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  1. #1 Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Hello friends!

    Tomorrow (or today as it seems to be now AM at night), I am going to do a Honeymoon with Orange. She is a fully stock Skyteam ST 250, except one mod: I removed a rubber thingy of the gear lever because it annoyed me.

    I am notorious in doing pre-honeymoons with my girls, and Orange is no exception. However since Orange is "different", and she has been perfect in places where I have taken "ordinary" girls, I am going to challenge both me and her this time. I am going to travel with Orange to the Northermost part of Europe and swim in Barents Sea, which is part of Arctic Ocean. This I do because it is kind of tradition in Finland, to get rid of "winter fur" by swimming for the first time in the current year when the water is still cold. It is also tradition to travel to Norway and swim in Barents Sea, always referred as Arctic Ocean. The Latter Tradition seems to be known by exchange students in Finland, I have heard many times Polish and German women wanting to travel to Norway through Finland and swim in Arctic Ocean, and actually doing it. I am not sure if they have heard of it in Finland or is it a common tradition. I bet they have heard it from Finlanders and then just thought and said "okay" xD Amazing ladies they were.

    So much introduction, lets see what Google maps suggests as a route from Mikkeli to Nordkapp.

    Click for the Google map. (Could not embed the map for some reason directly on this page and have no time to troubleshoot why sorry.)

    Hmm, ok, I bet I wont go that route. Anyway it says it is 1357 km from Mikkeli to Nordkapp. Almost 1337 km! Who can find better? I can't. That makes me happy enough to accept I can't go to Kola Peninsula for a honeymoon.

    I tried to plan the route with Google maps and got 100 km done before I shrugged and realized I really want to observe, plan, and navigate with paper maps. Ask yourself what Rommel would had done? I really don't know, but I would lol at him if he used Google maps and made a detailed route plan. Travelling is like war in some ways; you never know what happens and thus all detailed plans can be wasted. I have also heard that god laughs at the plans what the people do. I don't want to get laughed at by a god! So I keep my plan as simple as possible, which is still a plan and thus subject to go "wrong". A honeymoon trip from Mikkeli to Nordkapp. Need to get something to start up with

    One thing I almost forgot. I talked with her doctor:

    - Good evening, it is Mikko Moilanen who calls, I had the Skyteam 'duro.
    - Hello!
    - I need to go get rid of the winter fur in Arctic Ocean during the midsummer. Is it possible to get the valves adjusted before that?
    - Do you hear any strange sounds?
    - Hmm, can't say so but I am not experienced with four strokes.
    - Just go then.
    - Ok.
    - How much you have driven now?
    - 1900 km.
    - Change the oils before you go.
    - Ok.
    - You know how to do it.
    - Yeah.
    - Ok then, just go and bye for now.
    - Bye and good midsummer.
    - Oh yeah!

    This must be the first time in my life I wish someone wishes me good luck. For the first time in my life I think I really need it.

    I don't take computers with me so I wont post photos during the trip, unless I can do it convenietly somewhere, which I doubt since I know no people in the Northern Finland. After finishing the trip I am going to do some kind of summary of it.

    Fellas, drive safely.
    Last edited by moilami; 06-23-2010 at 10:37 PM. Reason: Google maps dirty and ugly quick fix.
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  2. #2 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    Take care Mikko, that is quite a trip but at least it is midsummer there. We will send out a search party if you don't post anything in what, ten or fourteen days? I hope you find some nice girls up there, all goose pimpled from the cold and wanting a brandy and a good man to make them warm. You do talk about girls a lot so maybe it is time you found one, hopefully on her own motorbike. Don't make Orange jealous though.
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  3. #3 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Looks like a beautiful, beautiful road you have ahead of you! I cannot wait to see the pictures.

    Best of luck to you, ride safe!

    Quote Originally Posted by jape View Post
    Don't make Orange jealous though.
    It's ok, orange already has a girlfiend!
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  4. #4 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Heh, well guessed Jape, the trip will take at least one week and by all means can't take longer than two weeks. On a side note, it is fun to talk about girls, it is among the best topics.

    Felix, thanks.

    The bike is almost packed up now, I am about to ready to go. Just some last minute things to do like getting saddle bags from the local shop since I have lost strappings of my tank bag. Oh yeah and the mandatory tire repairing kit.
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  5. #5 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Administrator-tron CrazyCarl's Avatar
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    Ladies have been a leading topic of men for zillions of years!

    Have a good ride and come home safe!


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  6. #6 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Thanks CrazyCarl.

    I am almost in Nordkapp now, should arrive there today. Took a very different route than any of my plans, but I wanted to see more Finland.

    It is raining third day now in a row Been thinking that alright, this will be the last visit to Norway Chickened yesterday and took a hotel room. That was bad bad, now I feel needy for comfort. Best sleep in the tent and feel comfort on a motorcycle the next day!
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  7. #7 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    So how come you are sleeping anyway if the sun isn't setting? lisää kahvia kiitos tarjoilijan .....!
    Anyway the forecast is for sun the next couple of days so enjoy. I don't think you will be swimming though, a bit cold.
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  8. #8 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Haha, Jape, I found that the midnight sun was a scam. I did not really experience it at least. I checked the forecast too from the Internet and well, learned that forecasts are like lottery in Northern Norway xD Met Finnish woman in Lakselv who had lived 15 years in there, and she said winter is easier to handle than summer because in the summer you need to have winter gear, rain gear, and summer gear. In the winter you only need to have winter gear xD She also said one day it was 25 Celcius in the morning and in the midday it was 5 Celsius, and nothing unsual in that. Two Norwegian women said Nordkapp was as usual, rainy and misty, when I asked how was the Nordkapp. But yeah, I saw a little bit of sun and it did not rain all the time! And I can say the weather can change quicly in there.

    So I am back at home after 2900km, it was a great trip as expected.
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  9. #9 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    grumpy old sod jape's Avatar
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    Welcome back, looking forward to the pics and the stories .... ? I am up late, watching Le Tour through to the early hours. The MotoGP was boring, Lorenzo cruising at the front as usual while everyone else makes mistakes or falls off!
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  10. #10 Re: Travels with Orange: the honeymoon. 
    Moto Scholar moilami's Avatar
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    Yeah, I don't enjoy much either watching RR from TV.

    I will make a report, just a pity I can't remember well the dialogues I had with the people and some stuff I can't write because of other reasons. But oh well, can't let that put me down, have to remember how some crazy Finlanders see it:



    xD

    Imagine I had to unload my camping cooking set at home a hour ago because this whole city went out of electricity, and I wanted to get my "morning" coffee. It was unbeliavable, also very rare in Finland in that scale and how long it took to get the electricity back. But it was not that bad! I longed to get back to the wild frontiers of Lappland, now I did got something of the magic of Lappland back here to south :)
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