- The Nordic Sojourn 2022 — start of trip
- Western Norway — Fjords, mountains, and a lot of rain!
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard, and start of the cruise
- Magdalenefjorden and Gravneset
- Texas Bar and…
- Arctic pack ice and polar bears — what a day!
- Ny London, Ny Alesund, and the massive glacier!
- Poolepynten and fin whales!
- Northeast Greenland National Park and Scoresby Sound
- Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland
- Patreksfjordur, Iceland and the bird cliff
- Reykjavik and the start of our Icelandic sojourn
- The Golden Circle, Iceland
- Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland
- Westman Islands, Iceland
- The South Coast and Waterfalls, Iceland
- Vatnajökull National Park — Svartifoss, Skaftafell and Glacier Lagoon Jokulsarlon, Iceland
- The East Fjords, Iceland
- Working our way north — canyons, wastelands, fumaroles, pseudo craters and lakes!
- The Diamond Circle
- Akureyri, a breakdown, and a detour
- VR Viking battle, Glaumbær, Icelandic horses, and back to Reykjavik
- Husafell
- Into the Volcano!
Today we traveled along Iceland’s south coast to see waterfalls, black sand beaches, a formation of above-ground basalt columns, and more lava fields. Our first stop was a Seljalandfoss. Given how close this 200 foot waterfall is to the Ring Road, it is one of Iceland’s most famous and visited waterfalls. The source of the water for this waterfall is the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. That name may be familiar because the volcano under this ice cap was the one that erupted in 2010 and wreaked havoc with air travel over the Atlantic to and from Europe. What amazed me was that the tall cliff the falls go over actually used to mark the country’s coastline before volcanic activity added all the land between the falls and the sea. The fun thing about this waterfall is that you can actually walk behind it, using the paths behind it. Having said that parts of the path can be pretty rocky and, with the mist, can be a bit treacherous to walk on.
From there, we went on a little adventure, riding ATVs along the black sand desert which came from past eruptions of the Katla volcano and down to the Sólheimasandur beach. One of the first challenges for me was finding a helmet big enough for my giant head. While everyone else got normal helmets with face shields, I got this helmet that made me look like Darth Vader! After some instruction on the ATVs, we were off, crossing streams, driving through tunnels and going up and down hills. These things were pretty fast and it was fun driving them, especially along the beach. One of the highlights of the trip is the wreck of an old Navy DC-3 that ran out of fuel and crash landed in the middle of the black sands back in 1973. The Navy, being the Navy, came and stripped everything of value off the plane and left the hulk behind. It has now become a popular tourist attraction and we had the obligatory pictures taken there. The trip back involved crossing some bigger rivers and ultimately scooting down the highway amidst the infrequent traffic. It was a blast!
Just a little way down the road we stopped at another beautiful waterfall — the nearly 200 foot Skogafoss waterfall in the Skoga River. One of the nice things about this waterfall is that it often has a rainbow in front of it, because of the heavy amount of spray and we were lucky enough to see it. The hardy members of our group took the opportunity to climb the steps to the top of the waterfall that not only provides an excellent view of the waterfall, but follows the river upstream to even more waterfalls. We mere mortals decided against climbing the 430 steps and instead admired the Skoga River that apparently has a large salmon and char population. Where are our fly rods when you need them?! Apparently this waterfall has been seen in a number of movies (e.g. Thor: The Dark World, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty) and TV shows (e.g., Game of Thrones).
Our last stop in the area was along the Dyrholaey Peninsula and the black beach of Reynisfjara. While we didn’t stop at the Peninsula, we could see its signature massive rock arch that resulted from centuries of erosion. Instead, we walked down this very unique beach — roaring ocean waves crashing onto the black sand beach, backed by the towering black basalt columns. As you might expect, this type of setting is the fodder for folk stories about trolls, shipwrecks, etc. Obviously, other people agree since this setting has been featured in movies and TV shows including Game of Thrones, Star Trek, and Star Wars.
Definitely a full, but fun day!
This entry was posted in Iceland, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
