Sunday, August 14th, Lake Myvatn, Iceland

Greetings!

Looking out onto the lake at breakfast this morning, I have to admit that I was prepared to be disappointed with the drive.  I had gone on Google Earth last night,  and used Google Trekker to view some key points on the route.  The landscape looked flat and not as exciting as the past few days.  Pat and I had both read every guidebook's section on this area, and I Googled most tourist stops to gain as much background as possible.

Pat gave us our first curve by suggesting we take the long way out of the fjord.  Instead of going back through the tunnel, we'd use the old road out around the peninsula.  It turned out to exactly what was necessary, as it challenged our driving skills (it was mostly a rough dirt road - not one the rental agency recommended our tires could take), and slowed us down enough to appreciate every waterfall, swan colony, and strange rock outfall.  Every adventure needs diversions, and this one set the tone for the day.  We'd make challenges out of every leg, and see things not usually found.

The unusual way out set allowed us to take another unrecommended route to a coastal harbor town reported to have a large puffin colony.  Unfortunately, we discovered half-way down the steep windy dirty road that the harbor was socked in with fog.  Returning cars advised not proceeding, partly because of the poor viewing, and partly the dangerous driving.   We agreed.

In 1875, a huge volcano erupted in the center of Iceland.  Thousand of farms were impacted, with many of their owners calling it quits.  After a long bumpy ride directly toward the epicenter volcano, we visited a group of sod homes first built in 1843, and occupied until 1943 by the same family.  An added bonus was a working watering hose which we were able to clean off the dirt which covered our car.

At a small town a little ways down the road, we were fortunate to encounter two arctic foxes.  Clearly unafraid of tourists, they seemed to be having as much fun as we were. We also walked through a huge lava labyrinth, and checked out a demonstration forest - testing what trees could possibly grow here.

Further on, we found a geothermal hot springs where everyone got to get very muddy shoes, and climb sand dunes as steep as the ones we found in Namibia last year.  I've never seen so many phones on selfie-sticks being tested for their ability to withstand high heat and moisture.

Finally, we saw one of the largest tephra craters in the world.  When a volcano erupts, lava usually forms inside from the molten rock.  Cracks in the volcano allow the lava to ooze out across the landscape.  Now imagine a volcano erupting through a glacier.  In that case, when the lava hits the cold ice, it explodes and sends projectiles (sometimes also called pyroclasts) into the air.  This entire region is full of them, and the crater is on of the biggest sources.  Not a bad day after all, and only in Iceland.

By the way, if you haven't heard, I fixed the problem preventing you all from accessing the photos taken during the last week in previous posts.  Here's a link to the main blog page, where you can go back to each day and click on the links to daily photo albums on Google.  Sorry I messed up, and hope you enjoy the photos.  To see all of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, August 14th.

Saturday, August 13th, Faskrudsfjordur, Iceland

Greetings!

There's only day (tomorrow) when we're not within sight of the coast, so I don't know why I'm feeling like all these great views of mountains into the sea are ending.  It will be a little less exciting without the glaciers and the waterfalls.   But given what we've seen so far, it's hard to imagine the rest of Iceland being any less awesome.

Everywhere we turn is stunning in its natural beauty.  The golden fields of barley and hay, or recently-cut bales, wrapped up in multi-colored plastic awaiting storage.  The brown Icelandic horses enjoying the warm afternoon sun on their backs (I wish I'd taken this photo, but we saw many looking just like it.  I was just too into the big picture).  Several films have used the other-worldly, middle earth scenery here, where high mountains meet uplifted seafloor, glacier-carved hanging valleys drop down to dark-green expansive wetlands and black sandy beaches.

The journey today took us through two mountain tunnels, and into one of the oldest fishing areas of Iceland.  Almost a thousand ships from England and France carrying tens of thousands of sailors worked the fjords along this coast for a hundred years.  Business was so good, that it was reported that African pirates once raided a coastal island nearby, sacked the homes and collected slaves.

One collection we did come across is the largest mineral collection in the world.  Liosbjorg Petra Maria Sveinsdottir began collecting as a child with a rucksack, but her collection grew more rapidly when her fisherman husband retired, and he was able to drive the sleigh in winter to the mounds of rocks she had stored all over their property.

To see all of the photos we took today, click on Saturday, August 13th.

Friday, August 12th, Vatnajokull, Iceland

Greetings!

It's overcast, and we're sitting with our feet up, sipping strawberry vanilla tea and eating sandwiches we stole from the continental breakfast this morning, looking out through a large window to the tongues of three gorgeous glaciers crawling down young craggy mountain valleys.  We're spending a lazy afternoon reading and writing.

This morning, we drove to the local town (Hoft) to visit a combination visitor center/historical museum and Glacier Exhibition.  I'm always on the lookout for importable ideas to improve our own park visitor centers, and this one had some low-cost continuous video displays in cabinets, as well as some easy-to-use, very high-tech, touch screen photo/content screens.  Finally, they had integrated it all into an old wooden harbormaster building, and retained the feel of the time period.  I made sure to collect the emails of those involved.

Tomorrow, we leave the area of volcanic and glacial activity for the far north east of the country.  The coastline is reported to be equally spectacular, but we'll miss these planet-changing forces so close to us.

To see all of the photo taken today, click on: Friday, August 12.

Thursday, August 11th, Vatnajokull, Iceland

Greetings!

