I have been told that I should write a little more about each blog entry.
Lysebotn is a small village at the end of the Lysefjorden. It is particularly isolated and can only be reached by a small road or by boat. The surrounding cliffs are steep and high making them popular for base jumping. The local economy is based on work at two hydroelectric stations – both of which are built entirely inside the mountains. In the summer, when the road is open, there is some tourism. The road is epic. It crosses the mountains for some 25km and then goes down a 900m cliff to the village. This involves 27 hairpin turns, one of which is inside a tunnel.
Baloo is not very good at steep hairpin bends. Partly this is because of the limited turning circle. We have to do shunts to get round tighter bends. The other problem is that when executing a shunt we have to drive the front wheels right to the edge of the road. In this position the cab is hanging out over the drop and this is a bit scary. So, in the interests of a quieter life, we hopped on the bike.
Brilliant views coming over the mountains. Tight, winding road. Virtually no other traffic. Ideal really. Well, apart from the cloud and rain, that caught up with us just are we started the descent. By the time we reached the fjord at the bottom the rain was coming down by the bucket full. From the waterline the fjord was steep, high, dark, moody and ominous. We did a quick turnaround. Grabbed a couple of photos and then set off back up the hill. At the top of the hairpins is a fantastic wooden café which hangs out over the cliff. Great scenery despite the mist. The rain turned to snow making me a bit concerned for the trip back. The KTM 690 Enduro is a terrific bike but, like most bikes, it is rubbish in the snow.
Coffee and cake in the café to fuel the return journey then back over the mountains. The snow eased as we reached the highest point. Happy days. It had just started to settle on the road a little but then faded away and suddenly there were patches of blue skies in front of us. The rest of the trip back to Baloo and Cent was cold, uneventful and thoroughly enjoyable.
