Diamond Beach

The road at Diamond Beach and the lagoon across the road was under construction as we manuevered around soggy mud holes and gravel piles to park near the bridge over the river. Lots of people crowded the area as we donned our boots and wind gear and then made our way through the black sand down to the beach. Mini icebergs lapped at the shore and seals played in the mouth of the river. Bits of ice sparkled all over the beach and photographers vied for position to catch the same photo as everyone else. Some idiots were getting wet in the frigid waters just so they could get selfies with floating ice. Can you tell I don’t like crowds?

We wandered up stream and under the bridge to the lagoon on the other side of the road where people were more spread out. Lots of seals skimmed through the water around much bigger icebergs that were trying to make their way out to sea, ever so slowly. Flocks of birds perched on icy berg beaches, squawking as tourist boats came too close. I liked watching the seals fish but the rest was too much. We got our pictures, loaded into the van, and drove through some more rain into the Netto store at Hofn for another $87 ISK worth of groceries.

Djupivogur

In Djupivogur, a small fishing village, we paid $35 ISK at the upscale motel for our nearby campsite overlooking the harbor. There were some large round wooden huts that looked like giant wine barrels laying on their sides and one teepee you could rent also.

We got there at dusk and followed a path up the little grassy hill behind our parking spot which skirted around a rock promontory. At the top we sat and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the peninsula, the sea and the fishing boats in the harbor as we watched the stars appear in a clear sky.

The kitchen block was filled with people cooking dinner and lounging on the 2 sofas while charging their phones and laptops and we hung out for a bit with them downloading our own camera cards and looking at photos. It was a good thing we had our own cook top in the van since there was no extra room at the stove. We cooked up some couscous and cheese omelets back in the van and turned in for the night.

Thursday, September 6th

We slept late and did not get on the road until 9:45, after our usual bread and jam, Skyre and granola, hot chocolate and coffee breakfast. We snacked on peanuts ,almonds and butterscotch Wurthers while driving the narrow roads around 4 fiords and then disappearing into a hole in the mountain for the 6 km long Faskrudsfgordur Tunnel. It was the first time I had ever been in a tunnel carved out of volcanic rock with an intersection midway through it. I was glad to emerge into daylight.

We continued overland to Egilstaddir and on to Seydisfgordor, which was supposed to be an artists town. All we saw was the ferry to Europe and a large fish factory of some sort. There were also some cool murals.

We followed steep, windy, single track, dirt roads looking for the Dvergastein, a dwarf rock said to have flown across the fiord to land next to its church , which had been moved from the other side. We never did find it but think it may have been behind a house we passed that did not look all that friendly. Instead, we stopped at a nearby ruin and walked to a nice little waterfall.

We backtracked to Egilstaddir to to fill the van with diesel for 12500 ISK (about $106 US ) and headed up Rt 1 and 862 towards Dettifoss and Selfoss.

These two waterfalls are the size of Niagra and carved out of solid rock. It is mesmerizing to watch and listen to the powerful force of all that water spilling down into the giant crevass below. We drove through black volcanic rubble with no plants and not even a sheep for 166 km! Bleak. Grey. We wanted take the road through the National Park but were not allowed without 4-wheel drive. In Iceland, if they say you need high clearance and 4-wheel drive, you really do.

We adjusted our plans and headed towards the geothermal hot pots and steam vents at Namafjall. The midges love these hot vent gasses. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset against the golden sulfurous colors (and odors) of the desert landscape after daytime temps hovering around 14 C.

In the far distance we could see the huge Herdubreid Volcano, topped with its glacier frosting.

Our last stop for the day, Myvatn Lake (Lake Midge) to Vogar and our 4000 ISK ($32.50 US) campsite for the night. Three inch Lava rocks were floating in the water, coming to shore with the tiny lapping waves at the pull off. Steam vents sent up little puffs of smoky gasses all along the sides of the surrounding hills. We settled in and I cooked up some spaghetti with ground beef (major splurge at the grocery store) sauce and fresh broccoli for dinner. We are hoping for a cold, clear night and the possibility of some Northern lights.

Friday, Sept 7

We woke to a beautiful sunny day about 15 C and drove to Dimuborgir (Dark Fortress) and walked the blacktop pathways around to the Yule Lads cave hideout.

Then on to the walking trails around Hofte Forest on the Lake and Kalfastrund, where there are volcanic made pillars of rock jutting straight up out of the water.

And sheep everywhere…

Driving towards the Krafla Geothermal plant, we came across a sink and shower by the side of the road, complete with a towel hanging there. Bizarre. Natural Hot water coming right out of the ground funneled into a shower head for all to use.

Right up the road we stopped at Viti (Hell) Crater Lake, in the center of an old volcano cone.

Next, we stopped at the Grjotagria Park hot pool in a lava tube cave situated along a rift. The water has gotten too hot for people these days (above 51C) and there are signs forbidding swimming, but you can still explore a little bit inside the tube.It was pretty steamy in there so I came out but Jeff stayed and checked it out.

On to Jarbodin nature baths where the leftover water from the steam plant fills huge outdoor pools and a smaller rectangular hot tub holds at 41 C. The green link has good pictures. You have to pay a facility fee here, shower first and then put on a suit before getting in. They will even bring you beer. It was not crowded and there were underwater benches to sit on and you could move around the pool to different temperatures. We enjoyed it, but I like wild ones better.

Humpback Whales

We wanted to see some whales while in Iceland so we drove to Husavik next and signed up with North Sailing Whale Watch for 9:00 the next morning. Our campsite overlooked a kids soccer pitch on the hill above town. It was getting windy and cold as we turned in after warming up leftover spaghetti for dinner.

When we boarded the big wooden boat the weather was mostly nice, but windy and cold with clouds scudding about. They issued us all insulated, buoyant coveralls to wear over our clothes. It seemed like overkill until we got out on the water and then we appreciated the extra dry warmth.

We saw 3 Humpback Whales very close by, which was exciting, and then we toured a beautiful fiord in search of some reported sightings of minke whales. The house was so isolated, only accessible by water.

Definitely worth the cost, 10.500 ISK, or about $90 US each adult for a three hour tour. Plus they gave us really good hot chocolate and sticky buns as we headed back.

After we disembarked at the docks we toured the Whale Museum, where they have a great display of all different kinds of whale skeletons and such.

On our way again and needing another fill up of diesel, we stopped at a station in a biggish town and found it impossible to get the fuel cap off the van. I tried, Jeff tried, 3 other people tried- nothing. The locking mechanism would not budge. It was late on a saturday night, nothing was open and repair shops close down on Sundays in Iceland. We were getting panicked until I thought to ask the attendant for some WD-40. It was a plastic cap, but I figured, what the heck? We squirted some in to the keyhole on the cap and WaLa! It worked. Onward to Akureyr!

-Edgewise Wendy