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Iceland Ring Road
  • Gail and Bruce Trips

Iceland Ring Road

Two-week plus motorhome cruise around Iceland via Iceland's route 1 - the Ring Road. Leggi altro
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  • Inizio del viaggio
    24 agosto 2024
    Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day - 1, Eruption

    23 agosto 2024, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Before we even checked-in for the flight to Iceland, news reports told of a new eruption in SW Reykjanes Peninsula, near our first stop - The Blue Lagoon. Icelandair assured us that there are no flight interruptions. Blue Lagoon sent a notice saying to use a temporary road to get to the thermal pools. News reports say the eruption is not threatening the town of Grundivik, that had been overrun by lava back in January.

    So, we get a taste of Iceland before leaving.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore
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    Day 1 - August 25 - Arrival

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Day 1, August 25 - Arrival and Into Iceland.

    Computer issues and no wifi at the campgrounds delayed getting started on this trip report.
    Holly and Nathan took Gail and I early to BWI for our 2030 flight. We met Marie, who had flown in earlier from Sarasota, at the security exit and had dinner with her, then caught our Icelandair non-stop to Keflavik airport, arriving at about 0600. As the plane turned, coming into Keflavik, I saw ribbons of red-orange lava out the window from the recent, and continuing, eruption. Cleared immigration and customs and collected our bags. The rental company office didn't open until eight so we waited. They picked us up at the airport and took us to their offices where we  picked up our  motorhome. Loaded up and headed off to The Blue Lagoon. Our route to the Lagoon took us within a mile of the ribbons I'd seen from the plane - not as dramatic in daylight but smoking and spitting red , even from a distance. The road to the Blue Lagoon had been cut by earlier lava flows and the management built a detour to the entrance.

    The Blue Lagoon is a mineral bath pool fed by the outflow from a large geothermal power plant. Iceland gets almost all its power from geothermal. The Lagoon is Iceland's "premier attraction" says the guidebook. It consists of a huge pool of the cooled power plant outflow, laden with dissolved minerals from inside the earth.  Guests enter at a large bathhouse, change, shower, and wade into the pool. At any one time there are hundreds of people wading around in chest-high water, some places shallower, some deeper. Each guest gets a free drink and a pat of minerals to apply on your face. The minerals are those extracted from the cooling water. We collected our drinks and did the facial thing. Gail and Marie relaxed after the flight. After about an hour we got out and had lunch there.

    We headed up to Reykjavik and stopped to get a supply of groceries and turned east through Selfoss and up to Geysir. Reykjavik is Iceland's largest city with about 300,000 population. The suburbs we saw were modern and bright. The grocery store, a chain throughout the country, was smallish but well stocked. The drive east through and past Selfoss was through green, well cultivated farmland. Selfoss's geothermal plants power large green houses that grow much of the country's produce. The land turned much bleaker as we neared Geysir. Only sparse, stunted trees dotted the increasingly barren, rocky ground. This geyser gives its name to all similar geothermal features. We pulled into our first campground just below the geothermal field and set up camp. The campgrounds was a thin grove of trees and meadow. There were a few campers there, already, and more arrived through the evening.
    Made supper of cold cut sandwiches and settled in.

    Setting up camp, in this case, means finding a level spot for the motorhome, connecting the electric cord to the power supply box, turning on the propane supply, and turning on the mains power, water pump, heating and water heater.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 2, Aug 26 - Geysir to Borgarnes

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    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.    Leggi altro

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    Day 3, Aug 27 - Snaefellnes Peninsula

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Up about eight for breakfast and break camp. Breaking camp entails somewhat the reverse of setting up - shut down the interior stuff and switch the cooler to battery power, disconnect the electric power, empty the toilet box, dump the "gray" water (from washing), and fill up the fresh water.

    In town we found the Settlement Center but it was still closed so we wandered through a small mall close by. When it opened, we toured the Settlement Center. This small museum presents the stories of the first settlers to the island with exhibit and an audio tour. The stories of the early people have been recorded in a series of "sagas" that are part history and some myth. The people and events are mostly real but the stories grew in the oral retelling down through the centuries. They were first written down in the 12th century. The audio tour details the Egillsaga - the story of Egill and his family. It was a pretty rigorous life and Egill was a rough lout who didn't get along well with his neighbors or the king of Norway, who ruled the island at the time. Egil fought with his family and made an enemy of the queen of Norway. In spite of his many adventures, he lived to his eighties.  The exhibit was well-presented, very enjoyable and informative.

    Headed west along the south coast of the Snaefellnes Peninsula. The landscape was the same green-barren vista that we've started to understand is the standard look of the country - hills and mountains of lava, tuft, and cinders, with waterfalls trickling, tumbling and sometimes gushing down the escarpment and running a short course to the sea (or, later, fiords).  The slopes and lowlands are green with stunted grasses and cultivated fields (mostly hay or alfalfa) and pasture for the small horses and sheep that wander the fields. We saw hardly any cattle, except at the dairy farm we visited yesterday. The sheep, of course, they farm for the wool but we were puzzled about were the horses. We learned that they used to use them for work but also for food. The farms are widely-spaced and look lonely. We speculated about how the kids get to school and learned later that they bus them into a central school. Another regular feature of the landscape is a lonely spire of a small church on a hill.

