17.06.18 Vik-Sandnessjøen

106 km, cycling 5:48, average speed 18,2 km/h, total ascent 646 m, net ascent 0 m

An easy day in lovely weather.The altitude map may still look impressive, but note that apart from the last climb, none was higher than 35 m. Scaling makes it look worse than it is. But still, Norway it not the Netherlands. The flat stretches are the ferries; that  is also why the horizontal axis shows more km than I report cycling.

Started very early, 06:15. Planned to take a ferry to the island Vega, with a connection to Tjøtta. However, when I arrived there 09:30, it appeared that the summer routes had not started on this ferry (they start tomorrow)! Got up early for nothing. Well not really - I made the ferry to another place, then 17 km extra cycling, and so to Tjøtta. Had I been later, I would not have made the 11:45 ferry and should have waited many hours, only a few ferries per day. So lucky after all. And the upside of starting early is that there is little trafic; only three cars passed med the first hour, and none the second!

The island Sømna is quite flat, with surprisingly (for me) much agriculture

Typical landscape in this part of the country

Another road side coffee break. Note the blue "kitchen bag" that Anbjørg made when she got tired of the plast bags. We have used it for many years. It contains my whole "kitchen", except the kettles.

On the ferry from Horn to Andalsvågan the snow shovels are still ready. You never know.

Cycling route number 1, in fact I started on that one in Kristiansand, but it follows a more western track. Unfortunately there is not much else to it than the occasional sign like this (4 today). Better marking could be one way to improve the conditions. And more places with benches and tables.

Du store alpakka. This is not really what you expect this far north, Hope they thrive,

The small church in Vevelstad, close to the next ferry.

From the ferry harbour you can see the mountain range "syv søstre" (Seven sisters). You can hike all in one day, but you have to be in pretty good shape - it's beyond me now. An acquaintance of me (at my age) who is in extremely good shape did it a few years ago, he used 16 or 18 hours and was really exhausted.

Another bit of food while waiting for the ferry. Yes, I'm eating all the time! And not even enough - 10 km before Sandnessjøen I was so hungry I had to stop and eat another three pieces of bread. I was just empty (Hongerklap in Dutch).

Shor stop at the memory sign of Petter Dass, a priest and poet who lived in this area at the late 17th and early 18th century.

View from Motell Napoli. Not to fancy, but still, the Syv Søstre. And it costs half of the more fashionable hotels. Room has everything I need.

And finally: the weather forecast for the coming days doesn't look too good. A lot of pictures today, but a fewer the coming days I guess.