Kasia Beszterda

Waiting out the morning rain that doesn't arrive. Sandals on we walk the bikes through the squishy terrain. I unsaddle my bike and carry the panniers downhill while R. gets both bikes safely to the flat ground. The fluffy dog balls run towards us again  trying to make as much noise as possible. We take a more direct route towards the main road and we're back on the good surface. Soon enough we lose the cycle path and the next section towards Oslo is on the main road. Cyclists going the other direction seem unbothered by the traffic and don't react to hellos and hand waves. I insist on arriving into town along the sea route, passing small islands, a navy ship, a marina and container terminal. The road leads along the heavily trafficked E18 before turning inland. Now navigating through city streets taking in the impressions of the place I meant to visit for so long. Through hard peddling we got ourselves 36 hours for a visit in town. We're staying in a popular Grünerløkka neighborhood and Bunks at Rode quickly earn a 5 star review from us for offering secure bike storage. Showered, we head out to see the town and get some food. The nearest square hosts a Sunday flea market, we spot another one just down the road. Forgot that in Norway Sunday is a day closed for business but in this neighborhood you would hardly notice. Boutique stores are open, pavements full of people strolling between stalls and cafés. After doing some food and food price research we have a dinner at a Thai restaurant. Partly a treat and partly the fact that the grocery store is closed for the day and my pannier being empty down to the last box of fudge. The food is top notch and we continue our stroll red cheeked from the city comforts. The rain soon picks up and gives halt to our walk. The bus back to Berlin is scheduled for midnight the following day. Tomorrow will be a sightseeing day where I go to the Munch museum and R. visits the exhibition on the 19th century polar expedition. I stock up on fudge to take home with me. We get day cards from our hostel and hang out in the kitchen and rest up before an 18 hour journey back.

Breakfast in a puffy and hood up with the back to the wind. We continue along Rødenes lake and then turn west towards Oslo along the Unionsleden route. The rain jackets come out from panniers and soon we take cover under sheltered postboxes on the side of the road. The feeling of remoteness is gone once we approach the busy E18. Entering Mysen, a city with a few supermarkets, with the rain coming we stop at the first one. Sheltering behind bags of gardening soil stacked on the europalet we eat our lunch standing. It is windy and we look for a café nearby to warm up with a brew. There is a steep exit from town; it feels rewarding to climb it without issues. The cycling lane sections are getting longer, we cycle under rain threatening skies to Askim - the first city where I reunite with my favourite fudge. Conservatively I purchase three boxes to last me until Oslo. Past the city we veer off Unionsleden which continues south-west towards Moss. There is a pretty bridge crossing the Gloma river before another stretch following the main road. The coffee at the petrol station is surprisingly tasty and gives us a boost for another few kilometres. We take a turn in Spydeberg and then another onto a gravel road. A cycling route to Hallerud marked with a swimming sign goes roughly in our direction. We follow. It is squidgy underfoot at the rest stop. Too wet ground to camp here. This is my chance though for a swim and I go in for a short loop. Back on the road we have our eyes open for a place to stop for the day. The traffic gets hectic on what seems quite a minor road. The area around Mjær lake looks built up and the ground saturated with water. 32 kilometres to Oslo. At Ytre Enebakk we turn off towards a cabin in the woods. The gradient and loose gravel are soon not cycleable. I shake my head when a steep hill emerges in front of us. R. scouts ahead. Eventually the bikes get pushed up and we follow a soft track to the cabin. We have seen some weather warnings earlier today but once under the roof the heaviness of the downpour surprises us. R. makes fire and it's toasty inside. We hang our clothes and place shoes around the fireplace. We make dinner and sit back after a strenuous day. A nice Oslo IPA is shared and the wrappers of the toffee fudge pile up on the table. Once we set up to sleep on the floor R. hears mouse scratching behind the chimney. We try to make adjustments to the indoor setup but in the end we know that a tent would grant us a better sleep. R. sets it up in the dark. It's nice and cool outside after the rain. We leave the cabin to the mice and head into the tent for the last night outdoors.

The weather forecast for today is not good. R. makes a call to head out at silly o'clock to try to do some distance before the rain comes. I unhappily agree. We do 40km before 9.30. Clouds get darker and we are eventually forced to put on rain jackets. I wish I had waterproof shoes. First supermarket of the day, we order coffees and teas and wait until the weather front passes. TV with horse races is on. At the table next to us about ten elderly lads drink their coffees. When the social hour is over they head into the store to get their groceries. We set out again, there is more rain to come. Less than an hour into the cycle we manage to park at the next grocery store the minute the downpour starts. We high five each other on timing. Bananas, choko chip cookies and two cups of coffee. We wait. It should now remain dry for a while. We have a shelter marked nearby but as it's a bit of a detour we push on to the red coloured shelter/cabin up the road that R. has a good feeling about. Another climb, then one more and I'm looking forward to ending the day at what is already the 80km mark. We stop at the shelter. It's locked. The concrete porch and no direct water access don't look too appealing. Also there is a high voltage line above our heads. Reluctantly we mount again. 7km till the next possible shelter. Surprisingly steep descent (10%), glad we're not cycling (pushing) the bikes in the other direction. R. drives ahead towards the shelter down a gorgeous gravel road overlooking the lake. Before I manage to drive down he is already heading back. Private property, event function, no camping. Resigned, we continue. There is another possible place further around the lake. We are off the main road which is a good sign among the dark rain clouds over our heads. The route looks flat on the app however the undulating terrain is hard on the legs at this point of the day. The track goes past farmhouses towards Rødenes church and there is a little picnic area at the lake. The shelter is invisible from here, further on the peninsula and from what we can see inaccessible for the bikes. We hastily set up the tent in the wind as the rain starts. A windsurfer emerges from the water. I unpack and promptly go straight inside the tent and into my sleeping bag. Dinner is served to me where I am. R. still has the energy to make the sausages on a grill when the rain subsides. I book the accommodation for Oslo, we're close now.

In the morning the car campers set off for a hunt as we get ready to cycle off. After some misty mornings today we have a clear skies start as we descend towards the shores of lake Valden. We encounter a road block and follow the detour in the forest where I spook a viper out of it's sunny spot and we cross multitude of moose tracks on our path 🫎 Back on the trail we do the main climb of the day while dodging a bin truck driving in and out of nooks and crannies of the gravel side roads. A beautifully wide compact gravel road takes us to Austmarka where we stop for lunch. So far the shops on the Wilderness Route have been quite spread out so we pass one, max two a day. We get a very warm welcome at the local store, with coffee, water refill, seats and charging opportunities. An asphalt road ahead we opt in for a gravel detour on the other side of the lake. For the remaining distance we follow the main road, at least the ascend is on a good surface. The day feels fairly easy overall, we also have a cap on how far we are going today as there are limited camping opportunities nearby and we're due a laundry, wash and a day off. And it's going to rain all day tomorrow. Didn't spot that the suggested route follows a major busy road for the last stretch, so we detour into the woods, cross into Sweden and into Norway again. Phones flood us with welcome messages from each country over the last three days as our cycling route tightly hugs the country border. The campsites we can choose from are two RV parks with busy trafficked road in between them. Not a dreamy location, but the cabin we get is dry, spacious and comfy and we move in swiftly as the rain starts tapping on the roofs.