    The land has been sculpted by the glaciers and eruptions that mark its history. We passed several small calderas. The slopes rise to steep, cinder and tuft buttes that have been sheared by glaciers and then filled in by erosion.

    To the left, the fiord ran. occasional rock formations jutted out of the shallow water. A lighthouse came and went. Rolled through Buthir and stopped at a recommended tiny fish soup place along a small bay in Hellnar - great! Into the national park at the west tip of the peninsula below the retreating glacier that covers Snaesfell mountain. At the visitor's center, a semi-tame arctic fox (still in summer brown) prowled the picnic area looking for tidbits. Swung around the tip and stopped to climb cinder caldera, Holaholar, by means of a convenient metal-grate steps. Numerous other cinder cones dot the landscape in this area. Turning back east on the north coast, we stopped in Hellissandur at the Maritime Museum for a snack and visit, then continued east on the coast. Stopped to take pics of the Kirkjufell, the Church Mountain, so-named for its pointed shape. The road was uneven from frost heave but well maintained and hardly any potholes. Cruised into Stykkisholmur, where we found the campgrounds and set up. This campground is a grassy area next to the golf course. Fees for camping generally run about $10/ person, plus $8 for electricity. Made dinner of salad and sandwiches after walking around to scope out the facilities.

    We have been trying to get to the campsites by 1700 or 1800 on the guide book recommendation to beat the crowds and be sure of a space. In high season, this is necessary, but we are in shoulder season and there are fewer tourists. It stays daylight well past 2100 so we can be out or reading. Temperatures have been mild 50s during the day and 40s overnight. The weather has been great with sun and some clouds - far different from the rains we'd seen in the forecasts.    Leggi altro

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    Day 4, Aug 28 - Stikkisholmur to Hvammst

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Everything working well as we breakfasted and broke camp. Did a quick tour of the town with its modern church. Had the choice of getting to Hvammstangi by returning to Borgares via the paved road or going more directly by gravel road. We took the direct route and followed the 54 along the coast. The road was well-maintained and hard packed but with small potholes and corrugations. Some places bumpier than others and a few short, paved sections, usually at intersections. If we thought there were few farms on the way to Stkkisholmur, along here there were farms and fields but farther apart and smaller. Turned north on the 60 on asphalt and then east on the 586 to the Eriksstathir, home to Erik the Red, the viking famous in lore and father to Leif the Lucky who landed in Newfoundland. Erik lived here for ten years around 900 AD. The tourist site is a reconstruction of his sod covered house with period costumed docents who explained the history, living conditions, tools, and customs of his day. Leif was born here before rough-natured Erik was exiled for murdering a neighbor's slaves. He spent his exile in Greenland and returned to tell of a great land for colonizing. He returned to Greenland with a group of settlers and established two settlements. A few years later, Leif sailed out and discovered what is presumed to be New Foundland and stayed for a season or two.

    Back on the road north to Buthardalur for fuel after thinking about seeing the Leiferiksson museum (too pricey). Turned east climbing the gentle Laxa valley on sometimes gravel road. Over the crest and down into the Hruta Fiord. A little bit south around the bottom of the fiord, we caught the 1, the Ring Road, and headed north on pavement. The traffic was much heavier on the 1 but still light by our standards. The 1 is a better highway; smoother, wider, gentler curves. Cruised into Hvammstangi. Located the campground but went back into town to the Icelandic seal museum. Toured the museum, which tells of the seal life around the area. Got a few things at a grocery store then had great dinner at the restaurant above the museum - another guidebook recommendation. While waiting for dinner, I was able to get online for the first time since arriving and got some software I'd needed. Back to the campground to set up and watch the sunset. This campground sits high above the shore with a grand view to the west.    Leggi altro

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    Day 5, Aug 29 Hvammstangi to Siglufjor

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    The heat quit overnight so it was chilly in the morning; stove worked. Breakfast of enhanced oatmeal and broke camp. Headed north on the 711, which soon turned into gravel - and a rough gravel, at that. Continued slowly around the Vatnsnes Peninsula past more lonely farms with their white covered hay bales dotting the fields over rolling lowlands off the slopes of the inland buttes. Waterfalls punctuate the slopes. Swung around the north tip, still following the (somewhat better) gravel.

    South along the coast brought us to Hvitserkur, a lava intrusion standing tall above the waters of the fiord. We stopped along with all the other tourists to gawk at the rock. Leaving there we came upon a horse riding group on the road. Horse riding vacations are popular and we've seen many troops out and around. A bit more gravel before we crossed east to catch the 1, again. Headed north and pulled over in a roadside rest before Blonduos, where we stretched and made sandwich lunch. Through Blonduos and turned southeast following the Ring Road. Climbed up the Langi Valley and over the ridge into broad valley that dumps into the Skagafjorthur. Stopped for the magnificent view before crossing the valley and turning north along the fiord. Followed the 76 along the coast, admiring the rock buttes standing in the fiord. Similar stark, lonely landscape as we curved around one lobe of the Trollaskagi (the Troll Peninsula). Dipped Into one small fiord then around another lobe, through a one-lane tunnel and into Siglufjorthur.

