Becca and Daniel In Norway: Keiko's gravrøys

The Natives recently asked us if there was anything we really wanted to do in Norway but had not done yet. The first answer that came to mind was visiting Keiko 's burial mound.

Anyone that was in school in Oregon in the mid-nineties remembers raising money to build a rehabilitation tank for Keiko at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Most of us had the opportunity to visit Keiko on field trips (during one of my field trips there was a photographer on-site supporting this product).

After Keiko died he was buried on the shore of the fjord where he had been living. He was a local celebrity so the local school children honored him by building a cairn on top of his grave.

The reason we hadn't visited Keiko yet was because his fjord is in the middle of nowhere and is only accessible by car. The Natives offered to take us on a roadtrip so we hit the road before they could change their minds.

This is the view from an arbitrary parking lot about an hour from Trondheim. Not pictured: cute little seabirds with orange straws for noses that sound like squeaky toys.

I left the safety of the parking lot to get closer to the pink flowers. At one point in time I upset a flock of seagulls and was very relieved when they didn't attack me.

The same location as the preceding photo but looking in the opposite direction.

Becca's geocache-sense was tingling when she saw this large, old tree near the road. She climbed up and took a look around.

Keiko's burial mound attracted thousands of visitors per year for several years after his death.

To get to the beach you have to park your car next to the road and then walk down a hill through a lush meadow. Pretty much everything that is worth seeing in Norway requires some sort of a hike.