Nestled away in a beautifully valley, surrounded by high mountain ridges and lush green fields, the open sea lies before you.
Constant, swells culminate in waves that seem to beckon like natures very own tantalizing arms as they crash down on the sparkling sand that stretch for hundreds of meters in either direction until ancient rock marks the end of it's path...
This is Stad...
A magical, beautiful oasis, or more specifically, a surfer's paradise, that one would expect to find in some or other tropical land and most definately not in the rugged landscapes of Norway.
Here the water is crystal clear, fresh and unspoilt by the perpetual madness of the rest of the world.
The people are laid back, easy going, their eyes half open and glazed in contentedness while their demeanor merely suggests for you to chill out as well while they go about their daily duties...
It could be the relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, but the aroma on the breeze suggest it's probably just good, strong weed....
Shasa's first introduction to the beach was quite hilarious... He first ran around with the energy and zest he usually reserves for glaciers in the mountains, when suddenly, he spotted them!
Unusually large seals, coming out of the water and walking on what appeared to be legs!
Not only that, they seemed to be carrying gigantic cuttlefish bones on which some of them were standing while way out there in the open sea!
Needless to say, he attacked every surfer he could with loud, threatening barking and mock charges, and fortunately for both of us, they seemed too zoned out to have any fear at all...
This really took the wind out of his sails and he soon sulked off to stand beside me with the occasional growl at the creatures that suggested he was still a force to be reckoned with, even if they themselves did not.
Anyway, It's 06:00 and my creativity level is rapidly receding so I'll just post the damn pictures and get my head down...
These initial pictures will never do justice to the actual view... As you may have noticed, this was taken from the car as I was decending the many hair pin bends on the way down...
Found the most adorable little lighthouse I've ever seen... the picture is ruined by some mangy mutt that decided to pose...
.... still there...
OMG! What the hell are those seals doing! Even Guido's flip flop is forgotten!
Shasa stalking the seals into the city centre.
Under normal circumstances the collar is ugly. Here, it's like, so 70's hippie like, man....
One of many such waves that closed in on me during the stay
Shasa's board of preference
And yes, he took over the house too.
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula!
Hey, this snow really sticks to your lips and doesn't go away!
Ok, no more pictures... I wana go home!
Ok, just one more then
And I look good in this one too!
Yes, the road is mine too... Beware all ye who enter...
Feed me, Seymour....
Sorry for the corny comments to the captions... actually, no. Deal with it.
Good night/morning whatever...
Shasa stalking the seals into the city centre.
Under normal circumstances the collar is ugly. Here, it's like, so 70's hippie like, man....
One of many such waves that closed in on me during the stay
Shasa's board of preference
And yes, he took over the house too.
Zoltan, Hound of Dracula!
Hey, this snow really sticks to your lips and doesn't go away!
Ok, no more pictures... I wana go home!
Ok, just one more then 
And I look good in this one too!
Yes, I know... not exactly monster fish up here...
He he he...
...And the water buffalo look-alike competition winner for 2008 is .....
Start of the walk. In the distance you see Hamlagrøvannet which is a really large lake at about 800m above sea level if I remember correctly. 
If you open the picture to full size by clicking on it, you can see the cabin next to Anja where we spent three memorable evenings.
This lake yielded about 30 trout of which all but two were returned safely. 