    This once isolated harbor was the center of the hearing and cod fishing industry for six decades, starting around 1900. After some searching, we found the campground in the middle of town. Set up, walked around and had (expensive) dinner at the Siglo Hotel. Back to camp to relax and get showers. This was the first campground with showers since Geysir. Great to be clean! Heat working fine as we called it a night.

    Some things I think I know about reading and pronouncing Icelandic. The "j" should be thought of as an "y" for pronouncing and for translating. Icelandic has two Nordic language letters that both seem to be pronounced as "th." One is a capital D with a horizontal bar across the vertical stem of the D. This occurs often near the end of a word.
    An example is Icelandic for fiord - "fjorDur." (I write it as "fjorthur") So the place we are, Siglufjorthur, means "Siglu Fiord" or the fiord of the Siglu River.   The other looks like a Roman capital "I" with a smaller capital D stuck to the right center - maybe like a pooped out P. This usually comes at the front of the word. Many place names start with "Thor." This is a tribute to the Norse god of the same name. The Thingvellir Park uses this letter. I also see the place names tend to string together attributes. An example is the peninsula we went out after Borganes, Snaefellnes. I deduced that "nes" means peninsula and "fell" means mountain, so the translation is sort of, "the peninsula of the Snae mountain."    Leggi altro

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    Day 6, Aug 30: Siglufjorthur to Akureyri

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    We woke to blustery, overcast skies with a few drops of rain. We wanted to tour the Herring Era Museum but it didn't open until 10 so we made breakfast and walked around. Hit the museum when it opened. It tells the history of the Herring adventure, some of the people who helped make it, and some of the machinery and boats that powered it. The adventure ran from about 1900 to the bust in 1968. Ships from Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, and others plied the rich seas off the north coast. In bad weather, as many as 500 ships would crowd the harbor. The salting industry employed "Herring girls" to do the salting and they came from all parts of Iceland to work for the season. With all the sailors coming in and all the girls hanging out, Siglufjorthur was known as the dating capital of the country.

    I went over to the Icelandic Folk Music Museum and was shown around by the docent, a Greek working here for the season. The museum presents the work of a collector of folk music. There are pictures and bios of  contributors and video of Icelanders singing or chanting some of the music. He demonstrated two early, handmade instruments.

    We broke camp and headed south through a series of tunnels. First a seven kilometer long modern tunnel with good lighting and wide lanes. This dumped out onto a green valley before plunging back into a second good tunnel for a few kilometers. Out into another valley and Olafsfjorthur before winding up the mountain a bit and into an older, poorly lighted, one-way tunnel (like the one we went through coming into Siglufjorthur). These tunnels have pull-outs about every quarter mile and the traffic with the pull-out on the right is expected to pull over to let the other direction by. It was not a problem to negotiate.

    Followed the Eyjafjorthur coastline through towns that the guidebook had a few attractions but we didn't stop. The weather had cleared but with strong, gusty winds that buffeted the camper.  Came into Akureyri in the afternoon on Friday and looked for the campground. Two were listed but we searched for the in-town one in vain. We had no better luck finding the one listed as south of town. Tried again to find the in-town one, only to learn it had closed several years ago. Searched again for south of town and found it only by asking some locals who led us to the place high on the hillside overlooking the airport and the head of the fiord. Knowing where it was, we back into town for fuel and searching for a restaurant in the center of the town. In spite of having the address and a photo of the front, we couldn't find it. Settled for Indian curry and went back to the campground. Set up and tried to catch up. This place had wifi and I was able to connect for browsing. Campground fees are a bit more expensive up north; here, we're paying about $20/senior/night, plus electric, about $7. The wind was still gusty and strong as we relaxed and into our sleep; the camper rocked in the wind.    Leggi altro

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    Day 7, August 31 - Akureyri to Myvatn

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    The wind abated overnight and it was calm in the morning. Broke camp and toured Akureyri. The church overlooks old town Akureyri where we looked for dinner, last night. The church here was modeled after the Hallgrimskirkja in Reykjavik. Toured a beautiful and extensive garden, said to be the second northernmost in the world (Norway has the first). Headed east on the 1 with a look at Akureyri from the other side of the fiord. Stopped at Godafoss, another huge waterfall. It passes the fourth-largest volume of water in the country. We walked along one side, crossed over and walked along the other side, taking pictures of the cataracts and the frozen lava flows exposed by the river's erosion. Legend says, in 1000, the chief law reciter for the country was tasked with deciding whether the country should convert to Christianity. He chose to do so and on his way home, he threw his pagan idols into the falls. Hence the name, "waterfall of the gods" - Godafosss.

    Back on the road, we headed north through a old, old lava field and along the coast to Husavik. Pulled into the picturesque harbor and walked around. They have a pretty church above the harbor. Husavik is noted for their whale-watching tours and several companies were preparing watchers and going out to watch. The watchers were bundled into large safety jumpsuits for the experience. Husavik is also home to the whale museum. We spent a good hour or more learning all about whales and seeing the exhibits and skeletons. Back outside, we opted for something fishy on the harbor and stopped into a restaurant for the fish stew - delicious!.

