The Month of May

As the spring was turning into summer in the Upper Midwest, Sisu’s schedule was filled with appearances in and around the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St Paul, MN metro area).

Finland and the Upper Midwest share a similar climate with four seasons. In May, nature wakes up after a long winter. Spring flowers bloom, trees get their leaves back, turtles climb on logs to warm in the sun, lawnmowers are hauled out from garages…

May 9, Sisu hung out with the crowd going to a concert at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Then, on May 10, Sisu headed to Uponor in Apple Valley, MN, one of the Traveling Sauna sponsors.

Uponor manufactures PEX tubing, used in plumbing, and floor heating systems. On May 10, Uponor held a Community Day to announce their $14 million expansion to the facility. Participating in the festivities were management from Uponor Corporate in Finland, Mayor of Apple Valley and members from the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce. Groundbreaking for the expansion is scheduled for June 6, 2017. Congratulations, Uponor!

Another Traveling Sauna sponsor recently announcing a major investment in the US is Nokian Tyres who in early May released the news of their $360 million investment in a new tire factory and distribution center in Tennessee. Congratulations, Nokian Tyres! Come check out Nokian tires on Sisu on the tour!

Saturday, May 13, Sisu joined FinnSisu and Finnleo at FinnSisu's Spring Sale and Mother's Day celebration. Visitors were greeted with great deals on saunas. Refreshments and cake were available throughout the day. Check out the Traveling Sauna Facebook post for a special, dynamic duo appearance!

Next on the agenda was a trip to Chicago and Cedarburg, WI. For this trip, the Traveling Sauna was happy to host a special guest copilot, Tom Legg. Tom and Chief Sauna Marshal Jouko have known each other for over 25 years. Sisu was in good hands!

The Chicago visit included stops in the suburbs of Wilmette, Barrington and Evanston. While the weather was rather gloomy, the spirits were high and good times were had. Sauna yoga, serenading, all in all, a great week end!

Thank you Anne and Reed Stevens, Katie and Tony Johansson, Chip Covington, and Brett at the American Legion Post 42 for hosting! This song is for you!

Cedarburg, WI is a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. Mikko Hilvo, Manager at the City Parks and Rec, had arranged for Sisu to be at the municipal pool the day before the pool opened for the season.

CBS 58 Morning Reporter Michael Schlezinger insisted on having the first dibs on löyly. Chief Sauna Marshal Jouko gladly obliged. Watch the video clips of the broadcast.

After the TV crew cleared, it was time for the local sauna aficionados to get in. Sisu remained hot until it was time to pack up and head to Washington House Inn for the night.

Washington House Inn is a quaint B & B right on Washington Avenue, and comped a place for the tired crew for the night. If you are in the Cedarburg area, Sisu recommends the friendly Washington House Inn. Great location, wonderful proprietors, good sleep!

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States and is observed on the last Monday in May. Equivalent in the Finnish calendar is Kaatuneiden Muistopäivä which is observed on the third Sunday in May.

To honor the veterans, the Cokato Finnish American Historical Society traditionally arranges a program at the Finnish Pioneer Park, also known as Temperance Corner, over the week end. Sisu was proud to participate in the program in 2017, and to bring along in a segment of Finland's Centennial.

The park includes a 1896 temperance hall, a 1899 one-room schoolhouse, a 1866 log cabin from one of the area's first settlers, and the 1868 Barberg–Selvälä–Salmonson Sauna, which is believed to be the oldest savusauna in the United States.

The Cokato Finnish American Historical Society holds several annual events at the Pioneer Park, including observances of Finnish holidays like Juhannus and Pikkujoulu. Tours of the historical buildings are available by appointment.

If you recall, Sisu’s first trip was to the Barberg–Selvälä–Salmonson Sauna in January. Hello again, vanha lajitoveri!

Contrary to local gossip and innuendo, Sisu did not get pulled over! Yes, the Wright County Sheriff was there in force (two patrol cars) but, for the record, no tickets were issued. Anything about tickets, traffic violations or hand cuffs is fake news!

Sunday, May 28, Finnleo sponsored a Sauna and Swim at Camp Chi Ro on Lake Sylvia in Annandale, MN. The sauna was warm, the lake wasn’t… We need to wait a couple of days yet for the swimming season to start in Minnesota.

