Two hikes are in store today, the first is 2 miles and the second is 3.2 miles.

Meet Bob the Reindeer - time for Bob to clear the road, we all got's somewhere's to git to.

And then there're more to slow way down for...

We're about to drive across a dam - in addition to solar and wind power, they do a lot of hydroelectric as well.

First up, this nice little 2 mile nature hike...

Here's a real honest-to-God log flume - it moves the logs past a waterfall without bad things happening.

Then there's a picture framed information board...

At the rest stop we watch a local Finn start a small cooking fire...

After crossing the river suspension bridge, we find signs of a reindeer...

Just about done with this trail - we're now on the overlook tower...

Trail one is done - the end brings us right back to the camper van!

A glacier came this way - from 12,000 years ago - the last ice age...

This would be a tough rock scramble for other trails we've done (outside Finland) - they make this trail very accessible to most who can put one foot in front of the other.

Glacial moraine - a boulder field left after the ice receded...

The skeeters start to get nasty again - at least for Tim...

At the end of the trail, a little hut sells some goodies - rubarb tart and a comb cookie - not too shabby.

Here's the first time we've had a whole reindeer herd clogging up the works...

Off-grid camping near Ruka Finland - it's just us, and the trees, in a road-work staging area from the past.  There was a handy little pile of hardened asphalt to drive a wheel onto for leveling the rig.

Working our way south, we start with a hike in Varkaankuru Ravin, then loop through some of Sweden just because it's right over there, before ending up back in Santa Claus Village for the night.

Oooh, a Saab Draken fighter plane...

Some straight road here...

Now on the trail in the Varkaankuru Ravin, where they do a lot of snowshoeing in the snowy months.

Fun in the forest...

Geocache #1 for the day...

...and a large firewood cache...

...for the hut.

Seeing a cascading waterfall into a pool...

Back on the road, we divert a bit to do a little part of Sweden, just to say we've "done" Sweden in a camper van.

And after a few miles we return to Finland.

And we finish the day in the realm of Santa Claus once again, visiting Lapland Brewery, before joining a bunch of campers in a big parking lot back at his headquarters.

Looks like prime fishing territory here - and the mosquitoes are plentiful as well...

A reindeer was here on the trail, trying to rub off the last of his Winter long hair on this handy tree.

Up on higher ground, in the breeze, the mosquitoes are less bothersome...

Here's a nice spot for tent camping...

When you doo snowmobiling, do you Ski-Doo?

Ah, back to the nice pavements....

We slither past a large grass serpent - a denizen of the North in the Summertime?

One more view of Honningsvåg ​as we leave the village...

The road for the final push promises to be exciting...

Just enough room to pass and not drop a wheel off into the sloping terrain...

North Cape should be just ahead now...

Yes, just over the hill top, about 1/3 miles to go...

Not expecting this - the cape sits a thousand feet off the Barents and Norwegian Seas...

In reality the actual tippy-top of Europe is over yonder at that tip, just a bit farther north than the cape.  An ambitious bloke could hike out to it - a five-hour round trip from the road - we're happy with the cape, yah.

Yes, camper vans are very popular in driving way up to the North Country.

Children of the World sculpture

North Cape Hall

It's a bit breezy here today at the end of the World...

Of course there's got to be a Geocache at North Cape - and there is!

This duo came from France to bag the European Headland...

So long North Cape, Norway, the rest of this trip will all go down south of here.

On the road again...

We head south, and yet they keep coming to see it for themselves...

​We passed a unique village on the way up, just 10 miles south of North Cape by highway.  Got to see it now!

​"Skarsvåg is a village in the Nordkapp Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The village lies along the northern coast of the island of Magerøya, and it claims the distinction of being the world's northernmost fishing village. The local fishing fleet primarily fishes for cod in the waters north of Magerøya."

This photo is not distorted - this fishing vessel is quite odd looking.

​"Honningsvåg airport resides at an elevation of 14 m (46 ft).  The runway is designated 08/26 and has an asphalt surface measuring 880 by 30 m (2,887 by 98 ft). The difficult terrain and wind conditions force aircraft to approach the airport in a circular pattern in both directions. The limited space also makes it impossible to extend the runway."

​"North Cape Tunnel is one of the longest and the northernmost of the subsea road tunnels in Norway.  The tunnel takes the European route E69 highway under the Magerøysundet strait between the Norwegian mainland and the large island of Magerøya (upon which North Cape sits).  The tunnel was built between 1993 and 1999, along with the Honningsvåg Tunnel. The tunnels were built to connect the mainland of Norway with the town of Honningsvåg and the tourist attraction at the North Cape.  The tunnel is 6.875 kilometres (4.272 mi) long and reaches a depth of 212 metres (696 ft) below sea level.  Before the tunnel was built, a ferry carried the traffic across the sea between the village of Kåfjord and the town of Honningsvåg."

