Monday, August 13, 2007
Days 4-6
Day 4: Ivalo to just past Vuotso (90km)
The weather has turned! This morning just as we were strapping on the saddle-bags, the skies opened and let fly with a huge downpour. I have to admit, this had me a little peturbed. The summer rain here isn't something you dance in and sing about later, it is freezing.
Thankfully, the rain only lasted long enough for me to go to the supermarket, buy a few bits of plastic and cover my bags. It should be noted that this was all a complete waste of time, as it didn't rain again the whole day.
It was a lot cooler though (about 13 degrees when we left Ivalo, and probably topped out around 16 or 17) and this made riding a bit chilly to begin with, but once my body had warmed up, it was actually very comfortable.
The ride itself wasn't too bad - a few hills - but for the most part we were just crusing along with forest gliding by on both sides of the road.
We had originally planned to stay in Vuotso for the evening (70km from Ivalo) but upon arriving there, we found that the only accomodation in town was closed (!) To be honest, I'm a little glad, the whole place had a bit of that ghost-town-from-a-slasher-movie vibe to it anyway. The downside was that the next accomodation was another 20km away. Like we had a choice! So we pressed on, and were rewarded with a small cabin and some really tasty home-smoked fish. And waffles.
I love being able to eat pretty much whatever I like and simply think 'doesn't matter, it'll be burned off tomorrow'. It's a nice way to live. Well, except for the whole '4 hours on a bike every day', but I suppose you get used to that too..
Day 5: Just past Vuotso to Sodankylä (70km)
This was the easiest ride I think I've done so far. There were a few small hills, but for the most part it was just lovely, flat road and rushing through the forest and past the marshes. The weather stayed cloudy and cool, which helped.
It was a Saturday night, so I attempted to integrate myself into the nightlife of the town, only to find that there was very, very little. There were a few guys doing hot laps in Corollas and a couple of old guys practically installed at the bars, but not a whole lot else. I guess most of the young folk have better places to go on the weekends...
Today would be the first day that we have arrived at our destination and I have thought 'I could totally keep on going and do another 40 or 50 ks'
Day 6: Sodankylä to Savukoski (90km)
Someone we spoke to in Ivalo mentioned that this was a lovely scenic route to take to Salla (tomorrow's destination) and I have to admit, he was spot on.
The forest was serenely quiet - and we probably only saw about 30 cars the whole trip. 3 of which ended up waiting for about 4 or 5 minutes for a large herd of raindeer to get off the road so that they could pass. In true tourist form, I took photos and video of the whole thing.
What the guy in Ivalo neglected to mention was that the entire road consisted of rolling hills. Let me explain what I mean by that: Take a sheet of corrugated iron. Now upsize it, so that it's nearly 90km long, with corrugations 30-40 metres from peak to trough.
That was pretty much it. Ride up the hill, ride down the hill. Repeat until you get to Savukoski. To be honest, I didn't mind it too much, because I enjoy the downhill runs (I clocked myself at over 60km per hour down the biggest slope - which is a new record for me). My thighs started to protest towards the end of the ride, but I'm sure they'll get over it.
Now, I am sitting in the hotel internet kiosk in Savukoski sorely in need of a beer and thinking about heading off for some dinner. I'll be sure to put up another update when next I have the chance.
The weather has turned! This morning just as we were strapping on the saddle-bags, the skies opened and let fly with a huge downpour. I have to admit, this had me a little peturbed. The summer rain here isn't something you dance in and sing about later, it is freezing.
Thankfully, the rain only lasted long enough for me to go to the supermarket, buy a few bits of plastic and cover my bags. It should be noted that this was all a complete waste of time, as it didn't rain again the whole day.
It was a lot cooler though (about 13 degrees when we left Ivalo, and probably topped out around 16 or 17) and this made riding a bit chilly to begin with, but once my body had warmed up, it was actually very comfortable.
The ride itself wasn't too bad - a few hills - but for the most part we were just crusing along with forest gliding by on both sides of the road.
We had originally planned to stay in Vuotso for the evening (70km from Ivalo) but upon arriving there, we found that the only accomodation in town was closed (!) To be honest, I'm a little glad, the whole place had a bit of that ghost-town-from-a-slasher-movie vibe to it anyway. The downside was that the next accomodation was another 20km away. Like we had a choice! So we pressed on, and were rewarded with a small cabin and some really tasty home-smoked fish. And waffles.
I love being able to eat pretty much whatever I like and simply think 'doesn't matter, it'll be burned off tomorrow'. It's a nice way to live. Well, except for the whole '4 hours on a bike every day', but I suppose you get used to that too..
Day 5: Just past Vuotso to Sodankylä (70km)
This was the easiest ride I think I've done so far. There were a few small hills, but for the most part it was just lovely, flat road and rushing through the forest and past the marshes. The weather stayed cloudy and cool, which helped.
It was a Saturday night, so I attempted to integrate myself into the nightlife of the town, only to find that there was very, very little. There were a few guys doing hot laps in Corollas and a couple of old guys practically installed at the bars, but not a whole lot else. I guess most of the young folk have better places to go on the weekends...
Today would be the first day that we have arrived at our destination and I have thought 'I could totally keep on going and do another 40 or 50 ks'
Day 6: Sodankylä to Savukoski (90km)
Someone we spoke to in Ivalo mentioned that this was a lovely scenic route to take to Salla (tomorrow's destination) and I have to admit, he was spot on.
The forest was serenely quiet - and we probably only saw about 30 cars the whole trip. 3 of which ended up waiting for about 4 or 5 minutes for a large herd of raindeer to get off the road so that they could pass. In true tourist form, I took photos and video of the whole thing.
What the guy in Ivalo neglected to mention was that the entire road consisted of rolling hills. Let me explain what I mean by that: Take a sheet of corrugated iron. Now upsize it, so that it's nearly 90km long, with corrugations 30-40 metres from peak to trough.
That was pretty much it. Ride up the hill, ride down the hill. Repeat until you get to Savukoski. To be honest, I didn't mind it too much, because I enjoy the downhill runs (I clocked myself at over 60km per hour down the biggest slope - which is a new record for me). My thighs started to protest towards the end of the ride, but I'm sure they'll get over it.
Now, I am sitting in the hotel internet kiosk in Savukoski sorely in need of a beer and thinking about heading off for some dinner. I'll be sure to put up another update when next I have the chance.
# posted by Nils @ 12:20 AM 