    The wind had been picking up all afternoon and was strong as we headed south on the 87, climbing up and over a big hill, fighting the head- and side winds. Normally the camper holds its own even up some grades but today I had to downshift and really power up the slopes. The view as we rolled down into the Myvatn Lake was worth it. The lake spreads out wide and long with past eruption cones and distant buttes ringing it. After checking two of the campgrounds, we chose one and set up. The campground has a lava field right in front and I explored that. We watched the sunset over the lake and relaxed. Bed around 2200, as usual.    Leggi altro

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    Day 8, Sep 1: Myvatn to Myvatn (again)

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Myvatn is a large, shallow lake that sits directly on the mid- Atlantic ridge and shows many of the volcanic effects of its location: mud pots, fumaroles, craters, and eruption cones, more than anywhere else in the country. An eruption 10,000 years ago under the then-present glacier, formed the flat-topped mountains (mobergs) that I've been calling buttes. More eruptions spread lava in thick sheets all the way to the fiord to the north - more than 40 miles. More craters were formed and more lava flowed over the centuries with the most recent eruptions in the 1720s. The small town of Reykjahlith sits at the northeast corner of the lake, just a half mile from the campground. In a nine-year string of eruptions in the 1720s, the church in Reykjahlith (that we can see from our campground and which has been rebuilt, twice) was miraculously saved from the lava flow. The lava destroyed the rest of the town but missed the church when the lava parted and flowed on either side.

    Our day dawned windy with a low-hanging dust layer that obscured some of the hills and mobergs that had been so clear, yesterday. We learned that the wind had picked up dust and sand from the interior of the country and carried it across here. We broke camp and started south on the 848 around the lake.

    We immediately were stopped by a large gathering of people (over a hundred) at a sheep pen along the road. On the first Sunday in September, the farmers gather to sort the sheep. The sheep had been grazing unattended since May and we're rounded up and brought here. Now the farmers, their kids, cousins, and anyone else jumped into the pen and tried to identify their sheep by the ear tags. Everyone seemed to be having a grand time. They had a tent set up to sell hot dogs and snacks. Naturally the tourists stopped to take in the sight and we did, too.

    Continuing south through the lava field, we came to Hofthi, a wooded lava mound turned into a nature preserve. We walked around the footpaths and viewed the lava pillars that rise from the lake. These pillars are formed when lava flows over water or marsh. The trapped water flashes to steam and shoots through the lava, cooling a tube around the escape vent. The rest of the lava, still hot, may flow on or settle but the tubes remain.

    Swung around to the west on the south shore of the lake. The visitor's center for the nature preserve is there among the collection of pseudo-craters. These craters are also formed when lava flows over wet ground and the trapped steam blows a caldera-shaped cone of lava, cinders and ash. The visitor's center had good displays but no brochures - go online. We caught the 1 on the west side of the lake and headed north, stopping to eat the sandwiches we'd made this morning while sitting in the bird sanctuary. Visited the small but modern bird museum and had an informative conversation with the docent there. She told us about the origins of today's dust. As we continued north the air had cleared some and the Hverfjall crater was visible on the east side of the lake. It is the result of a huge eruption some 2700 years ago and has a nearly perfect shape of a volcanic cinder cone.

    Completing our circle, we headed east on the 1 a few kilometers. Stopped to look at the new mineral baths complex that is similar to the Blue Lagoon and powered the same way with spent water from the nearby geothermal power plant. Didn't go in but continued over the hill to the geothermal fields of Hverir. This area is an active volcanic zone from the Krafla volcano. The somewhat small area has mud pots, fumaroles, and steam vents. The sulphur smell is powerful. We walked around taking pics and marveling.

    We returned to the same campground as last night and set up again. Took advantage of the laundry service to have two loads done. Dinner of salad and soup and watch the sunset.    Leggi altro

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    Day 9, Sep 2: Myvatn to Reytharfjorthur

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    The day started clear, calm and bright. French toast for breakfast and broke camp early -about 0900. East on the 1, onto a vast, bleak, windswept lava field. The land was stark and barren; if we thought it was lonely other places we'd driven through, on this wide plain it was positively desolate. The landscape was broken lava with practically nothing growing: no trees or shrubs, hardly any grass, no animals or fences. The skies were clear and the winds calm so we rolled along at 55 - 60 mph. Turned north on the 862 to the entrance to Dettifoss.

    Dettifoss is Iceland's and Europe's biggest (by volume) falls. It, and its sister Selfoss a quarter mile upstream, are in the Vatnajokull National Park. The 100-meter-wide falls passes 400,000 cubic meters of water per second. The spray from it can be seen from the road, a mile away. We walked out to the edge, and took in the thundering torrent, churning dark and grey. The sun was right to catch a small rainbow from one overlook. Walked up to Selfoss, which is impressive in its own right - reminds me of Victoria, long with multiple falls.

    Back to the 1 and east across the broad, desolate lava fields. To the south rose a near-perfect circular mountain in the distance. Traffic, for the most part, was sparse. We might pass a car going the other way once in three to five minutes. As we got closer to the coast, the weather darkened and grew overcast. More empty land until we dropped down into the Jokladalar, the Glacier Valley, leading down to the coast. Now we were in light rain and low clouds. The landscape changed abruptly as we descended the valley, laced with waterfalls on both sides. The steep side hills and valley floor were green with grass and hay fields. The long, glacial valley was festooned with waterfalls tumbling and crashing down the sides. We stopped at several. At Egilsstathir, we stopped for lunch at a N1 gas/convenience store.

