It rained all day. Not only that, fog set in as thick as pea soup. Reindeer made driving hazardous; the wind keeps our bikes leaned sideways. We have as many layers on as we had packed. It seemed so easy to get to the Nordkapp the last time I was there, which was in the middle of July. Now, at the end of August, everything changes. The weather is a big factor this far North. There are no trees to break the wind and only lichen covers the rounded, rocky hills. It is a barren, empty, forbidding landscape. There are definitely more reindeer around; these beasts love this kind of weather. The fog and the rain together make the whole situation a little scary and dangerous, too. The visor fogs up so easy. Yes, we apply anti fog stuff but we need to wipe the rain off and so wipe off the anti fog stuff, too. It is so cold that riding with the visor open is not a good idea.
We did the best we could and now that it is over, all is well. Yet, for a while it was a little tough going. The wind was the biggest obstacle. At too slow a speed the wind pushes you over too far. There is not much to see this far North. The Sami, the original people who lived here, considered the Nordkapp a holy place. Maybe their god was not happy with all the tourists that come by car, RV or bus. We, the motorcycle folks, earn our badge and we fight the elements when visiting this late in the season. Most of the tourist shops along the way are already shut down. The road crew was putting on markers so that the road is visible in snowdrifts. There were no more birds to be seen, they were smart enough to have gone south already. Only we, the bikers have to try it in almost winter.
Well…. We made it but I would visit next time in June or July, it is better that way.
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