Wooden Car Festival

Life is what you make of it, always has been, always will be. Therefore after an entire summer of waiting the time had come for the Norwegian Morgan Society Wooden Car Festival and i was as happy as Larry. The festival was being held in Vradal in Telemark southern Norway. The entire trip would be in excess of 1750km and at least 1250km of that total would be with working breaks !


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Early Thursday morning i attached the suitcase to the back of the Morgan ensured i had a trusty tool kit, although what i would do with it was another matter as i'm completely mechanically incompetent, and made my way to work. At 1pm sharp i made a quick exit climbed into the the Morgan and started my epic journey south. 

The journey would be in a number of stages. On Thursday i started from Malvik east of trondheim and traveled south. After a couple of hours i left the E6 and took the R3. The traffic as can be expected in Middle Norway was non existent. Only 3% of Norway is actually populated and in-between the major population centers are long twisty roads covered in bumps, potholes and policeman waiting to spring on the unwary traveler that exceeds the pitiful speed limit of 80kmp with massive fines. (Im not bitter im really not)

My first break was at Tyneset, roughly two and a half hours south of Trondheim and famous was having the worlds largest spark in the middle of the town square. Such an opportunity could not be missed. How many Morgan owners can claim to have there Morgan photographed with the worlds largest spark.

In the background a large sledge looking object is visible. This is the worlds largest spark and probably the first photo ever captured with a Morgan. I suspect Morgan owners the world over are currently seething in righteous jealousy at missing such an amazing photo shoot !




Time was pressing so leaving this marvel of marvels i continued south opting for an even bumpier and potholed road which tested the suspension to new levels of abuse. Much of the trip was through forest areas with a backdrop of mountains. Little villages dotted the landscape and eventually the road passed by a beautiful lake. Another photo opportunity presented itself so a quick hop out of the car for a couple of snap shots.

Another hour brought me to my first hotel in Koppang. A brief bite to eat, a cold beer after driving 300km and then an early night. At 3.30am i was up and ready to go. After packing and getting the car ready it was 4am. I had on my warmest clothes including the new leather sheepskin jacket, hat and goggles. Being a bit of a mog nut i decided roof down despite the cold damp weather.

I have never driven the Morgan in the dead of night. It was just a few degrees above freezing, pitch black and after about 30 min the rain started. In the true spirit of the slightly retarded i pushed on ignoring the cold, the rain and the fact i couldn't actually see the road. This was an adventure and the proof was the smile plastered from ear to ear.




At 8am sharp i rolled into Lillestrom, both ankles where locked my right hip was in agonizing pain, my ears where ringing from the roar of the engine and my right contact lense had slipped. I fell out of the car and hobbled around trying to restore motor function, hearing and eyesight There are only 2 garages that service Morgans, one is the main dealer in Oslo and the second is a small specialist garage in Lillestrom called Brathens Bil. I was welcomed by Trond and Anders. Id arranged for a general check up, 5 new tires, and the timing belt to be changed. Anders got stuck into the work while Trond went off to have the tires changed at a local specialist.

 I grabbed a coffee from the kitchen and was allowed to watch Anders work. Since my mechanical knowledge is somewhat limited i took the opportunity to pepper Anders with as many questions as i could. He was fantastic and extremely patient as i asked alot of questions. I was somewhat shocked to find out after a short while that neither of my back brakes actually worked. These where stripped down to nuts and bolts and repaired manually. It is somewhat disconcerting to realize you have just driven 520km with non functioning back brake!!

In addition to the brakes being repaired the radiator hose was found to be leaking and the engine block leaking oil. Anders fixed the hose opened up the engine removed the flood of oil siting under the mounting and fixed the head gasket. By this time Trond had fixed the brakes so they where remounted. However when bleeding the system break fluid poured out of both brakes so they where dismantled again and reconstructed. I was also shown where the various grease nipples where and what i needed to do for some basic maintenance. Looks like i need a quick trip to the auto shop soon !

During all this work various Morgan owners popped in for a chat and a coffee some with there Morgans and some without. All where welcomed and sausages, coffee and coke where freely available in the kitchen The whole experience was great and i learnt more about the car just watching Anders work and asking questions than i have in the last 12 months by reading various manuals etc. Thank-you Anders and Trond, great work, i really appreciated this opportunity to learn more. Not quite so sure im looking forward to receiving the bill though.....

Anders

Finally the car was back in one piece and it was time to go pick up my wife and 2 kids at Oslo airport. We then drove to Jessheim where we stayed the night at my mother-in-law. She would be looking after the kids for the rest of the weekend while my wife and i continued our journey. Another very early start the next morning (5pm) saw us in the Morgan speeding down the E6 towards Oslo. The weather was pretty poor and had intermittent rain showers. However we where now on our way to Vraldal in Telemark to join the other Morgan owners.

At Drammen we turned off the main highway and started taking smaller roads that led into twisty mountain roads.

