Norway → Finland

The warmth I’d wanted was here! It was really awesome! As soon as you’d got a little way from the west coast, it felt warmer with every kilometre! Overtired, I found another really great spot by a lake. On a whim I decided to stay here for two days! It wasn’t far to the Finnish border anymore either.

The next day I edited the North Cape photos in the morning to get them to Tim as quickly as possible. Around midday I heard a larger vehicle stop near the road. When I looked out of my tent, I saw a tow truck with a snowmobile on it. Two men came up to me and asked whether I could pull my tent a bit to the side, because they needed to test their snowmobile. It hadn’t been running too well this season. For a first moment I really thought they were winding me up. But no. They really did want to do a lap on the lake with the snowmobile. My tent stood on a small sandy path leading to the lake. I’d noticed it, but I thought it was more of a path for a trailer with a boat, to launch it into the water more easily. That the sand is the „runway“ for the snowmobile — how could anyone know? Still suspicious, we pulled my tent back a few metres together. Like real grease monkeys and racing-mad types, they all actually had dirty clothes and black, oily fingers too. When the snowmobile then drove off the tow truck and towards the lake, it dawned on me that they really meant it. The thing was brand spanking new and looked like an easy 300 km/h. In the end the rider looked like a motocross rider… But see for yourself: (to bring the whole thing across realistically, please turn the volume all the way up. Because the thing was insanely loud!)

While one of them „flew“ back and forth across the lake, the other two explained to me that today was the first day the thing was really running. And that it was already the end of the season, too, so they were having some problems with the sponsors. Still, they were happy that everything was working now! I then just asked myself the questions: what happens if the snowmobile cuts out and sinks? „There’s a little float on it, a kind of airbag that deploys and stops the snowmobile from sinking. Then you can pull it out of the water from land. Also, the tank and the air filter get electronically „decoupled“ to prevent water getting in. To let the water out of the engine, you only need to open two or three valves. Then the thing is ready to go again.“ Cool stuff. A few more times he came off the lake and then set off onto it again.

Then we pulled my tent back to the lake again, they loaded up the snowmobile and drove off. On we went to Finland! The border wasn’t far. Over long roads and through dense forests, I then stood at the border:

It was about 20 degrees and the sun was shining. The nature was insane. It was really like being in the middle of the wilderness. There was nothing far and wide, and the roads gave you the feeling of being far from home. Sometimes there was tarmac and sometimes not. It went dead straight for ages, no one came the other way or drove past. Here, on the bike, you really do clear your head!

In the evening I decided to set up the hammock again after a long time. In Norway that was unfortunately almost never possible, because it was either too cold or raining too much. Here in Finland, though, it was by now really properly warm. While I set up the hammock, I picked blueberries from the bushes at the same time. There were a huge number of them here. As a little snack in between — always good!

The next day I carried on… again over long roads that stretched to the horizon! I also had, for the first time in a long, long time, a really important appointment today! There was a new rear tyre for my bike! And it was sorely needed! Because I’d planned to ride the TET (TransEuroTrail) through Finland to the south, and for that I needed grip! I’d ordered the rear tyre by phone about a week ago. Then, a day earlier, I’d received a photo of the tyre via WhatsApp and the info: „You´re tire arrived!“ While I was already on the Lofoten, I’d done a bit of price research and found the truck tyre-changing place. Once there, I checked the tyre again and whether everything would fit. I’d brought a suitable inner tube from home, since depending on where you are, they can be a bit harder to get or come with a lot of waiting time. So I just removed my rear tyre in the car park and 15 minutes later I was ready to ride again. The guys then also lent me a torque wrench to re-tighten it, and so I was now tyre-wise ready again for the next 10,000 km! That went more easily and, above all, more quickly than expected! So if you ever need a new tyre in northern Finland: Teollisuustie 1 A, 99100 Kittilä, Finland — Kittilän Kumi Oy, I can only recommend it!

In the afternoon I then headed into the forest to break the tyre in properly first. Normally my dad always does that for me, you see… In the evening I then set up my hammock again near a big river:

The next morning I woke up early. Because of some cracking, breaking branches or something. When you’re lying in the hammock and the tarp is high enough, you have a great all-round view. And so I looked around very slowly, without making a sound. Then, not far from me, maybe five or six metres, I saw a huge moose with even much bigger antlers! Walking almost silently from the river back into the forest. I didn’t move a bit and held my breath! That was truly a magical moment! With two or three elegant leaps, the moose disappeared into the forest! My next stop was the Santa Claus Village at the Arctic Circle. I’d seen something about it at some point and only knew that this is where Father Christmas lives in Finland. There’s also Father Christmas’s „Main Post Office“ there, from which you could send letters for Christmas. Of course I didn’t want to miss that. Once there, I only just about got a parking spot… it was really busy. At first I thought it was down to the weather, since it was an easy 20 degrees! But then I saw that next door, in a big car park, a dog competition or whatever was going on. The Santa Claus Village couldn’t have been more commercial and American. In the village, besides the main house, there was also the Santa Hotel, a restaurant and a small market where you could of course buy Christmas decorations.

After I’d found a few postcards, I also popped in to see Father Christmas. Because here you could sit on the lap of an older gentleman for money and take a photo. All in all, though, it was all really nicely done! I think the Santa Claus Village was also the hotspot for retiree tour groups. Because they were bunched up all through the little village! Onward! I wanted and needed to use the warmth and the sun to wash a few of my clothes. So I found a good spot by the sea, where I also set up camp for the next night! Since, luckily, a big river also flowed into the sea here, the water wasn’t salty! With paracord I strung up a few washing lines in the sun and hung everything up to dry. Over the afternoon I kept having to move the lines, otherwise they’d eventually end up in the shade! With the sun in my face, I then lay in the hammock until it got dark!

In the evening a campervan also parked by the lake. We talked about the great spot here by the water. There were fire pits with ready firewood, toilets and shelters. He recommended the website: Puskaparkit. All the wild-camping spots, fire pits, shelters and even showers were marked on a Google Map there! So, alongside the iOverlander app, an amazing addition! I quickly took down the dry clothes, put out the fire and went into the tent!