Europe Travel Plans

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Lofoten norway E10

Photo: Highway E10 towards Gimsoya, Lofoten Islands, Norway.

I’m heading out of California in another week and a half.  First is a quick two nights in Wales before flying to Norway.  I’ll be on the Lofoten islands from Sept 24th until Oct. 10th.  I’m very much looking forward to Autumn color and I hope the weather cooperates.  I also have a bit of work to do in seeing if it is at all possible for me to rent a flat so I can carry forward with my business plans.  Anyhow, I’m hoping to stand on a few mountains and maybe a night or two at Bunes or Kvalvika.  Otherwise, the warm cozy comfort of the Stamsund Vandrerhjem will be my main base.  I can’t say how nice it is to sit besides a warm fire and watch the snow fall outside, much better than a tent.  Maybe I’m getting lazy with age.

After Lofoten my plans get a bit fuzzy.  I’ll travel overland to Stockholm, but if the conditions are good, I might hang out for a few days around Östersund and central Sweden.  I remember seeing brilliant color a few years ago while I was sitting on the train, so I’ll probably try hitching this time to give me a bit of flexibility.  Also, I’ll carry a -11˚ C sleeping bag this time, I’m not interested in repeating a night at -14˚ C in my old 0˚ bag which is probably closer to 8-10˚ C in comfort level these days.  Not much fun and not much sleep.   From Stockholm, depending on conditions, I’ll either travel to Helsinki and then south through the Baltics to meet a friend in Poland at the end of Oct.  Otherwise I might do some island hopping on the Swedish west coast an then visit some friends in north Germany before heading to Poland.

If the weather holds out in Poland, hopefully I’ll have a few days in the Tatry mountains and try and hike up Rysy, the highest mountain in Poland.  From there I’ll head towards some old favorite places like Olomouc and Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic and maybe down to Budapest and Vienna.  Towards the end of November I’ll be back in Germany and hopefully catch a few Christmas markets, which maybe I’m a nerd, but I think are pretty cool, or at least for photos.

 

gamla stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Photo: Cobble stone streets, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden.

Mount Rainier

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mount rainier sunrise reflection lakes

Photo: Mount Rainer at dawn from Reflection Lake, Mt Rainier national park, Washington.

I know better than to show up in a national park without a campground reservation on a Friday, but I had to be back in Portland on Saturday so I didn’t have much of a choice.  I thought that by arriving pretty early there might be something available, but nope, the whole place was reserved.  Oh well, I guess I’d worry about sleeping options later and so I headed up to Paradise to do a bit of hiking.  The perfect summer weather and seeing a few climbers coming down off the mountain made me wish I’d brought my gear with me, but without a partner there wouldn’t be much I could do anyway.  So I had to content myself to wandering around with the crowds of tourists on the hiking trails.

Sunset was boring and uneventful.  And anyhow, summer is not a good time for the south side of the mountain as the sun sets too far to the north for any good light.  I headed off to the overnight hiker parking to sleep in my truck for the night and hopefully not to get a ticket from a ranger.  As the morning arrived I ended up at the Reflection Lakes, along with every other photographer in Washington state.  My jaw kind of dropped as I pulled up alongside the 10-15 cars already there in the morning darkness, and which continued to show up for the next hour.  I’m pretty unfamiliar with the Rainier area, but it looks like I must have found the place to be.  Sunrise was also pretty boring and after an hour of so of getting eaten by mosquitoes it was time to head south towards Portland.

Reflection lakes

Photo: Crescent moon in Reflection lake, Mt Rainier national park, Washington.

 

Mount Rainier

Photo: Mt Rainier from near Paradise, Mt Rainier national park, Washington.

Bandon Beach – Oregon

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Bandon Beach, Oregon

Photo: Outgoing tide at dawn, Bandon Beach, Oregon.

Tuesday morning.  My alarm goes off a little after 5 am.  I murmur a small curse and then lay my head back on the pillow, contemplating whether to get up or not.  I haven’t yet made the decision to go home or not, but checking my route the evening before, I had 830 miles to go.  I figure a bit more sleep could be useful if I’m trying to go that far in one day.  Then I come to my senses: don’t be lazy Cody!  This is what you are here for.

The one benefit of sleeping in the back of my truck is at least I don’t have any sort of camp to take down.  From the alarm going off to heading out of the campground can usually be accomplished in only a couple minutes.  And so I was on the road, for the 30 minute drive to Bandon.