June 1 through 10, Sisu will be in northern Minnesota: Finland, Duluth, Embarrass, Virginia, Hibbing, Biwabik, Salolampi Language Village, Menahga, New York Mills, St Anthony Village. You know where to find the calendar. Everybody on-board / in the sauna!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here.

Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here.

Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.

Homecoming

Sisu’s home is in Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Well, Finland has 186,000+ lakes. Or: 5.5 million people, 2 million cars, 3 million saunas.

One of the lakes, Lake Saimaa, hosts one of the rarest of species of seals in the world, saimaannorppa. This species was cut off from access to the seas at the end of the latest ice age, and has a population of less than 400 today. In an effort to help protect the species, WWF sets up a webcam every spring, providing an opportunity to watch these lively fellows enjoy life.

Sisu wants to go to Finland!

Next stop on the tour: Bozeman, Montana. Mountain Hot Tub, a Finnleo dealer, had invited Sisu for a visit. On the agenda was plenty of sauna, food off a wood fired pizza oven, barbecue sandwiches, etc. All in good company at the Mountain Hot Tub Open House on this fine Tuesday afternoon.

A remarkably good number of people came to say hello to Sisu, and to check out Finnleo saunas on display at Mountain Hot Tub. Bozeman must be sauna country! A large pool was made available inside in the showroom for people to dip in in between and after their sauna sessions. Hey, where’s the staff? On the sauna bench, of course! Check out the video clips also on Traveling Sauna Facebook page.

Sisu wishes to thank Kelly King and his staff for the wonderful afternoon in Bozeman! If you live in the Bozeman area, and are looking for a sauna or a tub, you will want to check out Mountain Hot Tub. Their selection of saunas covers the whole range from wood and electric heaters to infra red and electric/infra red combos.

After Bozeman, Sisu continued east, destination: Moorhead, Minnesota, mere 750 miles away. While mountains are exciting and provide wonderful views, Sisu welcomed the easier travel ahead.

Wednesday was a travel day. Sisu planned to cover as much of the distance as possible as a group of Finns in Bismarck, ND had invited Sisu for a lunch. Unfortunately, a flat tire near Miles City, MT scuttled those plans. Thank you, Bismarck Finns, for the invitation! Sorry we weren't able to make it.

If you are looking for a place to visit in the summer, Sisu recommends Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Sisu wasn’t able to tour the park but the scenery looked fantastic! We even saw bison from the freeway! Medora, ND is a gateway to the park and, in the summer, looks to be a hopping place, providing lodging and your western themed relaxation.

Thursday was spent on the road as well, through the rolling hills and farm landscape of North Dakota. Traffic was light but North Dakota offers its own surprises. Does anyone know what's in the picture below? A giant cow on a hill in North Dakota? No way!

The Red River Finns, along with the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and the Nordic Culture Clubs-Scandinavian Festival had teamed up to arrange a sauna party at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, MN for Friday and Saturday, April 28-29. And, what a party it was!

We were treated with clear skies and 60 F temperatures. Note: It had snowed a couple of inches the day before. Spring weather in North Dakota/northern MN is unpredictable, to say the least.

Log the Sauna, a project by the Folkways, also arrived on site. Their setup is impressive with a changing tent, lawn chairs and tables, the whole nice yards! Connect with Joe and Simone if you are looking for some good steam and camaraderie in your back yard!

Friday was sauna and lawn games, with the Red River Finns on site with coffee, cookies and information about their organization and activities. Boot tossing appeared to be the game of the day. Probably, because Sisu brought along a native instructor and a "tosser extraordinaire", Timo "Prinssi" Kovanen, to teach the secrets for record breaking throws.

Saturday morning opened with a local band, Suomi Rosvot, playing tunes, and a proclamation from the Mayor of Moorhead declaring April 29 as “Finland 100 Day in Moorhead, MN”. Way to go, Moorhead and Red River Finns!

More sauna, lawn games, coffee & cookies, and just "a good time"! Governor of North Dakota, Mr. Doug Burgum stops by. If Sisu understood correctly, Mr. Burgum made a promise to declare December 6, 2017 as “Finland 100 Day in North Dakota”. Ellen Liddle, Sisu trusts you will be following up on the promise!

From left: Joe "Log the Sauna" (nice shirt!), Mrs. Burgum, Risto, Governor Burgum, Ellen Liddle.

