Well, the trip has been very interesting over the last 24 hours. The directions to our cabins (better described as Norwegian huts) were a bit sketchy from the farmer renting us the huts. "Take road 257 direction Sjoa, to the left. You drive some kilometers (3-4), and then you see a read shop (translate: book store). After the shop, goes a road called Luseterveien up to the farm and the cabins. Follow this road and take 3 small road to the left (translate: third road on the left). Then after some hundred meters see the windmill then the farm." After interpreting these directions, we miraculously arrived at the farm around 10:30 pm. That's when the adventure really began!

Theo, a hired hand, met us at the farm. He hopped in the van to show us the way. Little did we know the way to the huts was on dirt, then grass, roads. If you have been following our blog, you'll know that Norway has been receiving a lot of rain over the last few weeks. That rain combined with dirt and grass roads made for Kevin's greatest driving challenge yet! Just before the last turn, we got stuck! Soon, Jim, Peter and Theo were pushing the van while Mary Sue, Arin and Keely took pictures and videotaped the event. Finally the van was freed from the mud and Kevin parked it down the lane…outside of the fenced in area of the huts…near where a herd of Scottish Highlanders were grazing. We carried our suitcases down the lane.

Impressions of the huts:

Jim: Wonderful fireplace

Kevin: Fireplaces work better when the flue is open

Kayla: Surprisingly comfortable…and Theo had a great English accent

Keely: Traditional Norwegian - grass roofs, decorative wooden doors

Arin: Great word burning stove

Peter: Love the fence around the huts keeping the highlanders out

Mary Sue: How the heck do these chemical toilets work?

After a good night's sleep (Jim and Mary Sue had the one large bed, everyone else was in bunk beds), we woke up to more fog and wet conditions. And this in an area of Norway known for rainfall totals similar to the Sahara desert! Arin & Peter and Kevin & Keely took a short walk to check out the scenery and came back soaking wet. At this point we decided hiking here would be a challenge so we hopped in the car and drove an hour or so into Jotenheimen National Park to check out a boat ride we had been considering. Oh wait, first we hopped in the car and promptly got stuck! Yes, again. This time we couldn't get ourselves free. Jim walked down the lane, through the puddles, sidestepping cowpies to the farm to get help. The next thing we saw was Jim coming down the lane in a John Deere tractor with a big grin on his face. Okay, he wasn't driving it, but he was in the cab with two Norwegians. A few minutes later we were pulled out of the mud and were on our way.

We drove into the park, decided the boat ride was not for us in this weather, and drove back out again. So we stopped at the grocery store, bought spaghetti and sausage for supper, and spent the rest of the afternoon in our hut by the fire reading books, writing the blog, playing cards, and eating supper (another good meal cooked by Keely - Jim and Mary Sue were on clean up duty again). Although not the day we had envisioned, it was a good family day spent together. Just one more day in Norway tomorrow and then we head home.

-Mary Sue