Inside the tunnel, it appears visually level, but it's a bit steep to get down 212 feet - we had to downshift and pump the brakes some, and use 4th gear to climb out.

This cyclist is in for quite the adventure as he approaches the tunnel going northbound.

We press further southward...

No, we weren't imagining it on the way up - there's a Tupperware Dealer way up here in northern Norway!  It's the best way to preserve your left-over cod filets and reindeer steaks.

Jimmy's out on the prowl for some choice greens somewhere's ahead...

...we got's our vittles aboard the mighty camper van with tonight's lodging spot on another scenic river.

We head ever northward in our quest for the end of Europe...

...and the expected views are still unexpected.

​There they be!  We think this "confab" has been going on for centuries, so they shouldn't mind the interruption huh?

Here's a graphic describing the story, with accompanying text...

Trollholmen island sits behind Gerri - where the Trolls where headed - we'll try our luck crossing in the daylight, snapping up a geocach on the way...

We made it, without turning to stone!

Sea birds have harvested some sea urchin at low tide and brought them ashore for a feast.

This could be the farthest livestock farm north for Europe.

On the drive back to the main road we find another geocache...here's the description of this site:

"This cave was used by locals for a short period of time to hide from German soldiers during World War II when the order of forced evacuation came in 1944. 36 persons, including small children, hid here for approx. 2 weeks before they were discovered by a soldier who shot at their hiding place. Some managed to escape.  The rest of the people in the cave surrendered and were evacuated south.  The geocache is placed outside the cave."

Tim says, "quick take a photo!".

Some of these reindeer are very courteous - they hustle off to the side when we approach.

The status is good - it's early, the cell phone is charged, we're moving at 56 km/h, cranking Styx tunes and only 78 km to North Cape...

Seeing several tunnels in the region - this one is fairly long (3.6 km - 2 1/4 miles) taking us through a small mountain.  Another coming up is the big one, underwater crossing, more on that one in a future chapter.

We cheated cataclysmic death once again, emerging into sunlight...

Massive snow fencing is seen off to the left - apparently they work hard to keep this road open even in the Winter.

Ack!  A polar bear on the hillside - no wait, it's one of those petrified-rock things again, whew.

Hangin on the edge...

Yes, Styx, "Don't Let It End", only 57 km, where it'll definitely end...

"European route E69, between Olderfjord and North Cape in northern Norway, is 129 km (80 mi) long.  It contains five tunnels, totalling 15.5 km (9.6 mi). The longest, the North Cape Tunnel, is 6.9 km (4.3 mi) long and reaches 212 m (696 ft) below sea level.  During the winter months the northernmost part of the road (Skarsvåg-North Cape) is available only to convoys, driving at fixed times, if weather permits.

E69 is the northernmost road in the world with connections to a major international road network.  Roads further north in locations including the islands of Svalbard and Greenland are isolated and short."

Looks like a good place to stop for the night - there's a brewery calling out to us, in the second-most northerly fishing village in Europe.

A German cruise ship is in the village - voyages are scheduled in these parts for cruisers to "enjoy" the experience of 24-hour sunshine.

The view out the side of our camper van at our overnight spot..

Our compatriots for the evening (we're at the far end)...

June 24

Samuli greatly us warmly for our 11am appointment in his brewing facility - 1 minute from our mosquito respite camp area.  He described his 2 years of experiences as a functioning brewery brewing wild-ale style brews.

His latest masterpiece - that's over $10,000 worth of cloudberries - too bad we won't be around in the Fall for the tasting.

He ages his brews 2-5 years in wine and sherry barrels - most from southern France.

After about 100 miles we decide for a short driving day after all the mosquito fun last night - Gerri found a nicely featured campground on the Artic River.  She's exhibiting a Geocache find here in this moment.

We're still getting used to this rig - it's been 2 1/2 days since we plugged in, and with the short drive today, the house battery strength is unknown, probably fine, but it'll be good to plug in tonight to shore power.

We head ever northward, now well above the Artic Circle.  We've been thinking really crazy between yesterday and today, and wonder if we can head up into Norway at this point, and go all the way to North Cape, the farthest northern point of Europe - okay let's do it!

Dude! Git some giddy up and move along little dogie...

After driving about 45 minutes, we pull off to hike the Juutua Nature Trail...Gerri is prepared for the skeeters - luckily they weren't too bad here after all.

We still can't get over how these national park shelters are nicely featured including fire starter, free firewood, and axe/chopping block.  A young family had just cooked up their sausages, but one fell in the fire - the aroma is spread all around us.

