one big avalanche after the other thundering down on both sides of the valley.Really spectacular if your far enough removed , which needless to say I am, (He hopes).
In between all that hard work have been doing some route planning for the rest of the trip, cant leave it all to poor old Kate, or is it Jane.

PPR-43 07.05
Start: 05:15    Finish: 16:20
Total km., for day: 276,6
Camped at: N61°49’32” E5°25’32”.
Woken at 5 by an avalanche and as I write it’s 8 and they haven't stopped yet. Also heard a couple in the night but didn't disturb much, pretty much like thunder.
On the road at 8:30 and fairly early at screwing things up as well. That’s what you get for getting cocky I guess. I went right instead of left and landed in Volda which is exactly where I didn't want to be sixty kilometres in the wrong direction. No worries, don't have a timetable to keep to. Filled up with fuel, water, check tire pressures and have a sneaky cocoa. Back the way had come and round to the ferry I was aiming for. Only had half am hour to wait and away again.
An interesting drive but a only to done once I think. The whole area consists of an almost sheer sided mountain range and the roads follow around at its base along the sea shore. Well more or less and there are no roads at all into the interior areas. So anything inhabitable, is inhabited, obviously, and by the rules of wild camping cannot camp within 300 meters of any building, even if its a shed on the property perimeter. Thats one rule I always keep or err on the positive side of. Being able to camp where you wish is for me is a privilege and I don't wish to be one of the ones ruining it. Only one camping place in the whole area and it was not open.
Did not really matter as when I arrived where I had thought it would be great to camp, right out on the point at a place called Kalvåg, turned out to be more than breezy, howling would be moral like the correct term. If your interested in where it is put these coordinates into our friend Google thingubmegig, N61°53’23” E5°15’31”, where I ha my lunch, and follow the road west as far as it goes, route 616.
As I’d been counting on camping out there anyway, “cos its a dead end according to the map and I had planned to go back out the way I’d come in tomorrow. Started to do this and  coming over a bridge I spotted what I thought might be a possibility to park up for the night, no luck. What was lucky though was as I was coming back off the area I spotted a sign which said 20 Km., to Svelgen my targeted end for the day no matter what. That cannot be right I thought that road leads to a place named Bortnen which is a dead end. For a change I figured they might know better than myself so I took the road. Twenty kilometres instead of over eighty is a good argument in my book, especially if the sixty of them are on a single track road with passing places.
Turns out the were right, in Bortnen the road just kept on. They'd put a hole straight through the mountain and zimzalabim there was a brand new tunnel. Nice surprise. I emerged approximately in the middle of the stretch between the ferry at Isane and Svelgen. I figured the place along that stretch where I might find a spot to camp was a few kilometres back up the road to the ferry and a few more clicks in the wrong direction weren't going to kill me and I took the chance and was right. It turned up 4 kilometres later on the edge of a lake and mister was lord of all he surveyed again. Well that is with the exception of a whacking big truck out of Czechoslovakia , so I let him stay. Great spot and absolutely quiet. Guess the trucker was on his Sunday break and he slept all the time I was there.

PPR-44 08.05
Start: 08:10    Finish: 17:15
Total km., for day: 255,9
Camped at: N61°20’09” E6°24’02”.
Nice slow start, finally crept out of my pit at 8:10, trucker gone, didn't hear him leave so must have slept well.
Started off on an easy run as planned, stopped about 13:00 for lunch and moved on. On the way to the stop checked to some 8,000 year old Stone Age rock carvings, more than 360 of them an a section of smooth rock carved out by a glacier. Fascinating.
I broke off the second leg of the planned route for the day as it was nothing particularly exciting and a dead end too boot.
Got back onto the 13 which was also on my planned way out and am camped up with the views left and right as shown, which is at 600 meters above sea level I note on my gizmo.
It’s pretty close to an official campsite we have often used, Saw the guy who owns it yesterday and I can use all his facilities and wifi, which I hope is good enough to allow me to post this. Which is great ‘cos I get to camp further up the pass.
Some interesting old buildings on this stretch and will stay over two nights and try and make something out of them.
The last two images below are left and right of my camping spot.

