Whoops I've Done It Now!!!!!!!

First the bad news. I've caught a virus, not me but my computer has gone down with the Antivirus XP 2008, so Guzzisue has kindly let me free on hers for a few minutes.
The good news is that my friend Roy is coming to pick up the PC soon and is going to sort out the problem AND do an upgrade at the same time. This means that in the next few months I will be able to put some of my film onto Youtube and blog.
I should be up and running again before the end of September with the conclusion of the Scandinavian Circle and lots more.
Already I'm getting withdrawal symptoms and hope to carry on soon.

Ted.

PS I will be able to pick up emails from time to time when Guzzisue is out and I can clamber over things in her workroom!

2003 Scandanavian Circle - Transport Days

A slow start to the day that saw Ian looking over the Guzzi and confirming his theory that the selector spring had snapped. On this bike it is inside the gearbox, so definitely not a roadside repair. No point in worrying about this so we wander into Lillehammer town centre to check out ferries from Oslo to Denmark as this is our best option now and they do not seem too expensive at around the £100 mark. This is also an overnight crossing so that will works out at a little over the cost for a bed and breakfast. This can be confirmed when we arrive in Oslo.

In the tourist information office we were told about a Harley Davidson Rally taking place. Although we are rallyists back home we have only been to two one make rallies, a Moto Guzzi Rally in Scotland and an MZ Rally that we organised ourselves. We understand that many people get enjoyment from these rallies but we prefer events where there are different marques on site.

Whilst walking around the town we saw part of a procession of classic American cars driving through the centre, complete with a brass band accompaniment.

As the storm clouds gathered we went and hid inside the Norsk Kjøretøy Historisk Museum, a museum of historic vehicles ranging from sleighs to modern day cars alongside the development of the railway with a large model railway to view. The museum is privately owned on the outskirts of the town centre. There were some interesting exhibits but generally we were a little disappointed as the lighting was poor, the floor could have done with a sweep and the exhibits themselves would have been improved if they had their tyres inflated! It could be that in the years since we visited things have improved. I have tried to find a link to the museum but have not been successful.

The rain ceased so we had a walk up to the ski jump area, tickets were purchased so we could take a small ski lift to the top. From here we spent some time watching people practise for the winter season. In order to lessen friction and gain momentum, water was poured down the slope.

Back at the campsite we had a lazy evening with Ian playing around with the tv remote. One day he may even stop from channel hopping every few minutes. We did see on the news that it was still raining heavily inland, so I’m pleased we stayed near the coast.

Today we head for Oslo. There is no rush as we only have about 100 miles to do. Ian managed to loose sight of the road signs for the campsite and proceeded to go round in circles until a passer by sent us in the right direction.

The Bogstad Camp & Turistsenter is situated 9kms from Oslo city centre with a bus stop at the camp entrance. The site boasts a service station, tavern, grocery store, laundry facilities and restaurant.

In the evening we decide to eat out for a change. The owner of the restaurant warns Ian off the curry as he tells us that he cannot get many of the spices in Norway.

We decide to book a ferry to Denmark for the Wednesday, giving us three nights here and two full days to explore. To celebrate Guzzisue buys a large tub of ice cream to keep in the freezer that is in our cabin.

All The Eights

As a brief interlude from my Scandanvian trip I felt that on this lucky day (08/08/08) I must post this picture of Ian's Suzuki speedo. This occured on the way down to the Pilgrim's Rally which I will report on at a later date.

2003 Scandanavian Circle - All Breakages To Be Paid For......Eventually

We are beginning to get used to these early starts as we are all packed, breakfasted, cabin cleaned and on the road by 8:30. Ian decided to take the A roads rather than the motorway and we were rewarded with empty roads once Gottenburg was left behind.

Having caught a few spots of rain the sun decided to come out making our exit from Sweden very pleasant. If only the welcome into Norway could have been the same as within minutes of entering the country the heavens opened up and waterproofs were put on and taken off all the way to Lillehammer.

Guzzisue needed to stop to cash some travellers cheques so this was done in a small town bank. This took about 20 minutes as nobody behind the counter could work out what they were!

Money sorted and we are on the way again and then Ian starts to have problems changing gear as the gear selector return spring breaks. The Guzzi is still rideable but Ian will to do a lot of left foot dancing on the toe and heel gear change for the rest of the holiday. We had thought about spending a little time in the fjord region again but now decided against this.

We can tell that we are back in Norway as the price of the cabins increase. The one we stayed in at Lillehammer costs as much as a motel 20 miles outside of town. On the plus side we can walk into the town centre and cook for ourselves.

In the evening we catch the news to find that there has been serious flooding with tunnels being pumped out by the fire brigade and campsites along with some roads being washed away. It was a wise decision not to go round the fjords. There was also a story about New York being plunged into darkness with a massive power cut.