Friday 24th July 2015
Today marked the literal turning point in my trip. Having travelled north all the way to the Nordkapp, the rest of the trip would be in a southerly direction.
Well rested from our easy day exploring Mageroya, the epic voyagers of hytte 4 woke early, and hit the road. Stuart and Alison were still getting their things together, and told us to go ahead. We were hoping to stop at a campsite suggested by Greg near Storslett tonight, so they would travel in their own time and meet us there.
First it was back to Alta, a reverse journey of the way we had come on Wednesday. The ride along the E69 was just as good as it was then. The weather was great and the traffic very light.
A few kilometres later the road repairs looked very groovy man! They have special tar and chipping machines that only repair the worn strips instead of the whole carriageway. This helps keep the cost of repairs under control, as the road needs repairing after every winter. This is due to the winter studded tyres used in this part of the world, which detroy the top surface of the road.
As we all filled up, a tourist coach pulled in an deposited its contents onto the forecourt. All of the men stood around looking at the bikes and asking us questions, while the women when in to the shop. It made me chuckle knowing that men and women are the same the world over.
So fuelled up it was on to the E6 which would be are companion for many days to come. Before hitting the plateau the road followed the river bank. Then it was across the open plateau, looking out for reindeer which were everywhere.
Once over the plateau the road twists its way down towards the Alta Fjord. We were keeping up a good pace and making the most of these constant radius corners.
Once in Alta, we stopped in a service station for morning coffee and a Diam boller. It was a Statoil station, and in keeping with my staffing observations the women behind the counter were attractive, just not the kind of super-model quality I was noticing at Shell stations.
While we were tucking into our tasty treats, a young Finnish guy called Nicolas came bounding over. He had phoned in to work sick, hopped on his bike, and was heading for the Nordkapp. He asked us for advise as to whether he was going to make it there and back to Alta by tonight. He was then going to stay at a hostel for the night, and ride home ready to start back at work on Saturday night. We said to go for it! And with that, he was off on an adventure of his own. I wished him well, and hoped that he had a job when he got home.
We got going too. The E6 from Alta started off with a series of brand new tunnels and a newly widened piece of road.
Coming out of the last tunnel were crossed a suspension bridge designed to look like the town symbol. I pulled over to take a photo.
The E6 continued following the shoreline of the fjord. The flowing nature of the road was really fun to ride. It stretched out in front of us as far as the horizon. But, then we hit road works.
And, when the Norwegians do road works they do it in a big way. The next ten kilometres were like a motorcross track. The road had been dampened by a water truck to keep the dust down. But, it just meant that we all ended up getting completely filthy.
The road returned to business as usual for the next few hours before leading us over a mountain pass towards Storslett. We found the campsite we were after. It was very nice. But, as it was only 1pm we decided to push on a little further. This would give us more time later in the trip. Tromso seemed like a possibility, so we texted Stuart and Alison and told them of our plans.
Our plan to get to Tromso involved taking a couple of ferries across the fjords rather than taking the E6 and E8 all the way. A few kilometres before the first ferry the traffic had stopped forming a massive tailback. As we were on motorcycles it is accepted by the Scandinavians to let us go to the front of the queue at ferry crossings. We are even waved forward by car drivers patiently waiting in front of us.
When we get near the front of the queue, it is chaos. Finn spots a guy in high-viz and goes to find out what is happening. It turns out an accident has closed the E6 ahead, so everyone is trying to get on a ferry as it is the only alternative route. The ferry worker tells Finn to get us to the front of the queue, and he will get us on the ferry.
Lesson number one: Always ride to the front of a queue.
We ride on to the ferry and are directed to a space at the side. Finn and Mark park their bikes. At this point I am instructed to move my bike to the other side of the ferry. I try paddling the bike backwards, but the weight of the bike and the slippery deck is not helping the situation. I manage to shift the bike to the other side only to find that two German riders have been directed into the space behind Finn and Mark. I am a little bemused as to why I have been segregated!
I waited for Finn and Mark, and we set off along the next fjord road to catch ferry number two.
The ferry timetables seem to be arranged so that there is minimal waiting time between connecting ferries. Shortly after we parked up at the dock ,the ferry arrived and we were directed right to the front so we would disembark first. The ferries are loaded like this so that the faster traffic is not held up on the other side. I was beginning to like the Nordic thinking.
This second ferry also had a café onboard. As it was a twenty minute crossing, we went up for a coffee. We were just finishing our drinks when the tannoy announced that we would be landing in five minutes. We made our way to the lift down to the car deck. The lift took an age to arrive. By the time we excited the lift the ferry was docking, and the loading ramp was being lowered. As our bikes were at the front blocking the ramp, nobody to get off until we moved.
Not wanting to start an international incident, we sprinted ( well almost ) through the lines of patiently waiting car and campervans to our bikes. In a panic it was a case of earplugs in, helmet on, gloves on, take off gloves, find keys, gloves on, start bike, stall bike, restart bike, Go,Go,Go! Finn and Mark were already off by now. And, I couldn't see where I was going due to the tears of laughter rolling down my face!
Lesson number two: Always allow plenty of time to disembark from a ferry.
The remaining kilometres to Tromso were trouble free. Tromso city is described as the Paris of the North. It is situated on an island connected to the mainland by a huge bridge and a series of tunnels.
While on the last ferry, Finn has found a couple of campsites on his satnav. We head for Tromso Camping, which is just outside the city. As this site is so close to the city it is busy. It is also quite late in the day. They have one hytte left for only 20NOK more than the price of putting up 3 tents. As it is getting cooler and beginning to drizzle we opt for the hytte. Just as we take the last hytte, the two German riders from the ferry arrive. Looks like it is tents for you two!
The hytte is described sleeping 2-3. The manager who is the Norwegian doppleganger of Omid Djalili, is a good saleman. I volunteer to sleep on the floor tonight.
Mark contacts Stuart to find out that he and Alison have booked a room at the Radison Blu hotel in town via Booking.com. They will try and catch up with us tomorrow.
As it is Friday night, Finn, Mark and I decide to take a walk into the city for a look about and find some food. We cross the bridge and head for the city centre. There is a nice mix of buildings. Modern and traditional sit comfortably side by side down by the waterfront. The main pedestrianized area is more traditional apart from the modern glass library slap bang in the middle.
The restaurants are pricey, so we by some groceries to eat back at the campsite. For a Friday night, the city seems very quite. Maybe we timed it wrong.
Here is part 8 of my vlog:
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