2 Comments

9th collection of OFR's

4/5/2017

0 Comments

 
PPR-34 28.04
This an addition to above PPR-34 post Post as it were.
I was in and out of the dealers within the hour and the cost was not too bad. NOK 350 which is about €44. Probably have cost the same if not more in Düsseldorf.
After that I went across to the CircleK for my cocoa, of course, and worked out what all the different buttons on the car wash bay were and gave the van a very much needed wash and brush up. Exterior only, unfortunately no vacuum there. Shame I’m knee deep in crumbs and things inside. I’d tried a couple of times earlier on but the roads were in such a state it was just chucking money away.
Now I’m below the Arctic Circle the roads are clear and no more snow and stuff to get us dirty, or not very.
Still once we were all bright and sparkling set off feeling better with no problems on the van and had a slow run to the coordinates above which I’ve added with this revision. Of the road on a Fjord and a bridge over it. As always after about 19:30 to 20:30 no traffic at all.

PPR-35 29.04
Start: 05:30    Finish: 14:04
Total km., for day: 234,6
Camped at: N63°29’12” E9°59’49”.
Awake early as wind came up a bit heavy and was whistling through my rigging. It was following on behind the sunrise, which usually brings a wind with it. Not really a problem as I’d crashed the night before at 20:30 as was knudgered.
Easy run to Brekstad to check the Ferry times for Monday. Needn't have bothered as I changed my mind as far as Monday’s route is concerned almost as soon as I had the times.
Either way I’m here until Monday morning, invited to the friends here for breakfast and a look see at the caravan they have just picked up from Denmark.
Need a rest from driving as well so that won't harm.

PPR-36 30.04
Rest day, breakfast with Ingrid and Robert, made themselves a great deal on the caravan. After that just loafed around in the marina and chilled.

PPR-37 01.05
Start: 06:06    Finish: 13:58
Total km., for day: 186,6
Camped at: N62°50’09” E8°40’08”.
Day of reckoning, old Credit Card expired yesterday and the new one kicks off today and I’m hoping it does so without any hiccups. I’ve got to get the Ferry back to the Trondheim side of the Fjord and immediately go into a whole series of Toll Roads which the clever buggers have worked so’s ye can’ne avoid ‘em. Shouldn’t be a problem but who knows where Murphy's spending his time.
Both Toll account with EPASS24 the Swedish outfit and EPCplc which is the Norwegian rep., and cashier so everywhere else should also be fine, and ’twas.
After all the usual leaving preps in the Marina, me washing, dish washing water canisters etc., up and away.
On the way to end stop for the day found another likely place, but decided to leave it for next year with the Boss. Checked ferry time at Kavanne and back to this spot an old favourite and will sleep the night here.
Tomorrow before leaving will go back into the interior if the road is open and if so hike in to the waterfall back there.
But for today that’s enough.

