Snow and ice say goodbye

Date:


06.12.2020


Day: 126



Country:


Norway


Location:


Lillehammer


Kilometers:


340 km


Total kilometers:


9740 km


Soil condition:


Asphalt


Bridge crossings:


20


Tunnel passages:


3


Sunrise:


09:10 a.m.


Sunset:


3:06 pm


Temperature day max:


+ 4°


Temperature min:


– 9°


Wind


40 km/h

(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).

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In the morning, our Terra Love is still the only vehicle in the large parking lot. Because of the pandemic, skiing is obviously not allowed here. “Then why have they been grooming the slopes all night?” I wonder. “Maybe they’re expecting the authorities to give the all-clear again,” Tanja suspects. “It may well be that they want to be ready for a relaxation of the corona regulations, but it is certainly a high financial risk for the lift operators to keep their lifts in good condition.” “Above all, I can well imagine that hardly any tourists will come to Norway to ski this year,” concludes Tanja. “How much further is it to Kristiansand?” she asks. “You mean all the way to the ferry?” “Yes.” “About 800 km. If we take our time and everything goes well, we’ll be on our way to Denmark in four days at the latest.” “In four days already? Time is going faster than I thought.” “Would you like to stay longer?” I ask. “Of course I’d like to stay, but I’m also looking forward to seeing my father and your mother. We still have a lot of adventures ahead of us, so it’s okay for me to drive home now.” “So let’s go to the ferry,” I shout and put the key in the ignition. We leave the slippery parking lot at walking pace and follow a mountain road with hardly any traffic heading south. “Now the Terra can really show what it’s made of,” I say, steering our expedition vehicle through the sometimes deep snow. After about three hours of breathtaking winter driving, we leave the snow-covered track, wind our way down the hairpin bends into the valley and follow the E6 southwards.

Due to our more southerly location, the sun doesn’t set in this region until 3:06 p.m., while up north it has been completely dark for several weeks. An hour later, when we reach the town of Lillehammer, which became world-famous thanks to the 1994 Olympic Games, it is dark here too. We cruise through the city for half an hour and look for a suitable access road to Lake Mjösa, which is the largest lake in Norway with a length of 117 km and an incredible depth of 440 meters. “That’s where the road branches off!” Tanja directs me to an icy, unpaved side road at the end of which we find a fantastic spot for the night, as we often do…