Cracked out in Jokkmokk

The phrase 'cracked out' is not an accurate literal description of my physical status at this point in my life(I have never used crack, ever). I use the two words together to descriptively over state with QC slang what it feels like to be alive and paying attention to what is going on around me in this cracked out world. A perfect example of cracked out could be used to describe the above look on Jordy's face minutes after arriving in downtown Jokkmokk Sweden above the arctic circle after a MACH 6 voyage from the jar through Stockholm and points north some ass load of kilometers. I was sort of looking similar. I mean how could I not have, just a few hundred km south of here I had witnessed the Aurora Borealis stretching from the northern horizon of my perception in white vertical beams upwards into and against the ever expanding black cosmos. Plus our Euro transfers were weighing heavily on our minds.

The magnetic pull of being connected to the landscape felt dense and slow here above the Polcirkeln. The air quality was not only cleaner than anything I have ever tasted here in the great ole USA but it was also visually crystal clear, saturated in colors and completely free of atmospheric haze. A few minutes after this picture was taken our Austrian ex patriot host brought us out some lingdenberry and reindeer pizza with fresh cold beer. The hand rolled doughy purple meaty thing was amazing and put life into our human forms. After the arctic pizza we took out the bikes, built them on the side walk and headed out for an overland SS cycling adventure into bear territory. Jordy and I followed some chundery double track north out of town to the river Lulla Sulla Lava which supplies Jokkmokk with it's drinking water. We crossed a weir and then back into the woods again along the northern edge of the river. Soon we found ourselves across another bridge and on hard packed fire road as the very twisty river widened before us. The evergreens were very dense in all directions as far as you could see which gave the air a pine filtered smell. The land was flat with an occasional roller which seemed to gain very little altitude but was drawn out long enough to give good vistas of this polar landscape.