July 23: Lom

We had a busy day today as we arrived early to Heidal Rafting.  Our first task was to dress in appropriate cold water gear, which included a jumper wetsuit, jacket, booties, a life jacket and helmet.  Of course, Ashley booked the most extreme rapids as we shared the boat with a couple from Norway. Our guide, Adam, was fantastic— he was informative, funny and encouraging. The entire 1.5 hour trip was intense as I got nailed with waves of ice cold water. With the water high, the rapids throughout were intense throughout with one level 4 stretch that was particularly challenging to manage. We almost flipped the boat as we crashed into a rock wall by a waterfall. All this fun without any pictures— phones were prohibited and no photographers on the route?

After a tasty lunch, we headed out to Lom for a quick stop at one of the oldest churches in Norway.  According to Wikipedia, “The brown, wooden stave church was built around the year 1170 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect.”  We also made a pit stop at a famous bakery that specializes in cinnamon buns. From here, we began to drive along route 55, which is well known for its spectacular views. This drive, which rivals Grossglockner in Austria and the ride from Banff to Jasper, was magnificent! Anticipating the many tourists, the Norway highway division has built plenty of rest stops for picture taking and camping for the night.