Last evening, we were invited over to the farm for a bonfire. However, it was too wet for a fire so we were invited inside to visit with Hilda and Erling, our host farmers. Turns out a visit included a supper of hot dogs, lefse, mashed potatoes and cold canned corn - a lot of food since we had just eaten Keely's meal in the cabin. We headed into their living room for a dessert of rhubarb crisp and coffee. Since our family isn't coffee drinkers, Kayla took one for the team and drank the strong and bitter coffee.

We enjoyed good conversation with the farmers, learning about farming in Norway. The government determines where certain crops can be grown (corn on the west coast, milk, beef and hay on eastern side of the country). Erling and Hilda milk 30 Norwegian Reds, raise native sheep and have a herd of 30 Scottish Highland cattle. It was very interesting to talk to farmers in Norway! After dessert, Hilde shared four of their Highland sausages for sampling as well! Then, Erling showed us around the barnyard and before we knew it, it was 11:00 pm! We headed back to the cabin, avoiding puddles and made it without getting stuck.

Today was our last day in Norway. We packed up the cabins and after a brief scare with the mud, we headed down the road on our way back to Gardemoen via Lillehammer. We had a rainy drive but it cleared by the time we reached Lillehammer. We had a quick lunch at a popular pizza place and walked the main shopping streets for a bit. Then we toured the Olympic museum on the grounds of the 1994 Winter Olympics.

There were two parts to the museum, a history of the Olympic games with exhibits of each summer and winter games throughout history. The other half of the museum was specifically about the '94 Olympics - from the organizing committee through the highlights of the games. After the museums, we continued on to Gardemoen, where the airport is located. This area of Norway is also the general area where Mary Sue's great grandparents originated.

Heading home tomorrow after a wonderful family trip!

- Kevin