Day 1 riding in Norway - Trondheim-Hell-Selbu

checking out the bike lift, without a bike!

Mega 'yacht' in Trondheim harbour - swanky....

so I've been to Hell and escaped - I must be good!

Lets go to Selbu instead

Cows with bells :)

Beside another lake!

the camping ground in Selbu - puffed out and ready for sleep

Riding to Selbu

Again the sun rose early and although it was cool in the shade, when we went out at 9:30 it still had plenty of kick.  So much for being cold in Norway – expected to remain hot until weekend… do I send my warm clothes home or do I continue to carry them!

after brekky, we loaded Maggie and all my bags into the car and we drove down to the harbour.  Overnight a huge yacht had arrived we were all curious just how big it was.  About 3 stories of decks and 5 or 6 masts!  Massive.  Had the med Club name on the end….  Someone with too much money I guess.  We then drove up to the bike lift.  There were a heap of cyclists – probably tourists off the coastal streamers that stay for 3 hours in Trondheim.  Anyways, we watched a rather plump German lady (just guessing!) have a go.  She quite dramatically fell off the bike onto the lift with a sorta treadmill gone wrong act.  Yeah, so I am not going to risk a tour thru Norway, just to give that lift a try..  so just had a good look at it then we headed off.  

Karin and Tøre drove me to the edge of town and waved me farewell and wished me a happy journey.  Such nice people….  As all hosts have been.

So on my own!!!  Stopped at small supermarket just along the way to buy some food and get some direction at the T-section and away I went.  At first it was just gently up and down with the Trondheim Fjord always to the left of me.  The weather was calm and the sea also.  I later stopped at another supermarket and bought a large coffee and had a snack – well, breakfast was while ago.  Not far riding, but running out of fuel!  Here you pay 20kr for coffee or 25km for large.  Well, thought I could do a large one – didn’t realised large was two cups full….  So got more than my money’s worth and it was so hot that it took ages to cool enough to drink…. So will save my 5kr next time.  While sitting in the shade I watched a lone swimmer, crawl along out in the bay – that water is still pretty cold, even tho air temp is high.

But ever onwards going north west, which is the opposite direction I need to go – but so many people have told me to go to Hell, and as it was in the vicinity, I should satisfy their wishes.  The good thing after finding it and buying a map in the PO there, I was able to leave – tho it was pretty hot around there. 

So now turning around and heading off in a SE direction, I left the coast and hit the farmlands.  They are pretty prosperous looking – grain crops already with large heads of grain.  Bales of hay wrapped in white plastic were lined up along the edges of fields.  Big barns and large homes nearby.  Then the climbing began.  At first I thought that b brake was dragging, but no – a false flat – ie slightly uphill even tho it looks flat.  Grind grind and I could tell I was just not going down much before another climb up another slope.  The slopes got a little steeper, but the traffic – and there was plenty – is so considerate and always waited if need be, before overtaking me. 

At one stage I was getting quite hot and the water was hot too when I saw a small creek under a little bridge.  So I pulled up and climbed down to the creek and just walked in to cool my feet, then I took my shirt off and wet that in the cool water and splashed myself all over and was ready for the hills again. 

The farms had fallen away now and I was again in pine forests..  It was in this last section that I heard bells chiming away – what could it be, no churches around here.  Then I saw a paddock in the forest, with about 20 cows – all with bells of different sizes around their necks.  It was already 5:30 and they were all busy eating, so all their bells were dinging away – all in harmony….  Cars were dashing past, but – a cyclist’s reason for being out on the road – the special sights to see!!  And just after that!  Downhill.  First there was over 2km of swooping down then it levelled out a tad for about 100m then around the next corner – more downhill – how sweet is that!  No traffic at that time – or I was just keeping ahead them!  No braking required as the road gently swerved around the corners – and this brought me down into Selbu. 

I saw the lake where I was planning to find a cabin for the night, then saw cabins and caravan park, so turned in for a gander.  The little timber cabins looked empty so I asked where the reception was – over at the shops, so off I went, got a key, paid 400kr - $65 ish – and back to my little cabin.  Has 4 bunks, but I only need one.  It was so hot and stuffy inside, so flung open the door and window and unloaded Maggie.  She was pretty relived to see the end of those bags for the day.

I went for a pootle around to find the showers n toilets and then to see if there was a bathing spot.  I could see kids playing on the other side of the small river that enters the lake.  But the water this side was a bit grotty looking, with sorta foam on top, so decided to just have a shower and relax.  Which I did – after getting cranky about having to pay for hot water – yep the cold was ice-cold, but the hand-basin had hot water, so I washed my hair there first before getting hot water for a shower – 30kr…

Well, the phone picked up the wifi easily and connected – but the computer wouldn’t….  said to go to reception for password.  Dang it, but I felt like a cold beer and thought I would buy up things for snacking along the way instead of doing that in the morning – so back to the shops.  Asked for password for wifi – 50kr.   They weren’t really sure what they were doing – so yeah…. When I tried to login, the password wasn’t recognised.  Dang it!  Well, I will try and get my $8 back in the morning, but guess won’t be lucky with that. (btw I was lucky - without any question! hmmmm.....)

But the beer and corn chips went well with the cheese n bun and now the evening is beginning to cool at 10pm.  Maggie’s temp guage says 26 now.  The room has cooled off as the sun has stopped shining directly on it…. So bed!!  Here I come!