the original plan was Tromsø → Hammerfest (7h11m, 433km),
but now I'm in Mjelde so I'm going to Tromsø and to Alta for the night, then Nordkapp and Havøysund tomorrow.
I'm super pleased with this home-stay in Mjelde (3ART Recreation or 3ART Retreat). It's a 4-generation family from Latvia and Poland. The little girl Nora is 2 ½, the mom Estere Auzina is 26, the mother-in-law, and her mother live in the house next door. I didn't meet the dad, I think he was out working on a fishing boat. Their hospitality was superb and the room was super comfortable. The mom even let me use their washer and dryer to wash my socks and underwear. I think I'm good to Stockholm now, yay!
One other guest was in another room, a woman from Germany who was meeting up with her boyfriend who rode his bike (from Germany?) to Tromsø. She was trying to bring his bike transport box, but it's stuck in Amsterdam.
Talking with Estere, I learned about the Baltic Way protest on 23 August 1989 (now called "Black Ribbon Day") which precipitated the independence of the three Baltic states from the Soviet Union. About ¼ of the 8M population of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined hands to form a 2M person human chain spanning 675 kilometres (419 mi) across the three Baltic states.
In the morning it was raining (lightly) and low overcast, so I geared all up with almost all of my clothes and headed out at about 10am.
An unexpected surprise was encountering Husky Kafe on my way to Tromsø. I learned something about Husky personality and dog fights!
Onward to Tromsø where I took pictures of the fameous Ice Cathedral, but otherwise didn't really go into the city. The main bridge Tromsøbrua was under construction, so it was awkward and I have a longish day, so I pushed on. I guess I could have taken the E8 tunnel to the city, but I couldn't see it from the bridge and even though I had just come through it, I didn't realize there was another way into Tromsø. This is the hazard of following Google Maps navigation on a blanked screen, you get very little context about where you are and it's easy to drive without realizing where you are.
It was still raining pretty hard when I stopped for lunch at about 12:30 at a picnic spot on the E8 highway at 300ft elevation, but the rain let up when I dropped back to sea level. Navigation was easy, just following E8 all day along the edge of Lyngen fjord/bay about 20 miles inland from the North Sea.
Oh, I didn't even notice that today is the 4th of July. That means nothing here in Norway.
Tromsø → Alta
Tromsø → Alta 6h10m 430km about 3hrs in rain
| Time | Minutes | km | kph avg | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:48am | 6.0 | Loading the scooter in the rain | ||
| 9:54am | 28.9 | 24 km | 50 kph | |
| 10:23am | 37.9 | Huskey Kafe | ||
| 11:01am | 7.7 | 7 km | 55 kph | |
| 11:09am | 0.5 | pictures | ||
| 11:09am | 27.1 | 19 km | 43 kph | |
| 11:36am | 1.3 | Tromsø Ice Cathedral | ||
| 11:37am | 38.1 | 34 km | 53 kph | |
| 12:16pm | 9.8 | bathroom break | ||
| 12:26pm | 2.4 | 1 km | 30 kph | |
| 12:28pm | 0.2 | picture | ||
| 12:28pm | 18.9 | 24 km | 75 kph | |
| 12:47pm | 20.1 | pictures | ||
| 1:07pm | 38.8 | 45 km | 69 kph | |
| 1:46pm | 2.3 | pictures | ||
| 1:49pm | 7.0 | 7 km | 64 kph | |
| 1:56pm | 1.1 | pictures | ||
| 1:57pm | 31.6 | 30 km | 58 kph | |
| 2:29pm | 20.9 | fuel and groceries stop YX & Joker Manndalen, Samuelsberg | ||
| 2:50pm | 8.8 | 9 km | 60 kph | |
| 2:58pm | 1.6 | rest stop pictures | ||
| 3:00pm | 7.3 | 7 km | 55 kph | |
| 3:07pm | 1.6 | pretty roof pics | ||
| 3:09pm | 46.8 | 52 km | 67 kph | |
| 3:56pm | 27.9 | Rotsund Rasteplass and lunch with a German couple | ||
| 4:24pm | 43.2 | 52 km | 72 kph | |
| 5:07pm | 3.2 | pics up a dirt road | ||
| 5:10pm | 42.7 | 47 km | 66 kph | |
| 5:53pm | 1.3 | pics | ||
| 5:54pm | 4.4 | 3 km | 42 kph | |
| 5:58pm | 1.6 | pics | ||
| 6:00pm | 50.8 | 65 km | 77 kph | |
| 6:52pm | 10.4 | fuel stop Circle K Alta | ||
| 7:02pm | 9.2 | 6 km | 36 kph | |
| 7:11pm | 10.0 | Home stay Øvreveien 63D | ||
| 9h17m | 6h56m moving | 434 km | 62.6 kph | 75% moving, 141 minutes of breaks |
| Google time (6h10m) + 51% | ||||
Estere, the grandmother, got up to use the bathroom at 1am --- the old house she lives in (on the right) doesn't have a bathroom, so she has to go to the new house (on the left) for the bathroom. On the way across the driveway, this was her view.
Riding along, I saw a couple of wood-carved husky dogs and a sign saying Husky Kafe, so I turned up the dirt road to check it out.
Super interesting place with something like 180 husky dogs which they use for dog sledding adventures during the long winter tourist season. Their website is Tromsø Wilderness Center and there are lots of pictures and videos on Google Maps --- worth checking out.
Self-Drive Dog Sledding Are you looking for fun, excitement, and a challenge? Try your hand as a musher and lead a team of sled dogs on an arctic adventure! $350
The E8 runs 622 km from Tromsø in Norway to Tornio in Finland. In Tornedalen, the road links to Sweden via 6 border crossings.
The road has existed as a Northern Peninsula link from Skibotn in Norway to the northern regions of Finland for many years. The local populations used the road to reach markets in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The road was constructed for reindeer and sleds, and was only navigable during the winter months. During World War II, the German occupation forces in Norway constructed a traffic road to the national border. Sections of this original road, on the stretch between Skibotn and the national boundary, have been preserved to this day along the stretch" between Skibotn and the border.
The E8 is an important communications route for and between Norwegians, Finns, Swedes and the Saami folk. The road runs through varying climates and vegetation, from the typical coastal climate in Norway, via mountains and high plains in the border area, then through the forests of Tornedalen and on to the lush vegetation of Bottenviken. There is also great variation in the cultures connect- ed by the road, with varying national and ethnic influences and traditions. Trade and communication between the peoples of the Northern Peninsula has resulted in mutual influence and a feeling of unity between the nations. The E8 is open all year round.