Sisu travels, Part 3.

Monday morning, February 27, in Clovis, MN arrives with bright sun. After a 12 hour drive the day before, we decide to do a little maintenance on Sisu. One thing Sisu has been missing until now are nice curtains in the dressing room. Well, no more! Curtains, courtesy of Ann Borgwardt, are installed in Clovis. We think they look very pretty!

It is also time to check the tires before Sisu continues her trip towards Albuquerque, NM. Our truck is fitted with Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta tires. Not necessarily needed in the southwest but they were really appreciated when we left MN in early February. We had just received some wet snow and freezing temps overnight had made roads a little slick. We’ll also probably need the Hakkapeliitta’s when we head back east from Seattle in late April.

A visual inspection of the tires, check pressure, and we are all set to head west again.

After Clovis, we connect again with Heini and Teemu to do a little bit of aerial video. We had met with them in Houston for our first attempt but discovered that power lines, trees, buildings, traffic, etc. aren’t the best environment to fly a drone. Around Clovis, no problem! A detour off the highway takes us past miles and miles of fields waiting to be plowed and planted. It is a little windy, though and, at times, we get the feeling that the drone isn't really under the full control of the pilot/operator. All goes well in the end and the drone returns to base from it’s trip.

Next on the agenda is lunch. We proceed to Fort Sumner, NM pop. 1,031, elev. 4,032 ft. Rodeo Grill at 451 Sumner Ave looks very inviting so we head in. Good pick, says the smile on Chief Sauna Ambassador Sipila’s face!

Little we knew about Fort Sumner but, upon arrival, it quickly becomes very clear what earned the town it’s place in the history books. Next to Rodeo Grill is Billy the Kid Museum. Yes, Billy the Kid met his fate in Forth Sumner and is buried there.

We decide to check out the museum and are more than pleasantly surprised. It consists of several rooms and, apart from telling Billy’s story, appears to cover the entire history of this small town. There are mastodon bone fragments, farm machinery, knick knacks, and a whole room of 20’s to 50’s vehicles. In one area, there must be over 50 typewriters neatly organized on the shelves. As with the story of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, when Commodore 64 entered town, it was time for someone to bit the dust! The museum is absolutely a must see if you travel through the area.

In Fort Sumner, we part ways with the Youtube team of Heini and Teemu. They are heading towards San Diego, Sisu has an appointment in Albuquerque, NM.

Albuquerque sits at 5,312 ft. It feels like it is a continuous uphill from Fort Sumner to Albuquerque. We already mentioned that Sisu is not the most aerodynamic vehicle on the road. But, 8 miles per gallon heading towards Albuquerque. Ridiculous! We can only assume that there is a reward later. Los Angeles is supposed to be on the ocean at sea level…

Valpuri Remling from the Tamarind Institute had invited us to visit Albuquerque. Tamarind is part of the University of NM and and specializes in fine art lithography. Valpuri runs professional shop at the institute and, upon arrival, greeted us warmly and gave us a tour of the institute. Sisu got parked in the back courtyard at the institute, behind the fence, for the night.

In Albuquerque, we were booked at a local micro brewery, Bow and Arrow. The tap room was very inviting but, when on the job, there’s no sampling of refreshments for the Chief Sauna Ambassadors.

We set up Sisu, get a pizza truck next to us, and are set to go. Valpuri had promoted the event locally, along with the brewery. It turns out that there are several Finns and friends of sauna living in the area looking for a sauna experience. A line quickly forms, and turns in the sauna are taken.

We get a lot of interest at the souvenir table, too. Albuquerqueans seem to understand that here and now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grab a Traveling Sauna T-shirt, a baseball cap, a pub glass, or a LöylyKaveri seed packet. Once the year is over, we may have to wait another 100 years for the next opportunity!

If you missed he opportunity to make a purchase, or can’t make it to an event near you, feel free to visit our shop to get your piece of history.

Does anyone know the 2 dudes above? You were so concentrated on your communication devices that we missed to get your names. Can you guys send us a text or something?

We bid a for farewell to Albuquerque. Thank you Valpuri and Sacha Remling for the experience, and for hosting us. Hope to see you again!

Let's not forget that Sisu the Traveling Sauna was making history again: A happy reunion of old elementary school classmates is witnessed in Albuquerque. Tiina Mari and Jouko meet each other, after a couple of decades of graduating from Tuomarilan Koulu and going their separate ways. Sweet!

Want to take a peek inside Sisu? Click here. The 360 view is courtesy of Exactly Done.

Some of you have inquired about an opportunity to support the Traveling Sauna campaign. Donations are now accepted on our website. Select your level of support from $25 to $1,000. You'll get cool stuff as a THANK YOU in return, we get gas money to bring Sisu to you!

Sisu’s full schedule can be found at http://www.travelingsauna.com/map.html
Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, go to http://www.finland100usa.com