0338 Rotsundelo to Alta

25^th Aug 2015

Reindeer – At Last we see wildlife !

It was again a bit grey in the morning, but we wandered along the edges of the grey fjord, past little fishing villages and crossing bridges over rivers in Sorkjosen, and suddenly we saw our first Norwegian wildlife – Some reindeer !!   After 3 weeks on Norway, and warning signs for the animals everywhere we were starting to think they didn’t actually exist !   So to finally see some in the wild was an exciting moment for us both.   The fact that they turned tail and ran into the trees was a minor point – We had at last seen some wildlife in Norway !!   

After Storslett we started climbing – The Kvaenangan fjellet is some 450 m ASL, and totally different from places we had seen earlier.  Obviously a cold and snowswept place in winter with lots of wooden drift fences along the way to prevent snow blowing across the road. And lots more reindeer – Suddenly they were everywhere, a couple with fine sets of antlers.  Then as we neared the top, the clouds lifted a little and we had magnificent views down into the Badderfjorden and the Kvaenangen.  The mixture between the sun and the cloud made it even more scenic and dramatic.

At the top we found a hotel that we thought had a tourist office (with toilets etc !) but were told that basically it was closed and they weren’t very friendly at all.  We met some geologists in the car park who were on a rock hunting expedition in the area, and the leader came from Bariloche in Argentina !  Small world.  After a quick chat we headed out, past more reindeer, and also some local Sami sod huts which were abandoned,  We checked them out – A big iron stove in the middle told of the need for warmth, but otherwise pretty primitive.

It was then a drive along the Badderfjorden, another stretch over a spit of land and alongside the Langfjorden where there was a lot of major roadworks and temporary traffic lights.   The Norwegians really have a hard time with threir roads – Everywhere is solid rock.  So they either have to tunnel through it, or build bridges across it, or find someway to get a road built – And they are very good at it.  The tunnels are stunning, if a little spooky (especially when they are long ones), and the bridges are pretty amazing

too – Lots of “longest”, “widest”, “highest”, “deepest” things around here on the roads !!   But the amount of rock they have to move is unbelievable – Not a lot of easy soft soil for moving here !!   We reached the massive Alta fjorden, which we then followed into the town of Alta, where we went into the city to have a quick look around.  The church in Alta is quite stunning – The Northern Lights Cathedral. It was only consecrated in February 2013, and is concrete with an external cladding of

titanium sheets. The name follows the city, which is known as the Northern Lights City.  Inside the tower is a stunning 7.5 meter high gilded Jacob’s Ladder, while the lighting effect on the walls makes one feel as though one is in the middle of the Northern Lights.  Very interesting.

After a visit to the Tourist Centre, and then an ice cream (!), we decided to head on north towards our destination of Nordkapp.  An hour or so up the road we found an ideal campsite down below the road, beside a small river.  We settled in there, built a warm

fire, and ended up cooking our entire meal in the coals of the fire – Sausages, chicken, spuds, corn on the cob – And we sat round the fire and thoroughly enjoyed it before turning in for the night.  Best little camp site for a long time.   

Photos are here :-   https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0338RotsundeloToAlta?authkey=Gv1sRgCNW49ue7z8ytnwE