A beautiful Sunday ride took us through mixed forests to the
Bothnian Coast of Finland. The Gulf of Bothnia is the north arm of the Baltic
Sea. Because of the low salinity due to all the rivers it actually freezes in
the winter. No freezing today as the temperatures ranged up to 28.5C.
This morning we passed a number of reindeer including a
white one (see helmet cam shot). We noticed that there are a number of colour
morphs while examining the pelts available for sale at one of the gift shops.
They are becoming so commonplace to see we no longer get excited about it but
have started analyzing them. They have huge hoofs, better for tramping in the
snow and soggy tundra and walk with a lopsided, uneven, floppy gait that is
quite amusing to watch. None of the “deer in the headlight” look on their faces
– they are so used to the traffic and act like they own the road. We have now
seen one with a red collar, one green collar and one with a leather collar with
a bell. We understand these are distinguished as leaders of the pack.
On the way we stopped at a few rest areas with people
enjoying the lakes and streams on a Sunday. Also there was some nature walks
including one out into a boggy environment. We did see some sand cranes as
well. Also a lot of road side garbage. No excuse for that as there are
receptacles available in many locations. This stretch of road didn’t seem to
have as many of the nice rest stops we have become accustomed to – just pull
out areas.
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| Couple Enjoying Sunday |
Tonight we find ourselves in an upscale hotel that is an old
converted customs house. We even have air conditioning, a first for the entire
trip. There are beautiful garden areas surrounding the hotel with the attached
statue on the front lawn.
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| Our Hotel Tonight |
There are lots of motorcyclists touring the area and we have
noted they all wear full protective gear, full face shield helmets, jackets,
riding pants, etc. None of the ape hanger, beanie style helmets, bare arms
look. Tomorrow will probably be our last stay in Finland, Tampere to be exact.
Patrick Laine’s home town! You gotta be a hockey fan for that one.
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