I’ve passed through Bandon a few times over the years, but never at any time or under any conditions for decent photos.  I remember it as a cool looking place, often with crashing waves and an endless assault of lens covering sea mist sweeping across the beach.  As I arrived in the predawn of tuesday things seemed calm and the intermittent blasting of the fog horn was the only disturbance to the peace.  The sky was somewhat overcast but as time passed the clouds began to clear until finally a pink glow filled the sky out over the sea.  I also got lucky with a low tide and a footprint-less beach.

14 hours later, I was back in Santa Barbara. Exhausted, but glad I didn’t sleep in.

 

Bandon Beach, Oregon

Photo: Pink glow at sunrise, Bandon beach, Oregon.

Rialto Beach – Olympic National Park

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Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Photo: Sunset at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

For the last couple weeks I’ve been on a road trip up north.  Most my time was spent visiting friends in Portland, as well as a few days a bit further north in Washington.  I had been to Rialto beach a few years back and I remembered it being a pretty cool place.  The entire beach is covered in the most massive driftwood I have ever seen, ancient trees up to 6 feet in diameter and a hundred feet long.  I can hardly imagine the power of the storms that deposited the trees there, but it must have been a sight.  In summer things are a bit calmer, but I think it is still one of those places where the wind always blows and the waves always crash with a bit more fury than down here in California.    I got a bit lucky with a somewhat decent sunset on my first evening.  My second day was mostly thick fog, that while not especially photogenic, seems quite fitting and appropriate for a place like Rialto.

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Photo: Sunset at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

 

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Photo: Sea stacks and incoming tide at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Photo: Sunset at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Photo: Sunset at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

 

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

 

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

 

Rialto Beach Olympic national park

Making Plans for Europe

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Autumn storm clouds over Vestfjord, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Autumn storm over Vestfjord, Lofoten islands, Norway

For whatever reason, it’s been a pretty stagnant and boring summer (and year for that matter) for me so far.  I’ve hardly been able to get out of Santa Barbara and other than a few commercial assignments, I haven’t even touched my camera in months.  I’ve been trying to put something together for several months now, but I always seem to run into some sort of setback..  Finally now it seems I have somewhat of a haphazard travel plan materializing.

With Luck I should be back on the Lofoten islands around the last week of September.  It’s not exactly under the conditions I had hoped, to move there with a work visa.  But if I can manage to find a flat to rent, at least I’ll be able to continue with the application process.  If not, it might just forever remain an unfulfilled dream.  I know its a bit late in the year and I’m hoping autumn waits for me, but other engagements keep me here until then.  I had also hoped to hike another section on the Kungsleden or perhaps wander around Sarek national park in Sweden, but that will have to wait another year unfortunately.  So I’m looking at some other hiking options that I might be able to manage in October.  Been thinking about maybe crossing the High Tatra mountains from Slovakia to Poland, or perhaps something in Austria or Switzerland.  I Mainly just have to see how early the snow arrives and decide from there.  Otherwise I think I’ll pay another visit to Stockholm on the way down from Lofoten and maybe Copenhagen.  Then visit some friends in Germany and perhaps some old places in Czech Republic that I really like.  Hopefully I’ll catch some Christmas markets before going to Wales in early December or so, where I’ll stay a few more months.   As much as I seem to travel, it’s really been over 4 years since I did any proper ‘backpacking’ in the Euro sense of the word: hostels, trains, buses, hitchhiking, cities, etc.  I almost feel a bit nervous about it.

 

Empty stockfish drying rack, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Empty stockfish drying rack, Lofoten islands, Norway

Scenic beach at Ramberg, Flakstadoy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Scenic beach at Ramberg, Flakstadoy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Snow covered rocky coastline at Stamsund, Vestvagoy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Photo: Snow covered rocky coastline at Stamsund, Vestvagoy, Lofoten islands, Norway

Berneray – Western Isles

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Sound of Harris, Berneray, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: White sand beach and view across Sound of Harris, Berneray, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Berneray is the newest edition to my very short list of favorite places, places that I can just get lost in.  I spent a few days there of blasting gales in October last year and returned again to bring in the new year.  The wonderful small little hostel only feet away from the waters edge on the north of the island is my chosen abode.  Run by the Gatliff Trust, the hostel is an old croft house.  Rustic and homely, white washed stone walls and a thatch roof; the way a place must be on a lonely island out on the edge of the world.  The heat comes from a coal stove and one end of the room as the sound of rain patters against the small windows and the howling of wind creeps under the old wooden door.  Lights and candles burn late into the winter nights as strangers sit around sharing meals and stories, perhaps also a splash of two of Scotch.

As with most places in the part of the world, photography is more a game of patience than anything.  It’s a good time to slow down from the fast pace of life, maybe not check those emails for a week or two, it’s not gonna kill you.  All these photos are taken no more than 3-4 minutes walk from the front door.

