Gert is no stranger to ferries. We’ve been on several adventures which required them (Catalina Island, southeast Alaska, Orcas Island, Seattle to Whistler, San Francisco Bay). This trip has significantly increased the number of ferries taken but it’s always the same. Roll onto the car deck, stash the bike somewhere relatively secure, find someplace to watch as you pass through an incredible landscape. Eventually you dock and you walk back to the car deck, retrieve Gert, then continue onto the next destination. Ferries keep the day interesting. Sometimes I just miss it and have to wait two hours for the next crossing. So long as I have some shelter, this is fine. Some ferry docks have mailboxes so I use the time to write postcards to home. Days when I hit the ferries just right can be big mileage days if you count ferry miles so I feel a little more accomplished than I really should.
Being on the road all day you only see what is immediately off the main road: farms, schools, houses, markets, a church a block or two in. Stepping onto the ferry you see the inside of the fjord, the fishing villages that are hidden except by sea, the islands that are just starting to emerge from the depths. On board you have people going to work, some on holiday, some visiting family. But Norway is quiet and I rarely find out where they are going.
The ferry offers the opportunity to slow down while still moving. It’s not like I’m in a rush to get somewhere but it still seems like a waste of a day if I’m not churning out those miles. This isn’t to say that I don’t sleep in and take a long lunch, but it’s chilly and stopping for an extended time can grow uncomfortable quickly so once the riding portion of my day starts, it generally continues until it’s time to stop for the night. On the ferry I get some shelter from the elements and the chance to sit, read, daydream, eat, while not worrying about hypothermia. It’s a nice change of pace to the day and since I never bother to read the schedule in advance it throws an element of chance into my day.
As someone who feels calmer the closer to the beach I get, ferries provide the opportunity to be on the water without sacrificing the ability to take a long bike tour. Without ferry service in Norway I would have to ride hundreds, maybe thousands, of extra miles to complete this trip. I can stay close to my beloved ocean while riding most of the day. If you have yet to take a ferry trip with your bike I encourage you to try it. Take a day trip to a nearby island or explore the other side of the river. Imagine yourself as an explorer who didn’t have the luxury of bridges to reach the opposite bank. There may be an island that you’ve seen your whole life and never bothered to set foot on. Take a warm summer afternoon and go on an adventure. You’ll return home and see your home in a new light.
