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Faroes (II)
Here is the continuation of my discovery of the Faroes. These islands are right in the Gulfstream, this warm oceanic current which gives to Scandinavia and more largly to Europe its temperate climate compared to its latitude. As a result, average temperatures vary very little between summer and winter: 48-50 F in summer and 37-39 F in winter. On the other hand, there is on average between 260 and 280 days of rain per year and 300 days with wind! VivaLaVida stopped there for only three days but was treated to her part of rain, sometimes fine drizzle, sometimes heavy rain. No wonder the mountains are dripping everywhere! There is not 100 yards without a stream that comes down.
I took advantage of the good weather of the first day to discover two spots among the best known of these islands…
1. On my way, the wind creates clouds on the cliffs…
2. First spot: Lake Leitisvaten, the largest lake in the Faroes, perched about 40 yards above the ocean !
3. It flows into the Atlantic by a beautiful waterfall.
4. The cliff that I climb is impressive! The silhouette at the top gives the scale, well… if you can see it! 😉
5. From the top, the panorama is breathtaking! This image is an panorama of 4 vertical images.
6. Traditional boat garage along the lake, on my hike back.
7. Continuing the road to the North, I discover this small village, just lovely… In the distance, the arch of Drangarnir.
8. And here is the second must-see spot: the Gasadalur waterfall. The small village of the same name was one of the most isolated of the Faroe Islands until the construction of a tunnel in 2006. Before, the only way to reach it during winter was the sea where a summary natural harbour allowed small boats to land by nice weather. In 1962, the village remained isolated for more than 5 consecutive months because of a series of Atlantic depressions.
The waterfall is 50 yards tall.
9. View from the top of the waterfall, with at the foot of the cliff, the rocks that allowed the landing…
10. First meeting with the puffin in the cliffs…
11. What a beautiful bird!
12. Here, people attach caravans so they cannot fly on windy days, that means everything!
13. Going up a fjord towards the village of Tjornuvik.
14. Waterfall along the VivaLaVida’s way.
15. Cliffs in the rain. The Faroe Islands have among the highest cliffs in Europe. Some are half a mile high.
In the next update, I will show you the black beach of Tjornuvik and other parts of these beautiful islands. Stay tuned!
Totems and waterfalls…
The rain was still falling, I pulled to spots that I could photograph despite the low clouds and the omnipresent mist … So I made a detour to discover Indian totems of Gilawox and Kispiox. Indeed, it is from this region that Indian totems are known worldwide.
1. These totems are carved from cedar logs.
2. They feature various symbols, characters, animals or, as here, the sun.
3. They had no religious significance but allowed the different tribes to distinguish themselves…
4. … who competed for originality.
5. One of the most imposing is in Kispiox.
6. They sometimes have additions to the main trunk, as bird beak.
7. A last one, to show you how they can be different.
8. Still in the rain- I was a little tired of it, I confess- a beautiful waterfall rushing from a glacier that I haven’t even been able to see in the clouds…
9. VivaLaVida riding back roads, I sometimes discover ancient tombs in the forest.
10. It maybe don’t look like but it’s still raining!
11. After six days of high humidity, I finally saw a small clearing to my camp on the shores of Bobtail Lake…
12. … which will gratify me with a beautiful sunset.
13. I take this opportunity to cook some moose meat that Hector has kindly offered me when I was in Whitehorse. Indeed, I wanted to taste that meat that cannot be bought, the regulations are very strict: they can be hunted only for own use. This meat is excellent, I would say a taste between elk and wild boar.
Thank you again Hector! 😉
14. Oh, I forgot to tell you. In Stewart while I was drinking coffee in the Armorlight Grocerey store, a man came eating his sandwich at my table. “Goti”, a diminutive of Gotlieb, is a Swiss guy who emigrated to Canada 37 years ago, accompanied by his wife born in Geneva. It is him who holds the grocery store and do you know what? He had Fribourg Vacherin cheese!!! I didn’t hesitate to buy some when he said that! 😀 With a piece of original Gruyere cheese also.
15. After six days of rain, it’s good to have some sunlight on the trail… 😉
16. Back roads I told you…
17. New detour in the Clearwater Valley to explore Helmcken Falls, well-known but extremely impressive, almost 500 feet high – as high as the fountain in Geneva if I’m not mistaken – digging this old lava plateau to form a deep canyon. Unfortunately, the rain was back…
Anecdote of the day. Starting again from Helmcken Falls, I thought continue up the valley to the Clearwater Lake but maneuvering, I felt the brake pedal very soft! as I was lying under VLV I discovered that one of the brake lines was broken where it attaches to the caliper, the fluid flowing on the ground. Gulp, no brakes at all in these conditions!
I was 35 miles away form Clearwater, it was 5 PM, My cell phone isn’t working in Canada… I decided to try to bring VLV in Clearwater without brakes..! After still have clogged the hose with a screw and a clamp around (photo taken the day after with my iPhone. Do not ask me how that’s possible, the first and back planes are sharp but the hose is blured..! They don’t stop progress at Apple!!! :-D)
It will take me 3 hours to travel 35 miles of a small mountainous road, with downhills to over 10%. Transfer case on “low”, VLV downgraded these steephills only on engine brake, sometimes at 3 MPH in 2nd gear and low range and without touching once the brakes (I did not have those anyway … ). In Clearwater at around 21h, I lay in the driveway of a workshop that will provide me a hose in the morning and after 3 hours of work, VLV was fixed… Thanks to that workshop owner for letting me enter VLV and work sheltered from the rain. 😉
But it has at least allowed me to discover another brake problems. While I had replaced all the rear brakes (discs, calipers, pads) in Anchorage only 7,000 miles ago), I discovered that the inner pads are completely worn again while the outer ones are almost new. The trouble comes from the single piston calipers with slides locked by the mud of wet dirt roads. Thus, the pressure acts only on the inner pad. So I’ll have to replace them again without much delay. But I’ll try to find another caliper with pistons on each side to replace the cactual ones and solve the problem. I’ll keep you posted… 🙂
Other adventures of VivaLaVida to come soon.
D5 Creation