Local Rambles

 October 27 - 31, 2022

The area where Wade and Anna live is very rural, with acres and acres of rolling hills.  Mostly grain fields in various colors.  Harvest is past, so they are either, grassy stubble, recently cultivated, or bright green with a cover crop.  Large barns with tidy homes and outbuildings, usually all painted red, populate the area.  And in between the farms and fields are stands of nearly bare, tall yellow aspens, white barked birch, and narrow dark green spruce trees. 

On my second day here, Anna and I went for a walk down the long gravel road, pretty much across the highway from them, towards a nearby farm.  If I understood correctly, the long gravel road is a county road.  At one time going just to the large family farm, it now goes further and connects back to the main highway at some point, so is now designated as a county road.  People can bid to get the contract to do road maintenance, such as grading and snow plowing, on their own road.  They bid low, so they get paid to keep up their road. 

This particular farm has been in the family for generations and appeared to have more than one main house, plus many outbuildings. 

There are several large horse farms in the local area, otherwise most of the farms seem to be just crop farms.  There was a nearby farm that attempted to raise Angus cattle for a time, but challenges with getting organic certification cause the operation to fail.  So there are vast fields and large picturesque barns, but no animals.  

On Halloween, my last full day at their house, Wade took off work so we could get out and see some of his favorite viewpoints.  I have enjoyed various fields and farms throughout the different seasons, through the lens of his camera.  Our first stop was at the Siuntio church, their local state church.  I attended an Easter service there on my previous trip.  This time we just wandered around the cemetery in the chilly morning sunshine.  

Siuntio Church

On November 5, these graves will be lit with candles and lanterns for All Saints Day, in memory of those who have gone on before.  There is special place off to the side to honor deceased loved ones who are not buried in this cemetery.

Not far away we parked at a little local outdoor museum of sorts.  There were no educational signs, or anything to tour, just an assortment of old red buildings.  Rather it was the trailhead for a short hike to a viewpoint overlooking the Siuntio Church Village area (Krejanberget)

We followed these stick markers through the forest and up onto a rocky area.  Everything was damp and slick, especially the wet, exposed roots, and mossy rocks.

Much of the forest floor was covered with lingonberry and wild blueberry bushes.  At this elevation the blueberry leaves had already dropped, so the bright evergreen leaves of the lingonberry stood out.  Elsewhere the blueberry leaves still clung to the plants in various fall shades, as well as a few random berries.

In addition to the blueberries and lingonberries, there were also interesting mushrooms and lichens of various colors.

Partway up, we came to this big pile of rocks that were protected.  It was marked as a Bronze Age grave or burial area, dating 1500-500 BC.  It wasn't clear what, if anything is under the rocks.

As is usually the case, the view at the top was well worth the scramble.  There was the brilliant blue bowl of the sky above, and the picturesque sweep of the valley below.  

Far below the  Kirkkojoki River (Church River) snaked through the valley, reflecting the sky.  

Below, the long line of trees leads to a large farm.  This is the farm that previously attempted to raise Angus cattle.   Worth noting here is the bank of clouds above the horizon.  Soon this would cover the sky and threaten rain.  

Once we'd made our way down the trail, we drove to a nearby Christian retreat center called Vivamo.  I was here on my last trip for a beautiful outdoor Easter drama.  Now everything was quiet, but their cafeteria was open.  Selection was very limited.  Wade and I had soup, salad and bread, while Anna and the little one had the entrée, which was pork neck.  The soup turned out to be a brilliant hued beet-blue cheese.  It was actually quite tasty.  I garnished it with a few pickled beets from the salad bar.  

The included dessert was kisseli, a very watery concoction of potato starch and currents.  I did enjoy the tiny spice cookies that accompanied it.  I also helped myself to a cup of coffee, but as it was too late in the day for caffeine, I just took a couple of sips.

Leaving the Vivamo, we drove to a trailhead that would lead to a viewpoint above Lake Lohja.  I've been to Lake Lohja, especially to take sunset pictures, but this was a different area completely.  This was a longer hike, but still quite easy.  

The boulder below was set into the hillside, so was an easy climb for Wade and his youngest.  

By the time we got to the lake, the clouds had obliterated all the blue, and the lake was a cold, steely gray.

The trail followed the lake to the point of the peninsula, sometimes down near the water, and sometime high above.  

At the point of the peninsula there was a cold metal bench bolted onto the rock.  

This was a loop trail, loosely following the lake back.  Some of the forest was soggy, so they had a very slippery wooden walk.  

When the trail came close to the lake again, we spotted this funny little water bird, paddling along near the shore.  I'm not sure what it is, but all alone and rather cute.  He paddled with his feet sticking out behind him.

By the time we completed the loop, darkness was beginning to descend, and when we got home in the late afternoon, the kids were all home from school and work.  We had just a bit of time in the evening before Wade, Anna, the two oldest girls and I left for Amir, a local Indian restaurant.  The food was all delicious and the company enjoyable. 

lll