08-Sep-2002 -- The confluence is located in a state forest area southwest of Simojärvi. I came from Haparanda - Tornio, drove road E8 to Kemi (17 km 4 lane motorway) and continued to Simo, took left to Nuupas, right to Ranua, then left towards Pekkala.

After about 23 km there was a gravel road to the right to Simojärvi. There was no sign posting Simojärvi, but after the settlement Sääskilahti, I drove another 5-6 km until I found a logging road leading west, to Pahkal according to the sign. I was then 5.18 km west of the confluence, and had only a rough road map from 1971 to follow. The logging road split after 2.3 km, the southwest branch ended after 1 km. The northwest branch crossed a creek, split, and the south branch passed less than 900 m from the confluence. I stopped the car and walked through old and young forest, over a bog and ended at the confluence point at about 18:00 hours, Finnish time.

I forgot to set the Garmin to show coordinates (it shows speed as default), so the picture of the GPS is composed of two pictures, one which shows how far the GPS thinks it is from the confluence, and one showing the recorded coordinates and elevation. The latter picture was taken when I was back in Boliden, but shows the confluence coordinates as recorded on the confluence spot.

I walked back to the car and picked some lingonberries, fine to make a delicious jam. I then drove back to Sweden over Kemi and Tornio. What a contrast leaving the motorway and Tornio, and enter the dark Haparanda on the Swedish side of the border. I first could not find the big dairy shop, the town was very poorly lit, so I took the wrong road. No hot dog at the shop, too little demand they said. Fuelled the car and went on dark, poor roads to Sangis, then on better, but only 2 lane roads to Skellefteå. The last 30 km from Byske to Skellefteå are pretty bad, compared to the Finnish motorway!

Sweden is the poor cousin from the countryside in the Nordic group of countries today.

I arrived in Boliden at 00:20 on Monday morning. It was a light drizzle in Boliden. But I had a nice sunny day in the north.