Sarah Howell

The beautiful Norwegian topography of dramatic hills, rocks, cliffs, and fjords are all products of the powerful carving forces of glaciers that left at the end of the last ice age. Sometimes when I am just walking or biking around Ås, which is kind out in farming country, out of eyesight from the fjords and more dramatic mountainous landscapes, I forget about the rest of the dramatic landscapes.

So one weekend (a few weeks ago) I decided it would be a fantastic idea to go on a bike trip to test out my new bike and limits of my mobility. My destination? Oslo. Seemed like it would be an easy enough trip. It is about 38 km to Oslo city, and according to my bike map, there were accessible bike trails or roads that would take me there in a relatively direct fashion. Google maps said it should take me about 2.5 hours. When we lived in Maine, we used to bike to Portsmouth, NH a few times a summer to walk around the city, get a latte, and lunch. Granted, that distance was about one third of that to get to Oslo from Ås, but I did not seem to think that would matter much.

So, Friday afternoon, I packed up my paneers with some water, snacks, change of clothes, and a raincoat (you never know what can happen here with the weather) and pedaled off towards my destination. Almost immediately, the route I had chosen, turned into a winding road which snaked between agricultural fields (beautiful) and then through some forests and stream bed ravines (beautiful and a bit more challenging). But I would not be discouraged! The temperature was perfect enough for me to be wearing a tank top and yet not be too hot. If I had chosen to go for a near 40 km bike ride one August afternoon back in D.C., I would probably definitely have melted into a puddle.

Forty five minutes into my ride, the road started to flatten out and I could enjoy my surroundings a bit more. There were fields with grazing horses, old barns, colorful houses, and I had no idea where I was. The biking trails map that I had was of the region directly surrounding Oslo, and I was way too far south to be anywhere on the map. I had written down directions for myself as to where to go to eventually get onto the map, but I really was not too sure about where I was.

The nice thing about Norway is that there is an extensive system of walking-hiking-biking trails. Most of the time they are labeled and have signs, distances to major cities, etc. However, quite often on this excursion I found myself doubting whether or not I was still on the right trail and going in the direction I wanted to be going in! Though there are extensive trails, they often mingle with neighborhood streets. When this happened, I usually took a wrong turn, adding time, mileage, and sweat to my trip.

A really funny moment at the beginning of my trip came when I stopped at a gas station to confirm where I was and whether I was going in the right direction. I stopped at this Esso station right outside Ski, and went in to ask whether they had a map I could look at. The two girls working behind the counter were more than helpful, and pulled out their road atlas. After a few moments of trying to find the correct page, they asked again where I was headed – to Oslo. They told me to simply turn around and head back towards the E6, which is the major highway that threads through the entire length of the country. Reaffirming to them that I was riding my bike and was not driving to Oslo, they looked at me like I was completely insane, and asked could I not take the train? I chuckled and said that I could but did not want to take the train, that I wanted to bike. This did not seem like a logical or acceptable answer for them, but they instructed me to keep going and take a left at the third traffic circle. I thanked them and then continued on my way.

This was only the first of a couple times I had to ask people about where I was in relation to the map or directions I had on my bike journey to Oslo. Luckily, being in Norway, people are more than willing to try to help you when you ask for help, which is very nice, and also comforting when I start to doubt my sanity about why I took this trip in the first place.

Google Maps told me it would take me about 2.5 hours to bike to Oslo. It took me almost 3.5, which considering the number of times I got a bit turned around and had to stare at a map, or push my bike up a hill because there was no way I was going to be able to bike up a 70 degree cliff  road, I feel like was actually not too bad.

I continued through woods, through neighborhoods, past a golf course (which was a fantastic landmark, because I had remembered seeing it on the map online) and onwards towards my destination of Oslo. Halfway there, I started cursing my new bike. This bike is perfect for biking to and from class, or to Drøbak and back, or to the grocery store in Ås. However, it is a mountain bike, and certainly nothing like the bike I used to ride back in DC, which was much more adapted to easing your ride on roads and trails. Apparently, mountain bikes do not help to conserve speed or inertia when going up or down hill. I was constantly feeling like I was being slowed down when coasting down or trying to bike up an incline. Granted, my legs and body got a great workout, but it got a bit old after awhile.

After passing the 3 hour mark, I still had a little ways to go, but I had made it to Nordstrand, which was a community or suburb south of Oslo. Finally! I felt like I was almost there, whether or not I actually was. I stopped to consult my handy map, found my location, and began to determine the most direct way from where I was to get to the city. A flash of lightning and instantly a clap of thunder – the skies then opened up. Thank goodness I had my raincoat! I threw on my rain coat, which I have had ever since I worked as a dock hand at the Wentworth-by-the-Sea Marina in New Castle, NH. Trusty little jacket…

The rain did not seem so bad so I kept going. It really did not seem to be that far from Oslo, and I was not about to get on a train and give up! So I kept biking. And the skies opened up into a complete downpour of Biblical proportions. The raindrops were huge. And I am pretty sure there was 1 or 2 cm diameter hail for a few minutes. Also, as it turns out, the streets of Oslo, particularly in the older parts, are not so well equipped to deal with high volumes of rain. The streets I was riding on as I made my way into the city were completely flooded. I am really curious about how they deal with snow melt in the spring.

Almost to the city, there was a break in the tree line where I could see from my perch above the Oslofjord an absolutely gorgeous view of the sun breaking through the clouds and the rain. This and the rainbow that followed were a perfect way to end my ride towards the train station where I was meeting a friend. I did not mind anymore the long, exhausting ride, or the torrential downpour, or the hail, or the cold hands or soaking wet body (turns out the rain coat was not effective enough…)…

20 minutes later, I was resting in the Oslosentralstasjon, nibbling on some chocolate biscuit cookies, drying off. A shower was soon going to be a glorious thing, but I was pretty happy sitting there as I waited, feeling pleased with myself for my trip which I had just made. I am not sure if it will happen again since the colder weather seems to be making its way into the region, but it was certainly a fun adventure and a good challenge for me. Perhaps a bike trip to Drøbak would be more realistic with my bike. We will see.

Till next time!