PPR-38 02.05
Start: 07:00    Finish: 16:30
Total km., for day: 127,2
Camped at: N62°42’54” E8°29’38”.
For my raging memory the coordinates at the setting out for the waterfall, and various other epic and heroic “hikes”, not for me no more the hikes is a place called Kårvatm. It’s in a National Park. Anyway they are N62°46’51” E8°52’24”.
They’ve done a bit to the dirt road since I was last here, but not much.
Waterfall not possible for little fellas, and for that I am in possession of the required qualifications, snow still far too deep.
Easy drive back to village and found some great images that fit my project Theme and stopped where I had camped for lunch.
Made the 13;30 ferry and a slow stop start drive down to Sunndalsøra. Main item there is the Hydro Aluminium Works, which is really what the place is all about. They built it here way back up at the back of the Fjord because of their electricity requirement. They are at least 100 kilometres plus inland on a Tidal Fjord, imagine. Anyway the produce their own power from the vast amounts of water that come thundering down out of the mountains all year around.
A lovely setting, with exception of a bloody great big works, but even that is VERY clean and fits in, certainly not the sort of place old Industry Soaks like us are used to. With the exception of El Palito of course, not many Plants have their Northern battery limit right on the Caribbean Beach.
Diesel and cocoa as usual, a couple of failed attempts to find the entry point again to an incredible rout into the interior that we made in the T5 in 2008. It loops up through the mountains and onto the Plateau, which is where the vast natural water reservoirs are that Hydro taps into, (check it out on Google Earth its immediately south of Sunndalsøra, you can see it all I’ve checked) all 4x4 stuff but the T5 had no problems. Think I found it again at last, it was after the town going along in my travel direction.But didn't bother to let myself be tempted into having a look see. The full route is over 75 kilometres and is excitement and ooh’s all the way. Gotta do it one more time.
Just after it a bloody long tunnel loomed up but not for Jimmy cries I, I’m a right clever sod I is, I’ll take the old road outside around and over, much more pleasant.
Turns out they count on clever SOB’s like myself and just as one gets to the highest point of the traverse, before heading back down, they have put up rocks like tank traps in a double row, and just in case there are some even more sneaky ones amongst us the figure they can beat this they put in Catch 22. A large wide and deep trench. Gotta give it to them, points to them.
Didn't bother much anyway as right next to it there was a dirt road ramp leading up to a Communications Really Station, great it is the highest point as they usually are, totally secluded with views up and down the Fjord and of the mountains. What more can a guy ask for. My home for the night, that is if the wildlife doesn't disturb.

PPR-39 03.05
Start: 05:30    Finish: 16:45
Total km., for day: 243,7
Camped at: N62°34’07” E7°43’19”.
Must have had too much kip the day before, was awake at 5:00 and gave up and got up at 5:30, why thrash around. On the road early as well, naturally.
Meandered all over the place and picked up the exit point of the route over the Plateau mentioned above. This time i did follow it right in until Asphalt turns to Grit, and that is where it turns into big boy stuff. One can see the road starting its zigzag route up until somewhere it disappears into an incredible tunnel I’ve told some of you folks about before, it is a spiral! Again my pea sized one boggles. Anyway from where I stopped you could see the that the zigs and zags were piled high with snow, and up on top the snow cover is complete.
No way I was going to risk a sneaky look up there, and that on my tod. I know a couple of Herberts’ who pulled a trick like that once, only it was in a sandpit, nobody new where they were and the same is true here. Only good thing about trying here I guess only one goes missing.
On the way back out found a nice sunny spot surrounded by the great mountains and had lunch. The whole time I was stopped you could hear the crack and boom of the avalanches coming down all over back up in the mountains. Next year fo’ shure, without the snow of course.
On the way to my days destination of Åndelsnes, I wandered off onto the 666, I think, was not in my direction, but whats direction count between friends, finally got back on track but not before I got caught behind a farmer, his tractor and his very leaky water tank, all of which trundled along at tractor speed for quite a few K’s with no chance of overtaking. After awhile though he dived off the road into his field which he then diligently started to spray with this very evil looking brown coloured liquid, which of course you will have guessed by now wasn't water. Since when I’ve been followed around by this very “Rural” Farmyard Aroma. Got me quite a few strange looks when I parked up in Åndelsnes to stock up on grub. ‘spose I’ll have to wash it in the morning as it doesn't look as though there is much chance of rain to save me the effort.
Thats me for the day. Will stop off at the Tourist Info at the Railway Station here they have what looks like a good free Internet connection, so a post is on the cards.

The following pics were taken at the last two camping spots, The stair is the one Neil Armstrong was referring to I think. Next two was the view early in the morning looking across at mountains as usual. Hard to tell where up is sometimes. Just had to include the Trolls breakfast table, they'd just left unfortunately but you can guess at the size of the table from the bog standard flowerpot on it. The pebbles around the pot are used to attract the waiters attention, I'm told!

The last set four are from up on the Relay station I mentioned. Just above the tree line in the first of the four you can see the Aluminium Works, second is down towards the sea which is over a 
hundred kilometres away, hard to imaging this water is tidal.
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    Hawkeye the Ageing

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    Just an enthusiastic amateur photographer.

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