Iceland’s wide open spaces have become the newest old west territory.  Prospectors attracted by its mountains, volcanos, glaciers, rivers, sand reefs, lagoons, ice caps, and seacoasts can be found pursuing every sport imaginable.  And like those earlier times, those supplying a place to stay, grub, and tools are experiencing a boom time. 

We're here for the same adventures, just a bit more tame physically.  Less strenuous hiking, more upscale eating and sleeping.  But just as dazzled by the environment.  Pat just put it, saying "It's so hard to put into words" how beautiful this place is.  And how powerful the natural forces around us are.  As the newest member of the planet, it's just acting out the early adult years.  And we should stay out of the way when it gets upset.

Today, we have normal wifi.  Yesterday, it was barely strong enough to send or receive email, much less photos.  In my efforts last night, I posted three blog entries.  When a friend discovered it and alerted me, I mistakenly erased the blog post that I had included in the my emails and shared messages on Facebook and Google Plus.  The result was that most of you couldn't get to the post or photos.

So I'm including the link to yesterday's photos, and to the missing post again.

And here's the link to today's photos: Thursday, August 11th,

Wednesday, August 10th, Southern tip of Iceland

Greetings!

There is no name for the location of the hotel we're staying at tonight.  The hotel looks like an upscale colony of connected cargo containers, and it's a few miles from the southern-most tip of Iceland.  That would put it about a hundred miles north of Anchorage, Alaska.  Pat and I are having the buffet dinner, and she went for the pork soup, several salads, and the lamb entre. I wasn't as hungry, and skipped the soup and entre.  The homemade bread (with sesame seeds) and three salads (cucumber, corn, and salmon pasta) filled me up.

Iceland south contains the most active volcanos, which are usually covered with glaciers.  That combination resulted in a dramatic plume of ash which halted planes throughout Europe in April of 2010.  As the lava headed through the glacier, it also hit an older layer of ash deposited centuries ago, and took it as far away as upper Mongolia.  Locally, the glacier melted and sent a river of mud down into the field in the photo above.  The farm has recovered, and the documentary filmed of their ordeal can be viewed in their visitor center on the edge of the farm.  To learn a bit more about it,  read "Iceland Erupts; A visit to Thorvaldseyri Visitor Center".

But the highlight of the day had to be standing near the southern tip, and seeing puffins climbing up the cliff to our feet.  Amidst gale force winds, their little heads popped up surprisingly as we viewed their nesting habits on an adjacent cliff a few hundred yards away.  We saw one photographer race back to his car for a closeup lens he'd left behind.

To see all of the photos we took today, click on Wednesday, August 10th.

Tuesday, August 9th, Hella, Iceland

Greetings!

East of Reykjavik, the mid-Atlantic Ridge runs the length of Iceland.  It's where the North American plate splits from the European plate.  And each year, we get about two centimeters further apart.  Today, we walked down the middle of a ravine formed by this force.  We stood on a rock (Logberg) at Pingvellir where Iceland's first parliament in 930 AD declared the laws under which this newest of the world's land masses would be governed.

  Near a large flagpole under the ridge, one can imagine tens of thousands of people listening to their leaders reminding them of their duties and obligations.  For over 300 years, the Althing Assembly functioned until the country declared its allegiance to Norway in 1262.

Some of you have asked about our accommodations, so I thought I'd include a segment of Pat's journal today which described tonight's location.

Making a loop south following a river, and in sheep country, we reached the ocean - a fishing village Stokkseyrp (well, it once was.  Not a boat in sight, and a tiny harbor).  Driving along a lava rock seashore, we found a famous lobster restaurant our guide book recommended was closed (I think for good).  We found a roadhouse with typical steak, burgers, fish & chips.  We then tracked down our hotel in Laekur.  After five miles on a side road, and another 2-3 miles of dirt road, we were quite surprised to find a 20ish room brand new place in an expanse of green pasture with mountain ranges in the eastern vista.  This place also has a dinner menu, I'm sure a great deal better than our fish & chips!  I'm working on this in the window seat of their second story reading room.  It's about 8 o'clock, and the sun is still pretty high in the sky.  I'm going down to find a cup of hot H2O for tea, find Gregory, and research tomorrow's route.

To see all of the photos we took today, click on: Tuesday, August 9th, Hella.

  

Monday, August 8th, Reykjavik, Iceland

Greetings!

Sun Country Air flew us to Minneapolis, and Icelandic Air flew us to Reykjavik, Iceland.  Arriving this morning at 6:30am, we were met at the airport by Nordic Visitor's wonderful staff, who chatted with us while she drove us to the Hotel Fron.  To my questioning, Thoranna filled us in on the political, economic, and social conditions of Iceland.  We also learned about the trees, flowers, birds, and currently-available wild blueberries.

After bringing in our luggage to the hotel reception, we sat and talked with two travelers from England who were a day ahead of us in their Nordic Visitor experience.  They arrived yesterday, and were waiting this morning for their rental car to be delivered to the hotel.  Tomorrow, when ours is delivered, we'll head off on our 16-day counter-clockwise circle drive around the country.

After a few hours sleep, and without a car, we walked and used the bus system to explore the City.  Our hotel is near the center of the commercial hub, at one end of a vibrant pedestrian-only street full of restaurants, galleries, woolen-clothing stores, and other tourist shops.  We visited a portion of the National Museum, and the Culture House, and vowed to stop back in at the end of our Iceland journey before turning in our rental car.

To see the photos we took today, click on Monday, August 8th, Reykjavik, Iceland.