Helle --> Evje
A windy day on the strawberry farm
I woke up early at the strawberry farm campsite. At 7:00, the sun crested the steep walls of the Otra River Valley and started beating down on my tent. Unfortunatly when I got out of my tent, I noticed that what I thought had been dew drops dripping off the tree above me was actually bird shit. I moved my tent from under the tree, took my rainfly off, and washed it in the river only a few steps from my campsite. At least it was a warm morning, so things were drying quickly.
I made my way into the shipping container kitchen to cook up my leftover sandwich material for breakfast. I was able to use the oven to toast up my bread and cheese.
After breakfast, I made my way over to the owner's house to pay for my campsite. He was already outside, and I paid 180NOK for the campsite, and 200NOK for 4 baskets of strawberries. The one I had eaten last night was so good, I figured I'd have some more. The farm workers on the property had just picked them minutes before, and they were fresh and sweet.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 2 | Link |
10 months ago
Before heading back to my campsite to pack up, I asked the owner if I could use one of his paddle boards out by his boat ramp. He said "Sure, but be careful, the water is really cold". I heeded his warning and took the largest paddleboard he had, an 11'6" to ensure I was as stable as possible. I paddled about 1.5 miles up river, and got a good view of the valley upstream. While I was paddling, the owner drove by on his boat. He was running a rock climbing tour service on the side, shuttling people to a climbing spot only accessible by boat.
I paddled back to camp, packed up, and hit the road. I optimistically planned to make it almost all the way to Kristiansand, but right as I was about to leave, the wind started blowing hard in the opposite direction I had to bike. Once on cycle route 2, I realized that even though it was flat, I was peddaling in my small chainring going about half as fast as I would without a headwind. The whitecaps on the surface of Byglandsfjorden was a reminder of this.
| Heart | 6 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 1 | Link |
10 months ago
By the time I made it to the Coop Prix in Byglandsfjord (the first food stop on my route) I was exhausted and had already bonked. I bought an assortment of random crap food that 8 year old me would have been proud of. One of these items was a "Tex Mex" burrito. Curious as to what the Norwegians thought tex mex food was, I bought it. It turned out to be the most white trash thing I had ever seen: a burrito filled with taco meat and cole slaw. It tasted surprisingly decent, but it may have been that I was really hungry.
I ate my food on a picnic table behind the store overlooking Lake Byglandsfjorden. The wind was still blowing hard up-canyon. I decided I would ride to the nearest campground and spend the night there. My legs were tired, and trying to put in long miles in a headwind felt futile.
Upon checking into Odden Camp, the receptionist said I was the first American he had ever seen check into the campground. I felt honored.
Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 380 miles (612 km)
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10 months ago