Day 12: From Alta to Tromsø

Visiting the congregation in Alta

I attended the church in the morning and met the members and missionaries in Alta. They are a small congregation. I got to know one of the members there who is 83 and has been a member for 72 years already. When she was young, she lived 40 kilometers away from church and didn’t have the car, so she hitchhiked every Sunday to come to church and sometimes also during the week. She was doing this for years. She had an interview for the newspaper, and they titled the article “Norwegian Record Hitchhiker”.

Some unpleasant events

After church, I made my way to Tromsø in perfect weather and perfect temperatures. When I passed the Northern Lights Cathedral in this glorious weather, I could not resist stopping to take a few more photos. So I rode to a nearby parking lot and when I parked the bike and got off, it tipped over and fell to the ground. I know how to pick up a bike properly, even when it's fully loaded, so I did and put it back on the stand to take a few more photos.

Then I continued my trip. After about an hour's drive, I turned into a rest stop and parked next to a man with a BMW 1600 GT who was driving in the opposite direction. We struck up a conversation and he told me that he was from Finland and was traveling in Norway for a few days. He soon drove off and I wanted to drive off too, so I got on my bike to check my luggage one last time. I noticed that one of the side bags was not fastened completely. I was going to lean over and fix it without getting off the bike and then suddenly I hear a bang and then my airbag vest inflated. I managed to trigger the activation of my airbag vest! I use a mechanical airbag vest from Helite, which is attached to the motorcycle with a strap. When a force of more than 30 kg is applied to the strap, the CO2 cartridge is activated and fills the vest with gas, causing it to expand and form a cushion that absorbs the impact. Well, once I had activated it, I needed to fit a new cartridge. So I got out the tool and the instruction manual and did it in about 30 minutes.

Enjoying the scenery

The journey from Alta to Tromsø revealed the jewels that Norway has to offer. Breathtaking landscapes with sea, mountains, bays, tunnels and wooden houses accompanied me on my way.

You can't avoid ferries in Norway

Ferries are part of the Norwegian road network. They run frequently and are not expensive, at least not for motorcycles. I set up a FerryPay account and linked my motorcycle's license plate and my credit card to the account. When you board a ferry, a photo of your license plate is taken and your credit card is automatically charged in a day or two. It works very well. No hassle with the tickets.

I met Lars from Sweden on one of the ferries. He was also on his way back from Nordkapp with his BMW GSA 1250 and was on his way to Tromsø, where his wife works as a nurse. He said she earns much more in Norway than in Sweden.

It took me about 5 hours, including stops for food and fuel to get to my destination.

Tromsø is a big city and lots of roadworks are going on. The main bridge was closed so I had to find and alternative how to get to the other part of the city on next island. A local stopped by and explained that I need to take the undersea tunnel, which I did. There are several undersea tunnels in Norway and driving through them is an interesting experience. First you go down and then up again.

I stayed with a couple from the USA who are volunteering as senior missionaries in Norway for two years. I met Mike 35 years ago when he was a young missionary in Norway, and he taught and baptized me. So there is a special bond between us. His wife Becky was also a young missionary in Norway. They both speak Norwegian. Becky is now studying to pass the Norwegian driving test.

I travelled 316 km today and the trip counter was showing 4 745 km.