Iceland in January 7: The South Ring Road

Then, it was off for the long drive along the southern Ring Road to our furthest east stop. We passed Seljalandsfoss because the light was no better than the night before. We also passed some impressive cliffs, some sheltering sheds and troll houses.

Troll house

Skógafoss

Our destination was Skógafoss, a waterfall that plunges from the Skógá River down cliffs that used to be the coastline of Iceland. 

Skógafoss

Over time -- and as a result of multiple volcanic eruptions, the coastline has receded about three miles, leaving the former sea cliffs against a wide plain to the ocean. 

One of the biggest waterfall is Iceland

Skógafoss is 82 feet wide and 200 feet high. You can walk to the top (I did last summer), but after watching folks struggle up the icy hill, we opted not to. It’s much more impressive from the bottom, anyway. 

We were happen at the bottom

The spray also created an interesting base of ice-crusted snow that cracked and crazed as we walked across it.

Crusted snow

Crampons were a good choice

The spray created ice palaces.

Winter's creativity

And, here's the summer comparison.

Even in summer, it can be gloomy and chilly

Horses

Our next stop was a place where we could finally pull off the road to photograph some Icelandic horses. 

Pretty horses

These sturdy little horses can be seen in large number all over Iceland – summer and winter. In the winter, they grow thick coats that compliment their long shaggy manes and tails. They come in all colors and seem to be able to take the wet cold weather rather well. Icelandic horses are said to be descendants of horses brought to the island by Vikings, who allegedly brought only their best steeds to navigate the tough rocky terrain. 

Walking across the field

They are the only type of horse allowed on Iceland, which is highly protective of them. Visitors cannot bring any gear that has been used with other horses and any Icelandic horse that leaves the island cannot come back. There are numerous stables that offer horseback riding for tourists, but it appears there are many more horses than actual occupations for horses. 

They are friendly

I suspect that horses are often fed by humans, although I would never presume to feed someone else’s animals. Still, if you approach their fences, they will come to you and tolerate (or beg for) petting. The ones we stopped for had two foals and were very friendly.

Posing with a new friend

Black Lava Beauties

Next, we headed for Dyrhólaey, a small peninsula west of Vík, where you can see the black lava columns of the Reynisdrangar, black beaches and a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea. The arch gave the peninsula its name (Dyrhólaey means "the hill-island with the door-hole"). We missed the first road that goes to the arch because it isn’t really marked and, so, first went to see Reynisdrangar. These basalt columns look very moody in the mist and seaspray. 

Iconic arches

You can see the arch from a distance at the Reynisdrangar beach.

Wild winter sea

The weather had turned misty, which added to the otherworldly look of these giant basalt stacks that were being pummeled by a very angry sea.

Mystical looking

The tide was much higher than when I was there last summer, so we couldn’t go as far down the beach. We had to keep an eye out to make sure the surf didn’t trap us in the cave, which was hard to photograph because of a guy with a tripod who seemed to think the area was his and his alone. The icicles in the cave were very cool, but dangerous. They were dropping to the cave floor on a regular basis.

Basalt cave

The white surf on the black beach ...

Good contrast

... the violent gray ocean ... 

Wow

... and black basalt crusted with white icicles makes the whole area look like a black-and-white photo. It was also weird to see ice on the beach.

Icy rocks

After lunch at the Black Beach Café (a very spare veggies sandwich for me, a tuna sandwich for Caty and yummy onion rings), we doubled back to Dyrhólaey to see the arch and a different view of the Reynisdrangar.

Sea stack

Legend says that the stacks originated when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.

Looks like a ship

We had some wind and little snow and couldn’t get a great view of the arch. But, we did get a close-up view of the beach below.

Stunning

We think many photos are taken from a boat and some are taken from a road that we couldn’t access. When the roads are too narrow to turn around on and icy, you do get a bit less adventurous. Plus, one route was closed off.

Someday I would like to see the arch in the sunlight because photos on information signs and in tour books show a brilliant turquoise ocean.

Photo: Paneramio

What we did see

Moving On

Following that stop, we made our way over a small mountain and through Vík, headed for our evening’s destination, which was on the other side of the glacier lagoon. It was a long drive in a rapidly darkening day. After we passed Vík, we had some dry road, followed by ice that required us to cut our speed in half. So, it was a long drive to the Skyrhúsid Guest House in Hali. 

