Flat Tire Day

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Today was going to be about exploring the area around Harstad….umm…..until we walked outside and noticed one of the rental car back tires was very low. Brian inspected and sure enough, there was a screw. Screwed seems to be the operative word. We called the closest rental outlet at the airport who gave us the “It’s not our problem, call the guys you rented from” so we tried that. They were far away and told us to use the Fix-a-Flat and the portable compressor. We learned all about how that little gem of a kit works and we were on the road in a few minutes. However, you shouldn't drive fast or far with a screw still in your tire so we didn’t want to go as far as we planned. We explored just an hour up the coast since Brian’s risk management alarms were sounding (Amy's term is "nervous nelliie". We found a short hike with a good view, had some ice cream, and decided to return the car early and have wine-thirty at the tiny airport. We thought all was well till the rental company called and casually mentioned they were expecting us to buy them, not one, but TWO, new tires! Their policy is to replace the flat and, well certainly, there must be a matched set. Folks in the U.S. probably saw the mushroom cloud that came out of Amy’s head. We are working to resolve it. Brian will try the nice way and Amy will bat clean up ("bat" being being the operative word). After that stress, we needed the last mini-bottle of prosecco we’d been saving. We hopped on our flight to Oslo to change planes and then arrived in Stavanger at almost midnight. The Scandic hotel at the airport was wonderful and convenient. It feels luxurious after the last little local Fjordhotel (nice but bedraggled). Tomorrow it will be off to hike Pulpit Rock. Stay tuned.

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