Papi Johnson In Norway

In fourteen hours I depart Oslo for Zurich, Switzerland. A connecting flight departs directly to LAX. The highlight of my visit to Tromso was meeting a young photographer named Azlin. 

You can view her work here:  www.pbase.com/azlin

A fantastic collection from this very talented artist. I can’t say enough about how impressed I am with her photography.

Azlin and I experienced the dogsled adventure together and then hung out into the early morning poised with cameras on tripods, waiting for the Northern Lights, (which did not appear).

The adventure on this journey has been the people. I have been told repeatedly by the locals in Tromso that the ‘high point’ for the Northern Lights is February. It is also important to have no moon in the sky. I have also been given directions to particular valleys in Tromso where the Northern Lights are more prominent.

On the flight from Tromso to Oslo, I met two professional skiers, Kirsti and Merethe. These gals were on their way to Oslo to compete in a twenty-five mile cross-country ski race. It being their third year in a row. They invited me back next year to Tromso and promised to show me some of their favorites cross-country ski runs in the area.

So, it’s back to reality, work and Los Angeles.

Papi Johnson

This must be a place coming out from classic fables and fairy tales. Sky colorssssss are awesome!!! Thanks for sharing. Abrazos, Rocío.

Today was my ‘one shot’ at capturing the Aurora Borealis. The weather forecast was ‘SNOW’. The sky was clear and stars were out everywhere. The Dogsled Expedition was in the evening and video was impossible. 

I asked several of the Tromso locals to ‘hit the switch’ and illuminate the sky with a giant streak of elctromagnetism. One gal commented, “if you get skunked, just go on youtube and search Aurora Borealis”

How right she is.

Papi Johnson

The last two days, I have been on the M/S Richard With. The Wi-Fi connection was incredibly slow, un-reliable and expensive…so I opted to pass on the multiple frustrations. 

The food was plentiful and the staff was semi-friendly. I think ‘burnt-out’ is the term I would use to describe the staff. 

The room was surprisingly comfortable and the bed was the most comfortable since the beginning of the trip. The scenery was overwhelming. I had to stop myself at one point because I was burning through memory sticks at a good clip.

It’s good to be on dry land, well…frozen dry land. I leave in a few hours for an evening into the tundra on a dog sled.

Papi Johnson