Snæfellsnes Peninsula

     Today, we left the cute little town of Borgarnes and headed even further west to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula region.  Snæfellsnes is a region known for its dramatic landscapes, and it has an extremely diverse geology containing rock formations from almost all periods in the geological history of Iceland.  At the tip is a national park, capped by drastic sea cliffs, black sand beaches, and lava sea arches.  We decided not to travel all the way out to the tip as we'd seen two other black sand beaches and numerous cliffs on this trip already.  Instead, we headed to Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss, a famous mountain and waterfall on the peninsula.  It is said to be most beautiful at sunset, so I'll share a picture from the travel group I joined for this trip at the end of my pictures so you can see what we missed by being there in the morning (the picture was taken by a fellow traveler in June).

The teenagers actually voted to head
here instead of another beach.

 

    

      It was a lovely day in Iceland, so we headed back to the center of the peninsula to find Lava Lake.  It's a bit like walking into "The Land Before Time" movie in this part of the land.  We took a good two hour hike trying to reach the actual Lava Lake (you can see the lovely blue lake clearly from the parking lot above), but after jumping about four little creeks, hiking through tall grass (and finding a weird skull), and hopping over the moss covered rocks, we only discovered that we could not see the lake at all.  Haha!  Drew even hiked on a bit to the next hill but said it flattened out and he still couldn't see the back lake.  We hiked back, found a secret waterfall on the way to the camper, and enjoyed our chilly hike despite not actually making it to Lava Lake.

Look closely...Drew is headed to the next hill in the center of this picture!

We decided it is Scrat from the movie Ice Age!

     We ended the day with what will likely be our last two waterfalls of the trip:  Hraunfossar and Barnafossar.  Boy, did we save a couple of great ones for last!  The first, Hraunfossar, was actually a collection of hundreds of smaller waterfalls all dumping into this raging turquoise blue creek.  It was too much beauty for  one photo to capture it all!  Then, up the creek a small hike was Barnafossar, which translates to "Children's Waterfall."  It has a creepy Icelandic legend about two children dying by the falls. Their grieving mother had the stone arch destroyed that once covered the falls so no other children would find an untimely death.  Yikes!  It was a neat point where all the water from the creek above was forced through a narrow point creating some crazy rapids and churning water.  Don't worry, I made the kids stay far back from the edge.  I also loved seeing the lava rock formations at this stop.  The lava once flowed in this canyon, cooled, and created the backdrop for these incredible falls.

     Finally, we headed back to the main part of the island to a city on the west coast not far from Reykjavik which we will explore tomorrow.  Akranes is a small coastal village that has grown a lot in recent years with a booming downtown and vibrant art scene.  We were greeted with another beautiful sunset over the ocean as we parked for the night.  Great news!  Our campground host said the forecast for the northern lights is very strong tonight.  Wahoo!  She even offered to come camper to camper to knock on doors and let us all know when it's happening in case it's later in the night.  How cool is that!  We're hoping for an early show, but we'll just be excited to see them no matter what.  Wish us luck (again!).

We Made It To Western Iceland

     Read on for more about our day, but first...look at this western Iceland sunset over the Atlantic Ocean: 

      After almost an entire day of driving, we made it to the western side of Iceland.  The scenery did not change as much as the drive from south to east and up to the north, so it really was not the most exciting day.  We did manage to throw in a couple of very Icelandic things to make the day better.  

     First up, the Icelandic hot dog.  It has both raw and fried onions layered in the bottom of a toasted bun, then the hot dog topped with ketchup and this sweet and spicy mustard sauce on top.  We read that Icelanders really love their hot dogs, and you can get them just about everywhere.  They also enjoy gas station food as an alternative to our many fast food options.  Most gas stations are either completely self-serves pumps only or huge gathering places, with restaurants and other stores attached.  The one we stopped at today had a huge gift shop, an automotive store, and lots of locals eating lunch at the gas station diner.  Drew tried the Icelandic lamb soup (and loved it), while Livy branched out and had pork schnitzel, Jack had a burger, and the rest of had hot dogs.  Some even went back for seconds!  And, as one of the cheapest foods we've encountered on the trip, it's a tasty deal.

     Back on the road again, we decided to research some of the Icelandic road signs we encounter most days.  One fun fact is that there are very few stop lights.  Most towns have lots and lots of round-a-bouts, and what few stoplights they have change in interesting ways, like a yellow before each green light (like "get ready...it's about to be green!") and the red light has a heart shape.  In terms of road signs, some are very easy to figure out (hospital, bathroom...WC for water closets, fishing spots, etc.).  Other signs we had to learn before we even drove a single kilometer (speed limit signs, no passing, do not enter), but others are more obscure.  I pulled up various types of signs, and we'd giggle and laugh.  Below are the two best:

It's a port-a-potty.  What an awesome name, and one
we'll likely use from now on in the Deppe family!

 

A lay-by is a rest stop usually by a scenic location.

     We only made one stop today.  It was to check out this neat sod covered old church.   In the early 1900's, it was common for people to cover their houses and the town church with sod for insulation.  Only six such sod churches remain on the island today, and the one we visited is one of three that actually still serve a parish even today.  

