Fall colors in 2010, part one.

Along the tourist route of the Stryn mountains.



This installament will be different as i am not discussing any particular towns or geographic places. This time I am focusing on the vivd colors of fall in highlands. In mid september in 2010 I had a plentu of tim and the schedule for the trip was even more loose than usual. IN years I wnated to drive through the high mountain area from the intersection of the southernly route to Geiranger and skipping the system of tunnels on highway. But previously, time, weather or light conditions prevented this. Nut mow it was all perfect, though I know the changes on conditions change rapidly. An hour and half later I was at Hellesylt, located on the "wrong" end of the Geirangerfjord in pouring rain.



Back to the Tourist Road over the pass of Stryn, there was at the beginning a sign where the authoroties recomended not to have caravan with you. This recomendation is not to be taken lightly as the road is indeed narrow, built on steep banks to withstand the harsh weather and though there are some pockets where two vehicles meet, it will be a nerve breaking adventure.. The road as such is a mostly a dirt road, when I drove through it, it was in exellent condition but I can inmagine that this might be an entirely different matter in early summer and late fall. Dirt roads in this altitude will turn really muddy.



The trip itself is not very long but if you are having a camera and i guess in middle of the tourist season the drive might take quite a while. I only saw some less than 6 cars there but I might have been lucky.



The road is now a national tourist road and was opened in 1894 and snakes it way over the mountains between Stryn in west and Sjåk at east. Since 2009 when the road was extended to west it now terminates at the hamlet of Hylle.

A collection of photos along the road from east to west.


(To Stryn) (To Geiranger) (To Lom)
For more info.

Copyright © 2005 Olavi Ahokas