04 July 2008

Friday 04 July 2008

Independence Day, Yee haw!

After forming a two person escape committee, we made our break at the usual (and rather repetitive) time of 09:15.

Our cabin was immediately opposite the campsite owners house and he took every opportunity to come over and offer his helpful 'guidance'.

We had the last laugh though. The cabin was not equipped with the usual hotplate so we sparked up 'Big Thunder' our temperamental (and frankly downright dangerous) petrol stove instead.

Now we're no authority on the causes and circumstances of domestic blazes but a recalcitrant flame thrower and a tinder dry wooden cabin is probably not a preferred combination... We even had to silence the smoke alarms as they were putting us off our brewing!

Post script to this event was Tracey finding oily black smuts all over the cabin and our stuff so maybe we won't be sparking up again inside anytime soon.....

Anyway, back to the plot..... We set off back on the E75-4, our destination today approximately 70 miles away though, shhhh, Tracey doesn't know....

Hot dry weather, favourable winds and helpful gradual ups followed by yippeee downs had us in Phyasalmi, Finland in very short order. 20 plus miles knocked off before our first CAKE stop in the mother of all Service Stations just outside the town.

We stopped briefly at the bell themed (?) competition on the opposite side of the road. We had a play on the big bells despite the warning signs to leave well alone and Tracey took the opportunity to swing some big knockers to play her favourite tune(s).

Onwards....down the E75-4 playing chicken with the juggernaughts and enjoying every flavour of diesel particulate known to man. The riding at least was swift and we pulled into Pihtipudas for lunch.

There followed the worst pizza in Christendom though we dodged a couple of very heavy showers whilst we considered keeping or throwing.....

We arrived into Viitasaari, 4 miles from our campsite at around 16:30. Had a celebratory ice cream and purchased the days groceries from the supermarket.

After a short interlude, we knocked out the final few K's into Jurvansalo for the night. The joker who thought it would be amusing to put in some evil little stinkers (hills) in between these two place should be taken outside and shot. Bit extreme maybe but really....

We rolled into the campsite with the bike computer reading 80 miles for the day. This makes our tally 170 miles in two days or 3 days riding in two. Time for a rest methinks.

Tomorrow....REST after which we have 5 more cycling days to Helsinki. Hurrah!

More Southerly ramblings to follow.

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.

03 July 2008

Thursday 03 July 2008

Following a delicious breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs, away again by 09:15. Loaded up and set off....up a 1:3 muddy ravine to get out of the campsite. We soon had our heart rates bouncing as we span furiously from rest.

Planned mileage today around 55 miles ending at a campground at Pyhanta, Finland.

Headed off Southish on route 879 following the shore of Lake Oulujarvi. We kept getting tantalising glimpses of the lake through the trees as the road was separated from the water edge by a thin ribbon of woodland.

Eagle eyed Tracey was credited with our first Bear siting of the trip when she spied one amongst the trees. I stopped to take a photo and grew increasingly suspicious when it failed to move for five minutes. Perhaps it was in training to be one of those statues you see along the Champs Elysee....?

Stopped at a supermarket in Vuolojoki for morning snacks, 30 or so miles into the ride. This is definitely a 'One Whore Town' and even she had been abducted by Space Aliens....

Back on the bike to intersect Route 28 and then turned West for Pyhanta 25 or so miles away.

Good cycling conditions, warm, sunny, light traffic, few real hills and a cross wind from the North that we were sheltered from for much of the time.

Arrived into Pyhanta on schedule at 15:30. Shopped for groceries and left town looking for our evenings campsite. Oh dear.... Well, we looked and we looked and we couldn't find it. Possibly as the little tinker was no longer where it should have been. Another Michelin faux pas methinks...

We spent a good hour rummaging around in the woods looking for a suitable wild campsite until we decided to press on to the next marked site 20 or so miles away.

We fuelled up on some of the goodies we had purchased, to avoid carrying more than strictly necessary and made a bid for freedom.

Despite temperatures that continued to climb and flagging legs, we bashed out the last 20 miles in just over an hour arriving into our alternate campsite at 18:30 with just over 90 miles on the bike computer for the day!

A very quick, monosyllabic dinner was had before an early night and impending unconsciousness took over...

