Hallormsstaðaskógur – Wikipedia is by the lake Lagarfljót. Seeing trees on July 16 was a novelty. The country lost most of its treesmore than a thousand years ago, when Viking settlers cut down the forests within 50 years for shipbuilding or to clear the land for farming and pasture. The forests originally covered one-quarter of the Iceland. Icelanders are working to get some of those forests back, to improve and stabilize soils, help agriculture, and fight climate change. Iceland is considered the least forested country in Europe. Forests in Iceland are so rare, or their trees so young, that people joke that those lost in the woods only need to stand up.
The first of day 3’s posts, July 16. Driving on the Ring Road, Route 1 (Iceland) – Wikipedia, was fun and sometimes hair raising. Most of the road is 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph). Some of the road on the cliffs by the sea has no barriers. The highway is two way and narrow. Most of the bridges are one lane. There are lots of roundabouts too, especially in Reykjavik. Marc has a fear of heights so driving along the cliffs next to the sea was not something he enjoyed, especially since there were many sections with no barriers between us and a drop off. When the roads were straight Marc tended to doze off and get hypnotized. This happened so much that I finally got up my courage up and said I going to drive. I did quite a lot of driving while I was in Iceland, and I really did enjoy it. There isn’t much traffic, and the scenery is so lovely. What isn’t fun are the one lane bridges with no traffic lights. I’m also not crazy about the roundabouts.
The weather changes rapidly by the minute. Within and hour it can go back and forth from rain, to fog, to wind and on rare occasions sun. We experienced two days with partial sun.
I photographed the Snipe from our hotel window. There are lots of Icelandic horses and plants to photograph. More to come in later posts…
We drove to a Viking village. Marc didn’t want to pay to see it, so I just had a cup of coffee. It was down a dirt mountain road next to a tunnel by the sea that went through the mountain. I looked at the rest of the drive on Google Maps and had to leave the Bulandsnes bird sanctuary because there was no time. First of many things left out. And I was really ticked that I had to leave out Hengifoss which is one of Iceland’s grandest waterfalls because the hike involved to get to it and lack of time to drive there. We needed to get to where we were staying that night.
Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Near Bajarnanes, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Snipe (Gallinago gallinago), Near Bajarnanes, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Horses near Bajarnanes, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Harebell (Campenulla rotundifolia), Ring Road, Route 1, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Plants, Ring Road, Route 1, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Rain on the Ring Road, Route 1, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Clouds on the Ring Road, Route 1, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
Sun on the Ring Road, Route 1, Southeast Iceland 7/16/2021
After Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon on July 14 we went for a very short visit to to Diamond Beach across the road late in the afternoon. By then a thick fog was rolling in.
We had to race to make it to the amphibian boat tour Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon (enjoy the videos in this link). I didn’t get dramatic skies to photograph behind the glaciers on July 15 but I think the gray is more chilling. I briefly saw a seal’s head, Arctic Terns flying by with fish, and an Arctic Skua dashed by. These photos are true to life. The blue ice is natural.
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Öræfajökull (volcanoe) and Hvannadalshnukur mountains, Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Artic Terns in Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon with Vatnajökull Galcier 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) with fish, Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon with Vatnajökull Galcier 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Jokulsarion Glacier Lagoon 7/15/2021
Skaftafelljokul and Svinafellsjokull Galciers, Southeast Icelanbd 5/15/2021
We met our guide for Troll Expeditionsin Vik who drove us and a small group up to the Glacier. Our leader is in orange on the right. He is an expert mountaineer and has led numerous scientific expeditions and rescued many people in trouble. Unfortunately, the cave had collapsed before we arrived. They are looking for a new one. It is a race against global warming.
To make up for the lack of an ice cave our guide also drove us to Hjorleifshofdihellir Cave on the shore, also called the Yoda Cave because the opening looks like Yoda. TheYoda Cave is located in between the Gýgjagjá and Rituberg. It is large with echoing. If you have watched the Star Wars movie, you can see that you will recognize the cave’s opening as soon as you arrive. Named after Hjörleifur. “According to historians, Hjörleifur, the first settler in Iceland visited Iceland around the eighth century with his foster brother Ingólfur Arnarson. Both the brothers were sailing in different ships and they drifted apart on the way to Norway. Ingólfur lived at Ingólfshöfði and Hjörleifur landed at Hjörleifshöfði. After some time, the slaves of Hjörleifur turned against him and killed him. Slaves fled with his wife to Westman Islands. As Ingólfur got to know about the killing of his brother, he decided to take revenge and killed the slaves. At the top of Hjörleifshöfði cave, Hjörleifur is believed to be buried.”
Marc (pictures signed Felix are by Marc) photographed a spider catching a fly outside the cave. The flies where enjoying the sticky sap on Angelica.
