Reunions

The afternoon ride back to Alta was bleak, windy and cold, as you would expect. The local police had changed their site of operations, but were once again raking in the tourust dollars with a sneaky prone position in a ditch for the officer with the gadget. What seemed so unfair about my ticket was that anyone who knows me knows I don't speed. I boringly stick to the limit at home. I'm just not a chancer. I thought the limit was 90kph. It wasn't, it was 80. I made my case, but the officer was just not interested. He issued his ticket. No fixed fine, the sum is too big. 300 quid!

Cold, hungry and if I am honest, really tired, which was not great because I wanted another 100 miles before rough camping for the night. It was going to be a miserable post Cape night tonight. I was refueling the bike when one of the Finnish riders, Aki, drew up beside me. "HI. Do you have somewhere to stay?". They had a cabin close by and offered me one of the beds. I accepted without hesitation. That was the beginning of a fellowship that would last two nights sharing cabins, and one long, stunning day of motorcycling as a group, running for the temperate south. They were great company. easy going and patient when I would not increase my pace above the speed limit. Aki and Sami both had women and small children back home in Finland, who they clearly love very much. Two guys with a passout for a few days to hoon around Lapland on their bikes. They ride well to.