...here in Rovaniemi, which for me means that this is probably the last time I'll have to light a fire under the engine of the bike to warm it up from -33°C and wait for half an hour before I try to start it.
But in all honesty I'm going to miss winter.
Winter just does it for me.
There are so many reasons why it does, from the the thick white blanket of snow that covers everything to the muffled stillness you feel when you're camped out in the middle of nowhere. The air is pure, fresh, clean and sharp.
There is a sense of serenity as the snow absorbs all the usual sounds of nature, an almost eerie silence. It's akin to sitting in a sound proof room in a recording studio.
Colors are much more intense and brighter in contrast to the soft and smooth covering of snow that seems to stretch on as far as your eye can see.
It's also a challenging season. It's cold, very cold at times. My fingers and toes get numb quite often, especially my fingers as I photograph, but it's such a good feeling as I stuff them into my pockets and they start to warm up again. Or I sometimes start the bike and before the cylinder heads get too hot, lay them across them.
I've always loved winter from way back when I was a kid. And especially since we didn't get those snowy winters in Ireland too often, only every 4 years or so, I guess it made me love it more when it did come. So maybe my love of winter is my way or reliving my childhood?. If I had a therapist I'm sure they could enlighten me about that.
Everything becomes more difficult in the cold, and much more difficult living on a motorcycle in the cold in winter. However, due to the fact that it's a challenging season, it also lends itself to being a very physical season for ones lifestyle.
You can't be too sedentary in winter. You need to keep moving in the cold, otherwise you'll just end up freezing to death. Ergo, winter is a season of heightened activity for most people, whether you like it or not. I like this aspect of my winter travels, that it forces me to move, or rather doesn't allow me to be lazy. And I know myself by now. If I can take it easy, I will.
Meanwhile, back in Rovaniemi I got my U.S.A. fix fixed the other day, a double header actually. The Artikum Museum and Arctic Science Centre here in Rovaniemi were having a lecture and photo presentation by Dr. Don Pettit, an American Astronaut and a really great photographer. On the ISS no less. Who, as far as I'm concerned, has the worlds most enviable photographers position.
Dr. Don has no less than 10 Nikon DSLR's on the ISS and the most spectacular views of planet earth to shoot with them.
Attending the Don Pettit lecture on Space Photography was my second visit to the Artikum Museum.
My first visit was a little over a month ago. Heikki, the president of Karu MC bought me a gift of a museum ticket to get a little history of the Lappish culture and see some of the exhibits there. Kiitos Heikki.
Being a photographer with a valid Press Pass I was able to secure an Artikum Media pass which allowed me to roam freely through all the exhibits and photograph them without restrictions. Some of the exhibits, like the Sámi peoples exhibit, were not allowed to be photographed.
This fantastic photo of a young Sámi boy is circa 1925. Photographer unknown.
Murph.