The Hejmkomst Center has some pretty cool stuff to check out if you are in the area. As an example, they have a viking ship that was hand built, and then sailed from the New World to Norway. No sauna on board so imagine taking the trip!

It was hard to pack up after the two days. Sisu had such a good time in Moorhead! Thank you, Ellen Liddle, Markus Krueger, Simone and Joe, and everyone else who hosted Sisu in Moorhead.

From Moorhead, Sisu headed back home to the Twin Cities. Sisu will be staying in the Upper Midwest for May, June, July and August, visiting events and places in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan. Stay tuned!

Background music courtesy of Martti Servo & Napander.

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here.

Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here.

Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.

The Northwest Passage

Heading east from Seattle on I-90, you will first climb over the Cascades through the Snoqualmie Pass. Good practice for getting over the Rockies a couple of hundred miles later, one might say. No sweat, says Sisu. Let’s just enjoy the scenery and occasional banks of snow on the road side.

Sisu’s travels continued April 21. Destination Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, as a guest of the Inland Northwest Chapter of Finlandia Foundation.

In Coeur d’Alene, Sisu is greeted by Donald Heikkila and Tuula Ezzell. We setup at the local library to take part in Earth Day celebration under sunny skies and in good company.

Next to Sisu is a tiny log home on wheels. Let’s go say hello to Mr. Frank W. Eld and learn more about his craft.

Frank is the premier log house builder/expert in the United States, we learn. We also learn that the log home style of building was introduced to the New World by Finns and Swedes. Let’s think about that for a moment, shall we? How common is a log house nowadays? Or was already when the west was being settled. The log house may be the innovation Finns (and Swedes) have introduced to America. Someone might argue, though, the one after sauna…

Let’s talk more about innovation. We’d like to hear from you! What is the #1 innovation Finland has provided to the world? Please comment in this blog, or go to Traveling Sauna Facebook page to cast your vote.

From Coeur d’Alene Sisu continues south along the Harrison Slough to Harrison, Idaho. Trip there includes the ever-exciting Fourth of July Pass. What an excellent opportunity to practice engine braking again. Going down hills temporarily improves fuel economy, too, notes Sisu. Good deal!

In Harrison, the Inland Northwest Chapter of Finlandia Foundation caters a buffet at the Harrison Grange building to members and guests. Sisu thanks by getting the sauna room hot and providing everyone an opportunity to take a sauna.

Sisu can only add a big THANK YOU to everyone involved in the stops in Idaho. Tuula, Don and Frank in particular. The Inland Northwest Chapter of Finlandia Foundation is a great group and has a long and rich history. If we only had had more time to hear the stories about the region, and Finns in the area.

Let's not forget the sunsets in Harrison! Spectacular is an understatement!

Next on agenda, Missoula, Montana. To get there, there’s only one if. It is called the Lookout Pass. Another moment (or two) of excitement for our 15,000 lbs combo but, once the Pass is cleared, it is smooth sailing for Sisu. The day is sunny, temps are in the low 40’s, the mountain scenery is fantastic! Sisu makes it to destination on schedule.

In Missoula Sisu has a date with the Finlandia Foundation of Montana, a.k.a. Montana Nordic Group. Finns in Montana are spread out so the the group operating from Missoula is looking to connect all Finns in the region, and also partners with other Nordic nations to arrange events and activities. We park downtown at a restaurant called Five on Black and get a nice number of visitors in the lunch hour traffic.

Unfortunately, Sisu can not be heated because burning (of wood) in the city of Missoula is prohibited. No fireplaces in Missoula. Sisu forgot to ask about grills. No grilling, either?

What do you do when there’s a sauna in town but you can’t heat it? Well, there's a solution to every problem when Finns are involved. Let’s go to Stevensville, some 30 miles south and park there! Problem solved.

The Montana Nordic Group members coming to the sauna party are mostly younger families and, before you can say "Holy smokejumpers!", Sisu is filled with kids enjoying a sauna. Moms and dads will have to wait. Check out Jenni’s comments on Traveling Sauna Facebook page.

Thanks to Jenni Rohrbach and Jenna McVey for hosting Sisu in Missoula. Jenni gets a special mention for packing the travelers a tasty lunch for the next day! Timo says hello, too!

Part 2 of the Northwest Passage, “Homecoming”, coming soon!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here.

Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here.

Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.