A couple of rest stops let us enjoy the scenery and natural beauty of the area but we where both in a hurry to get Vradal, so we pushed on. The aim was to get there by 9am. The entire journey was 250km from Jessheim to Vradal but with twisty mountain roads it was expected to take a good deal of time.

Eventually we arrived at Vradal, exactly at 9am. I had very little info on the hotel apart from it was in Vradal and my wife was concerned as to if we would easily find it. Luckily Vradal only has one street and it was fairly easy to see the hotel with 40 Morgans parked outside of it. What a beautiful sight to behold.

 Row after....

 Row after .....

 Row of beautiful Morgans. All immaculately kept with passionate drivers.

It seemed we had arrived just in time, they where all about to leave on the days outing. As soon as i stepped out of the car i was immediately greeted by Trond from the garage as well as Hans Kristian a fellow Mog of Hell member and a few other well wishers who i had never met before. The arrival and greeting was astounding. Luckily the sky was clearing up and was looking to be a beautiful clear day!

At 9.30 we climbed into our cars and headed off. It is the first time i have every been in a Morgan traffic jam but getting 41 Morgans out of a car park can be quite hectic. Our first stop was 50 km away but to get there we drove by the side of a pristine lake, towering cliffs on the other side, twisty roads with 41 Morgans in a row. Magical !!

We arrived at our destination after approximately an hour, a small museum dedicated to very old buildings. Some of these buildings where several centuries old.

The next part of the journey was by far the best drive of the trip. It was on very twisty roads up the side of a mountain. The views where spectacular, the clouds cleared and blue sky and sun shone down on us.

Reaching the top of the mountain pass resulted in a slight traffic jam as about 15 Morgans pulled over to look at the view. If your going to cause a traffic jam then causing it with Morgans is the way to do it in style

After the short stop to appreciate the view we continued down the other side of the mountain pass and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The food was great, the sun still shining and 80 Morganeers tucked into a healthy lunch before proceeding on towards the Z museum, our next port of call.

We arrived at the Z museum which housed a wide range of different bits and bobs. They did have a number of cars on exhibit but this flat rad outside the building caught my attention.








Once we had finished in the museum it was time for the rally part. This took place in a field. It involved driving around cones then into made up garages, reverse parking, up a ramp on 2 wheels and then repeating in reverse. My wife as co-driver gave helpful instructions, such as that garage looks awfully small we are used to a double ! I on the other hand found out i cant hit a plank of wood when reversing down a hill with 2 wheels. Its not that im not smart, its just that i stay with problems longer and after the 6th try the judges took pity on me and waved me on.

After the driving test we returned to the hotel, another 60km drive through beautiful country side. A well sort rest was needed after such an early start and driving all day. At 7pm we joined the other club members in the lobby for a glass of bubbly followed by a truly remarkable club dinner. Marinated venison was the main course and all ingredients for all courses where obtained within a 2 hour drive. The hotel seemed very proud of there cuisine and rightly so.

We retired to our room and enjoyed a full night without any children waking us up for toilet or wanting cuddles, or checking for monsters at 1am in the morning. A blissful 8 hours uninterrupted sleep is something that only a parent with young children can truly appreciate the beauty of. The next morning we left early but had to have one final photo of my mog in front of a range of others

The ride back to Jessheim to pick up the kids was smooth. We passed a stav church which is made out of wood and is of the time when vikings where turning to Christianity, usually by the sword. My wife proceeded to the airport with the kids and i started the 500km drive north to home.

 After 2 hours i stopped a little north of Lillehammer at Hundefossen. A lovely little hotel was to be my accommodation for the night. I rang my wife only to find her flight had been cancelled and she had a 4 hour delay with 2 very tired young children stuck at departure. This was dire news for the end of a super weekend. I commiserated with her by having a couple of beers in front of a roaring fire before retiring for the night.


My final drive was from Lilliehammer to home, approximately 350km, taking 6 hours. I got up early packed hopped in the car and tried to start it. It seemed luck was not with me it was cold and wet and the car just wouldn't start. I retired to the breakfast room to consider my options and had a cup of coffee. After 20 minutes i thought id give it another go before contacting road rescue and to my delight on the second go the mog roared to life. I was off. The initial part of the journey was great but then i hit Otta which seemed to be only a couple of degrees and freezing fog. Even with my giant sheepskin jacket, hat, gloves and jumper it was freezing.

 An hour later i hit Dombass which is the start of the drive over Dovre mountain. This road is often closed in the winter but today it was blue skies, empty roads and beautiful views

Another 2 hours after coming down from the mountain saw me back in Trondheim and safely parked up in the garage. 1757km in total with only minor issues such as no breaks and not starting. A fantastic trip with a remarkable machine. If i could do it all again i would in an instance.

The journey was amazing and i found out you're never to old to set another goal or dream a new dream so come spring we will be off to meet the club in Molde the west of Norway.