Suterland

25 Jul 2016 Europe

What makes bicycle touring so much fun, you ask? It’s a simple recipe with the following ingredients: equal parts tail wind and sunshine, a big helping of fjord scenery (substitute coastal or mountain scenery if you like), and at least one friendly riding companion. Serve raw or slightly sunburnt.

Clouds concealed the mountain tops but couldn't prevent the sun from shining. — Clouds concealed the mountain tops but couldn’t prevent the sun from shining.

I took a lot of photos of Carrie at this one spot because the light was nice and the backdrop dramatic.

Look at all those mountains. Most of the peaks reach about 1500 feet. Although we couldn't see the tops, their sheer steepness was interesting enough. — Look at all those mountains. Most of the peaks reach about 1500 feet. Although we couldn’t see the tops, their sheer steepness was interesting enough.

The fjords kept coming so I kept photographing.

Today we rode from our wild campsite near Stave to a campground outside of Suterland. In between were about 60 miles of road that skirted the edges of one beautiful fjord after another.

We also had a nice conversation with a real Norwegian. The campground host, an elderly gentleman, was generous enough to speak Norwegian when I responded in Swedish, even after he found out I am American. Most Norwegians revert to English after they hear me struggle with my Swedish, which I haven’t used in 16 years.

I’ve been trying to speak Swedish as much as possible, just for the challenge. Although I’ve forgotten most of the language, it’s rewarding to string together a few sentences just to see if others can understand. So far so good.