 |
| The Saltstraumen maelstrom - this is huge, see the scale by the size of the fishermen on the point. |
The rain came down in buckets
all night, but by morning it started to clear a little to only showers! We had
an early start, filled with water and emptied the nasties and were at Mercedes
in town by 8am.
While they worked on the gear
lever, we sat in reception with free wifi and coffees and chatted with another
guy who was also waiting for his vehicle. By 11 they had fixed the problem,
getting the spring firmly secured and we were on our way late morning.
Not far out of Bodo we turned
south onto HW 17, the Coastal Route which we will follow for about 700 kms which
means seven ferry crossings. One of the mechanics told us this morning that he
grew up in a town on the coast and he believes it is one of the most beautiful
parts of Norway…maybe he is one eyed, but we will see. And the SUN IS
SHINING!!! Yeah!!!
Our first stop not far along
the road, was to see the Saltstraumen maelstrom which everyone had said was a
must see…and it certainly was really spectacular. It is the world’s strongest
tidal current maelstrom which is caused by a huge quantity of water being
forced through a narrow gap. We walked right down to the water’s edge where
many fishermen were catching small mackerel. Then we took the pathway to the
top of the bridge and looked down on the currents, and then you realised the
size of them, especially when you saw a tour boat nearby, they really were
impressive. A great start to the drive.
Onwards through the mountains
and fjords, lots of waterfalls, bridges and tunnels. We noticed a huge rocky
basin above us with a large waterfall pouring down it, so turned around and
went back to the parking area. It turned out to be quite a hike climbing up to
the top, but just so well worth it as we looked down across a lake to the rocks
and waterfall. So many alpine plants and little pools of water in amongst the
rocks. Such good exercise after our enforced hibernation with the rain.
One of the longer 4 km tunnels
actually went right under a lake, noticed it from the GPS map….nothing seems to
stop the Norwegians from putting a road through. We came out at the coast at
Storvik and would have almost thought we were in New Zealand with the big sweep
of sandy beach, although the mountains were a bit higher and more dramatic. The
sun was pouring into the bay and there was a really nice large rest area beside
the local store with a view out over the water. It was 4.30 so decided to call
it quits for the day and make the most of the sun.
 |
| Surrounded by Merc's |
 |
| Another grass roof..just for you Vicki! |
 |
| Looking down from the bridge on a grass roof. |
 |
| View of the waterfall after our hike. |
 |
| Near a hydro power station. |
 |
| Could be in New Zealand! |
 |
| Sunset at night |
Comments