5th stage from 19.9. - 25.9.2022

5th stage from 19.9. to 25.9.2022

The weather is not very good for us at the beginning of the week, cloudy mountains, rain, and quite chilly. Nevertheless, we decide to take the beautiful coastal road no. 17. It leads from Bodø along the Atlantic for about 650 km to Steinkjer. Always along countless fjords, waterfalls, high mountains and even the second-largest glacier in Norway, the Svartisen Glacier, which we only see from a distance. Nevertheless, it is very impressive. There are countless tunnels, bridges, and a total of 6 ferry trips. Today, there are already 2 ferry trips on the program, the longer, approximately 1-hour crossing from Jektvika to Kilboghamn was not only free, but also crossed the northern Arctic Circle again during the trip.

The next day, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather again and enjoy the ride along the fjords. In Nesu, when we arrived at the next ferry, we found out that it only leaves at 14:35, so we have a 2.5-hour break, which we use for shopping. The ferry takes us through great fjords and after 20 minutes, we already reach Levang. On the way, we see the Seven Sisters from a distance, great and impressive peaks. We stay at the campground in Offersöva so that we can catch the next ferry on time in the morning.

Today we have a rainy day again (once again, that's Norwegian weather...), thick clouds and fog unfortunately obscure the view of the mountains. We are on time for the ferry, which takes us further in a 1-hour journey, so we also reach the next two ferries, which each take us further in 20 minutes. We drive today until Namsos to the campground near the airport in partly heavy rain.

Now we have only 70 km left to Steinkjer and the end of RV 17. We discuss our further route and incidentally realize that we are still about 2500 km away from home.

The next morning, the weather is sunny again, we drive the rest of the way to Steinkjer and thereby reach the end of RV 17. A truly beautiful and varied route, also in terms of the weather... Today we drive all the way to Trondheim, where Esthi actually sees a moose cow with a calf next to the road! We reach Trondheim and visit the city with its beautiful old wooden houses on the river and an impressive cathedral, which we can only look at from the outside. We continue driving over an impressive plateau, the Dovrefjell, to Dombäs, where we are once again the only guests at the campground.

Today we have another highlight of our trip! We drive through the wide Romsdal to Ändelnes. From there, the ascent or the drive over the Trollstigvegen begins. An insane mountain road with 11 tight hairpin bends along countless massive waterfalls. At the top, there is a great viewing platform from where you can enjoy an impressive view down into the valley. On the other side, you drive numerous tight hairpin bends and enjoy a tremendous view of the Geirangerfjord, which is about 500 m below, from numerous viewpoints, simply magnificent. In Linge, a car ferry takes us across the fjord to Eidstal. This is followed by another winding mountain road, the "Eagle's Trail," which leads up to about 1000 m. Then we go down through a uniquely beautiful yellow/red autumn landscape. We enjoyed the colors in glorious sunshine. We follow the entire journey down into the valley along the Otta River, which is fed by the partly snow-covered mountains, to the town of Otta, where we are once again the only guests at the campground.

The rest of the drive takes us through the beautiful and wide Gudbrand Valley. On the way, we visit the old wooden stave church in Ringebu, pass Lillehammer and bypass Oslo extensively via Hamar. We "celebrate" the first 100,000 km of our camper at Kongvinger, where we cross the border and have been in Sweden ever since. In Ämal, we set up our camp on the campground by the beautiful and large Dalbosjon Lake, with a pitch directly overlooking the lake!

On Sunday morning, dense fog lies over the lake, after it clears, we can still enjoy the magnificent view of the lake with its many islands. We leave Ämal and drive via Trollhättan, bypass Gothenburg and enjoy the ride through the beautiful inland, despite occasional heavy showers. Thanks to little traffic, we make good progress. We reach our destination for the day in Haverdal, and a walk along the beach rounds off our day.