Molde. Norway 310 km

Unfortunately we are still working out some bugs in our helmet cam system (no, not the squashed bugs on the helmet but the camera system) so we do not have many pics to share today. We think we have it figured out so hopefully tomorrow. . .

The ride took us through many 3+ km long tunnels again today. We noticed that as you get closer to the exit of the tunnel the lights are more numerous and brighter so you don’t get the sun blindness as you exit. The scenery was awesome. There were numerous beautiful waterfalls coming from the very top of the mountains. Also lots of snow, especially where there had been avalanches. Lots of curves. We followed rivers, lakes and fjords where every small space near the water was occupied by campgrounds with people jammed in cheek to jowl. On the final approach to Molde we needed to board a ferry across the fjord. It was just loading as we got there so we basically rode right on. Again there was the meter guy collecting the fare on board. After that we went through a 3 km tunnel under water and a very long bridge. We expect we will be seeing lots more of that as we head along the coast tomorrow. In all a very fun riding day.

Roadside stream

Molde was not what we expected. We had visualized a quaint remote part of the Norwegian coast with a fishing village ambience. Instead it is a city. We suspect a lot of the coast may be like this as there is such a large European tourist population to draw on. Visitors from France, Germany, Britain, etc. flock to the scenic, unspoiled, sparsely populated (at least by their standards) coast. As a result we are seeing lots more traffic than we had expected. Besides road traffic there are ferries coming and going.

Molde in the rain

Incoming ferry

We are seeing our first real rain of the trip but it didn’t start in earnest until we got checked in and settled. The hotels we have been staying at to save some money in this very expensive part of the world are generally older. They have one thing in common – small rooms. And they are generally downtown and noisy (especially last night when Croatia beat Russia in soccer). But the one we are at tonight has a garage for motorcycle parking only! Can’t beat that when it is raining, and it is. .