Iceland Day 2

Although the weather forecast called for rain, when we got up this morning the clouds looked like they might dissipate.  After breakfast, we loaded the car and set out for the Katla Geopark, a UNESCO World Heritage site that covers 9% of Iceland.  It contains many active volcanoes and has large swaths of black sand and lava fields from previous eruptions.  In the past few days, Katla one of the largest active sites has been “rumbling” and as late as yesterday, there were seismic tremors in the 4-5 range on the Richter scale .  Volcanologists are concerned that these may be precursors to a major eruption! Hopefully this won’t happen, though, for at least 9 days. Otherwise, the blog may be either very short, or very interesting. Katkla Geopark also has many beautiful waterfalls that are very accessible. The first that we visited was Seljalandsfoss.  The waterfall has a 180 ft. drop and is surrounded by cliffs and steep green slopes.  

                                     

There is a short hike that took us behind the waterfall.  The mist soaked and chilled us even though we had our rain gear, but the walk was well worth it.

Adjacent to and only a short walk from Seljalandsfoss  is another stunning waterful, Gljufurarbui. The source of this cascade is  the Gljufura River  which gushes into a hidden canyon. 

Dave and I decided to brave the slippery rocks and spray from the cascade and we ventured into the canyon to the base of the falls. Other than smacking my head on an overhanging rock on the way out, it was beautiful. 

Back on the ring road we passed farms of sheep and cattle interspersed with more waterfalls and glaciers in the background.  

We were trying to understand the Icelandic wisdom of placing your farmhouse at the base of a steep cliff, in an area of constant seismic activity.  These farmers were smart, they planted a tree barrier to keep the mountain from falling in on them.  I guess they must have really strong trees here in Iceland.

We also passed the site of the last major eruption in Iceland in 2010, the Eyjafjallajokel, which sent tons of ash into the atmosphere disrupting flights to and from Europe for days.

The Skogarfoss is one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls, fed by a river through the Skogagil Gorge (which also feeds about 20 other waterfalls).  There is a short, but strenuous hike to the top of the falls that afforded a good look at the gorge.  It also gave us a chance to burn some of our breakfast calories.

Just up the road from the falls is the Skogar Folk Museum.  This is a combination transportation and folk museum, not sure why they’re together, but we just went along with the flow.  Inside they had exhibits on Iceland’s search and rescue units, saddle making, geothermal power, and cell phones (????). 

The outdoor exhibits were more interesting.  There were old typical farming community structures including homes built into the ground covered with sod, a schoolhouse, church, and livestock structures.  

While we were here, the weather which had been partly cloudy, became spectacular.  Jeri suggested we drive the short distance back to the waterfall to see if we might catch a rainbow.  Boy, was she right, in spades.  The sun’s angle was perfect, and we were rewarded with, not one, but two rainbows across the waterfall.  Good call!! 

A few kilometers further along we turned off the main highway to drive to the base of the Myrdalsjokull Glacier.  The Katla Volcano is within this glacier, so we are hoping that it doesn’t decide that today is a good day to blow.  A ½ mile hike brought us to the edge of the glacier.  Since 1930, the glacier has retreated over this ½ mile.

Continuing on to the town of Vik on the water, the weather began to change abruptly.  Clouds rolled in and the wind picked up (yes, Toby, we had a lot of wind).  When we rented the car, the guy told us to be careful when opening our doors.  They apparently have cars returned with damage doors from their flying open unattended.  Now we understand.  Near Vik is a long black sand beach

 and a huge natural arch on a high promontory guarded by a light house.  

This arch is 360 ft high.  We drove up a very steep windy dirt road that was only wide enough for about 1 ½ cars which made for a little excitement when large vans were trying to come down. From the top, we were also afforded nice views of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks

 as well as the Dyrholaey headland (arch). 

The weather continued to worsen, and we decided to try to get back down the cliff before it really started to rain.  We did stop at one other vantage point to see if we could get a better view of the arch.  The view wasn’t all that much better, but there were some great rocks for Dave to climb on.

It was starting to get late and we had a ways to go to our hotel for the night, so we started back on the ring road heading for Skaftafell.  Along the way, we stopped for gas and found out that without a PIN for our chipped credit cards, you could not pay at the pump.  Our only option was to buy a prepaid card for that particular gas.  I really wish the banks in the U.S. would get with the program and issue cards with PINs and chips like the rest of the world.

As we approached Skaftafell, we crossed a one lane bridge (you have to pull over and let the oncoming vehicle pass) 

and then stopped for an initial  view of the Vatnajokull National Park which includes the ice-cap and its surroundings to total 14% of Iceland. 

After a bit of hunting (the GPS didn’t recognize Skaftafell or our hotel’s name) and mild anxiety about possibly having to sleep in our car, we found the hotel.  We were saved!

The sky cleared somewhat, and we are hoping we might see Northern Lights.  Don’t count on any pictures.  Chances are slim.  The hotels will wake guests if there is a display.  Let’s hope we get our beauty rest interrupted.