Bodø-Trondheim, Part 1

July 16^th: Bodø-Hustad (ca 105 km)

I am sitting here enjoying the evening sun at Hustad (on Sandhørnøya) after a long and varied day. The trip began last night with the overnight train from Trondheim to Bodø. Yesterday was the first nice day in Trondheim this week, and we took a little detour on the way to the station to enjoy the evening sun over the fjord.  We met a couple from New Zealand who were loading their bikes onto the same train – but their destination was Lofoten.

We slept well in the sleeper car and arrived in Bodø on schedule at 9:15. Unfortunately, we managed to spill a bit of orange juice in said sleeper car, but otherwise the trip went quite smoothly. After wishing the other cyclists luck with their trip, we got going on a gray morning. We managed to take a wrong turn almost immediately, but we corrected it pretty quickly.

 

The first part of the trip follows R80, and there is a lovely wide cycling path along the main road. It started to drizzle after a little while, but that was far from our biggest problem. The rain cover on one of Dražen’s panniers got drawn into the brake and it got completely stuck. We tried for a while to pull it out, but concluded that the brake would have to get opened up. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the right torex wrench to do the job. Dražen asked a few of the farmers and managed to get the right tool for the job.

By the time we started cycling again, the drizzle had turned to pouring rain, so we put on all our rain gear and rode along. It’s about 30 km from Bodø to Saltraumen – one of the world’s most powerful tidal currents. We didn’t get there in time for the maximum speed, but it was still impressive. 

Saltstraumen

We took our lunch break by the bridge, and made good use of our new rain shelter: a tarp which is supported by a bow made of the old tent poles. It was terrific to be able to sit and watch the current with some shelter from the wind and rain. We ate up our leftovers from yesterday, switched trailer drivers, and then continued toward Kjellingstraumen. Now w were following Fv17, with moderate traffic.

There are rolling hills, and the road followed quite varied terrain – everything from forest to beach! The sun decided to come out, and we decided, while sitting next to the water before the big bridge, to cycle a bit farther than the original plan. We cycled over to Sandhørnøya in beautiful weather. It’s actually a bit of a detour from the main road – but well worth the trip. Again, it’s quite varied, but here there was hardly any traffic, more beautiful beaches (especially with the benefit of sunshine) and we had a lovely time up and down the hills and along the water all the way to a small campsite just a few miles from the first ferry we will take. 

Just before heading to Sandhørnøya

 

July 17^th: Hustad – Furøy (80 km)

After a night with wind, rain, and sun (oh yes, it’s light all night!), we got on our way at 7:15, so that we would easily catch the first ferry (Horsdal-Sund). It was a beautiful morning, and we took our time on the stretch from Sund-Ørnes – partly because of the nice weather and beautiful views, but also because the ferry from Ørnes to Vassdalsvik was pretty late in the afternoon. 

Horsdal-Sund ferry approaching

We stopped at the harbor in Inndyr for our second breakfast, and then cycled along the quiet road. The mountains rise up steeply from the sea, and there was no wind, so we it was impossible to avoid stopping to take pictures. After about 10 km on the smaller road, we joined Fv17 again. They recently put down new asphalt, and we were flying along. 

Breakfast at Inndyr

View on the way back to Fv17

When we reached the first sign for a tunnel, we took a chance on the side road which google maps suggested for cyclists. I struggled a bit on the relatively long and steep hill, but there was no traffic and there were nice mountains to look at, so it wasn’t too trying! We then took a road on the left which was closed for cars. It hadn’t been maintained recently, but there were no problems riding on it. We took our lunch break at the top of the hill.

During most of the lunch break, we marveled at the power lines which ran between two mountains. I’ve never seen such a long free span! (To be correct: almost free. There were some vertical cables down to the valley). After the top, the road got even smaller and followed the shore of a small lake. There was a huge rock in the middle of the road (easy to cycle past, but a car wouldn’t fit) – it must have fallen several hundred meters before it hit the road. 

Just before our lunch stop

The road ended there, though. We saw that there was a tractor path leading down the hill in the direction we wanted to follow, and a fellow out running reassured us that we wouldn’t have any problem going down there – and that we had successfully circumvented the long tunnel! Hurrah! We reconnected to the road at the mouth of the tunnel, and followed along the flat path (first next to the water, looking out to a few small islands and a lot of open water, and then through green fields) to Ørnes. We took a break for ice cream and to buy some groceries before a one-hour wait at the ferry terminal.

The ferry to Vassdalsvik makes one stop (to an island that’s a bit of a dead end) on the way – and I’m quite sure that there is a Swiss couple who appreciate the fact that we told them that! From Vassdalsvik, we followed the fjord making a bit of an “S” shape to Furøy. It started to rain during the last stretch, but not as hard as yesterday.

It was interesting to note some differences this far north. After one long hill, we were suddenly in an area that felt a bit like “ high mountain” – but we were only 100 m above sea level! From there, we could almost coast all the way to Furøy, and we managed to get the best tent spot – well protected from the rain! Dražen is already sleeping… 

July 18^th: Svartisen (round trip to Holandsvika 24 km)

We went hiking on a glacier today! We had a relaxed start to the day, since we just needed to be at the boat terminal at 11 am for the guided hike, and it was just 12 km away. The clouds were dark and heavy, but we were still quite dry when we reached the meeting point. Without the heavy bags (just the trailer with hiking boots and backpacks), it was fairly easy going up and down the short hills.

Looking across toward the glacier

As soon as we parked the bikes, the skies opened, and we got a proper shower. We hid beneath some trees and constructed ponchos from some trash bags in an effort to stay dry. After the rain passed, we met the guides and a family of four from Lofoten who were also joining for the trip.

The boat trip takes about 10 minutes, and it’s a cute little boat which takes up to 30 passengers. On the opposite side, we got the equipment needed for the trip: axe, crampons, helmet, and harness. We packed the equipment in our bags (plus a bit of extra since the family hadn’t brought big enough packs) and cycled along a flat gravel road next to the light blue lake at the bottom of the glacier. From the end of the gravel road, it takes about 45 minutes to walk up to the glacier. We made the hike up the big rocks in rainy weather.

When we were close to the edge of the glacier, we put on all of the equipment, and stopped for a little lunch break. In order to continue, we were attached to a climbing rope with one guide in front and one in the back. It was really weird to walk on the rocks with crampons, but they work amazingly on the ice. It took me a while to get used to the technique and I felt like a bit of a weak link at the beginning, but it got easier in time. It was incredible to look deep into the blue crevasses and climb up the steep ice. The man of the Lofoten family had some trouble with the crampons (his hiking boots were relatively flexible) and with his physical shape, so we took it a bit easy and turned around. 

Ready to go!

On the way down, we explored more of the different ice formations, and we even climbed down into one crevasse. You can really feel the difference in hardness in the blue ice there compared to the surface ice. We could also see how much the glacier has receded in the past 15 years. It looks like the hike up to the ice could get longer in the coming years!

Hiking on the glacier

Ready to go down into the deep blue crevasse

The experience of walking on a glacier was really fantastic, and the guides did a good job. What an amazing place, and we only saw the edge of it!

After the trip, we changed back into bike clothes and enjoyed the 12 km back (with a grocery stop). When we got to the campsite, we met one of our colleagues who was on his way north (in an RV) with his family. After showering and eating, we went over to their spot for a chat – a really nice ending to great (but wet) day!