Spending time planning a road trip is a no-go for some. “Don’t bother! Just get out there and ride. The road is the journey”…
Well, that doesn’t really work for me anymore. I plan. And I plan a lot. I’m pretty sure I get it ten folded back, though. Why? Some years ago I was on a road trip in the western part of Norway. Driving north-west from Aurlandsvangen along road E16 through Lærdal to Borgund stave church, which I’d heard was nice. So I aimed for the church. Payed the entrance fee, had the tour and looked around. When satisfied, I continued East…
Recalculating…
A year later I learned about Old Lærdalsøyri and the incredible Vindhellavegen. Both of them just by the road. Just by the road E16 and just by Borgund stave church, where I stopped.
I missed these two incredible places simply because I didn’t know they existed… 🙁
Realizing this, I sat down and started to make a Google Map. Plotting all the places and roads I wanted to see. The list was not too long in the beginning, but it has grown over the years and now contains almost 250 locations in Norway. When I have visited any of them, I change the colour of the pin to Green. Places I want to see, are still Red…
Somehow people have found this Google map which I call FiGu’s Bucket List Norway. In fact, when writing this in beginning of November 2021, the map has more than 13,500 visitors. 😳 (18.000 in May 2022)
This site was born…
If you have ever made your own Google Map, you might know that it is a bit limited. You can add some small photos and some uncoded text. That’s it. Realizing the popularity of my map, the next step was of course to webify it. Hence, this site that you are looking at right now.
Make your own Bucket list right here
As an added functionality on this site, you and other visitors can click a button on each of the locations. This adds the location to your very own Bucket list — available from the top menu point called “YOU -> Your Bucket List”. But know this; if you just start adding to your list, the list is based on what is stored in a cookie that is downloaded. If the cookie is deleted, you use a different browser or the phone, the list is no longer available…
If you instead register and create an account, the list is physically stored in your profile on the site, and you can visit, change and add to it whenever you like – from any device.
Hope you enjoy the site, and if you do, drop me some words in the comments below. And register to store your own bucket list for future Norway adventures.
Back to E16…
By the way, there are two really great alternatives from Aurlandsvangen; you can either stay on E16 and drive through the world’s longest road tunnel, Lærdalstunnelen 24.5 km long, or drive over it on Norwegian Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet where you also can include the great viewing point Stegastein. A total of 47 km on road 5627.
Interested in the topic? Read my post “HOW to plan a motorcycle trip”.
FiGu