Day 9: Back On The Steeds

As Joe wrote, we had a lot of fun last night with Oyvind and his friends, exploring Kristiansand and chatting into the wee hours back on the boat. We weren't exactly up and at 'em at the crack of dawn, though: a 1PM wake-up meant that we left Kristiansand at 4, since we had to replace Joe's rear rack and explore the local street food festival that was taking place this weekend. It was tough to say goodbye to Kristiansand; thanks to Oyvind and his friends, we had a great stay.

Fortunately, our late departure didn't stop us from putting in a full day of cycling. The ride started out with a rainy mist, and we fell into a great rhythm, riding for a solid 32km before taking our first break of the day in Birkeland, where we stumbled on some sort of local talent-show in the park. It was a concert being put on by the local school (as far as we could tell), and most of the town seemed to be in attendance. Some of the performers were remarkably talented; others left something to be desired. They all sang American songs (Miley Cyrus was a popular choice), and there was something more than a little surreal about sitting in a Norwegian park listening to the local elementary schoolers sing the songs that we hear everyday at home. It really is a flat world.

We had planned to spent the night in Lillesand, about 50km from Kristiansand, but our legs were feeling strong and our pace was good (and we are getting eager to be on Sweden!) so we decided to push on to Grimstad. The section of the route between Lillesand and Grimstad consists of gravel paths that are described as the most challenging part the remaining 400km in Norway, and we figured it would feel good to get them out of the way.

First, though, we had to find our way out of Lillesand, and we became hopelessly lost, completely unable to find the route out of town. We had a very thorough tour of Lillesand as a result -- perhaps six full loops through the city center -- and were about to give up entirely and take the highway to Grimstad when we miraculously popped out onto a back road and spotted our familiar red route sign. As always, I assured Joe that it was precisely what I had planned.

The road soon turned to gravel, and it was difficult riding, particularly after the recent rain. I had to push the bike to the top of more than one hill, and Joe took a graceful tumble off the back of his bike on a steep and slippery climb. The real challenge, though, wasn't the terrain -- it was finding our way. What was a gravel path when our maps were made was now being converted into paved road, which meant that many route signs were completely MIA. The construction work had also created many new trails that forked off in all directions, and we spent a frustrating 30 minutes following various possible trails before ultimately (and miraculously) settling on the right one. At one point we crossed over a 4-lane super-highway that must have also been brand new, since it was nowhere to be seen on out maps. (These new roads are indicative of a larger trend we've seen, which is that construction is going on everywhere, all the time. It's as if Norway has been completely unscathed by the recession.)

Anyway, we did eventually make it to Gromstad, arriving around 10PM after a beautiful last stretch of riding in the twilight.

Our goal is to be in Sweden in three days, which will require a lot of cycling. Hopefully the land will stay as flat as it did today.

Joe promised to blog a haiku tonight, but he's sound asleep across the room from me, so I guess that'll have to wait. We're again being hosted by a CouchSurfing affiliate, and we've showered and even have some laundry in the wash! Life is good.

-Ben.
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