The First 5 Years.

Jyri Manninen | Kajura


On my 57th birthday, I decided to personally celebrate it by going on a bicycle tour, following the banks of the Aura river in my home town of Turku, Finland. While I’ll have a multi-part series of this local ride coming out later, I’m now, for the first time, posting something quite out of the ordinary, compared to what I usually offer up. 

At the conclusion of the ride, I was suddenly flooded by a wave of strong thoughts and emotions, when I realised that it had now been exactly 5 years since I’d moved to Turku to live. This led me to start deeply pondering all the things that had happened in my life over this past half decade.


I’d actually conceived the Life on the Run concept, just after the end of my 18 year long marriage. I was in desperate need to recover from the trauma of all that, and so I set out to find a way to recalibrate my life, and to carefully decide what direction I was going to take myself next.

So, as a kind of therapy, I started to do long distance walking caminos and cycling tours. From that, it developed into making videos of those journeys with the primary goal of hopefully inspiring others to do the same, particularly those souls also looking for a way out of chaos towards new clarity and balance in their lives.

Deliver me Lord,

from chaos to clarity.

The wheels keep spinning.

‘Life on the Run’ by Jyri Manninen


The video above is a brief summary of those first 5 years of Life on the Run; and for those who may right now be going through some tough times, I hope that my words bring you at least a little bit of encouragement, as to how to begin navigating the inner turmoil of all the associated negative emotions, and sometimes even feelings of utter helplessness. Just know this. There is a way forward, and all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other … literally.

Be blessed,
Jyri

Savojärvi Circuit

Jyri Manninen | Kajura


On this day, Gabriela and I decided to go and visit Kurjenrahka National Park, which is located about 50km from Turku, for the first time, and this time we would have company, namely my mum! Despite her mobility issues (she uses a rollator), it’s important to be as active as possible, in both body and mind, and my mum was certainly up for a nice day out!

The plan was for me to do the Savojärvi Circuit trail, while my mum relaxed at the lakeside outdoor area, and I would then join her for a picnic afterwards; and fortunately, the weather was absolutely stunning, so our spirits were high from the outset. On the way, we made a quick pit stop at Lieto to buy some snacks and drinks for our picnic, and then it was off into the beautiful Finnish countryside of Southwest Finland. After about another 30 minutes of easy driving, we’d arrived at Savojärvi.

Without delay, I set off. This 6.5km short hike around the lake would be a good introduction to the quite extensive 300km trail network in Kurjenrahka National Park; and it was also the best choice, as I didn’t want my mum to be stuck on her own for too long. As it turned out, she ended up talking with lots of other park visitors, so hardly even missed me!

By the water’s edge,

I lay down to think of you.

In the deep, you hide.

‘In the Deep’ by Jyri Manninen

Anyway, a little more about Kurjenrahka. It was established in 1998 and covers an area of 29 square kilometers. The area is mainly made up of marshes and bogs, but it also includes primeval forests, some of which have been unmanaged for over 150 years. The Eurasian lynx is a permanent resident here, as are some brown bears and gray wolves. There are also many bird species, including stately long-legged cranes and curious woodland owls. The park is suitable for visitors of all ages and is open all year around. The yard area of the Kurjenpesä Nature Information hut (Kurjenrahkan Luontotupa) is suitable for visitors with mobility difficulties, including a short easy-access nature trail that begins and ends there.

Even though completing the circuit at walking pace wouldn’t have taken too long, I actually decided to fast-pack it, that is, alternating walking and jogging. With the amazing ambience of the surrounding nature, my body just wanted to move with more vigor, and so I obeyed its wishes. Running again after such a long break, even though they were only relatively short sections, felt simply sublime!

Once back at base, we enjoyed a relaxed picnic and chat. Then, once our coffees had been drunk, and the mini cinnamon rolls had all been scoffed down, it was time for my mum, Gabby and me to make our way back home to Turku. What a wonderful day it was, and I was also very happy that my mum got to see something more than just the urban views around her seniors apartment. So, there’s a very good chance that we’ll be doing more such day trips, or even longer ones, this summer.

Be blessed.
Jyri

A Spring Spin with Gabriela

Jyri Manninen | Kajura


After waking from her winter hibernation, which lasted from December to the middle of May, it was time to take Gabriela out for a spring spin to see how she was feeling, as well as to gauge her readiness for our upcoming summer of Van Life on the Run adventures around Finland. Prior to Gabi’s winter slumber, I had already sorted out some key upgrades, including replacing her water pump, oil pressure sensors, as well as a new starter battery. However, the main issue that was still somewhat unclear was whether she actually had some problem maintaining her oil pressure, even after the sensors had been replaced. At times she would flash her red low oil pressure light to announce that there might be a problem, and so it was important to give her a decent workout to see whether it was something to be truly worried about, or just some random artifact, perhaps due to some weird electrical wiring issue. She is an old girl after all!

Anyway, it was an atypically warm, in fact very warm, spring day in South-West Finland, so at least we were quickly going to get her engine nice and hot, which would also give me the opportunity to test the integrity and function of her cooling system. Sometimes hot, sometimes cold, just like a true, red blooded woman. With all the repairs and upgrades that she has demanded, I’m now quite certain Gabriela has been shit-testing me to see if I’m actually worthy of her trust and affections! I hope that she also appreciates the new set of 16” alloy legs and killa rubber pumps that she now struts around town in.

I dreamed of a girl,

with a spirit to roam free.

Our journey begins.

‘Gabriela’ by Jyri Manninen


We ended up mainly driving around the local neighbourhoods, located on both sides of the border between the cities of Turku and Kaarina. To be clear, Kaarina is hardly a big place, even though it’s barely 10km from the heart of Turku, the former capital city of Finland. We also popped by two city beaches, Hovirinta in Kaarina, and Ispoinen beach in Turku. All seemed to go well with Gabi, mechanically speaking that is, and she was rewarded with the basics of her summer ‘kit out’, a floor mat, couch-bed, and curtains.

After all our work was done, we finished the day off with some well earned coldies, that is, beers, cervejas, olutta … call them what you like. Well, as the saying goes, a beloved child has many names! Anyway, we’re now looking forward to an awesome summer of sunny skies, chill vibes, and the sweetness of solitude in nature’s many secluded hideaways that we are yet to discover. Bring it on!

Be blessed,
Jyri