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My tyre slips, my foot can’t get out of the clickie fast enough and I brake with my hands and arms. My first fall of the trip, in the first five minutes of the day. A good shake to see if everything’s still working. Seems so. My elbow hurts, it’s scraped. Otherwise completely unscathed. I need to take a deep breath. Another lucky escape and a good warning to be careful.
I spent the night near a large river that flows past so many places and settlements that I wouldn’t necessarily want to drink the water, even if it had been filtered. I foolishly didn’t fill up my water bottles before I left. I still have a lot to learn about filling up bottles early on. That’s why I have crispbread for breakfast instead of porridge, which you can eat without water. After that, I look for water and eventually ask a few workmen for some. They only speak Polish and Russian, and I’m very proud of myself when I manage to dig out my Polish from the back of my mind and ask for ‘woda’ and thank them with ‘dziękuję’.
Today I have to drive to Geilo to pick up my underpants, towel and spare shirt that I left in Oslo. I only have about 30 km to go and until 2 pm. I drive along the valley on a few unexciting forest roads (I’m very spoiled by now). Thanks to some altitude metres, I need a lot of time and I’m there on time.
I feel a little caught out as I sit on the park bench with my mouth full, my food scattered around me after shopping, and Leonie calls out to me from behind. She hands me my clothes. We drink coffee together, also with her two children. A very exciting family, more when I ever catch up with my missing blog entries.
I continue along the road. 20 km of federal road. There are many more international licence plates in this valley than on my journey so far. I seem to be coming into more touristy areas and sharing the road with the omnipresent Germans, Dutch, French and Swedes. I curse at some of the drivers who overtake too close. It’s really scary, and once again I’m very glad I have my hi-viz jacket, which at least ensures that I’m seen.
I am really happy when I leave the main road and turn onto the Rallarvegen. The old railway workers’ route is said to be one of the most beautiful cycle routes in Norway and is definitely worth a detour. It is really beautiful. I quickly pass the tree line and am surrounded by moss, stones, sheep, mountains and various bodies of water.
I finally find a place to sleep in the wind and rain, behind a small hill that offers at least some protection. Setting up the tent under these conditions is definitely a challenge. Several times I wish I had someone to help me hold the other side of the tent. It takes a long time to set up and peg down my tent properly; by the time I’ve finished washing, cooking and eating, it’s 11 o’clock at night.
I can hear and feel the gusts of wind against my tent and hope that it will hold out.