It's a myriad of places to go at this point, but we'll keep our walk fairly short (4.2 miles of easy walking).

Every hundred yards or so are these light poles - cross-country skiing and snowshoeing is done in the dark in much of the deep Winter months - in the middle of Winter the Sun stays well below the horizon.

The trail passes through a tourist waypoint about half-way through - nice rig!

A lake excursion yacht used during a very short warm season.

We crossed a roadway bridge and now head back towards the camper van along the river.

North Cape, Norway - only 343 km to go (213 miles).

Norway!  We leave Finland for a bit.

Our CampVanApp steers us to this church parking lot in Lakselv for the night - it was quiet and only had a few mosquitos to deal with.  The CampVanApp is chocked full of details about camp sites and amenities.

Two hikes are on tap today...here's the first - it starts just a few paces from our last night's campsite on the river.

More firewood supplied shelter - we think they really like the dark winter outdoor pursuits around here.

We find a geocache - the first for us in Finland - notice the mosquito garb, it was rough going getting used to the swarms that are typical of lands up north in the Summertime.

A brief rest stop - this one has a cool bird sculpture.

Live reindeer!  Our first sighting - sent Mom a picture, she said "Wow. Nice Pepsi ad. Ha".

Another hike today, starting within a ski resort...

Snow left over from last season's snowpark - a melting snow jump - nearby were the disassembled rails and slides. 

These hikers said carrying sausages is a popular pastime - the shelter even provides the roasting forks...

A deep winter shelter - imagine how cozy this is, after some hard snow shoeing, and taking a break in the pitch dark at 2 in the afternoon.

Going down, going up...it took us a moment to figure out these two boards on the steps - it's for the dogs, as the metal waffle is very sharp to their little paws.

More nice board walk as we proceed out into bog...

This is an attraction for tourists in the darker times of the year - there'll be no aurora's for us in the bright day's long sunshine.

A shelter specifically set up for over-night bivouacking - we're guessing the shoulder seasons - too many mosquitos in Summer, and too cold in the late Winter.

Our hike is winding down, after about 90 minutes...

The reindeer hanging out in the shade of the ski lodges...

A nice lakeside camping spot for this bright evening of slumber.

We didn't know it yet, but the mosquitos here would be beyond any previous experience for us - these suckers can find their way into any slot or opening and drive a person to madness.  At around midnight we gave up the spot and drove in the sunshine away from the water, away from deep woods, and found some respite at a roadside pull-off.

First, we take a tram, then a train to get to the northern outskirts of Helsinki.  Then we were supposed to catch a bus to get close to the rental van shop.  But the bus schedules are weirded out today with the Midsummer's Holiday weekend, starting today, a Friday.  After waiting 30 minutes, we called the rental van shop, and they said, sure, we'll come pick you up from the bus stop.

As Willie Nelson sings, 
(second verse)
​
On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again...

We point the rental camper van north, with only an inkling of where we'll go...

Sing it Gerri!
(Chorus)
​
On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way...

Well, the first night didn't go our way, we "pitched camp" off-grid on a secluded lake, but then, the house battery appears dead to the world.  After a confab with the 24-hour rental van service line, yeah, they shouldn't have let us motor away with a nearly flat house battery, and didn't tell us that little minor unmarked switch needed to be thrown for the van engine alternator to start re-charging the battery.  No issue, we found a campground with "shore" power only 20-minutes away and would get a full recharge off of plug-in power over night.

Tim plugging in...yeah, this next 24 hours will be the real learning the ropes of van life versus the "kid's" brief walk around of the features at the start.

It wasn't our first choice for the first night, but it turned out pretty nice anyhows.

We arise from our first night's slumber in the van, it was fairly decent, a good sign...before we go "on the road again", we need to check out the features of this camp, which (see below) includes a Finnish Sauna (hmmm, we passed on using it).

This is where, after getting roasted to 130-140F, you run down and jump in the frigid lake...

Yes, on the road again...and by the way, after looking at the map, and thinking there's a lot of potential in having this rig for 20 days, we think big, and say the Artic Circle is where we'll head today.  This leaves already 1/2 of Finland south of us - we think we'll blast North and then pick our way back slowly from wherever that reaches.

Lunchtime in a camper van...

And after yesterday's 226 miles, and today's 306 miles, we're at Santa Claus village...

Gnomes and reindeer pelts...sorry Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, ...and Rudolph, I guess these guys didn't make the cut.

This "line" is portrayed as the Artic Circle Line - basically, north of here, in Summer, the Sun never sets for ever longer lengths of time as you go further north (from days to towards 6 months at the North Pole).  This spot is still a bit shy of the actual Artic Circle - 10 miles or so further north.

