11 March 2018

Today is a day off.  I decided to drive "off island", once I figured out how to do that.  Not the best day for a drive because it is overcast and snowy.  I drove part way to Oldenfjord before deciding it was better done on a sunny day.

The Gjesvær road had a lot of drifting with no sign of a snow plow.

 The view of the fjord was not the best, because of the clouds.

 Color!

 

The road home, still no sign of the snowplow...

When you leave the island of Magerøya, you drive through the Nordkapp Tunnel, one of the longest subsea road tunnels in Norway.  The tunnel has anti-freezing gates which close the mouths of the tunnel in the winter to avoid the freezing of any leaking water. These gates open automatically when cars approach and are permanently open in the summer, when traffic is denser.  

It was definitely odd to reach the end of the tunnel and find a closed door.  I drove down a steep grade for 3 km, level for 1 km, then a steep grade back up for another 3 km, reaching 696 feet below sea level.  No wonder my ears kept popping!

Envying Miguel at the Melbu OperaFest!  A nice way to spend your day off.  Here, I walked around town a bit but the wind and snow drove me inside.  A very relaxing afternoon.