Contrasting days

Been going a month and had my first day of really feeling a bit uninspired yesterday. Cold, grey, a bit of a slog to make progress, lots of cabins and signs of people - so none of the wilderness feel of Finnmark - but no spontaneous interactions and no Local Contacts to call by at. Plus I'd split the shaft of the paddle which as a result was slowly filling up with water. Little things like that can ruin your day. I headed to Lødingen daydreaming of pizza.

That was a good call (smart move, as the Norwegians would say) - Lødingen actually had a pizza restaurant (run by a Turk, nice guy, excellent pizza). The marina facility had showers too. I went to sleep cleaner and happier.

This morning I also discovered a chandlery. I borrowed a drill to drain the paddle, then noticed a pack of resin impregnated cloth stuff (can't remember name) for repairing tubes. Paddle now has a repair to be proud of.

The day then went from good to great! Northerly winds - so good progress. Warmer now on the proper sea. And the landscape just kept getting better and better. This last 10 miles - Hamarøya, and now Lundøya - just breathtaking. I'm back to being an open-mouthed kid again.
I wondered how far I'd have to go to find a landing and then a sheltered beach came into view. Superlatives wouldn't do justice to where I am typing this from now.

I'll put some pics up later [now done, but the light didn't ever get better than gloomy, so just a couple of extra shots].