We passed Skaftafell National Park, but it was too dark to stop. It turns out that were never made it there on this trip and were, thus, unable to hike to Svartifoss ("the black waterfall"). This is a photo from last summer.

Too icy to hike this time

I think the 1.5-mile hike would have been pretty miserable in the wind, although I am sure our crampons would have handled the ice.

In this part of Iceland, the road is straight, narrow and has many one-lane causeways and bridges. 

Fortunately, there is little traffic so the bridges are no problem. Near Skaftaell, there is a turnout with a modern sculpture made of twisted remnants of a former bridge that was destroyed by a flood caused by a volcanic eruption in 1996. Because many of the volcanoes sit under the Vatnajökull ice cap (including the currently erupting Bárðarbunga), the outcome is often a surge of melted glacier in the form of mud, ice and water instead of the expected ash and lava. The sculpture shows just how violent that can be.

Twisted bridge

Next, we passed our objective for this long drive, Jokulsárlon, the glacier lagoon that Scott and I had fallen in love with last year. But, it was dark and the wind was picking up. 

Lodging

As we neared the Skyrhúsid, it got pretty nasty again. We pulled in, trying to figure out which building was the guesthouse. There was a building that had what looked like giant books along the side that turned out to be a museum and restaurant for the Hali Country Hotel. 

Photo: TripAdvisor

Hali is actually a farm that sits at the back of the property and provides fresh fish, lamb and produce for the restaurant. We drove past the guesthouse and I made a quick turn that reminded me NOT to make quick turns as I slid across the drive (ironically in front of the snowplow garage). The front lot was full, so we had to park in the icy back of guest house in a spot that was so dicey to back out of, we changed our parking angle later just so we could get out in the morning.

The Skyrhúsid is a bit more like a hostel: spare, shared baths, no food services, community coffee room where you can prepare your own meal. It was clean and convenient to Jokulsárlon, plus much less expensive than other accommodations. 

Our room

We had a delicious dinner at the Hali Country Hotel – char for Caty and a veggie patty for me. The food was hot and well cooked and the staff was friendly.

After dinner, we went back to the room and made our last itinerary change – our long drive had convinced us that trying to make it to the airport from our last night’s accommodations would be a stretch if we had weather issues. So, we switched to the Ranga, making the long drive on a day where we didn’t have a deadline rather than risk missing our plane. This was the one change we made too late to not be assessed a cancellation fee, but the peace of mind was worth it.

That night, we had no aurora, but we did have wind – gale force, I believe. I was afraid that we would find our car tipped over in the morning. We didn't.

A good day!

Trip date: January 16-27, 2015

Iceland in January 6: Frost and Fire

The next day, we headed south again, saying good-bye to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and, as the day wore on, we also said good-bye to gloominess. By the time we approached the road that had given us so much trouble on our way up, there was sunshine and blue sky. We figured we were good to go for the drive. So much for that theory. It wasn’t snowing, but the blowing snow was still blinding. 

Scary

It was another white-knuckle drive and I swore that I wouldn’t do that again. Ever. Still, we safely reached our destination – the Frost and Fire Hotel in Hveragerði. 

Photo: Frost & Fire Hotel

The hotel is famous for its thermal oven (in the parking lot) where the chef cooks many of the dinner items and guests can cook their own eggs for breakfast. 

Photo: Frost & Fire Hotel

We had to drive several blocks back into town (yes, a town with several blocks – this is the populated part of Iceland) over snow-packed streets (one of the few places where the roads were actually snow-packed) and up a hill. The River Varmá runs along the back and the hotel has hot pools and a sauna.

The surrounding area is part of the geothermally active Hengill central volcano, and is said to have frequent minor earthquakes. We didn’t feel any. The town is known for its greenhouses, heated by volcanic hot springs, where much of Iceland’s produce is grown. Of course, the town also has a sulfuric smell.  Not terribly bad, but there.

Our room was reached down a snowy/icy stone path with rather uneven stone steps. It was a bit tricky to navigate and would be impossible for anyone with a handicap. But, it looked down on the river, facing north. So, the walk was worth it. And, as you can see, the afternoon had gotten quite pretty.                    

Photos: Caty Stevens

We thought it would be great for catching aurora, but it turned out that the humidity in the room fogged up the window all night long.

After checking in, we decided that we had enough daylight for some exploring and the weather was pretty good, so we headed east on the ring road ...

A good start

... stopping first to photograph some horses that didn't seem to like the weather.

