After a very stormy second night at Camping Raften, I woke with my body feeling the effects of the hike up Matmora. With the rain coming down sideways and the visibility near zero, I opted to enjoy a lazy morning reading and slowly pulling myself together. After several hours I began to accept that the rain may not clear and I must mentally prepare myself for a day of weather.
Admittedly, I was disappointed as this was my day to explore the areas I passed by so quickly the previous day. What a shame it would be if I could not even see them! Trying hard to ward off the grumpies, I packed up and prepared the van for movement.
Before heading back to the main road, I decided I should continue down Fv868 to its endpoint. Very quickly after I started my journey, I began to notice the silver lining to this weather effect: it made for wonderfully soft light, richly dense colors, and magnificently interesting clouds.
I found myself screeching to a halt continuously to jump out and snap photos of the wonder I saw all around me.
As the morning rolled into the afternoon, the clouds lifted and the rain stopped. I made my way back to the main road and set off to continue the exploration, stopping only for lunch and a nap along the way.
At about mid-day I began to consider where I should camp for the night and remembered Sandsletta Camping near the base of Matmora. I drove back down Midnattsolveien but opted to pass by the campground in search of a bit more scenery before calling it a day.
Eventually, I pulled into Sandsletta Camping and was greeted by an incredibly friendly receptionist standing next to a coffee bar with fresh pastries. If that was not enough to win me over, she informed me that they had a sauna, a hot tub, and kayaks that were free to use. I knew then that camping in Norway was spoiling me rotten. And as another sign of good fortune, the weather cleared and the sun came out.
In the evening, I enjoyed the sauna/fjord cold plunge for over an hour chatting with a French backpacker all the while. The next morning I took advantage of the free kayaks for a bit of sea kayaking. This was a campground I would certainly return to.
Lessons from: The Weather Effect
- Instead of viewing clouds and rain as a letdown, try to reframe it as allowing for a new perspective on the landscape. That can make it easy to enjoy!
- The weather can change rapidly in Norway. As the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes”.
- If the weather does not clear, find a campground and enjoy some sauna (or hot tub) time.
Something interesting: The sounds of Norway
After I enjoyed the sauna and cold plunge, I made dinner, cleaned up, and went to sit on the dock overlooking Vatnfjorden with the 10pm sun shining brightly on my face. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of Norway.
All across the country, or at least in the parts that I traveled to, there are sheep that roam freely just as cattle do in the American West. Although there are no cattle guards and few fences keeping the sheep at bay! The adult sheep wear bells on their collars. The effect is that one can often hear the hum of sheep bells ringing in the distance. The other effect is that they like to sleep on the side of the road. Watch out!
Another sound that marked my time in Norway was that of seagulls. At times this was pleasant and at times it was not. It was dependent on whether I was listening to one or many! They are noisy birds to be sure, and they flood Norway. Even though I live among seagulls in Oregon, the number and noise of the Norwegian seagulls were noteworthy.
These are the two sounds that permeated my evening at Sandsletta Camping, and so many evenings in Norway. Since returning, when I hear a seagull, I smile, close my eyes, and mentally return to Norway for a brief moment.
A look behind the curtain.
Before I arrived in Norway, I had some trepidation about how the 24 hours of daylight would affect me. Would I not be able to sleep? Would I hate it? Would I love it? It was as I sat on the dock, listening to the sounds of Norway with the sun shining on my face at 10pm, that I finally concluded: I loved it!
Up to that point, I certainly had been enjoying it. When I would wake up in the night to use the bathroom, there was something exhilarating about light flooding into the vehicle. It is hard to explain. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that, as a female traveling alone, being under the cover of darkness is often the time when safety feels a concern. With no darkness, that threat was never present. I think it was that and more. It was energizing.
Admittedly, it did take me a long time to fall asleep each night. Since the sleep hormones are produced as a reaction to darkness, this, of course, makes sense. The back of my camper had blackout shades, and I would lie with my eye mask on for a very long time before I was able to sleep. But that just became part of the process, part of the day.
Perhaps even more interestingly I came to know it was bedtime not because I felt like it was bedtime but because the clock told me it was. I might feel my energy drop but it was generally subtle. Without sleep discipline, I fear it would be very easy to run oneself into complete exhaustion! But with this discipline, I found it to be a very energizing experience.
She Simply Wanders 
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