 

Sunset over Sound of Berneray and North Uist, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: North Harris silhouetted against the days last light

Berneray, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: Calm waters and blue skies, just before the rain

Berneray Dunes, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: Dunes blow in the wind as rain approaches over the Sound of Harris

Dune grass, Berneray, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Photo: An elusive sun lights up the dunes, mountains of South Harris rise in the distance

Ruins of derelict croft house, Berneray, Western Isles, Scotland

Photo: Abandoned croft at twilight

Business Plan for Norway

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My business plan that I wrote to apply for a Norwegian self-employed person visa arrived in the mail today.  I’m not the best at writing these things, so it took most of attention during July (the reason the blog was a bit quiet).  Not to mention I had to re-learn InDesign for making the layout, I guess I didn’t remember much after not using the program for 6 years.  As the business will be photography, I had it printed as a book, 28 pages total, from Blurb.com

My Plan is to start photography tours and workshops on the Lofoten islands, as well as live there.  I’m also going to work on a book that covers a year on the islands.

I only have one problem.  I can’t apply for the visa yet as I don’t have a residence in Norway.  But to get a residence in Norway, you sort of need to be allowed to live in Norway.  No one is likely to rent to me on a 3 month tourist visa.  And I have to apply for the visa from here in California, which can take 2-3 months to process.  And even if I managed to somehow find a place in Norway there’s no guarantee I’ll get the work visa anyhow, so it could end up just being a big waste of money, which I don’t have enough of to waste.  It’s all a big frustrating circle.  I called the Norwegian consulate to try and get some answers, but they weren’t especially helpful.  I actually got the feeling that she thought I was rather stupid for even trying.

I’m not giving up until I get a definite ‘no’ for an answer though.  And if I do, I’ll re-organize and apply again, and again, and again…  I figure that after a few years they’ll get so tired of hearing from me they’ll just let me in so I go away!

I’m thinking of heading to Lofoten in Sept./Oct. to take a look around and see if I manage to come up with any solutions.

 

Lofoten Islands Hiking

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Reinebringen view Lofoten islands

Photo: View from Reinebringen, Lofoten islands, Norway

I’ve written several post about mountain hikes and camping on the Lofoten islands, but they’re a bit scattered across my blog at the moment so I putting links to them all here in one place.

Reinebringen hiking and info: CLICK HERE.  Reinebringen trailhead is located near Reine, on Moskenesoy.

Justadtinden hiking and info: CLICK HERE.  Justadtinden trailhead is located at Hagskaret, between Leknes and Stamsund on Vestvagoy.

Steinetinden hiking and info: CLICK HERE.  Steinetinden trailhead is located in Stamsund, on Vestvagoy.

Bunes Beach camping and info: CLICK HERE.  The ferry to Bunes Beach is located in Reine, on Moskenesoy.

 

 

Justadtinden Lofoten islands

Photo: Summer afternoon on Justadtinden, Lofoten islands, Norway

 

Lofoten islands hiking Justadtinden

Photo: Saviors of my knees, Justadtinden, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Unstad Beach Lofoten Islands

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Unstad Beach Lofoten Islands

Photo: Snow covered Unstad beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

A hunch, as well as some minor understanding of Lofoten weather patterns (if such a thing can exist) led me out a of a never ending snow storm to the relative calm at Unstad.  The light was nearly gone from an already short January day, but there was enough.

Unstad Beach Lofoten Islands

Photo: Storm clouds over Unstad beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Lofoten Islands Winter Sunrise

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Lofoten islands norway winter sunrise

Photo: January sun shines through empty stockfish racks, Lofoten islands, Norway

These two images are from the 6th of January, when the sun does not fully rise above the horizon on the Lofoten islands.  Normally we’re used to sunrise in the east, sunset in the west.  However, north of the arctic circle, this isn’t really true.  In winter, the sun rises and sets towards the south, where as in summer, it sets towards the north.  In relation to this is that the sun travels much more parallel in relation to the horizon – I wont go into the numbers right now, maybe some other time I’ll bring out the astronomy nerd in me.  So, the result of this for the viewer, or photographer, is that the sun appears to rise and set very slowly.  Or in more practical terms, sunrise/sunset lasts a lot longer that here in California.  On the case of the 6th of January, the sun travels along the southern horizon for about an hour before disappearing once more.  Yep, that’s it, 1 hour of sun for the day.  Just a few days previous, New Years for example, there is no sun at all.  Though it is not far below the horizon, giving a magical twilight light if the skies are clear.

 

Lofoten islands norway winter sunrise

Photo: January winter sun on horizon over Vestfjorden, Lofoten islands, Norway.