Lapland Clave... Awesome!

Part 1 - Planes, Cars, and Helicopters

Roger Ohlund. thank you for an absolutely superb clave in some of the most
beautiful country I've ever seen. You were a great clavemeister and host,
and Don, Bob, and I can't thank you enough for all your hard work in getting
everything organized.

Our flight from Denver, Colorado went as well as expected. my fears of not
having enough time to change flights at Heathrow were unfounded, the women
in Stockholm Arlanda breathtaking, and the hotel in Skelleftea was a
wonderful respite after our long journey from America. Sweden is a truly
beautiful country covered in green pines... and water everywhere more than
anywhere else! Being of Swedish descent this was a double treat for me and
the thought of fly-fishing in my great-grandparent's country of birth was,
indeed, the chance of a lifetime.

Roger, Jerome, Fred, and Erik met us at the hotel the morning of Monday, the
2nd of August. Don and Bob went with Roger and Jerome, and I with Fred and
Erik. We drove the nearly five hours to the heli-pad in Adolfstrom with a
stop to get gas and put air in a tire, and a stop in Arvidsjaur to eat a
hamburger and to buy groceries, beer, and wine (I carried a nice Single Malt
in my luggage). I want to thank Fred and Erik for the lively conversation,
the avoidance of hitting reindeer along the way, and being first-class tour
guides. We then connected with Jarmo and Osmo, and then drove to where Hans
and his family were staying. What a great group of guys you all are! Our
caravan of ten then continued on to negotiate the last details for cabin,
helicopter, boat, etc., and then we drove to the heli-pad and drank
wonderful Swedish beer while waiting for our ride.

I took a digital video of the entire helicopter flight from Adolfstrom to
the cabin. WOW, what a ride! I've flown in a lot of choppers but nothing
that small! I'm planning to put up a website of the experience, with
streaming video, in the near future as well as provide all the participants
with either a CD or DVD.

We landed in a peat bog next to the cabin, hauled our baggage up to our new
home, pitched tents, dug refrigerators in the peat (hole, bucket, food or
drink, rock on top, peat), and made ourselves comfortable. Our fresh water
spring, about 20 meters from the cabin, seemed to be closed for repairs.
Roger and a few of the guys walked down 600 meters to the river through the
moor, swamp, and Birch woods to fill large tanks with water. the walk back
was, to say the least and from the looks on their faces, rather difficult.
The cabin was nice, with bunk beds with mattresses, propane stove & lantern,
and enough room for all of us to sit around the table and B.S. in the
evenings to come. There's a front porch to the cabin with a table and chairs
that look out onto a beautiful, sheer mountain face that still had snow in
pockets near the top. And then. and then. "The Night of the Mosquitoes!"

All for now. next post: Part 2 - Moose, Mosquitoes, and a Raccoon Eating a
Live Chicken!

Tight lines,

Tom - somewhere in the Colorado Rockies