South Coast

Day 6:

The theme of today is waterfalls and we're sorry to TLC, but we definitely went chasing... it was a full day, so we got started early with some coffee and pastries, then hit the road. We stopped along the way at another wool shop and were able to snag up the last handmade wool blanket of the only four from the summer! We've learned that those are a serious rarity here. Everything else has been machine made and even those made in Iceland are uncommon. You know, supporting local artisans and traditional trades and all... Anyway, back to the actual trip.

First stop was Gluggafoss, which is actually called Merkjárfoss after the river that forms it, but the common name comes from the several "windows" formed in the rock. Basically, it was our own private waterfall, since we saw maaaybe 5 other people during the better part of an hour we spent adventuring there. We were even able to sneak behind the lower falls! It was about the best start to the day we could ask for.

We drove across a gravel road, stopping once for a few wool toting pedestrians, to meet back up with the ring road and continued over to Seljalandsfoss. This was definitely not a private waterfall, but was fantastic nonetheless. On the path up to the falls, we could hear and feel how surprisingly powerful the little waterfall was, with water pounding into a small pond at the base. The part that sets Seljalandsfoss apart from others is the path that loops completely behind the falls. With the wind ripping against the cliffs, we got absolutely soaked, but laughed our way through it all. As if we didn't expect the result we got, we dipped our hands in the pond and guess what... it was cold. There were several other waterfalls on a path to the west, but with more on the list and a hankering for a hot cup of coffee, we skipped the hike and kept on down the road.

Next up was Skógafoss, which according to legend, is home to a treasure buried by a giant viking. We didn't find any treasure, but we re-soaked ourselves in one of the biggest falls on the island. It is really shocking how so much water flows down these coastal falls, but the rivers at the bottom of them are almost always very calm. Strange, but it really allows you to get up close and personal with them, which is really fun ...hence the getting soaked. We went up a neverending staircase to the top of the falls and got a phenomenal view between 35 mph wind gusts! After making our way back down, a warm meal was absolutely necessary. Then back in the car, which has somehow tried to name itself Miles despite definitely being named Landon, to scoot down the road to our final stop.

Finally, we reached the Dyrhólaey nature preserve. This sweet little promontory is closed off during summer as a migratory bird breeding ground, but now only feathers, eggs shells, and incredible rock formations are left. On our way up to the viewpoint, we witnessed a few of the "thank your lucky stars that survival of the fittest doesn't apply to modern humans" types attempting to drive compact cars up a steep, gravel, 4WD-only road... a nice blend of funny and terrifying. Once at the top, we had an amazing view of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier to the north, a vast black sand beach to the west, Reynisdrangar to the east, and the Dyrhólaey Arch in the water to the south. With so much to stare in amazement at, our tired selves spent a good amount of time trying to soak it all in. Mýrdalsjökull is the fourth largest glacier on the island and sits atop a volcano that is about 20 years past due for an eruption. That pretty much sums up why Iceland is the land of fire and ice (calm down GoT fans, we're not there yet). The Dyrhólaey Arch (GoTers may freak out now) may look familiar, as it has adorned many a waiting room wall. Historically, the arch was a great navigational point for sailors, who called the area Portland because of the porthole-like opening in the lava. More importantly, the puffins (who have all gone out to see for the winter by now) absolutely love the steep sea cliffs. Reynisdrangar is a collection of basalt sea stacks, formed by lava and shaped by the unrelenting Atlantic. Of course, that's not the whole story according to folklore... it seems some trolls were up to no good, trying to pull ships out of the ocean onto the shore, when they lost track of time and the sunrise turned them to stone. I like that story better... but in a somehow darker reality, Reynisfjara Beach is known to have "sneaker waves" which, out of nowhere, send a massive wall of water significantly further up the beach than any of the previous waves and carry a powerful undertow that can carry a person far out to sea. Tourists die creepily often here, but that sort of power really goes to show how the amazing columns were formed. Pictures, of course, can never imitate the feeling being in a place like that gives you. Bitterly cold, we peeled ourselves away from our little heaven to head into Vík for the night.

After getting to bed in an actual hotel, we received a call from the hotel staff, letting us know that there was some faint Northern Lights activity! As a sort of once in a lifetime experience, we'll take faint. The best way I can describe it is as if someone were painting those wispy nighttime clouds in the sky. Sometimes a line would move quickly like whipping the brush, other times it would develop slowly in a small area... the bright colors we all associate with the dramatic pictures of the Northern Lights weren't there, but it still had a sort of magical feeling to it. The summary comes down to the fact that they're indescribable and we all accept how fortunate we are to have experienced them, no matter how weak they were.

Up next, more glaciers and black sand heading to the southeast!Read more