JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - Spring 2008 - Index

Up North, Helsinki to Rovaniemi
Although a number of weather forecasts promised mostly rain
and above zero degree temperatures prior to departure, the
purser on the boat, upon arrival in Helsinki, surprised us with
good news, telling us “to be careful, because it had started
snowing and freezing.” Yes! This was why we came with the
Jeep!
From Helsinki, we planned a route to cross the city of Tampere,
moving up to Vaasa. In Vaasa we stayed in a small hotel, located
on an island outside of the city. It was a former bunker room,
meant to protect hotel guests and inhabitants “from grim ideas
of big neighbor Russia” (quoting the hotel owner). Now though,
it had been converted into a children’s playroom. From Vaasa, we
planned to move further up north to Kokkola and Oulou, to
arrive in Kemi, before going straight to Rovaniemi.
We had a fixed schedule for the first part of our holiday: Do the
driving in the morning, until noontime, and then stop for a soft
off-highway and exploration trip, allowing us to have a picnic “in
the wild,” and in the afternoon, some more driving on the
smaller roads and tracks and some city exploration. Our goal was
to get to the Arctic Circle, but we also wanted to enjoy the
Finnish nature and cities in this “Land of a Thousand Lakes.”
Traveling alone, however, can be limiting in the possibilities of
really going off-highway for more advanced crawling and
wheeling, something we had wanted to do.
The days that passed brought us a lot of amazing scenery
along the coastal line and through deserted forests, on unpaved
Rubicon posing before the lake.
roads that had rarely been used and often end near a lake or a
lonely cottage. On one occasion, after driving for about half an
hour through the forest from the nearest normal “road,” we
arrived at an empty shed, totally constructed as a kind of free-forall
guesthouse with a great view on the lake, a fireplace, and an
improvised sleeping shelter. I left a note in the guestbook.
During this trip, Finland turned out to be a most amazing and
pleasant holiday destination. People are friendly and very
interested to hear and tell stories. We often stopped and stayed
for longer than intended in order to chat with local people. We
enjoyed the local delicacies, including berries, reindeer, special
cheeses, and, of course, the world-famous Finnish Kossu, or
Koskenkorva, the most common clear spirit drink in Finland. If
you ever get the opportunity, be sure to try the Salmiakki (salty
licorice) or “Fisherman’s Friend” versions, which offer insight into
special Finnish tastes.
Rovaniemi, capital of Lapland
In Kemi, the weather changed and conditions got worse, or at
least colder. It snowed with constant temperatures below zero
degrees. The road to Rovaniemi is deserted and follows the flow
of the Kemi River, banking and bending around a seemingly
unlimited number of small lakes. One of the lakes is dammed to
produce electricity, and provides a great stopping place for a
picnic.
We had a very busy time during this part of the trip. In fact, as
we passed through through the Lappi regions, one of us was
driving and the other not only navigated with the GPS, but also