09/12/2026
This past year I took my motor home on an adventure around the United States.
I visited my children and family in South Carolina for the holidays. Afterward, I traveled to Atlanta for the Gift Buying Show and then proceeded to Orlando in February for the Hardware Show.
I relish the opportunity to visit friends and relatives during my motorhome trips. In fact, I’ve taken the initiative to include some of our vendors from this wonderful country in my itinerary this past year.
Getting to Portland, Oregon, was a new experience for me. We’ve been purchasing sauna supplies for Swift Hardware for quite some time, but I wanted to meet the people we’ve been buying from in person. They’re a close-knit Finish family that runs a family business, much like Swift Hardware.
Finlandia Sauna, the oldest sauna company in the United States, has been manufacturing the highest quality saunas since 1964. The owner, Reino Tarkienen, a native of Finland, grew up immersed in the sauna culture. His mission is to promote the authentic Finnish sauna experience in America.
When I arrived in Portland late at night, I didn’t have a campsite reserved. So, I parked in their parking lot and spent the night there. In the morning, I woke up early and had a wonderful experience. The entire family was there, and Reino’s wife, Marilyn, offered me coffee, homemade cookies, and a tour of the facility. They shared many stories about their 60 + year history in the business. As a token of appreciation, they gave me T-shirts, sweatshirts, and coffee cups with their logo.
They had many questions about my trip and where I had been and where I was going.
We sell Sauna accessories of theirs at Swifts, but this company’s main function is to actually sell complete saunas and sauna stoves for homes & businesses.
I was very impressed with the whole operation.
Making friends along the way is such a bonus and blessing as I travel.
Motor Homing
with Marilyn