    We took a side trip up and over the steep hill and down into the "bohemian" art town and cruise ship stop of Seythisfjorthur. The guidebook says if you only visit one village on the east coast, this is the one. The steep, winding drive down the upper valley is full of waterfalls.  The cute village has wildly painted houses and the famous rainbow sidewalk up to the church. This is also the port at which the ferry to Europe docks. Back up and over the hill and turned south on the Ring Road. We continually marveled at the waterfalls tumbling down the escarpment as we made our way into Reytharfjorthur. Found the campground and set up. Good facilities here so showered. Up above the campground is a log Catholic church with great views over the harbor. Soup for dinner and connected to wifi for only the third time on the trip. Was able to post entries to the travel blog for the first time.

    A couple more observations about driving. The roads are ALL two-lane asphalt paved roads (except for the gravel roads, of course). Still finding them somewhat uneven and wavy - no potholes, though. The roads authority doesn't go in much for guardrails. Most roads are somewhat elevated above the surrounding surface so there is always a drop-off to the side. On the climbs and descents over the mountains and down the valleys, the banked curves may have a steep embankment, tens of feet deep - no guardrails. Even on the almost-switchback climbs and drops to Seythisfjorthur, no guardrails! Another thing they don't have here is billboards. I think I saw some around Reykjavik but haven't seen a one since. Traveling down the coast, today, we crossed many one-lane bridges. Traffic is light enough that this works. Warning signs slow you down approaching the bridge and the vehicle closest to the bridge assumes right of way, while opposing traffic, if any, waits. Another thing they have a lot of is roadside rests. Alert signs tell you a half a kilometer ahead that one is coming up. They're usually gravel pull offs , many with information plaques, some with tables, all with a view.    Leggi altro

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    Day 10, Sep 3: Reytharfjorthur to Skafta

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Up to a sunny day with a bit of breeze. Broke camp and headed south along the 1 and alongside the Reytharfjorthur, the first of many fiords we’d coast alongside of. Scenery incredibly beautiful with the green lowlands climbing and giving way to the brown-purple scree and cliffs on the escarpments projecting into the sea, always ribboned with waterfalls, small and mighty. Farther out in the fiord, we saw a dozen or so large pens in the water and figured they were fish farms. We saw them in another fiord further south, too. Around the point and down one side and up the other of a new fiord – same breathtaking beauty with the sun shining just right for great views.

    Stopped at Petra's Stone Collection. This huge collection of Iceland’s rocks and minerals is the life’s work of Petra, a local in Faskruthsfjorthur. She wandered the surrounding countryside and mountains, picking up those she thought worthy of note and brought them home. Almost all the pieces are from the east region of the country. She also collected figures, wood carvings, and several other things. As her collection grew, she invited friends, and later, the public to see it. The entire house is lined with shelves and etageres displaying thousands of rocks, some cut and polished, others simply cleaned. After she died, her daughters turned the home into a museum and it is a “must see” on the tour bus circuit.

    Continued in and out of the fiords going south. Several of the fiords have sand bars across the mouth close to the Atlantic, sometimes completely cutting off the outflow except for a rushing rivers. These sand bars create lagoons behind them that have their own ecosystem. Passed a dairy farm, one of the few we've seen. More of the same glacier-carved landscape as we started to se the Vatnjokull Glacier on our right, its many arms reaching almost to the sea, here. Stopped in Hofn to see the set of huge stone eggs. Across outwash plains to Jokulsarlon.

    At Jokullsarlon, a glacier arm comes almost to the coast and calves icebergs into a short river before dumping them into the surf. The surf breaks up the 'bergs into small pieces of ice that are washed back onto the beach, creating “Diamond Beach.” We stopped to see the ‘bergs (along with hundreds of buses and cars of tourists. It was the most crowded we’d been since Blue Lagoon.) A short drive south brought us to Fjallsarlon - another, smaller, less visited version of the same thing (glacier calving ‘bergs into a short river to the sea). Here, an outfitter will take you hiking onto the glacier or kayaking around the ‘bergs.

    Continued south along the coast with the glacier looming large on our right. Entered the Vatnjokull National Park and camped at the visitor’s center in Skaftafell. Walked around and watched the sunset on the peaks in front of us. Marie hiked up to the nearby Svartifoss.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 11, Sep 4: Skaftafell to Selfoss

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    It was clear with weak sunshine while we breakfasted and broke camp. As we headed west, we swept across the Sheithararsandur, a vast, flat glacial outwash plain. This 1,300 square kilometer plain is the result of repeated "glacial bursts" that carried tons of sediment down the slopes and fanned out over the plain.

    The Vatnajokull ice cap sits on six active volcanos and several thermal hotspots. It also sits over basins filled with water from melting. Occasionally, temporary lakes form under the glacier and suddenly burst from under it and down to the valleys or coast. This has happened numerous times in this spot and created the sandur. This geologic feature here is so impressive that it has given its name (singular: sandar) to all such features worldwide. (That's the second geologic feature that gave its name to all such in the world - remember geyser?)

