European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The f-6 Highway stretches from Southern Norway to the Frozen North beyond the Arctic Circle driving the an fat s a Asnaz you must Wash your  photos by Gus Schuettler a amps map Peter Jaeger Quot the journey not the arrival matters the voyage not the  a Paul Theroux the old patagonian expressly Ron Jensen staff writer with her lips the Young woman behind the counter at the Oslo tourist office gently warned Quot you know e-6 is not like the German  with her eyes she said Quot you Guys Are  Gus Schuettler and 1 were deaf to both messages. The stars and stripes photography chief and i were headed North from Norway s capital on the nation s main Highway to cover a Winter military exercise 250 Miles above the Arctic Circle. If grown men can be described As Giddy we were. Despite nearly three decades at the stars and stripes Gus never had been to Northern Norway. As a newcomer neither had i. The Prospect of new vistas and adventure overwhelmed any words of caution. The Young woman s warning returned to me 24 hours later however when a frightening out of control slide on an icy Mountain Road ended with a hard and sudden slam into a guard rail. On the other Side of the now wrinkled protective Barrier and several meters below the Roadway ran a frigid norwegian Stream partially Frozen and lined by boulders the size of buies. As 1 stepped from the car to Survey the damage i nearly fell on my face. The Road seemed chiselled from a Glacier. The car s Lett headlight now gazed at treetops. The fender was crumpled and a crease scarred the Driver s door. The left front tire was Flat. You know i thought e-6 is not like the German autobahn. Quot hey Ron do you have any Long underwear Quot that was Gus Way of asking if wanted to go to the Allied come Europe Mobile Force s Man Euver in the far North. I did of course Well drive he told me so we can gather travel features and other stories along the Way. So what if it s february surely in Norway they know How to keep a Road cleared of k e and Snow. Well take some Snow chains however just in Case. Even with these precautions we encountered some non believers at stripes Headquarters. Some people Lack a sense of adventure. We left Darmstadt West Germany Well before Dawn and reached Frederiks Havn Denmark by mid afternoon. Even a cold rainstorm failed to Wash away our enthusiasm As we waited in a Coffee shop for the overnight ferry to Oslo. Aboard the ship we toasted our upcoming adventure and slept peacefully atop the Waves dreaming of the glorious times ahead. What could go wrong we had Snow chains Winter clothes a shovel credit cards and Tood Plenh of film pens and notebooks. Give us your worst Norway. From Oslo to an Selv the Center of the exercise is 1,600 Kilometres roughly 965 Miles if e-6. The first 400 Kilometres pass through valleys lined with farms and villages. High on the mountainsides were Snow covered Clits and ski slopes but there was no Snow on the Valley floor or the Road. We sped along at the conservative Legal Speed of 90 Kph passing the two meter poles that line the Road As Markeis for the Snow lows. Our first night in Norway was spent in a bed and breakfast place in Domaas a ski resort too Kilometres from Oslo. A single room and a Large breakfast Cost 220 norwegian Krone about $35. That s As cheap As you la get in Norway. From Domaas the Road began to climb am conditions changed. Within a few kilo elem s stripes Magazine March 15, 1990