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Iceland
  • Roger Demuth
Ogo – Sep 2024

Iceland

Pengembaraan 11hari oleh Roger Baca lagi
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  • Permulaan perjalanan
    31 Ogos 2024
    Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara

    Arrival in Rekjavik

    1–2 Sep 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Arrived in Reykjavik after stopping in Chicago where we met up with Claire and Carl. Picked up by a driver who took us to our hotel, the Fosshotel Reykjavik. On the drive we got glimpses of the erupting volcano. Luckily the hotel had an early checkin option as we arrived there a bit after 9 am.

    The next morning Carl and I picked up our car - a Toyota RAV4 and away we went on a counter clockwise driving circle of Iceland.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Rift
    Start of the Geysir FieldGeysirGullfossKerid CraterView from the Hotel

    The Golden Circle

    2 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ 🌬 46 °F

    Off we go on the so called Golden Circle. First stop Thingvellir National Park. This is one of the places where the rift between the two tectonic plates is most obvious. Then we went to Geysir for a somewhat lackluster show of geothermal activity. Next was the Gulfoss waterfall which was quite a sight. Along the way to our hotel we stopped at the Kerid Crater, left from an older eruption. Stopped for the night in Selfoss.Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Seljaland
    Gljufrabui - The Hidden WaterfallClaire and Carl in the Hidden WaterfallSkogafossAt the Top

    Waterfalls

    3 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    Stopped at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can walk behind the falls and Claire and Carl did. We also walked a bit further to see the Gljufrabui waterfall which is sort of hidden in a narrow cleft in the cliff. Carl and Claire ventured in to see it in all its glory resulting in a pretty good soaking. Luckily they wore mostly rainproof gear.

    Then we were off to the Skogafoss waterfall. At the base was a nice rainbow. But there was also a long set of stairs to get to the top of the waterfall. We didn’t have much time, but three of us managed to get to the top.

    We also stopped at the beach of Renisfjara with a large rock arch and basalt columns.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Claire Ready to Ride
    GlacierGlacier and Wedding CoupleReynisfjara Black Sand Beach

    ATV Ride

    3 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Took a ride on ATVs around a glacial plain, onto the black sand beach and up through / around a glacial melt stream. Carl and Claire on one with Claire driving and Gail and Roger on another with Roger driving. Was a 2 hour ride with a few stops along the way. Nine total ATVs and we would stay on the “roads” and be single file following the guide. Of course the roads are just ATV trails - rough, rocky, full of muddy puddles and plenty of washboards.

    The guide told us we would be driving mostly 30-40 km/hr (18-24mph) and that we should maintain about 30 feet of distance between each other. But, of course, if there were any laggards we would have to wait for them. As it turned out, Claire and Carl were right behind the guide and Gail/Roger 2nd in line. We had no trouble keeping up with the guide but it become clear in the first few minutes of the ride that many of the rest couldn’t handle it. We had to stop and wait after maybe 5 minutes for the laggards, some of whom were probably already a half mile behind. Many more stops followed. At our first scheduled stop on the black sand beach, I commented to the guide that we had some slowpokes. He said: yes, I wish I just had you first 2 pairs.

    All in all though was a fun time. Saw the remnants of an old DC-3 that made an emergency landing there 50+ years ago. Not much left of it now. Traveled along an expansive black sand beach. Went through streams and puddles some of which had to be 18” deep. At one point we did get past 60 km/hr (36mph).

    After the ATV ride, we took a little detour to see a glacier. Short hike out to it, but it had receded substantially the past few years, so we didn’t get all that close. There was a bride and groom (we presume) who were walking all the way out to the glacier for pictures.

    Finally we stopped at the Reynisfjara beach with large basalt columns.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    View from the TopLava FieldBluebellsGlacier at the Trailhead

    Hiking

    4 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Stopped at a national park for some hiking. Gail and Claire took a glacier view hike while Carl and Roger did a slightly longer and steeper hike to a couple of waterfalls. Later on our way to the glacial lagoon, we followed an “F” road a couple of miles to a trailhead near the glacier.Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara

    Glacier Zodiak

    4 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Took a ride out onto a glacial lagoon on a zodiac boat. Fully fitted in flotation suits and life jackets. The guide joked that the suits would float us but only keep us warm for about a minute were we to go overboard.

    Shortly into the boat ride one of the larger bergs flipped over apparently due a chunk breaking off or just continued melting below the surface. We weren’t real close to it as it flipped, but we could certainly see it happen. When that happens, it exposes more of the blue glacial ice rather than the ice which has been exposed to the atmosphere which is more white colored.

    We then stopped and watched a seal lounging on very small berg. It didn’t seem to care that we were there.

    Finally we went off to the face of the glacier. The guide told us that several bergs had calved off that morning and we did see one that still had the blue coloration. He told us that one had calved off from underneath the water line.

    The face of the glacier is long - maybe a couple of miles. But what is hard to grasp is the height of the face. He told us that it was 150 to 300 feet tall. It was just difficult to find perspective on the size of it. Even more impressive when you consider that only 10% of floating ice shows above the surface. Yes, at that point the glacier is floating. Which means that the full face of glacier might be as much as a half mile high.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Salmon Farm
    Dust Storm

    Driving

    5 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    From Hofn we depart for a day mostly filled with driving. A big chunk of the driving was on a gravel road through fairly hilly and rugged terrain. We skipped some of the recommended stops because the day started out very wet and windy. Some very nice views though and as we went further, the day turned dry and sunny but still very windy. There were gusts over 60 mph. Saw some fish farms in a fjord.