That large building on the right is, I (?), they (?), kid you not, the headquarters of SANTA CLAUS !!!!!  :-D

The thermometer - at the "Artic Circle" - +21 Celsius (70 deg Fahrenheit) - fairly balmy for the Elves and Santa.

Here's a snap shot from web cam - we've watched this webcam for a couple years, that rotates through various live cams around the world, and now we're on it!  Although, we've only seen it with snow and temps of -20.

A Jewish girl enjoying the sight of Santa's headquarters, who'da thunk it.

We'd shown up late in the day for Santa, there was practically no line to sit on his lap and buy their photo (he was hidden in the next room :-( )  - okay, we didn't even ask how much, just listened to his voice in the next room (it was Santa !!!)   We settled for checking out the photos of visitors past.

​Northward we go - we want to "tag" the actual Artic Circle....

66°33′50.0″ North
"The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed and currently is 66°33′50.0″ north of the Equator.  Its latitude depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of more than 2° over a 41,000-year period, owing to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon."

​Salmon patties and veggie noodles, our first meal north of the Artic Circle...

Near our campsite, on the Vaattunkijoki River, the Finnish park system provides these shelters, complete with free firewood - notice how bright the sky is at 10:30 pm - the Sun will not set tonight.

2 days driving, 532 miles, and we're already more than half ways up North in Finland...

Not much to blog on today.  Gerri did some planning for the upcoming camper van trip that actually starts tomorrow.  Tim did some catching up on the blog.  And it's always good to have a low key day in the middle of so many touring days.

Other than that, we headed out for dinner at that sushi buffet again (so good) and then visited a third brewery before calling it a day.

We need to take a 25-minute ferry to get to the islands...

...and motor away from the Market Square...

...and are treated to a couple stately buildings on small islands along the way.

Now approaching the ferry dock at the island - there's a small coastal defense contingent still stationed at the island.

All ashore who's going ashore!

​"Suomenlinna is an inhabited sea fortress composed of eight islands, of which six have been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki.  Suomenlinna is popular with tourists and locals, who enjoy it as a picturesque picnic site.  Originally named Sveaborg (Castle of the Swedes), or Viaporias referred to by Finnish-speaking Finns, it was renamed in Finnish to Suomenlinna (Castle of Finland) in 1918 for patriotic and nationalistic reasons.   Due to its strategic geographical location, it sometimes used to be known as Gibraltar of the North.
​
The Swedish Crown commenced the construction of the fortress in 1748 as protection against Russian expansionism. The original plan of the bastion fortress was strongly influenced by the ideas of Vauban, the foremost military engineer of the time, and the principles of the star fort style of fortification, albeit adapted to a group of rocky islands.  

During the Finnish War, Sweden surrendered the fortress to Russia on 3 May 1808, paving the way for the occupation of Finland by Russian forces in 1809, and then establishment of Grand Duchy of Finland at the conclusion of the war.  The islands were then used as a base for the Russian Baltic Fleet in World War I, with Russia beginning the construction of the Krepost Sveaborg in 1915.  Russian forces left after Finland declared its full independence in 1917.  Finland then managed Suomenlinna through the Defense Department until turning most of it over to civilian control in 1973.  Famous for the bastion fortifications, Suomenlinna became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991."

Our locals ferry fare was included with our 3-day city transport pass - but others come here via tourist boats

We headed to some interesting looking old industrial buildings...

Peering down into the old dry-docks area...the lock door functions as a floating barge (this one is slated for refurbishment, or at least preservation).

An old lightship is getting a make-over...

Need a cannon, make an offer!

New wood parts, for old wood boats...

Has this sea gull followed us all the way from Helsinki?

This part of the islands tour, we start seeing some of the old bastion areas...

Dude, really!?

Russian words on a cannon, from around the early 1900's...

Back near the ferry dock, just prior to departure, we find, amazingly enough, a brewery....

​On the look out for a marauding sea gull, reported to be harassing tourists and performing other nefarious acts...

Back in Helsinki, we caught one more sight northwest of the city center...

​"The Sibelius Monument by Finn Eila Hiltunen is dedicated to the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957). The monument is located in Sibelius Park in the Töölö district of Helsinki and was unveiled on 7 September 1967.  Originally it sparked a lively debate about the merits and flaws of abstract art and although the design looked like stylised organ pipes it was known that the composer had created little music for organs. Hiltunen addressed her critics by adding the face of Sibelius which sits beside the main sculpture.

It consists of series of more than 600 hollow steel pipes welded together in a wave-like pattern. The monument weighs 24 tons and measures 8.5 by 10.5 by 6.5 metres (28 ft × 34 ft × 21 ft). "