He looks chilled

Then, we caught the sun over Vestmannaeyjar, the Westmann Islands that sit off the southern coast of Iceland. 

Morning light

Last time I was in Iceland, you couldn’t see them through the clouds and, although they were still off in the mist, they were definitely there.

The islands are interesting because the Eldfell volcano erupted in 1973, destroying about 20 percent of the main town and forcing a months-long evacuation of the entire population to mainland Iceland. I would like to go there someday.

Then, on to Seljalandsfoss, the first major waterfall on the southern route. 

Seljalandsfoss

The 200-foot falls are famous because you can walk behind them – but apparently not in the wintertime because of the ice that forms from the spray. The walkway was snowed in.

Looks tricky

The area was beautiful in the afternoon light with the snow and ice around it. 

A pretty winter day

Once again, we were glad that we had crampons because the ramps on the bridge that crosses the river was slippery. This is the one place we actually saw someone fall on the ice.

A high-up water/snowfall

The pretty pink we saw in the sky was both the actual sun and reflections from the clouds. Because of Seljalandsfoss' orientation, it doesn't get much direct sun in winter, just reflection off the clouds.

Low sun

Here's a summer/winter comparison.

Summer, winter

When we returned to the Frost and Fire, we had a lovely dinner in the Varmá restaurant. I had beef with mushrooms and Caty had local lamb with a moss-infused sauce. Her dinner was cooked primarily in the geothermal oven. The dining room is a solarium with a view of the river. It was quite lovely and is probably glorious in the summertime.

After dinner, we returned to our room where our window was pelted by two snowballs for who know where. Other guests who thought someone they knew was in the room? Local kids? We’ll never know.

We decided we had to do the hot pool. It was relatively close to our room, but required a somewhat treacherous walk through below-zero weather. 

Photo: Frost & Fire Hotel

So, we put on bathing suits, hotel-provided robes, snow pants and boots and slogged down to the (fortunately unoccupied) hot pool. It is just a concrete tub like a hot tub that sits right next to the river. We left our snow pants in the nearby relaxation room, which boasts a divided hot/cold pool (they told us one foot in each boosts circulation; Caty tried it and said the cold was really cold; my circulation is fine). 

We were anticipating agony when we exited the hot tub, so we wanted clothes close so we wouldn’t freeze on the walk back to the room. Then, we got in the pool, gingerly shedding shoes and robes. The water was glorious – really hot. In fact, so hot, that I couldn’t stay submerged very long. The sky was clear and the Big Dipper was right above us over the mountains. It did start to cloud up as we soaked. 

When we decided we had had enough (heatstroke was impending), we exited and discovered that we were warm enough that we probably could have walked back in our suits without robes – definitely didn’t need the snow pants. It took me about 45 minutes to fully cool down.

I checked throughout the night, but no aurora.

The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast that featured delicious bread cooked in the geothermal oven. Think a less sweet bran muffin from Mimi’s. Dense, dark and delicious.

A nice time, even if it was a bit icy

Trip date: January 16-27, 2015

Iceland in January 5: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Hoping for aurora

Instead of wasting time on lunch after our second fruitless whale watch, we headed out quickly to explore more of the rugged Snæfellsnes Peninsula, a volcanic promontory with towering mountains down its spine and lava flows and beaches on the edges.  

Craggy coast

It's a very cool place. The Snæfellsnes volcano was the setting of the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by the Jules Verne. The area surrounding Snæfellsjökull (the glacier) is a national park.

On the way, we stopped to get a picture of some Icelandic horses by a ruined house, which was very close to our rental house.

Could have planned this one better

At the Ingjaldshólskirkja, church built in 1903 that sits up on a hill, we ate sandwiches in the parking lot. Beats a coffee shop everyday!

Ingjaldshólskirkja (kirkja means church)

This lighthouse style is fairly common in Iceland

Then, drove down a road through a remote lave field to see the stark white and orange Malarrif lighthouse near Hellnar.

It's routed as a tourist stop, but wasn't open this cold, windy day.

Originally built in 1917, this 80-foot-tall lighthouse was rebuilt in 1946 (I suspect the style changed a lot from the original).

It is a bit utilitarian in design for me, but still a lighthouse. 

Then we saw the Lóndrangar Sea Stacks, basalt volcanic dikes (246 and 200 feet high) in the ocean by the shore.  They are the remains of an eroded volcanic crater.

Lava formations

We visited the Badstofa cave again ...

