Seeking Saunas

We are now traveling in pine and meadow landscapes with fairly easy going roads as we head south along the Finland/Sweden border.  We usually choose the Swedish side it has far less traffic.  Here is a glimpse sun, we haven't had much of late!!!

We've had numerous campfires for WARMTH. It's been a cold, wet week.  At lunch and camp times we seek out shelters that have fire options.  A campfire ring just outside a three sided structure, a barbecue grill campfire for lunch break inside a wooden tee pee.  And then the saunas....  

This is the splash and scrub room just outside the sauna space pictured below.  The black water cauldron in the bottom left corner of this photo has a wood fire box in its base.  We filled the vat with water, built a fire below it, and heated up the water inside for our scrub down after the sauna...all made especially meaningful as it was our third or fourth day of cold rain biking and we are camped outside by a community building.

This butterfly came to life when we built a lunch fire inside this roadside lunch shelter.

The boys take in a round of miniature golf while Rick and Tanya do the final spruce up of the room we had rented for the night.  Having arrived wet as rats after four plus biking hours of cold soaking rain, we took the option to dry up at a riverside resort.  A tall floor to ceiling closet air-dryer worked through the night on all our wet gear.  Thank goodness the space had all linoleum flooring.  Rick cooked up a blood sausage stew that was hearty and delicious for our insides and the sauna did its job on our outsides. 

The rain continues.  However, it is now our second rest day in-a-row in the town of Tornio, Finland.  Jens-Ole, our friend from Rick's high school year in Storslett, Norway, has driven to meet us and to celebrate we got an  Air B and B.  Additionally, Rick's pinky toe got infected days ago and the doctor here prescribed antibiotics and pain meds.  Elevation and rest will hopefully get Rick back on the go for tomorrow.  If not, we'll give it the time it needs. No one here is complaining about another day in the warmth of a beautiful home.