I had not planned on going there but a dear friend of mine was visiting from abroad and invited myself and 2/3 of my kids over (third kiddo was at his respite care - I will blog about that later) for the night.We quickly packed our bags and jumped into the car and it is about a 20-25 minutes ride from Jyväskylä with a very bumpy and long-winding dirt road to drive up to. It is in a very secluded area in the woods and extremely peaceful!
The ranch is a large three floor house with spacious everything! You can find all the information about the home itself here on their official site in English.I was blown away by the spaciousness of it and the outdoors was lovely as well because we were able to drive the snowmobile - an old giant Lynx and did some sledding down a hill using reusable shopping bags...sounds ghetto but we did not have time to grab the kids' sleds unfortunately!
Also, my kids don't ski/didn't have their skis with them or snowboard - so - reusable shopping bags it was!
I wish we were able to stay longer - but due to my friend's work schedule and my travel schedule - one night over and about half a day was a fantastic sampling of a visit to the Havumäki Ranch!
We did not bother with the extra sauna hut outdoors, the outdoor hot tub or any of the ramps built in that could be used for downhill skiing or snowboarding! We kept the house warm with the old wood oven and felt comfortable and cozy.
I slept upstairs alone while my children shared a room and my friend had another room.
The view from my window was pretty and snow-filled and if given the oppourtunity, I would definitely go back and try to fit in some hiking as well - since skateboarding is not my thing and "accident prone" is my middle name! 😆
Of course you go back in the sauna to warm up and repeat this process as much as you like!
I admit - I have been here for 10 years and have not done such a thing other than to stand in the snow and dip my toe into a hole in the lake. That was PLENTY for me!
However, since it was my birthday weekend - I decided to take it up a notch and borrow my friend's sandals and step into the snow, quickly remove the towel for a few photos!
Yes I do have 2 arms but one hand had to hold the towel! And there was no lake nearby for me to dip a toe in!
My goal with this blog was to have more experiences - and I don't mean just interviewing new people whichever city I am in - but experiences from a foreigner's perspective!
And I feel that getting naked outside in the snow post-sauna did just that for me. It was of course SUPER cold but - you do what you gotta do!
And of course - having this experience of going to Havumäki Ranch is just another one in a million experiences in Finland!
If you are able to go and rent it for a night or even better a weekend with your friends or loved ones - DO IT! You will not regret it!
Be sure to pack your helmets, snowboard or skateboard, other protection gear if needed and have a GREAT time!
And I know this sounds really weird but the water there is SO pure and fresh! It's much softer than city tap water as I believe their water hook up is from a well and it is just fantastic!
Thanks again to my dear friend M for inviting us, feeding us and transporting us to and from Havumäki Ranch. It's an experience none of us will ever forget!
LAFA
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