    As we crossed the 60-mile plain, the weather started to lower and darken. Soon we were in rain, light at first but sometimes getting heavy. The road touched the steep-sided mobergs and we stopped to see the tall Foss a Sithu. Passed through Kirkjubaejarklaustur then across a vast lava field. The ancient lava here is covered with thick moss.  The rain, appropriately enough, increased as we approached Vik, the rainiest town in Iceland. Vik is also home to the black sand beaches and the Reynisdranger, tall basalt columns sticking up out of the black sand just offshore. Stopped to look from one side then drove around the hill and saw them from the other side - where there are also the iconic basalt hexagonal column walls. Saw, in the distance, the basalt intrusion with the arched opening (Dyrholaey) up the coast. Grabbed a smoked salmon bagel at the cafe and continued on to a side trip to the Solheimer, where you can walk up near the end of the glacier. Another place where outfitters will take you hiking on it or kayaking around the calved icebergs in the lagoon.

    The weather until now has been great! Only one day of rain (until today) and comfortable temps (40s and 50s). We haven't needed the long underwear and heavy coats. Mostly I walked around in a flannel shirt and light vest with a headband. Once we figured out the heat, we kept it on 2 or 3, of 5. A few times we needed windbreakers when the wind howled but mostly a light coat was enough.

    Traffic, as we headed south and west has been gradually increasing since we left the east fiords. Now we're seeing traffic of two to four cars per minute. Farther west we stopped at Skogafoss, a wide, thundering falls dropping a shear 200 feet. You can walk right up to this on - under it, if you dare. Marie walked up the 527 steps to the upper overlook.

    Other falls along the way caught our attention but we'd all been waiting for Seljalandsfoss. This 180-foot, shear drop isn't as big as Skogafoss but you can easily walk behind this one. Marie and I did. The exit from behind the cascade passes right under the thin ribbon of water to the left. Even in the second or two it took to walk through that stream, I got drenched. Had a wind breaker on so only my pants got wet from the pounding stream.

    Continued into the Golden Circle area through Hella and into Selfoss. We'd passed through Selfoss when we headed out, 11 days ago. This time we located the campground and registered then went out for dinner at a Rick Steves recommended place, Kaffi Krus. Back to set up at the campground and relax as the rain continued.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 12, Sep 5: Selfoss to Reykjavik

    25 agosto 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    The motorhome shook through the night with gust and the day dawned blustery and rainy. Breakfasted, packed suitcases and cleaned the interior. Set off about 0930 west and pulled in to Hveragerthi. This town, only 20 miles outside Reykjavik, sits on an active geothermal area. In the center of town is a geothermal park. The park has boiling pots, mud pots and a geyser. The locals have long used the geo-sources to cook and heat their homes. Toured the park (where you can boil an egg in one pot) and the geo-thermal heated greenhouse, where they grow tropical flowers and bananas! At the town Information center, a block away, they have a simulator that mimics a 6.6 magnitude earthquake. I stepped into that and had the experience! It bucked and shook, almost knocking me down. Wouldn't want to go through that in real life!

    Back on the 1 heading west. Stopped at the ON geothermal plant. This plant produces electric power by tapping the hot water and steam heated by the magma deep below the island. We looked at the extensive information on the process and toured the geothermal exhibit - with a look at the turbines and reprocessing set up. The power generator partners with a carbon capture and storage company to recover the CO2 and other by-products from the water and steam and re-injects it into basalt formations deep underground. There, it reacts with the rock to form solids that are trapped forever in the basalt.

    It was windy and raining as we covered the few remaining kilometers into Reykjavik. Traffic was now big-city-ish, with 4-lanes highways and jams. Into downtown searching for the hotel. Took a while but found it, dropped bags and left Gail, then headed to the airport 25 miles south. Stopped to wash the motorhome and final fuel up. Turned the van in without problem and caught the bus back to R and a smaller bus to the hotel about 1700. Done with camping!

    Gail had checked us in and was waiting at the room. It was a toss-up as to whether a meal or a shower was more important - hadn't had lunch. We opted for food and went a few doors down to Fish Mart, as recommended by the desk clerk. Naturally, we had fish. I didn't think much of the two spring rolls I had but Gail and Marie liked their orders. Back to the hotel crash without a shower.

    Two personal rants: It irks me no end to pay exhorbitant prices for food. For me, food is fuel for the body and a hamburger from McDonald's is about as good as a salmon steak. I appreciate a well-prepared meal and enjoy good food but not enough to break the bank for it. Food is very expensive in Iceland. My two standard-size spring rolls (with garnish and sauce) were $57! The fish soups we've had at various places have run around $32. This, in a country that has a large fishing industry. Other menu items are similarly dear.

