5784 Sæbø, Norway

Well, it came time for me to quit the comforts of city life in Alesund and head back south towards Sunnmore. The weather held out wonderfully, and for the first time on this trip I had a tailwind. You start noticing the winds during these trips almost as much as a sailor.

After a couple well timed ferry crossings I made it to the tip of the Ørsta/Volda island, Festoya, and started cycling in some of the most beautiful country I've been in, the kind of area where you can look around and say 'THIS is Norway...'

After an hour and half of cycling I caught the ferry to Saebo, a beautiful village typical of this region, with towering fjords before it and farmland stretching on behind it. After making myself a cup of coffee on the deck of an abandoned hotel and looking over my camping and hiking options, I decided to camp around the trailhead of a close-by mountain called Dalegubben. After a brief search for the trail (which was up an old tractor road switchbacking up the hillside) I headed back down to a high pasture and set up my blessed little campsite for the night. I'd take that over a crowded campsite any day.

Woke up this morning to a cloudy sky, but I've been here long enough to recognize the signs of whether or not the day will clear up; and today it cleared up indeed, perfect weather for a climb up Dalegubben before cycling the 26km to Ørsta to pick up a larger backpacking pack from my relatives to use in the coming week.

The climb up was the steepest I've ever done, and one of the most difficult; but of course, the reward was great.

Ahhh, the pace of life here rejuvenating, and being able to stay these last 10 days or so in this small town amidst all this natural wonder has been priceless. You can fill the days with as much or as little as you wish, but never feel stressed or bored from doing so.

Today I'm resting up after a long day in the mountains- gaining the summit took about 5 hours, not because of the difficulty necessarily, but because much of the route was covered off and on by a dense cloud band floating through the valley. The days before that have been spent exploring the back roads by bike, wandering down farm lanes, reading and writing, swimming, and trying not to over-eat and get my appetite back down to a not-bike-touring level. And now that I have an established camp, even the hazy, drizzly days can be enjoyed as they add a misty, other-world quality to the fjord and mountains, reducing the hills to towering gray massifs with their crowns hidden in the clouds, each wearing a shade of that color which grows fainter with their distance.

In a couple days i'm on back to see Andy and Maryon before I hitch a flight from Ørsta to Bergen.