Day 2, Aug 26 - Geysir to Borgarnes

Up to discover the overnight heating was working and it was cold inside. Breakfast of enhanced oatmeal and walked up to the geothermal field. The field consists of mud pots, boiling springs, high temperature pools and two geysers. The namesake Geysir is active but rarely erupts. The other, Strokker, erupts about every five to ten minutes, shooting boiling water and steam about 30 feet into the air. Walked among the features, waited for a couple eruptions, and visited the gift shop before packing up.

We headed east a short drive to Gullfoss, the "Golden Falls." This thundering cascade drops over one step then plunges into a narrow gorge. Back the way we came and west to start our dive to Thingvellir National Park. Driving the secondary roads was pleasant; the pavement is a little narrow and the surface sometimes uneven but we rolled along at 55 mph in light traffic. The land was cultivated in the lowlands but mostly rocky scree as the elevation climbed. Stopped for a recommended ice cream at a family-run dairy where you sit and watch the cows munching in their stalls behind glass windows while you order and eat your treat.

On to Thingvellir. This national park is both a geologic and a cultural site. It is here that the mid- Atlantic ridge comes to the surface. This ridge runs the length of the Atlantic Ocean and is where the European and the north American tectonic plates are moving apart as new magma wells up from the mantle. In the Thingvellir valley, the mountains on the east side sit on the American plate; while the mountains on the west side sit on the European. The two sides are moving apart at the rate of a few centimeters per year (an inch or so). The site's cultural significance is that, since the Commonwealth times beginning in 930, the population met here annually to review laws and make judgements. In 982, the people formed the first parliament. Since then, important national celebrations have taken place here. We drove into the park and walked up the east side along the river that falls over the basalt rock ledge and up onto the plateau. Back the other way, we walked up to the "Law Rock," where the Law Speaker recited the law, passed judgement, and enacted punishments. In more modern times, the Icelanders gathered here in1944 to celebrate their independence from Denmark. An overlook at the South end gave a great view across the valley.

Continued west taking the route 48 through a green valley mostly devoid of development - only scattered farms and houses. The landscape is always empty; few habitations, no trees, lots of rocks, steep scree-covered mountains. Steam vents dot the landscape where a private owner or a commercial operation is tapping the ground heat. Iceland produces more geothermal energy per Capita than any other nation. Drove along several fjords on our way to Borgarnes. Found the campsite and set up. This campsite was a gravel lot at the head of the Borgar fjord. We had a great view of the sunset behind the hills.  Made soup and salad dinner and called it night.Read more