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Journal for 22-06-2007 : Kemijärvi |
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Beautiful still sunny morning, but freezing cold. Wind held off right up until I reached the road.
Not sure which way to go from Posio. Signs suggested I take the longest possible route. My planned route continued on the 947 then cut across to the 945. I suspected the cutoff to be dirt, so decided to ride the 81 (a major road) to the start of the 945.
The first 5-10km of the 945 were OK, but then it turned to dirt, and badly degraded at times too. In the main, it was a real bastard of a road, with steep jump ups and lots of holes, corrugations (avoidable by riding down the centre), dust and everything else I hate about dirt roads.
Slowed by a herd of reindeer blocking the road, like sheep in Oz
Northern Exposure moment with an Elk in Jumisko wanting to use the same bit of road as me. He wasn't sure whether to charge me or run away. I Crocodile Dundee'd him and he cleared off.
Bitumen resumed as I crossed the Arctic circle. Yes !!!
Last 20ks into Kemijärvi quite a lot of fun.
Supposedly 23C according to servo sign. Yeah, right. I guess my 3rd layer was unzipped a bit.
Kept riding past these eateries named "poison grille". Tempting .... (I'm pretty sure it means BBQ fish).
Kemijärvi dead as a doornail on Saturday afternoon.
Oh Shit !!! It's Friday !!! I was intending to buy some Norwegian Money before I left on Monday morning, expecting to arrive here on a Saturday. Charged into town looking for an open bank, but missed closing time by 5min. I needn't have worried. Today is some sort of public holiday in Finland. Probably mosquito day. Everything was shut, which is why the place looked so dead.
Had to make a meal out of all I could find at the service station: a tin of Finish meatballs. It didn't taste too bad (I *was* very hungry), even if it had the consistency of PAL coming out of the tin.
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