Total today an unexpected and hard 91 miles and 290m of ascent. Total trip 758 miles.

More Southerly ramblings to follow.

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.

02 July 2008

Wednesday 02 July 2008

Packed up and away by 09:15. Planned 45 miles today via route 800 to Kangaskyla campsite, Finland.

Point to note, Kangaskyla is next to the mahoosive lake Oulujarvi which may be Finland's largest inland, freshwater lake. If it aint, it blummin well should be...it's so big it looks like the sea.

Very overcast and a little cooler than yesterday. Day started with lots of little sharp ups followed by rolling descents. Wind buggered off somewhere beside/behind us so no problems there.

Lower temps meant Tracey's friends (the Hornets) were asleep today as was any other potential wildlife sightings as we saw zilch.

Route 800 much smaller than 78, very scenic with sparse traffic. Single numbers of vehicles per hour. Downside; no cafes or other rest stops available

30 June & 01 July 2008

Monday 30 June 2008

Managed to drag our sorry ar$es out of bed and get on the road by 09:30. Stopped off at the local Apothecary to load up with industrial quantities of Ibuprofen. Tracey has niggly Achilles and Miles has dodgey knees. The SPD adjustments yesterday didn't seem to help so I'll be going for wholesale saddle relocation later to see if this helps.

The day passed in a bit of a low tempo blur. Straightish roads, greenish trees, and minimal height gain/loss. Ran into (not literally!) a few more Reindeer, most solitary and a couple of small herds.

Also spotted the very flat Finnish Viper (a distant cousin of the Cobra I'm sure...errm, maybe not) on the road. Either it has evolved to avoid the danger posed by modern traffic or this particular one was an ex snake and pre-squashed.

Weather mainly fine with a couple of small bursts of rain, one of which we dodged by hiding in a bus shelter - the only one for a 100 miles !!

Arrived at a lovely quaint campsite at Pudasjarvi, Finland early, around 13:30 after a very gentle day. Most rustic (in a nice way) cabins yet - very 'of the forest'.

Got sorted, killed the resident hornets and mossies and biked the couple of miles into Pudasjarvi town centre to buy supplies for tonight's dinner.

Had a really good look around that occupied all of 37 seconds, avoided the inbred 'tards and beer mongers then biked back to the campsite.

A lovely evening was spent in an idyllic spot in the woods.

Total today a very gentle 46 miles and 210m of ascent. Total trip 567 miles

Tuesday 01 July 2008

Pinch, punch first of the month and no returns!

Managed to survive the night sharing our lovely rustic cabin in Pudasjarvi, Finland with various types of wildlife.

Tracey was quite concerned and thought she was going to be carried off by the (admittedly mahoosive) Wood Ants. I think she had visions of being put to work in their local nest as a human drone!

Away at 09:00 for a 55 miler to Puolanka, Finland. Left route 78 briefly by taking route 20 and then rejoining 78 eleven or so miles later.

How we laughed during our ride on the 20 when a few Hornets took great interest in our bike, panniers and, above all, Tracey. This lead to her leaping off the tandem squealing girlishly as they continued their interest in the bike and ignored her.

Miles was mightily amused as he was still on the bike and now surrounded by a cloud of inquisitive monster insects. This lead to what is known in tandem circles as 'separation'. That is, where the stoker is abandoned at the roadside whilst the captain pi$$es off trying to escape too much unwanted attention.

Suffice to say, we rendezvoused shortly after Tracey managed her PB for the 100m and bounced her heart rate to the highest yet for this trip, regained our composure and continued on our way. Turns out, the Hornets just want FOOD and are really quite docile (so far!).

They (the Hornets) stayed with us for the rest of the day which led to intermittent squeals and wriggles from the stoker compartment but no repetition of 'separation'.

Continued grinding the miles out in hot, sunny weather with occasional thundery showers. Head winds also stayed with us for most of the day.

Scenery much improved, more ups, downs and bends than we've been used to of late. The surrounding countryside is now peppered with frequent farms and homesteads to punctuate the green.

