It was only a short one though... 2 kms up a ridge to have a bit of a view of the town below.
Just enough to get the blood flowing...
Max really liked this spot.
Max's parking spot overlooking the valley.
We've seen several of these shelters, but this one was pretty run down.
Scenery along the way.
Looking down on the town of Valle.
Old barn.
Nice picnic spot.
And then we drove down to town and went back to the small sporting goods store where Ruth had found some hiking boots that she liked.
One of the reasons things are so expensive here is that Norway has high sales taxes. 25% on general goods, and 15% on food. But the tax is included in the advertised price, which is the way it's done in most of the world. In our experience, it's only Canada and the U.S. that don't advertise prices including tax. Except on alcohol and fuel in Canada, where you are paying the tax included price.
But tax is always shown on the invoice as a separate line item, even though the advertised price already includes it.
25% tax!
So, the boots were 2,199 kr ($292 CAD, $230 USD), and that included $58 CAD, $46 USD) in tax. Interestingly, Ruth found a similar boot by Mammut on Amazon Canada that were almost that price without taxes. So while we didn't get what could be considered a "deal", we didn't really overpay either.
The old boots were Oboz brand, and we wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. The boot itself lasted well, she simply wore out the sole. Too much hiking! But, they lasted over two and a half years, so for us that's pretty good.
Old versus new!
And then it was time to give them their first workout!
The Gloppefoss Waterfall.
Not a long hike, and certainly not that strenuous. 6 kms (3.7 miles) in total, with a bit of an uphill climb to get there. Once again, the stated duration time of 2-3 hours was generous. We took our time on the way there and even did some extra stuff and we were still back at Max in an hour and a half. I admit that we were kind of rushing on the way down because we thought it was going to rain, but it never did.
Heading higher.
The water is crystal clear.
Scenery along the way.
Once again, we are still amazed that there are no black flies or mosquitoes. Hiking heaven!
Our first view of the falls.
We took a separate path to get to the base of the falls.
The temperature was nice, but the mist of the falls was cool.
You have to cross the stream at one point.
Oh, and again here.
Made it!
Beautiful falls.
Can you see Ruth on the bottom right?
I took a short video for you...
Time to head back.
Interesting flowers.
Scenery along the way.
Trail through the pines.
Then we did a little more driving north. We don't have to be anywhere special until Sunday when we are meeting up with Ryan and Marti again, but even that is only 150 kms (93 miles) from here so there's no need to rush.
We passed the Ferrari club going the opposite way.
Very nice!
And we found ourselves another nice overnight spot.
GPS 59.52493, 7.364318
Looks like today is a bike riding day!
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And in Canada...
Wonder what the tax on a Ferrari is...
ReplyDeleteIf you have to ask, then you can't afford one. lol!
DeleteInteresting about the Taxation system.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Scenery.
Hot looking Cars.
Be Safe and Enjoy your ride.
It's about time.
I think all the Scandinavian countries have high taxes but it does surprise us that even the food is taxed. It is good that they get a fairly high salary to offset the high prices and taxes.
DeleteYep, those Ferraris are a nice looking car!
You guys are so entertaining! Reading your adventures every day makes me feel like I had good exercise, even though I'm still sitting this aging body in my armchair!
ReplyDeleteLol, we are so glad that you are enjoying our blogs so much! You aren't the first to say that they got their daily exercise through our blog. We are more than happy to take you along on these great hikes and bike rides virtually. :-)
DeleteGreat looking boots, and Vibram soles are the best! I have them on my Montrail hiking boots (which are far older than Ruth's Oboz, but haven't been used as much) and my low-rise Merrill trail shoes. The latter are much more worn down than Ruth's old boots and are only about a year old, but they are my walking shoes, and living on a gravel road, get worn down super quickly with our daily walks (often twice daily). I already bought a new pair of the same model on Ebay, since they have, of course, already been discontinued.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful hike, and that site of Max's at the beginning of the post is PERFECT. I sure would love to be there!
Thank you Emily, they are nice looking boots and very comfortable too. I am very happy to have the Vibram soles as well. That is the one thing I missed having on my Oboz boots! I have had 5 pairs of Merrell hiking boots, shoes and sandals all with Vibram soles and I have loved them all but they all wore down eventually. My two pairs of running/walking shoes and my I pair of sandals lasted a whole lot longer then my hikers though. I actually still have the sandals but they are in pretty sad shape and I am looking for a replacement for them as well.
DeleteBoth hikes were great and yes, that spot of Max's in the morning shot was perfect. We have certainly found some great boondocking spots here in Norway.
For us it is sooo annoying that the price in Canada and US is never what you eventually pay for. It feels like a rip off all the time :-). But it is what people are used too.
ReplyDeleteI wonder which countries these new shoes wil travel in...
Trust us, it is for us too! We just can't understand why they can't include the tax on the sticker price of the item and then just show the break down of the taxes on your receipt like they do in just about every other country in the world! We have had to live with this all our lives and after having traveled much of the world it is a big beef with us!
DeleteI hope that these boots last well and will take us to many different countries. :-)