Polar Circle

Polar Circle
I understand that anything above Latitude 66 Degrees, 32 Minutes, 727 Seconds North, is the Polar Circle.
We crossed this line going North on the ferry. Not that we couldn’t have ridden across it but taking the road less travelled, the back roads, we had to take the ferry. We were eager to see the monument Norway built to show the exact spot of the Polar Circle. Nothing magical happened, and yet, the temperature does change from now on. It gets remarkably colder. Also, and this will now be a permanent reminder, there are signs for reindeer. Yes, they are waiting for us on the side of the roads, sometimes even right in the middle of the road. Sometimes there are small herds of reindeer, too. Besides the reindeer, watch out for sheep sleeping in the middle of the asphalt. The same holds true for goats but we only saw one large herd of goats. The problem with these animals is that they believe they own the roads. Right after a sharp turn or bend in the road, there they are. Unpredictable, always there when you least expect them. Riding these roads takes constant vigilance.

After we crossed the Polar Circle we noticed that the vegetation changes. Oh, yes, there are still plenty of trees but now they are mostly Fir and Birches. Trees such as Maple and Oak are not to be seen. Also their size becomes smaller the further North we go. No, we did not see any Northern Lights. I believe these lights only show up in winter. We are now adding layers to our clothing to cope with the temperatures.
Our next target is the Lofoten Islands.