Day 10 – Reindeer but no Mooses.
Today started bright and early as we had around 400 miles to do as today we were adamant that we would reach the North Cape. Starting off we visited the first garage to refuel (yet again) and carried on driving North. The further we get the greater the distance in between petrol stations.
We had to catch another ferry but unlike the day before we missed it by literally a minute or so and as a result had to wait and hour and a half for the next one, this took us across to the small islands at the top of Norway.
Having climbed a mountain with a 9% incline we then coasted for what seemed like miles and miles across the top with nothing as far as the eye could see except for barron land and snow. Everynow and then it was broken up with the odd shack her and there. The temperture wasn’t so bad but the wind chill went straight through you and took your breath away. Whilst driving through the bare wilderness we saw a lady pushing a pram, we slowed down thinking she might have broken down though she hadn’t. There was nothing behind her for miles and only a shack in front of her a few miles away. The people who live her are hardy folks.
As we drove at one point the road just vanished, quite literally. It seemed the road had ended and in place was a track made from boulders, stones and pot holes. The track went on for a few miles and as Jeff was towing a trailer all the pot holes eventually caused the main support bar on his towing bracket to snap. Luckily this was temporarily fixed with an old bit of tube that was found and two jubilee clips.
Stopping for a break it was then time to press on again and drive through more vast expanses of barron land and through a tunnel that went under the sea. Luckily in Norway we are getting away with paying motorcycle charges for our cars when ever there is a toll road charge.
The last stretch of the journey was onto the North Cape and heading towards the camp site that is just 12 miles away from the North Cape monument. The roads were long twisty roads with the odd house and reindeer with everywhere. As we travelled on the fuel gauage needle was getting lower and lower and I was starting to wonder if we would ever see a petrol station again, luckily, once we got to the camp site, there was a Shell garage, much to our relief.
We are now just 12 miles away from our goal. Tomorrow we shall complete the journey.
Elvis.