On the wildlife front, we spotted a couple more Flat Finnish Vipers, a cheeky red Squirrel and our first MOOSE! This beast had taken up residence in the middle of the road and was moving for no one. It was very docile and watched with some amusement as we trundled past with the stoker flapping at her entourage of insects like washing in the wind.

Arrived into the Puolanka campsite at around 15:00, booked in, unpacked and then waddled into town to buy more supplies.

Puolanka is another example of a 'One Whore Town' that may have been transplanted directly from the USA. Well it has a Bank and Supermarket at least so hurrah for that.

Total today a hardy 55 miles and 470m of ascent. Total trip 622 miles

More Southerly ramblings to follow.

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.

29 June 2008

Sunday 29 June 2008

Today we have planned to reach Ranua, Finland via Route 78 which is around 54 miles away and well South of the Arctic Circle.

Good nights kip in our posh digs, very little to repack, nothing needed from our own kit as all supplied.

Breakfasted and away by 09:00 despite Miles locking us out of the cabin by letting the door slam behind us... Uh oh, could have been one of those naked moments in the hotel corridor. Luckily no corridor and plenty of clothing for us both!

Very hot and dry from the off which is a welcome change after we'd started to rust with all the rain we've been having.

Followed the bike path adjacent to Route 78 out of Rovaniemi and headed South West. Our route here split from that of the 'common' cycle tourists as they all seem to be continuing along the shorter 75-4.

We've had enough of the admittedly light traffic and daft driving. 78 proved much quieter and a little more picturesque, more like Northern Norway.

Continued along deserted tree and forest lined roads coming across Reindeer from time to time. No major ascents or descents though the wind was on our bow blowing (gently) from the South West. This proved just enough to stop us engaging Hyper Drive and had us pedalling downhill unlike yesterday.

Stopped for coffee and buns after an hour and a half at a roadside café then bashed on. This part of Finland is so much like bits of the USA. Very sparsely populated, straight roads, lots of hunting & fishing and a penchant for inbreeding. Ha!

Arrived into Ranua around 14:30, shopped to buy dinner in the supermarket and then cycled the last couple of miles to the campsite.

Had a major mossie blitz in the cabin on arrival after letting a load in when we entered. Gonked for a couple of hours, showered, ate and slept some more.

Miles' knees are hurting a bit. Rearranged his SPD's yesterday so hopefully in a day or so, they'll be OK. For today, the 'Doctor' prescribed icing with a packet of frozen mixed veg! You never know, we might even eat them afterwards!

Total today 54 miles and 315m of ascent. Total trip 521 miles

Enough for now, more Southerly ramblings tomorrow.

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.

27 & 28 June 2008

Friday 27 June 2008

Rest day in Sodankyla, Finland - double hurrah!! Arrived gopping wet yesterday and spread everything out in our cabin to dry, including pitching the tent in the middle of the floor!

We've found with the combination of rain and mossies, it's best to use campsite cabins where available rather than camping. As we get into less damp and insect infested climes, we'll up the camping quota. Wordy excuse for being a pair of soft Southern jessies....ha!

Spent our morning off attending to all those little jobs that go by the wayside
When you spend all day on the road.

All rank gear nicely laundered, bike serviced and everything else dried, aired and repacked.

Spent the afternoon in the bright lights of Sodankyla. Made the impetuous purchases of oil (for the bike), mossie nets (for the Goff noggins) and visited the Library and Tourist Information bureau to ponce Internerd connectivity.

We were slung out of the Library after 10 mins as they were closing at 15:00! Government Servants are lazy ba$tard$ regardless of Country!

Spent the evening gonking and dossing preparing for our return to the daily grind tomorrow.

Total today 0 miles and 0m of ascent!

Saturday 28 June 2008

Packed and left our comfy cabin at 09:00 in light mizzle. Seems 48 hours of non stop torrential rain is just not enough for the Eau Gods of Finland.

Never mind, it soon brightened up to battleship grey and temps hovered around the region of B.B.B.Baltic in the Bathroom. Good news? Wind from the West so across our bows rather than down our throats.

Destination today; campsite outside Vikajarvi, Finland. Around 60 miles.

With a combination of rested legs, minimal hills and zero head wind, the turbo charged Goff's got the hammer down and burned some Finnish tarmac.

