Once in the car, Roelke made a three-point-turn and headed back down the mountain. Before entering the tunnel, he turned on the high beams and down-shifted the Volvo into second gear to help maintain a safe speed. He didn’t want to ride the brakes all the way through the tunnel. The lower gear would, he hoped, help keep the speed down on the descent.
“I’m glad we came,” Chloe said.
Already the car was picking up speed. He gently pumped the brakes.
“…really hoping we can squeeze in another trip…”
He pumped the brakes again…and there was no response. The pedal thumped to the floor.
Roelke’s mouth went dry. Sweet Jesus. Had he lost all the brake fluid?
“What’s going on?” Chloe swiveled on the seat. “Roelke?”
“I need you to be quiet.” He had to focus. The car was already going too fast to shift into first gear. He reached between the seats and yanked up the parking brake. But after only a tiny hesitation the car continue accelerating.
Think. He had to slow down. The tunnel was straight. He could keep the car under control as they barreled through. But once out in the open, they’d quickly hit one of those monstrous hairpin turns and fly off the mountain.
Excerpt from Fiddling with Fate by Kathleen Ernst
The bright sun reflected off the snow-covered mountain tops as I gazed at the still water from our hotel in Ulvik. This is the view our cousin sees daily as morning begins. The water is calm and every so often you can hear a bird call. Something grows in my heart as I recall why I love returning here each time. The peacefulness of Ulvik can’t be compared to anywhere else in my opinion. How difficult it must have been for my ancestors to leave this beautiful place, but for many, it was a necessity for a better life. Still…I enjoyed the moment, took in a deep breath of fresh air, and was appreciative of how many times I’ve been able to do that here!
Out the hotel doors, I hear this deep voice of our guide Kees calling out. He’s always attempting to do something special from the book and today he did a call that young women would do to gather the cattle. It was quite lovely and we didn’t take offense to him herding as like cattle! :)
As we drove out of Ulvik and along the water’s edge, he played two songs - one was the same cattle call sung by a famous Norwegian singer and one was a composition the famous Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, wrote based on the call. What a peaceful moment it was on the bus with the calm water, the gorgeous scenery, and the music playing! It only lasted for three minutes, as that’s as long as you can play the Hardanger fiddle before it goes out of tune.
Our first stop today was a photo opp at the Hardanger Bridge. The suspension bridge was finished in 2013 and is the longest in Norway. It is also the longest tunnel to tunnel suspension bridge in the world.
Our next item on the itinerary was to climb the mountain by bus to Kjeåsen mountain farm which is a major setting for Kathleen’s book, and one of the most inaccessible farms in Norway. It is only inhabited during the summer months and is 600 meters above Simadalsfjord. In order to get to the farm, one has to drive a small road and a long tunnel, so traffic is only one way. If you are going up the mountain and tunnel, you go on the hour, and if you go down the mountain and tunnel, you go on the half hour. Our bus driver got us up there with no issues.
The views from up above were breath-taking….just breath-taking. We could see the homes of Chloe’s great aunt and family from long ago and stand on the spot of which Kathleen imagined Chloe and Roelke were married. I can totally understand why Kathleen chose the spot. I actually had my photo taken there. I will admit I teared up for I loved the book and main characters dearly, and my imagination of what this place would look like was even better in person! It was at that moment I felt all my hopes for this trip came true.
After Kathleen spoke for awhile, we headed for the bus and the ride home. Now mind you…Kathleen did NOT read the above excerpt until we were back down for we had our own little excitement in the tunnel. If you recall, cars were supposed to go up on the hour and down on the half-hour. Per, our bus driver, followed the rules, and lo and behold, we came upon two cars in the one-way tunnel! After waiting, the cars finally had to back down the tunnel for a bit until there was a pullout. Then we were able to pass by them.
Just a bit later, we discovered a third car in a pullout. These drivers hadn’t followed the rules! But unlike Roelke smashing the car, we came out unscathed. A huge round of applause for Per was given and folks outside waiting to go into the tunnel saw and heard the applause. One guy even began hooting in support. A participant in front of me exclaimed, “The whole world is cheering!”
Next was a stop at the Hardangervidda Nature Center to view a panoramic movie and visit the various exhibits.
Then Per and Kees spoiled us by taking the group to Vøringsfossen, the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway, dropping water 182 meters from the Hardangervidda plateau into Måbødalen Valley. It’s considered one of the most popular waterfalls in Norway. But what makes this waterfall so special are the various observation platforms. Due to the multiple falls and deaths of hikers, in 2020 various observation platforms were built at different levels. The platforms were built using helicopters and there is a step bridge crossing the river to the other side. What a fantastic site!
We are now staying at the famous Hotel Ullensvang for two nights. With all the walking up and down, I am sure the participants will sleep well tonight. After a challenging day of driving, hopefully Per does, too! He deserves it!
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