0326 Solvorn To Krossbu Tourist Station

13^th August 2015

Fjords, tunnels, mountains and snow - A five WOW day !!

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day for a change – Could this be the good weather that they have been forecasting for a while that is going to move north with us ???   Hope so.  The reflections in the lake while we packed up were just a foretaste of what was in store for us today.

Not long after we set off we saw a turning down to a little village called Marifjora, and drove down through narrow streets to their parking area on a jetty, where we found the most superb views across the fjord to the hills and villages on the other side.  Then it was through Gaupne and on to Luster, all the time travelling beside the fjord on narrow roads, with the most magnificent views across the steep sided fjord, with amazing reflections in the still water, not hindered by the clear blue skies above.  I had even broken out my shorts it was so warm – But stay in the sunshine – If you get in the

shade, it is still chilly !  By 11.30 we were at Skjolden at the end of the fjord finger, and from there we started to climb.  When travelling along the fjords the steep sides and high “mountains” beside you  make me think I am at altitude, but of course you are down at sea level all the time.  But at Skjolden we left sea level behind and climbed up toward the western edge of the Jotunheimen - where Norways highest peaks are found, as well as glaciers, lakes and valleys.

Passing several impressive waterfalls as we left town, we wound through little villages, with the road quickly becoming very twisty with hair pin bends, and as it was still narrow, anything coming the other way required evasive action !  The valley dropped away behind us, giving us some great views as we wound up the mountain.  The scenery rapidly changed with the trees disappearing, and in less than an hour (we stopped a lot for pics !) we were over 1000 m, and still climbing through wide open plateaus, surrounded by snow covered peaks and even glaciers.  It was still sunny, but the temps were dropping ! 

At 1100 m we stopped at a lookout for a bit of a walk and a look around, and then we carried on for another 10 minutes before finding a great spot for some lunch and another stroll across the trails to see the views.  Just stunning scenery, and very different from Alaska, or Peru, or the Andes – Norway really is totally different, and very enjoyable because of that.  After our lunch we carried on, still climbing steadily, passing increasing deep snow drifts beside the road, and amazing lakes still partially frozen, but clear enough to give amazing reflections of the surrounding mountains.  We were driving along at about 20 kmh just so we could absorb it all – But that was OK, as everyone else was quite happy to drive along at the same speed, because they were all spellbound too !!

Finally we reached the summit at just over 1400 metres, and still more of this amazing landscape.  Some snow drifts beside the road were 10 – 12 ft high – And this is in mid August !  It must have been very deep just a few weeks ago !!  We stopped several more times as we started to slowly descend, and there were several walking trails beside the road.  As it was already 2.30 pm, we decided it would be better to find a camp site first, early, and and then go for a walk, rather than just stopping to go for a walk and then

fnding it difficult to find a suitable camp spot.  Then we came over a rise, wound down the side of the mountain on a switchback road, and there as an old wooden hotel – The Krossbu Tourist Station, with camping available in a gravel site down near the river, and wifi and hot showers in the lodge – Perfect.  So we parked in a spot, I changed back into my long trousers !, and we set off up the hill, following the river, and had a delightful walk for an hour and a half or so, before coming back down to set up the car for the night.

It is now 8.30 pm as I write this, and it is still broad daylight.  But the sun has gone from the valley and is only shining on the top of the snow covered mountains that surround us. And the temperature is dropping – It is now 6.3 deg C.   So we are preparing for a cold night !   Will tell you how cold it gets tomorrow !! 

 Pics here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/0326SolvornToKrossbu?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfT0d714feTVw