Saw a few more Reindeer and aggressive/lazy/crap Finnish drivers who insisted on wiping their wing mirrors down our offside panniers. Plonkers of the first water....

Scenery a bit, ermm, samey. Trees, straight roads and a few houses/farmsteads.

Weather brightened as the day progressed and we stopped for a pancake and coffee in a Chinese restaurant en route!

Arrived at our destination for the day; Vikajarvi in very good time to find the campsite shown on the map to be a figment of Monsieur Michelin's imagination. Refuelled on CAKE and coffee, mingled with the inbreds and then shot off to knock off another 15 miles into Rovaniemi, where Santa lives. Big, walloping, triple HURRAH!

Much to Tracey's disappointment, whistled past Santa's Village on the way into town. Suffice to say Tracey's disappointment turned into Miles' chagrin in very short order....

Santa's Village is bang on the Arctic circle and is where the package tours bus kids into each Christmas for expensive rendezvous with the 'real Santa Claus' in Lapland. Hmmm, bit like a Disney version and I'm not sure I'd bother....if I had kids, errm or still believed in Santa or, errmm, well you get the point.

Anyway, we later found Santa, being at a bit of a loose end, was off getting radical surfing in Hawaii so wasn't in anyway.....

Scooted the final few miles into Rovaniemi, battled with town traffic for the first time this trip and found the best digs so far in a poshish ski resort just outside town. Unfortunately, no snow...boooo!

Spirits were lifted however when we found our room had its own Sauna which we made very good use of. Miles suggested sleeping in it to acclimatise for Greece but this idea was very sensibly torpedoed by SWMBO.

Total today a massive 84 miles and 490m of ascent. Total trip 467 miles.

Enough for now, more Southerly ramblings tomorrow.

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.

25 & 26 June 2008

Apologies for the tardy updates up to yesterday, having real problems getting Internerd access.

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Today, Ivalo to Vuotso via the E75-4. Away from the campsite at around 09:15 in bright sunshine. Followed the cycle path for a couple of miles to avoid being taken out by the sometime thoughtless Finnish drivers. Plenty of gentle ups and downs to keep us amused mostly with a side order of head wind for good measure.

Met a mad Swiss couple who were en route to Nordkapp having cycled 32000km in 26 months! Put our efforts into perspective... Had a natter for half an hour before continuing on our merry way.

One very heavy shower had us donning full waterproofs and getting our heads down to grind the miles out to our campsite in Vuotso.

Arrived into Vuotso (Finland) around 16:30 where we ran into a slightly deranged couple from the former GDR. They spent half an hour waxing lyrical as to how it was preferable to wait 15 years to be eligible for a Trabant under the old regime rather than enjoying the fruits of modern society post reformation... Not sure what the correct answer is. Shortage of cardboard cars or rank consumerism.....

He was riding a single speed bike fully loaded (not designed as SS just fubared) and she a three speed. They were camping wild and enjoying themselves.. Good on em!

To our consternation (not to mention slight dismay), we found our planned campsite to be non existent so we were faced with an additional 30 miles or camping wild in the woods. We chose the latter as did the entire local population of Mosquitoes.

A rapid dinner was consumed before we took refuge in the tent from the voracious little blighters. The little buggers in these parts eat men whole!

Total today a meagre 48 miles and 510m of ascent.

Thursday 26 June 2008

After a slightly restless night and a speedy al fresco (mitt Mosquito) breakfast we upped and awayed in the rain shortly after 09:30.

The rain stayed with us all day and rapidly had us soaked through to the last Euro note.

Stopped after an hour for a warm and a pancake at a roadside Sami tourist trap. Avoided the tat and spent time in their authentic tee-pee complete with open wood fire and reindeer hides to sit on.

All too soon, we were back on the road with the heavens trying to increase our bodies water content from 99 to 100 percent.

Got our heads down and billy whizzed into Sodankyla, Finland for the night and our first rest day tomorrow. Yay!

Rented a cabin (AKA shed) for a couple of nights to dry us and the gear out

Not much to see today apart from water in its various forms though the landscape has flattened out and the head wind scuttled around to follow us. Double yay!

Total today 53 miles and only 140m of ascent.

Tomorrow; rest!

Back soon. Miles & Tracey.