    Number two: I hate duvets. Most hotels, certainly in Europe and now in the US, provide heavy duvets instead of a sheet and blankets. Our hotel has them. They are far too warm for me. I wake up suffocatingly hot and throw off the duvet only to wake later chilled without it. I spent the night like that and didn't get good rest.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 13, Sep 6; Reykjavik 1

    7 settembre 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Up early for a good breakfast at the hotel (great, wide-ranging spread). Out to catch the Hop-on/Hop-off city tour bus to get an overview of the city. The tour took us past the shopping district, past museums and the hospital, by the central church, Hallgrimskirkja, to the Perlan science museum, past the harbor and port, past the house in which Reagan met Gorbachev to talk detente, by the Harpa concert venue, through downtown, and back to our starting point. The bus provides earbuds and you can listen to a description (in multiple languages) of what we're seeing as we roll along.

    We stayed on for a second round and hopped off at the church. In front of the church is a stature of Lieferiksson (Lief the lucky, Erik the Red's son), who discovered North America. The statue was a gift from the US to celebrate 1000 years of parliamentary rule (Remember the Althingi in 930?). The Hallgrimskirkja is named for a 19th century hymn writer who, among other things, wrote a Passion cycle of 52 hymns still used today. The church sits on the highest hill in the city with stunning views. The exterior and interior suggest the hexagonal basalt columns seen around the country in the lava formations. I rode up the bell tower to get the view over the city. Across the street is the former studio and home of a 20th century sculptor and a sculpture garden of some of his works, which we toured.

    Jumped back on the bus and up to the Perlan (translated "Pearl"). This jewel of a museum sits on a wooded hill and uses six old hot water storage tanks crowned with a glass dome to exhibit the geology, flora and fauna, and natural history of the country. We started off with a great planetarium show on the Northern Lights. The museum has extensive displays and explanations of types of volcanos and their formation and evolution. We caught a snack and drink up in the rotating restaurant under the dome while admiring the ever-changing view. The place has some of the most innovative interactive displays I've seen - a display table where you move a 5-inch ring over spots on it to reveal descriptions and additional information and a wall where, when you stand on a certain spot, you can point your arm to move a cursor on the wall to reveal more information. There are displays on glaciers and their formation. There are five floors of exhibits and an indoor fountain that shoots up to the fifth floor. Finally, a real Ice Cave. The cave is a frozen maze of passageways through ice, chilled to about 14 degrees Fahrenheit that you walk through to experience what it's like to be inside a glacier, including the sounds. This is one of the best museums I've ever been in and the highlight of the day.

    Outside we caught the bus back to our starting point as the day finished up. It was chilly and damp in Reykjavik, compared to the north. All day the skies were overcast with a good breeze. We refreshed at the hotel then went down the street for good pizza and salad at 101 Bistro. Gail relaxed at the hotel while I went searching for live music. I walked up the main shopping street, Laugavegur, checking out pubs and the stores. One street had rainbow stripes painted on it leading up to the Hallgrimsa church. Found the place I'd been told about and found it does have a and but won't start until 21:30. Back at the hotel I caught up on this blog as the rain started.

    The architecture in the country is minimalist and unimaginative. The houses and buildings are blocky and plain.  The people counter this by painting things in bright and varied colors. Construction is mainly in concrete with stucco-like or corrugated tin exteriors. Reykjavik is also noted for the wall murals all over town.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 14, Sep 7: Reykjavik 2

    7 settembre 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    The rain cleared out overnight and the day was sunny, bright and breezy. After breakfast at the hotel, we went next door, literally, to the Settlement Center. This museum is located underground and is the site of an archeological excavation of a turf-roofed long house, supposedly from about 872. The site was discovered during the construction of the hotel we're staying at, Reykjavik Centrum. The displays on the walls tell the story of the earliest settlers and the discovered artifacts have been dated accurately to plus or minus two years. The description of the long house was very similar to the reconstructed house of Erik the Red that we saw. The wall displays continue the settlement story through the centuries to the early 20th century. It was very informative.

    Icelanders take a lot of pride in their history. The country is the only one in the world that has its entire history documented. There were no people here before the first documented settlers and they have kept good oral records and sung its legends ever since. The earliest years, beginning around the 870s, was documented in writing by the 11th century. The Sagas are part of the histories, and they are reasonably true. The histories of herring and cod wars over many centuries is well documented. We've been exposed to various parts of these histories as we've traveled the Ring Road. The Settlement Center provided a recap and a continuous story. This city, Reykjavik (Smokey Bay, probably because of steam vents across the bay), traces its origin to the first recorded settler, Ingolfur Arnarsen, who built the first farm here in 872 or so. The city can trace land ownership from Anarsen's time to incorporation.

    We walked over to the Flea Market held on Saturday and Sunday. A few dozen stalls were selling a mix of cheap woolen goods, Icelandic foodstuffs (we sampled the dried cod, ok), antiques, and typical flea market trinkets and t-shirts. Walked on past the famous hotdog stand, with a line 20-long even this early. It was blustery and a bit chilly as we approached the Harpa, the principal event venue in the capital. This glass prism enclosed, awesome building is home to the country's symphony, opera, chorale, and big band. We got tickets for a show tomorrow afternoon and walked around inside. Strolled along the Old Harbor walkway to the Viking boat sculpture. Turned into town and climbed the slope to the shopping street, Laugavagur. Walked and looked in the shops then stopped for a pastry and coffee at Sandholt. Down the street and more shops until, at the bottom, a government office building, the office of the speaker of parliament - un-pretentious and plain. Back to the hotel for a rest from walking.

