The good, the bad and ……………

A lot of reading here but you got the easy stuff (photos) yesterday.

One of my biggest concerns over this trip was availability of fuel in the remote areas of northern Sweden, Finland and Norway, during my ‘night ride’ to the North Cape. It was never a ‘given’ that I would get there, the distances are so great compared to closer to home. There were times that I imagined it was like riding through a vast country like Canada or America. If you think Kielder Forest is big?! My riding depended very much on getting fuel, Reg, or more accurately me, have previous for …….. let’s say ‘cutting it fine’. So it came as a relief that these areas of these countries mainly rely on unmanned or womanned or gender neutral petrol stations. As I got closer to the North Cape, and when I say closer I mean about 200 miles away, I found such a filling station. My tactics were also adjusted so I tended to fill up even with 100 miles left in the tank, providing there was somewhere. I was going to the North Cape now, and just had sufficient fuel to make it there. As I rode in the sunshine either side of midnight I pondered my return, I had no intention of staying up there unless……… unless I ran out of fuel! I would not have sufficient to get me back to that last petrol station and as the time got to one then two o’clock I had to find another fill up, fortunately I did, which allowed me back and eventually to rack up another 250 miles after hitting that target. 

That’s a very long description of the good, the bad will be a lot shorter!

As in England, automated fuel filling deducts a huge sum to cover a maximum permitted fill, but never actually comes out of your account. It nevertheless is classed as ‘pending’ on my banking app. 

It came as somewhat of a shock to me that my account had dropped £1,500 for the twelve fill ups on that epic journey! I’ll be relieved when they start dropping off! 😬

Targets

Target #1 – The Arctic Circle

Target #2 – The North Cape

Target #3 – A Timelapse of the midnight sun

I’ve been very lucky, especially with the weather, which has allowed me to experience the midnight sun in its full splendour!

Last night, as I sat on the top of Ornfloya gazing northwards, I kept thinking ‘hold this moment’. Like everything in life, it only exists in that moment and then is confined to the memory. When I leave the land of the midnight sun I will savour this very special experience, it was my driving, or should I say riding, force to come here at this time of year. When you expect something to be good and then it exceeds it you can’t ask for more, this experience is exceeding my high expectations!

Blog follower Gav commented ‘My body clock would be all over the place’. Even as an ex shift worker I have to admit that the rules seem to go out of the window. The last few days have been exactly that, days, no nights at all. You choose wake time and sleep time, although I have to say that I’ve had very little sleep since I woke on Saturday morning. I didn’t come all this way to sleep! 😆

Having said that, no more time lapses from fell tops, I may actually stay in the hotel tonight!

For Art’s Sake

Back to the top of Ornfloya. I wasn’t alone, yes you may have detected the odd fly photo-bombing the timelapse? But sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the sake of art. But there were a one or two other people there, coming and going until about 1am. I met a couple from Tromsø, as you do on a fell top at midnight. They told me two things of particular interest. Firstly, the weather was unusually good. Secondly, the inspiration for the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø (which I rode past) comes from something we were looking towards, the island of Tussøya, you can see why.

Sven

I’ve had a few people asking about the world’s only Moto Moose, so just to reassure you he’s fine. In fact, on our long journey north, even from Rotterdam, he seems to have been gathering admirers, particularly the ladies! Riding on motorways and dual carriageways, I started to realise what was happening. Checking my mirror I could see cars travelling quicker than me and expected them to pass, when suddenly they would slow and creep slowly past us. Inevitably there was always a female in the passenger seat smiling and/or waving at…….well presumably Sven? I’m glad he brings a little bit of fun into people’s lives 🤗

Finally

Reg and I just work, man and machine in perfect harmony? Well maybe not quite that, but with 17,000 miles between us I think we have an understanding, especially now that I don’t allow him to get too thirsty!

Another thing that seems harmonious is me travelling on the bike. I don’t listen to music through the helmet’s headset, I don’t listen to anything, I just admire the scenery and think, hence all this stuff I write. 

I prefer time to think and write, rather than not think and speak, but sometimes I can’t help myself. I still don’t heed the advice ‘it’s better to keep quiet and let people think you’re stupid, than to open it and make them realise you are’! 

But riding a motorcycle for hours and hours gives me time to think, so I’m less likely to offend people by what I write, than what I say. I put this down to the fact that my brain is very much like a Harley Davidson motorcycle engine, it only fires every other lamppost!