July 30, 2024
Day 29: Andenes to Fjordbotn
8 tunnels and an Orca
“Oh, I saw a fin,” Rachel exclaims that starts a commotion on the ferry as people rush to the window. We get a few more glimpses of the Orca cruising in the fjord.
We get on the road early to ride the 4.5km to catch the early ferry at 8:45 to Senja Island. We are a half hour early and meet a Norwegian skate skiing to the Northcape. He has been doing stages for quite a few years, but a bout with leukemia interrupted him for a couple of years. Now he is working on the last stage. Even though he tells us twice, we still are uncertain of his name so call him Hendrick.
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The ferry crossing is a 2 hours, and we are off with a calm crossing to ride Senja Island. At about 25km, we have the first of two big hills today. Before we set off, we stop at the store as the dock and have a pastry and chocolate milk. There are a few other cyclists, they are going south.
“I’m beginning to understand why the Norwegian like tunnel tents, and tunnels: it’s in their DNA.” Rachel thinks. Today we go through 8 tunnels, some 2 kilometers long, others shorter, all well-lit and mostly for us on a downward grade. There also is a button for cyclists to push to activate flashing lights indicating there is a cyclist in the tunnel. Only a few times is there traffic in the tunnel, with the unnerving roar making a small car sound like a big truck.
Our RidewithGPS map for today shows several scary spikes. At the first tunnel we have to climb about 300 vertical meters to the start of the tunnel, and then we cut through the mountain. We suspect RWGPS has not actually ridden these roads; instead they must rely on satellite measurements. Because of the big spikes though the smaller ups and downs do not read well on today’s profile. All those little climbs are meaner than they look and they wear us out. At the last climb where we cross from one fjord to the next there is no tunnel. We climb to a plateau, then steeply descent to the sea again. On the downhill we can see the campground on the other side of the fjord.
We have been following Martin and Elspeth Jarman journal Through the Land of the Lemmings. We decide to pass the junction to Botnhamn and go an extra 4 km to Fjordborn where there is a campground with a restaurant. The tent area is a large open grassy area with most people pitching the tents around the edges. Good hot showers. There are tiny little bugs but no mosquitos. We enjoy a beer with our dinner of Fish and Chips. It has been a long day for us and tomorrow won’t be easy either. As soon as we lay down we both fall asleep.
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 1,406 km (873 miles)
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3 months ago