Seeking riders for Bulgaria to Nordcapp July 2013

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Rough trip plan.

Photos of most of the sights on my Smugmug album here.
http://specialagentnancy.smugmug.com...5723664_bKdL33

30 days give or take a week.
I’ve done this kind of ride 4 times now, so feel free to look them up here and read through them. Still posting my recent ride to Portugal here.
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=828439

Depart Sofia Bulgaria beginning July and get to the Nordkapp by mid July. Best chance for good weather and return by end of month.

Day 1. Long autobahn day to Budapest. Stay overnight outside of city and depending on interest spend a morning visiting or press on. I’ve been here before. 900km day.


Day 2-Budapest to Prague. I know a motorcyclist here we can probably stay with and find a safe place for the bikes if there is an interest. Perhaps visit the Church of Bones (Kutna Hora) on the way to Poland

Day 3- Enter Poland from the Southern Karkonosze Mountains and visit in a loop the towns of Karpacz, Szklarska Poreba, Cieplice and Sobieszow and pick one to camp by. 200km
Ride around Walbrzych Ksiaz castle.
Camp near Sucha Czoch castle on lake or if in for a little luxury at Polish prices
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...rn_Poland.html

Day 4 - Klodzko valley. Where another Chapel of skulls can be found and a charming town called Kaplica Czaszek near Kudowa Zdroj on the same route 387 and perhaps stop for a walk through a bizarre geological phenomenon of sandstone at Gory Stolowe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountains

Day 5 – Poznan looks like a beautiful city and passing through Frombork on the Northern border to Lithuania is a fortified town worth riding through. 400km

Day 6 – Enter Lithuania. Visit Kernave (a UNESCO site) then ride to nearby Trakai Island Castle and walk the grounds and camp nearby. 400km

Day 7 – Zervynos in the Varena region is a quaint town with an unpaved road and there is Aukstaitija National Park has an 800 year old tree believed to have been part of pagan sacrifices. 300 km loop

Day 8 – Cross the border into Latvia and go to Riga where a palace that rivals Versailles is worth a visit. Riga boasts the largest Art Nouveau Architecture of any city and its city centre also a UNESCO world heritage site. 250km

Day 9 – Guaja valley is on the way to Estonia and quite beautiful.
http://www.latvia.travel/en/gauja-national-park

Day 10 – Cross into Estonia. Tallinn is a compact city with a fantastic skyline view from the Toompea Hill. The Danes had erected a stone castle here and the Viru Gate is part of the original fortifications. The old town is another UNESCO site. 300 km

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Had to post separately due to maximum characters

Day 11 – Ride to St. Petersburg. 400 km

Day 12 – visit the city. Walk the all the old bridges, especially the Lion’s bridge. Visit the Hermitage and see how the Tsars lived.

Day 13 – Cross border into Finland and ride the coast towards Helsinki and shoot for Tampere. This is mosquito hell, get through it quickly! 500km

Day 14 – Get to ferry port of Vaasa and cross to Sweden to Holmsund, where I know a fellow ADV rider (DirtyADV) with a KTM and a warm bed complete with a dinner of Surstromming (rotten fish). 250 km (hoping for an overnight ferry)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming

Day 15 – Ride to the Nordkapp. 1000km

Day 16 – camp overnight

Day 17 – Back to Holmsund for a second overnight stay with my friend. We rode through Eastern Europe about 4 years back. Here is the RR link
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577386

Day 18 – Ride West to Norway. Head for the central part of Norway and the mountains of Rondane and the town of Sjusjoen (near Lillehammer) (the largest open air museum) known for its 120+ wooden buildings. 800 km

Day 19 – Wander area and rest.

Day 20 – Ride west to the coast and Geirangerfjord, fabled to be the most beautiful of Norway’s fjords. Take the Eagles Road from Dalsnibba to Orneveien. 300 km

Day 21- Visit Trollveggen. Europe’s highest vertical mountain on the way to Sogenfjorden, the longest fjord, just North of Bergen. See the famous Briksdalsbreen glacier.

Day 22 – Ride south to hardanger and see the famous waterfalls. 500 km
http://www.visitnorway.com/en/Product/?pid=104728

Continue south to Lysefjorden to see Prekestolen. A towering cliff of 597 meters. 200km

Day 23 – Leave Norway via port town of Kristiansand for our ferry to Denmark and a homestay with a couple I met in France on my last trip.

Day 24 – Ride south through Denmark to Germany

Day 25 – Visit the Berlin Wall.

Day 26 – Head south to see Hitler’s Eagles Nest.

Day 27 – Ride to buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar in central Germany and if time and endurance permits, Trier, a Unesco town with Roman monuments and thermal baths on the western border.

Day 28 – Take the “Romantic Road” in the Bavarian region of Southeast Germany from Wurzburg to Fussen. 400 km of picturesque winding roads in the Moselle valley.

Day 29 – Ride back towards Bulgaria through Austrian mountains

Day 30 – Spend the night with my adopted Serbian family in Opovo north of Belgrade.

Day 31 – back to Sofia

[tagesk]

This photo was taken about 400 km south of Nordkapp, at Kvænangsfjellet.
Last week of July.
Altitude is a mere 600 meters, but the temperature was 4 degrees C.
Welcome to the Arctic.