Sherry by Troll Expeditions’s van, Ice Cave Expedition starting from Vik 7/15/2021
On the way out of Reykjavik on July 14 (last of my posts for that day) we passed this interesting church and I took photos of Mofellskirkja in the distance from the Golden Circle.
We stopped at Rutshllir CavesFascinating stories about the man made caves. This one has a hut with a sod roof. Details here: The Peculiar Rútshellir Cave in South Iceland (guidetoiceland.is) Hálsanefshellir Cave is by the Reynisfjara black beach is a huge sea cave located at the beach close to the small town Vík. The cave is exceptional because of octagonal basalt pillars at the cave entrance. The vertical columns are quite similar to Fingal’s Cave on Staffa Island.
In the morning we went back to black sands. There was a fellow there with a drone I’m sure he was not happy to see us as he was the only other person there and I’m sure he wanted it all to himself to take pictures of the Hálsanefshellir Cave. I stepped out to the edge to see if I could go around the point to have a look behind the cave and a wave almost caught me. I realized that these waters were very unpredictable and to try to go around that point would be very dangerous, so I didn’t. This video on shows some people getting washed out to sea by one of these rogue waves: Extremely dangerous Waves by Reynisfjara and Kirkjufjara … (guidetoiceland.is). The water is so cold that within seconds they were unable to move or stand up.
The Nootka lupin was brought to Iceland from Alaska in 1945 to help to restore degraded soils which had been a serious problem since the 19th century. Although there are still large areas in Iceland which suffer erosion and desertification many feel the lupine has become too aggressive and needs to be stopped. It is especially feared that the lupine will spread into the Central highlands, permanently transforming the local flora. It is an invasive species in Iceland, threatening local plant life. It creates monocultures which can suffocate more delicate native flora. Icelanders are trying to destroy the lupine. The goal is to protect the distinctive woolly moss, known in Icelandic as graymoss, which covers the lava. It is not least the luscious moss which gives the lava field its magical aura.
Oystercatchers are seen all over, both by the shore and inland. I do not know why so many appear to like the roads. I wonder what they find there. It is a suicidal behavior that often gets them run over.
We saw three grand waterfalls on July 14. In the Golden Circle the first waterfall was Gullfoss. Guide to Iceland’s video (our travel agent) is excellent. On route 1, the Ring Road, on the way to Vik in South Iceland we stopped at Seljalandsfoss. We climbed up behind the fall. It was not an easy climb because it is steep and slippery. It was a relief to make it to the top. Running out of time as usual we stopped for a 10 minute photo shoot of Skógafoss. I would have liked to climb up to have a different view – but not time! Check out that video too.
It was pouring rain and it was hard to tell what was waterfall and what was rain. I had brought along plenty of rain gear because I knew Iceland has a lot of rain in the summer. The saying is if you wait a minute the weather will change, which is true.
There are 4 sheep to every Icelander. Population of Iceland is 361,313 (2019) which is about half the population of Alaska. About 800,000 sheep is a lot of lamb dinners and wool sweaters!Fun facts about the sheep.
“Due to the presence of the fatty acid exaltolide, angelica root extracts have a musky aroma and the root is used for flavoring foods and beverages. This plant appears very ornamental with wide, pinned hairy leaves and clusters of white to greenish-white or yellow-green umbrella-like flowers. The history behind the name of the herb is interesting. It is said that in ancient times, the root of the plant was brought to earth by a monk for the treatment of plague.”
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Gullfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Other falls by Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Norwegian or Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) by Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Wet and tired we descended. Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Seljandfoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Sheep at Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Sheep at Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Sheep at Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Sheep at Sheep Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Sherry in the rain and wet by the falls at Skogafoss, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir (Guide to Iceland) Geysir (Wikipedia) is a huge tourist attraction in the Golden Circle in Southwestern Iceland (coordinates 64°18′49″N 20°17′58″W). We went there on July 14, 2021. It was a very atmospheric with misty rain, clouds in the sky, and lots of steam. There are wonderful colors in the ground and water from the minerals.
Geysir geothermal area is stupendous as you can see by the pictures. It’s very touristy and there are huge buses loads of tourists coming to see it, but I didn’t feel crowded. I had to pop in and see the huge gift shop. We did not need to eat lunch there because I had bought a lovely loaf of fresh baked bread in town the day before and some cheese and butter. I had a collapsible cooler for lunch food for the trip.
The purple Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox) is called blóðberg in Icelandic meaning bloodstone.
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir by Marc, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Geysir, Golden Circle, Iceland 7/14/2021
Creeping Thyme (Thymus praecox) blóðberg meaning bloodstone, Iceland 7/14/2021
