No More Procrastinating. Aaah!

Nordkapp to Honningvag – 31.9 Kms   -   1341 ft ascent.

This was the day all our support ,both psychological and practical was to desert us.  Dean and Ann were off on their luxury holiday with our car while we convinced ourselves that we would much rather put up with aching bodies, sore bums and exhausted lungs. Hauling 25 plus kilos of extra weight just added to the excitement of it all. However we all thought we would like to see Nordkapp so despite the all encompassing fog, which we were sure would lift (wrong) we all piled in the car for the last time and set off. At the entrance the shock of discovering that the 247 NEK (about £24 ) was to be multiplied by four nearly made us abandon the enterprise.  AND the centre would not open until 11 and it was only 9.48. As we could see nothing anyway it seemed a good idea to take off our long suffering bikes, load trailers and see if I could remember how to ride. A quick whizz round the car park ensured that I could mount, ride and dismount without disaster – one step nearer this mad venture. At 11 Dean took out a mortgage and bought us all a parting hot chocolate. A wander round viewing war time manoeuvres, dead sea birds on a cliff, and a trophy room pertaining to a king of Thailand who had apparently visited Nordkapp, we ventured into the souvenir shop and bought postcards purporting to show the views from Nordkapp which we were unable to verify as visibility was rarely more than 50 metres. Departure now loomed large. Hugs all round and we disappeared into the mist and mizzle. For almost the entire ride we saw only the immediate roadside which may have been a blessing in disguise as we had no idea how awful the ascents would be. Little imagination was required: legs and lungs told the story very eloquently. Tomorrow will tell another story or maybe just the same one.

P.S. from Al

I’ve got to give a passing mention to the gritty determination shown by Mary over the last couple of months and especially today. She has gone through, and is still going through a not inconsiderable amount of pain but, as this was her first ride since the accident, there was also the  mental mountain to climb. Like all the problems she’s encountered, she tackled this one square on.  She’s a one off!

Well done lass.