We didn't have far to go... only 79 kms (49 miles) from Stryn to Geranger. But it's a varied route with a lot to see!
And, clear blue sky all day, with the exception of some early morning fog along the waterways.
A little fog above the river.
Gotta love blue sky and sunshine!
Look how calm it is... not even a ripple!
And nobody on the roads.
Pretty farm.
Climbing higher... with a view looking back!
We stopped at a roadside pulloff for breakfast, and there was a river flowing heavily beside the pulloff. There was also a trail leading down to where that river became a waterfall. I took lots of photos, but the one video I took shows the whole thing off a lot better than the photos, so here's the video. Despite the blue sky and sunshine, we had to wear our raincoats!
Wow. The force of the water was incredible. Because of the rainfall last week and the rising temperatures the last two days causing a lot of snow melt they've got a lot of flood warnings out just now. The rivers are really flowing which means this is the best time of year to see the waterfalls of Norway.
Scenery along the way.
When we meet large trucks in the tunnels sometimes we have to pull over to let them by.
Still ice on the lakes up here!
And climbing higher there was still lots of snow.
Somebody has a cabin way up here.
We aren't the only ones out early.
Is this the end of June?
Eventually we started heading down the other side.
Where that patch of fog is, is the small town of Geiranger.
When we arrived, the fog was starting to burn off.
Geiranger is a popular stop on the cruise ship circuit. In fact during the cruise ship season it's rare for there to be a day that goes by without a ship in port. And yesterday was no different. The 5,400 passenger MSC Grandiosa meant the small town was heaving with tourists.
There are not a lot of free overnight spots for motorhomes, but we always seem to manage to find somewhere. The campgrounds are too crowded and expensive for our liking. But we managed to find a good day use spot and then later in the afternoon we moved down to the ferry dock where we actually got a good spot overlooking the cruise ship.
Geiranger is definitely a scenic little town.
A big waterfall cuts right through the center of it.
There is also a massive crowded campground here as you can see in the lower center of this photo.
Cruise ship tourists enjoying the view.
We had some lunch and then hiked up to the uppermost viewpoint.
Ruth, standing in front of yet another waterfall crashing down.
Another campground higher up.
It wasn't that busy when we were headed up, but by the time we headed back down it was sold out!
Starting to get a nice view.
On the way up, we stopped and talked to a local lady who was about our age. She was putting up some directional trail signs because her house is located right beside the trail and she has sometimes come out to her patio (which shares a similar view to the photo above) to find cruise ship tourists standing there enjoying the view! Can you imagine? Anyhow, we stood and talked to her for about twenty minutes about tourism and what it's like here in the winter, and a variety of things. It's really the first time we've been able to talk to a local.
Ruth and the view.
A road off in the distance.
A waterfall off in the distance.
As seen from the upper viewpoint.
When we got back to Max, we moved him down to the ferry port. We will be taking this ferry Friday morning.
By this point, the cruise ship had left. Although another one has arrived at 7:30 this morning.
Here comes the ferry.
The mouth is opening.
This ferry will be taking us west to Hellesylt.
But again, not until Friday morning. And this is as far north as we will be going. We will be heading west to the coast, and then south towards the city of Bergen.
Looking back at Geiranger.
In the evening, about 8:30pm we went for a stroll...
The campground is packed full.
The front row would be nice, but they are paying approximately 450 kr ($58 CAD, $46 USD) for the privilege.
There are perhaps seven rows like this.
Looking back at Geiranger.
Another gorgeous day today! We are taking advantage of the blue sky and sunshine to do hike up in behind a waterfall. Should be fun, and it's just tough enough that not many cruise ship tourists will be up there.
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Always enjoy reading your posts and pictures in the early morning when I get up. Especially given the rocks and heat in Las Vegas in the summer, it is great to see the green and imagine the cooler weather in Norway. Would be interesting to read about the person who lived full time in the village that you spoke with in the post today. What is it like in the winter. No cruise ships. Also wonder what the waterfalls look like in the winter with the frozen snow and ice. Must be great to see then too! Thanks for you work putting up the pictures and videos - they make my day!
ReplyDeleteWe are glad to hear that you are enjoying our pictures and posts of our adventures, each morning.
DeleteYou would definitely find this weather to be very refreshing compared to the heat in Las Vegas. We are finding it to be just about the perfect temperature for us. We could do with a little more sunshine than what we have been having but overall we have been able to get out everyday to do a walk, hike or bike ride so we are happy.
The lady we spoke with said that in the village itself they get more rain than they do snow but you don't have to go too far up before you get into the snow. The temperatures overall in the village are fairly mild compared to the temperatures that Canada gets but it isn't uncommon to get some really cold days. She said that for about 5 months during the winter they get very little daylight because they are so far north but in the summer they get very little darkness. The cruise ships don't start arriving until May and stop running by the end of September. Not sure about the waterfalls freezing up in the winter. I am sure that some do but not all of them and no doubt there will be snow and ice all around them, at least from what I could see in a couple of pictures that I checked out on the internet. I hope that answers a few of your questions.
I believe these are the most beautiful and scenic pictures you've posted to date. I am green with envy but so happy to be along for the ride, even virtually. I would absolutely hate to have to camp in those crowded campgrounds.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It sure was a great day for beautiful scenery but we have been other places where we have also seen some fantastic scenery too, just different. We do have to admit though that Norway has probably been one of the most stunning countries scenery wise that we have seen too date.
DeleteNot only was that campground busy but it was expensive too!
What a beautiful area! I loved the video. You really captured the sound of the crashing waterfall. Looks like you got lucky visiting Norway at just the right time when the waterfalls were at their peak from snowmelt. I wouldn't care for the cruise ship tourists, but all the rest of it looks splendid!
ReplyDeleteIt is an absolutely gorgeous area! The drive was fantastic with a nice variety of scenery.
DeleteThat waterfall was something else! We couldn't get over the power that the water had rushing down the mountain like that, the video captured it pretty good. I think that most of the waterfalls are flowing pretty good especially in this particular area even during the summer because so many of them are fed from the glacier.
If you got out of the village and onto the trails, then you had no problems getting away from the cruise ship crowds. I think by the end of the summer the people living in this village are happy to have their piece and quiet back but during the summer they are happy to see the tourist dollars being spent.