Day 14 part 2. Geilo to Dagali.
We stopped quite frequently to drink eat and adjust clothing. The day was mostly sunny but every now and again it got cold as a rain shower passed over. I remember stopping at a monument marking a heroic trek by a group of Norwegians over to Sweden in the middle of winter.
I also remember that we had a descent that was long fast and fun. This was the upside of the climbing. Coming into Dagali we had to take a left turn which we did at high speed. However there was a small climb and we stopped to check the maps. We cycled on a little further and spotted the Dagali Camping signs. Damae coming up from behind whizzed past me downhill, her jacket billowing in the breeze. We picked our way through the gravel tracks into the site and our day of cycling ended.
The site was almost empty and the grass brown as we arrived and dithered over a place to put up our tent. We settled on a spot near to a picnic table in the sun and proceeded to do the evening things. Whilst dinner was cooking I lubricated the cables on both bikes. One of my gear changers was not working properly and required significant pressure to make it move. A drop or two of oil and the problem was solved.
Just after eight the owner arrived to register us and pick up payment. He turned up in a 1927 Chevrolet with an enclosed bus body on the back. He told us that this was the first car in the valley and it was still in daily use to pick up guests for the hotel and do the campsite run in the evening. It was in very good condition. We also heard that this area had been very poor until the nineteen fifties. They only got electricity in the thirties as the community decided to build a small hydro-electric plant on the river. The remains of the building were supposed to be visible from the road.
Besides a short shower that forced us into the tent for a quarter of an hour that was as exciting as it got in Dagali. In the evening just to make our legs do something other than cycling we wandered down to the river. Besides being popular for winter-sports Dagali is also a water-sport centre with the river providing good kayaking. Damae was interested but we decided to leave it for next time.