Hi everyone!
Wow, Day 9 is done and dusted already! Where are the days going?!
I'm currently set up camp outside the town of Narvik in Northern Norway.
My day started by saying goodbye to my hosts and getting back onto the E6, The Arctic Highway. I set up for the day with a brunch of coffee, pizza slice, and petrol (for the bike of course).
The morning brought me my first proper rain in a week and, to be honest, it's not much fun riding twisty roads in the wet. My only respite came in the form of tunnels, and lots of them. I must have ridden a dozen tunnels on the Arctic Highway today, and they were anything from a few hundred metres to 6,7,8 km long. And they're not like the tunnels back in the UK. The tunnels here are dark, wet, and narrow.
After riding in the rain for a good hour and no sign of blue skies at all, I entered a long tunnel and was thinking of taking a break to let the worst of the weather pass. I then came out of the tunnel in a different fjord to the one I had been riding and also to a different climate. Bright blue skies, dry roads, and a hint of pine in the air.
I pulled over to take a break and look back on the stunning snow capped mountains I had just ridden. Man I love this country!
I then powered on up the road as I was catching a ferry at 2pm to take me to the Lofoton Isles (google if you haven't heard of them... Mother Nature is stunning). This was a slight detour on my route to Nordkapp but it's a sight my guidebook, Norweigen friends, and my pal Joe told me not to miss.
The road down from the mountains to the port was breathtaking and strangely quite. So much so that on the long stretches down I could see so much of the empty road I was able to take the racing line down... A treat indeed.
I only had to wait about 20 minutes for the ferry to arrive and ten jumped onboard. I was a bit miffed that the ferry staff refused to strap down my bike but I was soon consoled by a Norweigen goldwing owner who told me he takes the ferry a lot and it's so calm that he just out his on the main stand.
The ferry was another delight and not only for being able to rest and munch on a hot dog but also the view to the Islands were like something out of a travel guide.
I then got back on and did another 100 miles or so through the mountain isles before heading back to the mainland to camp for the night.
I've been very lucky this trip that I've not encountered anyone that has annoyed me so far... Until tonight's campsite that is. There is a family camped next to me with young children who find it fun to a) run out in front of motorbikes when they are try to negotiate gravel inclines, b) try and touch motorbike exhausts when the are hot, c) turn on kettles on the kitchen with no water in,unsupervised.
Needless today I sat a looked to the scenery and chatted to Kirsty to calm me down.
As I pulled into the campsite my trip clicked into 2,700 miles for the trip in June 9 days! My poor little 650 must be very upset with my although the last 1200 miles have been perfect for riding.
Tomorrow I head from Tromso, the Paris of the North, where I'll be meeting up with the MC club and having a rest day.
Ride safe.
Gordon