Mon, 28 Jul 2003

author Liz	location Fauske, Salten, Nordland, Norge
posted 21:49 CEST 31/07/03	section Europe2002/Europe/Norge ( all photos )

Mountain Passes ( 30 photos )
Monday was quite a big driving day. The rain had stopped and the sun soon came out, so we had very pretty views over the rest of Sognefjell (named after the Sognefjorden, Norway's longest, widest and deepest fjord).
We stopped at one spot to admire the view (still cold outside the van!), and as we prepared to drive off, a girl came up to the window and started speaking. Once again, she was Dutch, saw our numberplates and had started speaking Dutch to us! Again, we explained we were Aussies and had bought Rosie in the Netherlands. We weren't going where she and her friends were headed, so we waved goodbye and drove off.
In the bustling town Lom, we stopped to buy food and sit and enjoy our breakfast, then it was my turn in the driver's seat but not for long. We soon came to our next Scenic Road, marked for experienced drivers only, and no way was I going to do that so we swapped over.
This road, the 258, was another pretty route (so many of them), and like the Sognefjell Pass, and many others, it is closed for six or months of the year in snowy and icy weather.
The first part of the drive was quite scenic, with mountains towering high above us, and although our road was windy, it was not steep.
Then we did come to the steep bit, only we were already up high and just had to wind our way slowly backwards and forwards all the way to the bottom of the valley.
The view looking out over the valley, with snow capped mountains in the distance was again very beautiful, and I snapped away with Tim's camera while enjoying the view.
There were also some big waterfalls cascading down by the road with the spray misting over us as we puttered by.
At the bottom, we drove along the valley floor, and then through a few more tunnels.
We stopped by a pretty patch of water to stretch our legs, before driving in to Stryn for fuel.
While we were there, it started raining heavily again and the next bit of windy road down to Olden was a bit difficult in the wet. However, the view over the very tip of Nordfjord was worth it, even in the rain, and we parked close to the water and enjoyed our lunch.
Back into Stryn, and then on a new bit of road heading west and then north through lots of forest and past signs warning of Moose in the area (still waiting to see one!).
The rain had stopped for quite a while when we drove into Hellesylt. This was where we were getting our next and most scenic ferry from, but as the weather was still very cloudy and not so good for sightseeing, we headed a short way up the road to a very nice and very cheap camping spot.
The afternoon was spent washing clothes (me), re-wiring part of the van (Tim), and enjoying our dinner. The sun even came out, giving us a nice sunset over the surrounding mountains.

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