    Took a side trip to Seyoisfjorour which is a nice little village at the end of a fjord. Had a nice lunch away from the crowds.

    We saw at one point a motor home that had apparently been blown off the road and overturned. Since the rain had stopped we were in a sort of a dust bowl for a while. A good chunk of the road leading away from the coast was gravel and Carl did a great job getting us past the slower cars on the road.

    Ended up at Myvatn for the evening.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Mobi - Our Truck
    Claire Ready to GoLava Tube EntranceThe "Oh My God!" HoleComing ThroughIce StalagmiteLava Field

    Lava Tube Ice Cave

    6 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F

    Claire, Carl and Roger went off to explore a lava tube ice cave with a guide. Two other people were on the excursion with us. We started with a 40 minute ride in a large truck with huge wheels where the tires are hooked into an automatic inflation system that allows the driver to inflate or deflate the tires based on need due to road conditions. The tires came up past my waist.

    The “road” we traveled on for most of the 40 minutes was more like an off road trail. We traveled at 5 to 10 mph for much of the ride. Then we had a 20 minute hike across a lava field to a small trailer that held our gear for the adventure. That was really just a hard hat with a headlamp and rubber boots with spikes for grip when walking on ice.

    Then it was down a metal staircase into this large hole. We waded 20 feet or so through a puddle to the cave entrance secured by a locked door. Once past the door we came to the “Oh My God hole”. So named, as our guide Bo explained, because many people say “Oh My God - I have to go through that?” when they first see it. The hole is sort of oval and maybe 3 feet wide and 18 inches tall and slopes up. Everyone made it through but our two co-excursionists were middle aged women from Australia and one of them was more than a bit challenged by it. I held a rope for her to pull on and Carl pushed her up by the bum

    Once through the hole it was another 10 feet or so before we could stand up and then we were on hands and knees through a short passage. Another small standing space and then through another tight squeeze in a section where the floor was pure ice. Basically you slid up a slope by pulling on a rope and then slid down a corresponding slope on the other side. From here on into the cave, the floor was always just ice.

    We went through several chambers, some with ice stalagmites and ended in a chamber that was perhaps 40 feet long, 10 feet wide and up to 15 feet tall. Bo also showed us that some of the ice stalagmites emitted a pleasant tone when they were gently thumped. Quite pretty between the ice and the colors of the rock formations. Then it was back the way we came. Spent a bit more than an hour total in the cave.

    Out of the cave and it was another 40 minute drive back to where we had started.

    Later that day we all went to a hot springs spa and soaked in the mineral water for an hour or so before stopping at a local restaurant for dinner.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Interesting Sculpture
    Herring BoatTunnel

    Herring Museum

    7 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ 🌬 48 °F

    Stopped at the Herring Museum. Herring were big business in Iceland, at point accounting for a quarter of their country’s overall business. The herring run eventually crashed, devastating the economy. It has come back quite a bit, but with the advent of factory fishing, the industry does not provide the same level of employment it once did.

    The herring museum is pretty much entirely about the glory days prior to 1950.

    On the way to the Herring Museum, we went through a couple of tunnels that were 2+ miles long and were one lane! Every few hundred yards (or maybe meters since we’re in Europe) there was a pull out to our right. Which meant that the oncoming traffic had the right of way and we had to pull over if we saw lights approaching. Luckily there wasn’t much oncoming traffic.    Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    No GuardrailsCarl and ClaireCarl and ClaireClaireDirty Car

    Waterfall

    8 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    One more waterfall - this one where the river drops from a flat plain into a canyon. More importantly, this one is out of the traveled path and is not visited by tour groups because it is considered relatively dangerous due to there not being much in the way of guardrails.Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    Visitor Center
    Attentive AudienceRoger Tries on a Helmet

    Viking Longhouse

    8 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F

    Stopped at a replica of a Viking longhouse built of sod and driftwood. Was way out in the middle of nowhere with just one sign at a turnoff leading to it. Listened to an interesting lecture about Erik the Red and Leif Erickson.Baca lagi

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  • Roger DemuthIcelandPengembara
    The Black Church
    Sheep in the RoadMetal Remnants of TrawlerStones to test Your StrengthThe "Most Beautiful Mountain in Iceland"

    Snaefellsjokull Nat Park to Reyjavik

    9 September 2024, Iceland ⋅ 🌬 37 °F

    Quite a lot of driving today. Stopped at a black sand beach that was the site of a trawler wreck 50 years ago. The beach is still littered with pieces of steel from the boat. Also went to see another crater but discovered on arriving that it was an hour+ round trip hike, and it was very cold and windy, so we skipped it.

    Paused at the “most beautiful mountain in Iceland” where there was (yet another) waterfall. Then on to a cultural center that was just so-so interesting.

    And finally back to Reykjavik for our flight back the next day. As we arrived in Reykjavik, it was so windy that there were warnings out. I was blown back a step or two as I tried to cross the street to the hotel. When we went out for dinner, we took a taxi even though it was only a 6 minute walk to the restaurant.    Baca lagi

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    Tamat perjalanan
    10 September 2024
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