    I walked up Tungata to check out the Catholic church and mass times. After the Catholic church was built in 1929, the Lutheran fathers decided they needed a better church. So they hired the same architect to design what is the Hallgrimskirkja that rises higher than the catholic church. Lutherans outnumber Catholics by about 9 to 1. Back to report on my walk. We'll probably go out for dinner in a short time.

    We went out looking for dinner, for a guidebook recommended but they were booked up. Down the street and around the corner, we came to Hresso, billed as "The Original Icelandic Bistro." Had a great dinner with a starter of an Icelandic Taster plate, which had dried, pounded fish with butter, smoked salmon, pickled herring, artic char mousse, bacalao mousse, flat bread, rye bread, and a couple other things - Great! For main course, Gail and Marie had the lamb chop while I opted for the fish pie - also good. (Here I am raving about food after ranting about it the other day.) Back to the hotel.

    Some things we didn't do: No hiking. Marie did some small hikes some evenings after we camped but we were on the move and couldn't find the time. There are, however, plentiful hiking trails all over the island and helpful maps at many roadside rests. It's a hiker's paradise. We didn't see the northern lights - it's not the time of year. Didn't go to the Westfiords. Too far to go in our time frame. There are hundreds of places and attractions we didn't see, even though they were on our route. We had to pick and choose. It's trite but true, the more you see, the more you know there is more to see.    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 15, Sep 8: Reykjavik 3

    8 settembre 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    Breakfast at the hotel and then walked up Tungata under sunshine but with a rainbow to the west. Attended mass in the church I described yesterday. This mass was in Icelandic but we could follow it reasonably well. Walked back to the Centrum to do a little packing and relax. Walked over to the Harpa concert hall for the performance.

    The Harpa main hall is darkly simple and elegant. The same austere utilitarian style presented itself in the seating and adornments. The performance was, "Kalabante: Africa in Circus." A troop from Guinea in east Africa put on an energetic and enthusiastic combination of music, dance, drumming, acrobatics, and contortions that delighted the audience. It was a little like Cirique de Soleil, but intensely African in feel. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

    Searched for a place for lunch only to find most places close around 14:00 and re-open around 17:00. Chose the Apotek and had a nice brunch while others were having Tea. Back to the hotel past the Parliament building and the statue of the first woman leader of parliament in 1922. More packing, then I took a walk around "the Pond," the small lake behind the city hall. The walk was filled with great views of the city bathed in sunshine, statues, waterfowl, and strollers. Almost back to the hotel, I finally came on something we'd been searching for, the statue of "The Faceless Bureaucrat!" This whimsical blockhead elicits a lot of visitors. Back at the hotel, lunched on the remains of our camping trip while we Watched BBC. Checked in online and printed passes. We've pretty well seen as much of Reykjavik as we want to, although there is much more to see.

    Observations on having the motorhome. It was mostly positive. It was expensive but allowed us super flexibility. With the easy and wide availability of campsites, we were virtually assured of a site any night. We changed our route several times during the days' travels and wound up at a different place than where we'd started for in the morning. During high season it might not have been quite so easy because the campgrounds fill-up. Once I got used to driving it and we figured out the heating system, the van worked well - barring the high-wind days up around Myvatn. I figured the van got about 18 mpg so it was not too bad. We saved on food by bringing basics and buying at the grocery store. The van fit three of us but was a little tight. I'm not sure we'd want to fit more. We were able to go wherever we wanted. We'd consider doing it again. We spent 12 days touring the Ring Road -a day or two more would not be wasted. As I said, we saw what we wanted in Reykjavik in three days. It's been a great trip!    Leggi altro

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  • Gail and Bruce TripsIceland Ring RoadViaggiatore

    Day 16, Sep 9: Reykjavik 4 - Heading Hom

    9 settembre 2024, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Breakfast at the hotel and deciding what to do. Marie and I walked over toward the old harbor and along the reclaimed shoreline, now protected by large boulders. Snapping a few more pics of wall murals. Gail charged me with finding a gift for the cat-sitters back home and I got some salt. Did final packing and a short walk through the city hall and its huge contour display of the country, then around the "Pond." Back at the hotel, we checked out. We asked for a taxi, expecting to wait half an hour but the driver was there as we walked away from reception - he'd been waiting for a fare out front and got the dispatch call immediately. We chatted with him on the 45-minute ride to Keflavik airport - from Serbia, been here 20 years, has a son following him as a football (soccer) player. We were early for our flight so had some lunch and killed time. Flight left a bit late but flew over Greenland on the way. Looked down on the flowing glaciers and calved icebergs in the fiords. We arrived in BWI on time but then joined two other flights trying to get through customs. We shuffled and snaked in the waiting line for an hour and a half before finally seeing one of the two agents processing the three flights! Holly and Nathan wanted for us outside and drove us home, getting there about 23:00.

    I had been a little nervous about not knowing the language when we started but soon found that just about everyone speaks English, as well as Icelandic. One person said they learn it in school but also need it to follow entertainment. Anyone connected with the tourism industry, of course, has English but we also heard Icelanders chit-chatting among themselves in English.    Leggi altro

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    Fine del viaggio
    9 settembre 2024