     Back on the road, we made it to Borgarnes near the Snaefellsjokull peninsula that we hope to explore tomorrow.  We rolled into town the earliest we have gotten to a stopping spot all week, so we decided do our second very Icelandic thing by checking out the town pool.  Aside from hot dogs, Icelanders love their community pool.  Most towns have community centers that include soccer fields, bounce pillows (we've also noticed lots of trampolines in backyards), basketball courts, maybe a track or tennis court... but all of them have a pool.  Some are indoors, but most are outdoors, with the water heated by geothermal energy.  If you are lucky, as we were today, some even have super fun water slides.  It was 8 degrees Celsius today (that's about 46 degrees Fahrenheit), but we had a blast!  We would swim a bit in the warm water, race up and down the slides (racing mostly for fun but also because of the crazy cold wind), and warm up in the multiple hot-tub type areas before doing it all again.  It was relaxing and fun at the same time!

      Right as we pulled into our campground tonight, the sunset really lit up the evening sky.  We found a great spot right on the ocean, bundled up, and watched the sunlight change the clouds from pink to purple, red, and orange.  Beautiful!  

     Tonight, we have staggered our alarms to wake one of us up every hour from 11:00 to 2:00 am in hopes that we see some northern lights.  It's been pretty windy, so we're hoping that the winds blow away those last few clouds and we get to see the aurora borealis.  We read that it's best not to plan a trip around them as the sun's activity and weather greatly affect whether you see them or not, but instead just treat it as a something very special when you do get to see them.  However, we also read that it helps to plan a bit in order to have the best chances, so we'll see what happens.  Cameras are ready just in case!  Good night, for a few hours at least!  

Relaxing, Iceland Style

     After a short drive (well...2.5 hours which is short for Iceland), we departed Egilsstaðir and landed at the Myvatn Nature Baths.  The drive was pretty tame compared to the last couple of days, but the landscape change constantly.  We drove up through black mountains that looked zebra striped with snow, crossed over long barren stretches of rocks and old lava flows where you could almost see just how the liquid rock oozed from the crater, cooled, and cracked into its final rocky state, and finally came to a terrain many compare to the surface of Mars.  The red rocks and craters are home to dozens of fissures, crater lakes, and our first stop of the day, the Myvatn Nature Baths.

     The milky blue of the water at the spa comes from the combination of sulfur, silica, and various salts, and algae.  It's heated naturally from the middle of the earth, and that all comes together in a wonderfully lovely hot bath in the middle of the mountains.  The colors are amazing, and after our last couple of crazy days of driving, it was a much needed rest for us all.  We got there right after it opened and stayed a couple of hours...just before all the tour buses arrived for the day.  Score!  We scurried back to the camper with wet hair, wrinkled skin, and hungry bellies, and after a delicious lunch of Ramen noodles, we hit the road again.

     After leaving the hot baths, the next stop was just a short 45 minute drive away and is one of the most iconic waterfalls in Iceland.  When I say there is a new waterfall at every turn, that's actually a lie.  Sometimes, there are 5 or 10 waterfalls in just a few miles, without any turns at all.  They are literally everywhere!  But, Goðafoss, or the Waterfall of the Gods, is the largest waterfall in Iceland in terms of the amount of water that rushes over the falls each minute.  We were able to view it from the east, hike a bit over to the west, and view it from there too.  We even went for a little hike down to the bottom of falls for another view and to taste the sweet water.  It's a well known fact that all water in Iceland is safe to drink, even right from the streams and rivers.  The falls were right off the Ring Road, so it was an easy and awe inspiring stop.

     After that last waterfall, we headed to the unofficial capital of Northern Iceland, Akureyri.  In order to get to the town more quickly, a 7 km tunnel was dug under one of the mountains.  It took us just a few minutes to drive through, and deposited us right next to the second largest town in Iceland, shaving off 1.5 hours of driving time on the Ring Road.  The town was lovely...nestled right in the side of a snow covered mountain, with a finger of the Atlantic Ocean right at its center.  Fishing is still a major export of the town, but it has grown up over the years into a vibrant community with a cute little downtown filled with fun shops, restaurants, and residences.  We ate dinner at the local fish-n-chips shop where Drew and I had plokkfiskur, a traditional mashed fish dish with potatoes, fresh cream, and a bechamel sauce on top.  It was incredibly rich and delicious!  We walked around the town square a bit before buying some more Icelandic treats at the local grocery store and heading back to the camper.  We are staying at Camping Hamrar, a very nice local camp ground just outside the town.  

The 7km tunnel...the longest tunnel we've ever driven through.

We found a hotel with my name...first a mountain in Hawaii, now a hotel in Iceland?

The candy was yummy, the cake tasted like powered donuts with icing, and the sodas were very sweet!

     Tomorrow is a day of mostly driving, but the scenery is supposed to change constantly again and be very interesting.  The last big thing on our to-do list here is to see the Northern Lights, and our best chance will be tomorrow on the western side of the country.  We all have our fingers crossed in hopes that we finally get to see them!