Into the Wild...and Back Out Again

When Norwegians say that Lofoten is the most beautiful place in the country, I don't think they're wrong one little bit.  Granted, its basically the only place I've actually SEEN so far in Norway, but I can't imagine anything more beautiful than what I've experienced over the past 11 days.  When they say that the roads there are relatively flat, however, they're lying!

This is not flat

 



Neither is this

 

Come on!

When they say that those roads aren't heavily trafficked, they're forgetting about the hoards of German RV enthusiasts barreling down them as though they were still on the autobahn.  And when they claim that the islands are "cycle friendly"…well, maybe that's true by Norwegian standards, but certainly not by my own! And then there was the wind. I had nearly forgotten, after a week or so of relatively calm days here in Norway, about the gale force winds that constantly threatened to blow me into oncoming traffic throughout Finland.  Four days in to my slog across Lofoten, Norway brought them roaring back with a vengeance! I was met with a headwind so strong that I had to pedal even on the down-hills just to maintain a pathetic 9km an hour average pace! By the time the rain kicked in, I had officially lost the will to cycle.  RIP CycleTour Scandinavia. I wish I could say I'll miss you, but honestly if I never see another bicycle again in my lifetime it'll be too soon.  For those of you playing at home, if you had "2 weeks into Norway" in the "How Long Will it Take Her to Ditch the Bike" pool, congratulations, you've won!

And so with the death of CycleTour comes the birth of  F@%&Cycling Tour Scandinavia!

 

 

F@%&Cycling Tour

Scandinavia 

 

 

Yes, I'm making a logo. I'm that excited about this.  Upon arriving in Leknes (one of the more built-up towns in Lofoten, though oddly possessing only one hotel.) I hit up the local Intersport to buy a proper backpacking bag.  No more dragging my stuff around in four separate bags, Hallelujah!  I also looked for a cycle shop to see if anyone might be interested in buying a slightly used American touring bike. No dice there. Also no luck in scoring a room at the one and only hotel in town after rolling in soggy, cold, and exhausted at 9pm.  Fortunately, one of the hotel staff members was able to hook me up with a Rorbuer (fisherman's cottages that are renovated and rented out all across the islands by private owners) that her mother owned in the nearby village of Stamsund, and she volunteered to personally drive me there, and back again to Leknes in the morning to get my bike.  Norwegian hospitality at its finest!

Forward my mail. I'm never coming back!

 

From Leknes it was on to Reine (by bus) after a quick hop up to the Viking Museum about 15km up the road (the lure of Vikings was enough motivation to eek out a final 30km out and back on the bike).  It was the first museum I've actually visited on this trip and it did not disappoint. It featured a main exhibit hall with an interactive audio tour that looked like something out of Star Trek, a 20 minute movie about a Viking father and daughter, and acres of ground to wander through including a fully restored Chieftan's house, ancient burial mounds, a replica Viking ship that you can actually set sail in (weather permitting, which it wasn't that day), and two of the biggest pigs I've ever seen in my life:

That's a lot of bacon!

In Reine I was also out of luck in selling the bike, and so we slogged onward to Moskenes, where I made friends with some of the locals (and a vacationer in from Oslo) at the campground pub as well as the bartender, who introduced me to all sorts of new Norwegian music to add to my collection.  Current favorite: Violet Road. Check them out!

 

At this point I'd been in Lofoten for close to two weeks, and while communing with nature was certainly agreeing with me (as were all the free camping sites I was scoring), I knew I had to move on eventually. There's a lot more Norway left to explore, and the weather, which topped out at about 50 degrees on a good day, was starting to get to me just a little bit. It IS supposed to be summer, after all!  So I made a plan to sail back to the mainland to the city of Bodo, but first, I had one more expedition to make....

 

From Reine I hopped a boat to the tiny village of Vindstad. With my new pack and about 50lbs of gear strapped to my back, I walked a couple kilometers down a dirt road until I found a path that led straight up a mountain....

 

 

...where it promptly ceased to be a path, giving way instead to a series of "trails" meandering their way down the other very steep and rocky side of the mountain.

 

Why on Earth would someone go through all of this with 50lbs of kit strapped to their back, you ask? Here's why:

 

Bunes Beach.  The coolest "secret" beach I've ever been to and another major winner of a campsite with an epic view of the midnight sun.

 

Totally worth it!





And with that I said goodbye to Lofoten, making an extremely well-timed exit, on easily the rainiest day I've seen since I've been in Europe.  A four-hour boat ride across some mildly rocky seas landed me in the city of Bodo where I've taken up residence in the local hostel (which is surprisingly economical), and found the Norwegian version of Craigslist, where I've listed my bike for sale. Less than an hour later, I had my first responses. This should be easy! 

 

Its a strange feeling, being in a city again after living in the wilderness for so long, but it's Friday night and I've got clean clothes, clean hair, and a mind to go out on the town and experience some Norwegian nightlife!