This photo is a screen shot of Google translate. The translations are pretty accurate, this one is a little off. Should be berry shoes, not bear. Oh well, I’d most like trip & fall…the bear could use berries as a garnish while eating…me! Anyway, they were hanging on a wall in Mosjøen, the oldest town in the Helgeland region. It’s 5.5 hrs north of Trondheim by train.

From Mosjøen we took a bus to Sandnessjøen on the Helgeland coast, missed the ferry, found a great walking trail to an overlook and caught a ferry 6 hours later to Lovund. Lovund is a small island, population 500, with a large salmon farming processing plant. We stayed in one of these rorbouers, wooden fisherman’s cabins, overlooking the water. Enjoyed watching the tides & the birds.

The mountain in the background is Træna. We were out looking for the puffin nesting grounds. Puffins spend the winter in the North Atlantic Ocean, possibly not touching soil for 8 months! Lovund is one of the breeding areas they come to. They show up mid April & leave by September. 300,000 strong! We didn’t see any as they are on a scree slope on the side of the mountain. Wonderful walking anyway.

There was supposed to be a driving range with 2 mats. The hotel loaned us a club & we bought fish food golf balls (environmentally safe). Then went in search of the mats. An hour later (not finding the mats) Linda decided to "tee" it up on the spongy vegetation. Not bad, and it even got out to the fishies.

On the roof of the Lovund Hotel, was this cute little heated dome. Had a bar & menu & comfy seating. There was a 360 degree view. Especially nice on a cool & rainy day!

Leaving Lovund on an express ferry we headed further out in the Atlantic to Traena , an archipelago of over 1,000 tiny islands, before returning to the mainland. The small mountains are quite distinct and can be seen from miles away.

There was a little rain shower while we were waiting for the bus from Nesna to Mo I Rana. The rainbow in the background was so low we couldn’t see any land under it. Never have seen a rainbow that low in the sky.

This carry ferry entertained us as we waited for the bus in Nesna. The jaw?? opens coming in, getting ready for very quick unloading & loading. There are also express ferries, local ferries & coastal cruise ferries. Traveling to & from Lovund we often saw several ferries going in many different directions!

Mo I Rana had some interesting art. This piece is called Havmannen (the man from the sea). "A sculpture forever up to his knees in water, turns his back on the town & gazes resolutely out over the fjord." It is sculpted from 7 blocks of arctic granite. Go figure.

Look up water vapor electric fireplaces online. The flames looked so real but when touched, there was nothing to feel! Sounds perfect for the desert!

On the trip from Mo I Rana we crossed the Arctic Circle & passed the Arctic Circle Center, at 66 degrees 33 minutes N. We didn’t stop as we were riding a replacement bus for the train. Now the sun doesn’t set, we do love the long days!!

We are traveling inland & seeing a variety of landscapes. From above the tree line at the Arctic Circle, following the Luonosjåhkå River down to the Saltdalsfjorden & on to Bodø on the Norwegian Sea. From treeless rocky ground to the lush forests to the sea. A beautiful ride!