Nordkapp (at 2AM - not dark)
Seven degrees and the strongest side wind I have ever (!) had to ride through.

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

Day 15 – Ride to the Nordkapp. 1000km

You will have to be exceptionally lucky with the weather to do that.
We were 37 days in Northern Europe this summer (on the bike).
It rained on 32 of those 37 days.

The bad weather is, in general, under-communicated.
Not that it is any obstacle, but 1000-km days should be planned only with the outmost care and preparations.
It is particularly ill advised when you can not pick your time of departure.

I'll return with more positive feedback shortly.

[TaSK]

[SpecialAgentNancy]

I've heard about the epic crosswinds and rain and cold.

I'd like to make this a 5-6 week ride but am trying to shove it into a month which seems more manageable to most people.

Also another option is to let my friend drive me up there in a car. 1000km in a car is no problem.

[tagesk]

Originally Posted by SpecialAgentNancy

I've heard about the epic crosswinds and rain and cold.

The problem is that the last, what, 200 km you are riding north.
To your left you have the North Atlantic.
It is not know to offer smooth sailing.

We're talking about the Arctic; there are no trees or even bushes to dampen the wind.

[TaSK]

[hawkpilot2]

My Son and I rode with Nancy this summer from Bulgaria to Portugal and back to Italy and she does know what she is doing and is very experienced. She had all her bases covered and is definitely someone that doesn't need looking after....(just make sure she is well fed!) She brings a lot of traveling experience to a group. If I was not moving back the U.S. next month I would definitely sign up!

I did this trip a few years ago during July and did not run into hardly any bad weather and we did manage to see observe the Sun not setting in Nordcapp. I rode up through Sweden, and Norway and then back down through Finland. Met some great people and saw some great places. I did not experience any driving wind or rain on my route. Just watch out for all the damn reindeer!

I'll be looking forward to hear about the details of this trip as it shakes out....

Dan

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Originally Posted by hawkpilot2

Just watch out for all the damn reindeer!

Dan

Uh hun.

Same goes for you Dan. This last ride to Portugal with you was the best ever for all the same reasons you quoted about me. Danny turned out to be an exceptional riding partner too, very impressed with his skill.

Looking forward to riding here together in California and Oregon when you eventually make it back!

[DaveH-GB]

Unfortunately not able to do this now. Trip to the Himalayas just became available and won't be back until around the 15th of July. Shame as I aimed to do this last year and ended up with riding companions pulling out so only got as far as Trondheim. Will continue to check back to in case your dates change.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Originally Posted by DaveH-GB

Unfortunately not able to do this now. Trip to the Himalayas just became available and won't be back until around the 15th of July. Shame as I aimed to do this last year and ended up with riding companions pulling out so only got as far as Trondheim. Will continue to check back to in case your dates change.

Well I certainly don't be-grudge you for the Himalayas. Wow, sounds like an adventure!

My dates are flexible. I suggested July because of recommendations by others as to timing. Arctic circle and biblical hoards of mosquitoes and all, but let's talk over PM if you really want to do this and the only obstacle are the dates.

Don't worry about me pulling out. Once I commit, nothing will change that.

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Thinking I may chop this into 2 rides over 2 summers, so one way to the Nordkapp, store the bike for a year and ride back the following summer.

I suffered neck strain from all the highways we took on the Portugal ride, not going through that again.

[V Saarela]

The reindeers in north are used with cars and motorcycles. After visiting North Cape about 7-8 times and also been in the area several times, I sometimes spend times to clock them.

Found them laziest on the road to North Cape and do about just 30 kph. At the sistercape Nordkyn they do 10kph faster. At the area Muonio the reindeers are so big that, they stay middle of the road, stare in you eyes and......YOU MOVE IF YOU WANT TO PASS HERE!
I have also see reinders in middle of Saariselkä, window shopping.

Of course, be aware of the reindeers!

Reindeer on road North cape. This one manage 30 kph

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Love it! thanks for sharing the photo!

[WIBO]

Hi

I wanted to get back to Maroc...so......I half organized a trip.....lol

I've just come back from winging it with a group of weirdos in this RReport

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=841901

Would consider a jaunt for sure....but would have to wait closer to the time..but certainly open to the possibility of another good ride out...put me down as a possibility?....(If you need to know anything else by all means ping me a PM to find out if I'm a weirdo or not....I'll glady answer any questions as to sanity or not )

Warmest regards

[SpecialAgentNancy]

Originally Posted by WIBO

Hi

I wanted to get back to Maroc...so......I half organized a trip.....lol

I've just come back from winging it with a group of weirdos in this RReport

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=841901

Would consider a jaunt for sure....but would have to wait closer to the time..but certainly open to the possibility of another good ride out...put me down as a possibility?....(If you need to know anything else by all means ping me a PM to find out if I'm a weirdo or not....I'll glady answer any questions as to sanity or not )

Warmest regards

Wow! that's a lot of riders to coordinate over 2 weeks, enjoyed your RR so far, still reading.

[WIBO]

Good evening...

Organize (or disorganize) the Team of Goats...easy..just like goats,once one of us goes somewhere then the rest just follow!!!

I'll be keeping an eye on any plans you publish for sure....