Day 7: Tromsų to Alta

Alta Museum

Alta museum, dedicated to the preservation of ancient rock-carvings. I'll have to check up on the facts here, but under are two well preserves examples we found.

The second practical task of the day was to find a piece of dried fish of exactly 108 grammes, a task that the teams found surprisinly easy, with their new-found experience of the friendly local post-offices and shops... Intrepid reporter Nick is seen weighing up the rather smelly pieces.

Salmon barbeque by the Alta river

The high-point of the day was the scheduled dinner of salmon, grilled on a charcoal grill by the Alta river. Large succulent pieces of locally fished salmon proved tempting to almost all the contestants.

The meal was to be enjoyed in a building based on the traditional Sami construction called a "Lavvo". The building has the form of a large tent, with a fireplace in the center. The grilled salmon steaks were a treat to sense buds numbed by days of standard hotel buffets.

As a special desert we were presented with a specially made Arctic Challenge cake, decorated with a map of Norway and the rally logo. Yummy!

With the bar open and appetites satisfied there was a welcome chance to relax in the warm before the sporting event of the evening...

River boats!

The Alta river, running high and strong due to massive snowmelting and rain, was the showground for trips in the traditional riverboats.

Out of the warm and cosy Lavvo and into the cold and rain, madness!

First we kitted up with all the waterproofs we could muster, then lifejackets. With the amount of water running in the river now it was best to be on the safe side, and with the rain and spray there was ample opportunity to get drenched. First a long, fairly slow trip up the river and then riding the rapids down again. Exciting, and an opportunity for drivers of tin-tops to get a feel for what the hardcore roadster drivers were experiencing every day!

After getting thoroughly chilled on the river it was nice to get inside again. Here we see Peter Kraus going for a full-body warmup

All in all an excellent end to a strenuous day. The day did bring another casualty. Roberts XK140 is now on the trailer for the last leg, with a broken wheel bearing. No planes from Oslo to Alta today meant that the necessary parts can't be obtained before tomorrow.

Only one more day now until we reach the Cape. Weather forecast looks like we might have a day without rain. Hope is high that we may get to see the midnight sun hanging over the North Sea.

Todays competitions:

Control card
Regularity
Practical tasks

Todays results:

1.	32	Erich K	Mercedes 300SL Roadster
2.	13	Jaap Elzas	Jaguar XK150S Drop head
3.	23	John Rondeau	MGC
4.	16	Walter Rotlauf	Bugatti Typ 40
5.	15	Dieter Hartlage	Austin-Healey 3000 Mk3
6.	30	John Noble	Austin-Healey 3000 BT7
7.	31	Franz Rohrer	Alvis
8.	36	Kjell Nilsen	Porsche 911T

Total results so far:

1.	23	John Rondeau	MGC
2.	30	John Noble	Austin-Healey 3000 BT7
3.	36	Kjell Nilsen	Porsche 911T
3.	14	David Inns	Triumph TR5
4.	36	Kjell Nilsen	Porsche 911T
6.	15	Dieter Hartlage	Austin-Healey 3000 Mk3
7.	17	Charles Sayer	Triumph TR3A
8.	12	Armin Thorn	Porsche 356 Speedster 90
9.	31	Franz Rohrer	Alvis
10.	33	Per Chr. Hannestad	Austin-Healey 3000
11.	29	Alistair Caldwell	Gordon-Keeble

Hotel:

Scandic Hotel, Tromsų
Tel: +47 77 67 34 00
Fax: +47 77 67 67 40