Leaving norway

 The time finally came to depart this wonderful country and head to another wonderful country - Sweden. To get there you could drive way out of your way back to Tromso or Narvik but with a frendly country like Finland to traverse, that only makes sense, Our first stop was a Sami Museum. There are many Sami cultures in this part of the world, this museum was devoted specifically to the Skolt Samis. Lots of history regarding how the borders of Norway, Finland and Russia impacted the lives of these peoples and a very interesting stop. Just prior to  the museum we found the last Norwegian waterfall...

and inside the museum were very old photographs of Sami netting fish from this very waterfall.                                                                                                                                      

And soon we were in Finland 

As we entered this wonderful country we were greeted by Dasher and Dancer who ambled by in the oncoming lane. Driving and trying to catch a shot with the phone camera was a bit problmatic but stopping the car, finding the phone just took a bit longer than the photographer could handle.

Later, Mary got to practice trying to find the brakes on the passanger side again as Olive, the other reindeer, made an appearance as we approached from the rear. It helped that the speed limit is only 50 mph and it was daylight and that these critters do not behave like the Whitetail deer do in Minnesota streaking out of the woods and ditches. They simply amble from place to place.

People had told us that after being in Norway for as long as we had been we would find the trip from Kirkenes to Stockholm to be boring from a driving perspective. Well, it suddenly turns into Northern Minnesota with lots of forest. The US Midwest is big on corn, soybeans, hogs and the like. Finns and Swedes raise trees. Logging is alive and well here: 

This distribution point was near the border with Sweden and the location of our first night's stop. Trying to keep the driving distances reasonable as we make our way to Stockholm, stops were placed more on drive time more than specific points of interest. It was how we ended up ina wonderfully warm cabin by the side of the road complete with - being in Finland - a sauna, which Ken found to be just the ticket. 

En route we were disappointed with some unmentioned by Google maps construction...

...yes, that is a dirt road, complete with pebbles and rocks not meant to be traveled upon by people with brand new cars. Slowing to less than 30 MPH and dodging numerous potholes and washboard features certainly doubled the time it would normally take to go the 30 MILES involved. Insert angry emoji here. The sauna helped the recovery.

Today is was on to...

Our travel guide was on his game by choosing to stop in an area with greater population, Lulea, Sweden. This beautiful community located on the North arm of the Baltic Sea separating Sweden and Finland boasts a 17,000 student Univeristy, an ancient town used 400 years ago by travellers to a periodic church community of nearly 400 homes. Of course, Mary would find a shopping mall bearing her maiden name.

As mentioned above about the travel guide, tonights lodging has a great view...

and, you got it, another

Tomorrow we will land in another mystery community before stopping in Uppsala for a night before storming Midsommer week in Stockholm with some friends from the world of Barbershop!