Bike Odyssey
Alaska 2006
| Home FAQ Maps Photos Subscribe Links | |
 | |
| Trip Journals | |
|---|---|
| Europe 2007 Alaska 2006 Australia 2004 Europe America New Zealand Australia 2003 | New Zealand '02 | Sydney to Darwin '01 | |
| |
| Travelogues | |
| Europe 2006 Alaska 2006 Around Australia 2003 Sydney to Darwin 01 Around Australia 99 | Great North Walk 98 Snowy Mountains 97 Tasmania 96 | |
| |
| About Us | |
| David Linda Bike Odyssey E-Mail: djf01@bikeodyssey.com.au | |
| |
| Bike Odysseypty ltd | |
| BODY - The PHP Symbolic Debugger TimesheetMagic For a range of cost effective industry standard solutions contact the Systems division of Bike Odyssey Pty Ltd | |
| |
| Journal for 10-Sep : Port Townsend |
|---|
|
Kept awake much of the night by the wind flapping my tent and flies around Campground lady delivered on the weather. I was hoping that a change in the weather might also bring about a change in the wind. I suppose it has gotten a bit stronger. Had to wait for the banks to open in town, and managed to fall asleep instead. Took ages to break camp in the wet. Left Sodankyla at 10:45 at 8C in light rain, and that bloody endless headwind. Every time I think I'm about to find the *real* remote wilderness of Finland I'm disappointed. Today all I managed to find was the tourist trail. Some signs calling it the "Santa's Highway". Flat, boring, windy, rainy riding for hours out of Sodankyla. It's like the Nulabor, except there is rain, much more traffic and less to see. Stopped at a pancake/souvenirs stall to revive my freezing feet. Owner tried to sell me more socks. Lunch break a coffee and doughnut (plus some yummy Finish rice & bread pastries) at Vuotso. The bloody f'ing wind picked up even more, and a few hills didn't enhance my progress either. Light rain falling again by Saariselka. Road here like an American highway. Lots of earthworks to keep the carriageway level, a modest amount of paved shoulder, and lateral cracking caused by ice. All of these have been extremely rare in Scandinavia. Had to park bike out in the rain at Saariselka. Sat inside eating a stodgy meal of potato bake with salmon (not bad), pork (actually bacon, not too bad either) and reindeer (overdone and pretty ordinary). Back in the road I thought I'd try to find somewhere to camp, but the trees all disappeared and I was down to 10kph pushing into a gale. Went over some pass, the rain got heavier and I descended for several Ks at no great pace into thumping wind and rain. Got completely soaking wet, and now only a hot shower would do. Pushed on to Ivalo, now raining solidly. It seemed warmer than up on the pass, confirmed by the service station signs reading +7C. Campground a dump. No cabins available. Fortunately I was so dripping wet the manager waived the formalities of me filling in my rego card. I'd have soaked her desk had I tried. Nowhere sensible to set up the tent, just sandy mud, deep puddles or gravelly hills. Set up camp in the camp kitchen, bringing the bike in with me. No shower as the shower block was so far away I'd have wet a set of clothes getting back. Cooked a meal, then put all cookers on to heat the room. Tripped the circuit breaker. Traipsed about in the freezing rain wearing short pants I found the fuse box and discovered it was all fuses (about 40), with all the descriptions in meaningless (to me) Finish. Lots of other blown fuses scattered about. Went back into the relatively warm (and definitely dry) camp kitchen to wear dry my clothes. Squeezed a lot into today. Left Ladysmith at 7am, beautiful morning cycling the back roads of Vancouver Is, mostly by the water. After checking timetable, learned first ferry to Salt Sprig Is not till 8:30. But ... Connecting ferry to Victoria left less than an hour later, from the *other* end of the island (the size of which I could only guess at). Sign said 21ks. Nothing for it but to sprint flat out for the hour, which included some tough little hills and one large one. Made it to Longford and could see the ferry, but road did a big questoin mark over a(nother) steep little hill! Made it in 50 min. Gasp. It was unfortunate I spent all my time on Salt Sprig Is beause it is fabulously beautiful, and more like what I hoped the sunshine coast would be like. Similar deal with the ferry to Anacortes. Struggled to ride the 6ks, find the terminal, buy the tickets and clear US immigration in less than the hour available. Lovely cycling around Marine Cove rd in Anacortes. 60ks in 3.5 hrs to get pt Townsend ferry should have been easy. Delayed by cycling through a town, a wrong turn (riding 5 extra ks), and last 2km headwinds. Pt Townsend a beautiful town antithesis of Port Angelese. Beautiful, Military Facility, American. Any three of these struggle to go together at the best of times. But that pretty well sums up Fort Worden in Port Townsend. Beautiful old huge wooden buildings so attractive it's hard to believe they were spawned by a government bureaucracy. << Prev - Next >> |