A 4-day cabin trip with my dad to Red River Gorge in Slade, Kentucky with my Dad. We went hiking and kayaking and saw some unique geology. Gray’s Arch was the highlight.

Nearly a year later, I think it’s about time to start chronicling the adventures from Norway. I know, it’s a little late, but there were so many good times that I’d like to remember. The first (and easiest to post) is a video Gunnar made during our 2 day cycling trip along Rallarvegen.
Click to watch the video…

For most of the Northern hemisphere, March marks the beginning of Spring. In Norway, snow lingers through April and sometimes May each year. So, Norway’s “spring” sports are really winter sports in disguise: cross-country skiing, biathlon, and ski jumping.

What use is living in Norway during winter if you don’t do a little cross-country skiing? A very boring one since Norwegians are born with skis on their feet. Since they learn so early, they make lousy teachers. Through much trial and more error, I have come to the conclusion that I will remain a poor skier this season.

Even simple tasks can lead to the most unusual adventures… like going to church. The temp was 7F typically requires a two-layer bodysuit, but my Long Johns had cross-country skiing all over them. So, it took extra courage to want to leave the apartment and extra resolve not to get lost.

It’s unlikely that you noticed Google recently published brand new Street View imagery for Norway! So, this means that I can give you a free tour of the city.  It’d be nice if Google had a “Convert to black & white” function to make the imagery more realistic for February. But it does give me some optimism about this summer.

The main grocery store is a mile from my apartment (see map). Like most things in Norway, it’s not open Sundays; therefore meal planning is critical. This particular Saturday, I created a large grocery list and had an interesting adventure.

I can still remember my line manager asking me to consider joining the DNV Trainee program. What a dream! To live in a country filled with fjords, mountains, and adventures waiting to be had. I just have to wait out the snow. In the meantime, I keep repeating “8 month is a long time!” And I’m glad!

Over the last four months, I was co-coaching an 8-10 year-old tackle football team through the Forge for Families. It was a season mixed with struggle and success, but at the end of the season it all came down to one game, “The Super Bowl”.