The weather near Bodø was best during the week that we were sick with Covid. Once we were healthy again, the sun hid most of the time, and the weather brought on some rainy and cloudy days. Despite that, we still managed to have fun. We drove over an hour to an old farm that had goats and a restaurant. It ended up being closed, even though it was a Saturday, but we walked around anyway and went to a nearby hiker hut. The red building with grass on the roof is not the hiker hut, but was just a pretty spot.
Mimi was certainly Derek's best friend in Norway.
We went to Saltstraumen one day. It is the world's strongest tidal current. I think we tried to time it right as the tide was shifting. Saltstraumen is a narrow strait that connects the Saltfjord to the large Skjerstadfjord. With wide bodies of water on both sides, the strait is a major bottleneck for the tidal water. Every six hours, tides push or pull the water through the strait at up to 37 kph/23mph. We took a beautiful walk around the area. The area is also popular for fishing. The trails through wild flowers are lovely.
I think the below photo is the only one that actually shows a strong current:
This old storeroom reminds me of hobbits from Lord of the Rings!
My mother and I liked reading the signs about the history of the area. Poor families used to live on the little island behind me about 200 years ago in the below picture.
Sheep wandered around nearby too.
I liked the hike through the woods of Tverlandet from another day. It's a very pleasant hike and finishes at a cute hut by a little waterfall by a creek.
Norwegians are serious about their skiing/hiking huts. They come well stocked with firewood, seat cushions, guest book, and many supplies. The organizations that support these huts are impressive. These huts make excellent goal points when out in nature.
Derek loved the fireplace at Mimi and Mormor's house. Looking at the wood burning was better than watching TV! :-)
Keiservarden was another of our excursions. It is a beautiful hike in Bodø with panoramic views of the city and nearby islands. Sherpa stone stairs on part of the way up are fun to climb and the view at the top is beautiful. It really is a rewarding hike that is not too long, with pretty sights the whole way up,
The kids liked the exercise equipment at the base of the hike. Many people hike Keiservarden for exercise and can use this equipment as part of their workout.
Hiking near home is fun too. Coming back from a trip through the woods, we arrived at Mimi and Mormor's farm.
We also went to the Jektefartsmuseet in Bodø (the Norwegian Jekt Trade Museum). A jekt is a small cargo vessel with half-deck and sails. We learned about the history and importance of the stockfish export trade and its importance to the region in the 1700 to 1800s.
Derek just wanted to explore low-tide. I think he literally thought he would find some artifacts from the Vikings.
Another highlight was having the farmer come and cut down the fields. Through multiple machines over the day, the grass was cut and packaged into what the kids called marshmallows and my mother called tractor eggs.
Random pictures of Karina and Derek:
That was the end of our wonderful Norway vacation. Due to more flight cancellations (airlines really were not doing well this summer), we flew straight to Oregon for Nate's family reunion. We did end up going home for 3 hours after landing at Reagan Airport before departing to Portland from Dulles Airport. We took way to many flights this summer!
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