A bit calmer this time

... which juts out into the ocean in the tiny tourist town of Hellnar. The cave is famous for how it plays with light, but, alas, there was no real light to play with.

Hellnar; Photo: Caty Stevens

Then, we turned around and headed back to Grundarfjörður, where we checked into the Suður-Bár Guesthouse, a cozy little place on the opposite side of the fjord. 

Not as nice as our private house, but lovely

We picnicked in the breakfast room and slept, rising early for our trip around the peninsula.

The next morning, we retraced our steps to Hellnar, stopping for some additional photos in different light. 

Icefall

Lifting fog

Threatening clouds

There is one spot on the road where a small reroute had been built because the snow collected in the main road to several feet deep. I don’t know if this was a new thing or if it becomes a turnout in the summer. If they hadn’t done it, the road might not have been passable. 

We went back to Badstofa because the light was better (and, of course, it started to snow as soon as we walked down the trail).

Trying for light

Maybe succeeding

And, we visited a monument to Bárðr Snæfellsáss, a half human/half troll famous in Icelandic sagas.

Ha!

As we swung around the peninsula, it became grayer and icier, with mountains to our left and lava fields to our right. We encountered some Icelandic horses, which we photographed in the local style -- stopped dead on the highway. We figured we were OK when a tour bus did the same.

Pretty horses

Our accommodations were in the lovely Hotel Búðir in the “town” of Búðir, which seems to comprise the hotel ...

Búðir is so tiny, it's hard to believe it's a town

... the black Búðir Church ...

Classic Icelandic beauty

... and a farm or two ...

A tiny farm

When we checked in, the place seemed empty, but other people trickled in later. We ate lunch at the bar. I had absolutely delicious paprika soup (creamed red pepper). Caty had a passable chicken sandwich that came with the advertised bacon and unadvertised fried egg (warning, Europeans love to put fried eggs on sandwiches – ewwww). Hotel Búðir is renowned for its restaurant, but it appears that that applies to dinner, not lunch. Some of our Láki boat mates had planned to drive there for lunch. I hope they weren’t disappointed.

Our room was lovely and spacious ... 

Big and with a huge bathtub

... and had windows that allowed us to look in multiple directions ... 

Our windows

Although it didn’t face north (always desirable for spotting aurora), you could crane northward. It did look out on the lovely Búðir church. An unexpected clearing allowed us to photograph the church and graveyard in late afternoon sunlight.

Lovely!

Magic!

Interestingly, some of the crosses in this remote graveyard were also wired up with lighting. I have since learned this is pretty common in Iceland -- I guess because it is dark for so long.

Wired and decorated

The Hotel Búðir is on a lava field right by the ocean with tidal pools all around it. 

Wet and chilly

Snow on the beach

Mountains and waterfalls dominated the opposite side of the highway ...

A rugged -- and arresting -- landscape

The surrounding area, which we explored before dinner, has moss-covered lava piles that really invoke the "fairy homes" that Icelanders claim exist. 

You can see why these look like fairy houses

Although it is sparsely populated, there are farms and herds of the ubiquitous Icelandic horse.

Icelandic Horse

Then, on to dinner at the famous Hotel Búðir dining room. I had seafood soup (OK, but a tad fishy because of the caviar topping) and cod, which seemed a bit undercooked to me. Caty had mushroom soup (good, but not as good as Geysir) and another beef dish (a bit tough and not very hot). Although the dining room was lovely and the food OK, it didn’t live up to the reputation.

After fabulous hot baths in our tub, we settled in, but I got up frequently to check for aurora because, despite a forecast to the contrary, the sky was clear. Just after midnight, I saw a cloud that looked a bit promising. I took a quick shot with my camera and it was green! 

Beginning aurora

We grabbed our gear and headed out to the hotel parking lot.

 

A great start

By the time we got set up, the sky was on fire ...

It was Caty's first aurora

We hadn't even asked the hotel to call us.

It's a good thing I checked

We had an hour of a very good display ...

Lots of action

... until clouds moved in and claimed it ...

A final hurrah

We didn’t even have to leave the hotel to see it clearly. 

Photo: Caty Stevens

Sadly, although we both thought we knew what we were doing, our ISOs were set too high, so the pix are a bit grainy. 

Still good pictures

Still, the display was fabulous and we achieved a goal!!!!  YAY!

Me

Caty

Success

Trip date: January 16-27, 2015