We’re about to embark on our latest adventure!

Just a quick note from the plane as we finish typing our last few posts. We got up this morning at 5:00 AM and finished packing up to hit the road. We were slowed by a few things including an empty gas card and a large group in front of us at Procar who had damaged their vehicle and were working on paperwork or something. We were getting worried we wouldn’t have enough time to get our VAT refund submitted and through security in time to make our flight.

It was about that time that I noticed our flight had actually been delayed by almost two hours. This turned out to be a good thing for us as it gave us plenty of time for everything we still had to do. It also shouldn’t affect our connecting flight to Madison as we had a long layover to begin with. The rental return went smoothly (no damage despite a few rough gravel roads), and we were soon at the airport. We were expecting a long line for the VAT refund, but we basically walked right up and were on our way a minute later. We cleared security without issues, and had time for breakfast before the waiting began. Amber even discovered a donut with caramel glaze and caramel filling which was delicious.

For our last full day in Iceland, we really had just one item on the itinerary. Glymur is one of the tallest waterfalls in the country, but it requires a significant hike to reach it because there are no nearby roads. We grabbed breakfast at our hotel, loaded our packs, then started the hour drive to the parking area at the end of a long fjord. The skies were overcast, but the weather was otherwise pretty good without much wind (yet).

The hiking trail was roughly marked with yellow paint on rocks along the way, and it brought a wide range of terrain. Things started out over relatively flat terrain with a mix of dirt and gravel and one or two easy stream crossings. A while later, you descend through a cave and take some rough stairs down to the bottom of the canyon next to the river.

 

Here’s where the fun really began. We had to cross the river without a typical bridge. Instead, there is a log over the second half of the span and some mostly exposed rocks to scramble over for the first half. There was also a tension cable stretched across to hold for balance. There were several groups of people all headed in the same direction, so we got to watch about ten people go across before it was our turn. The technique that seemed to work best was to carefully find rocks with the least water rushing over them to get you to a large rock in the middle of the river where one end of the log was bolted down. Several people could stand on this rock at a time to help steady the cable for the people coming behind them. Perhaps the trickiest part was ducking under the cable to be in position to get onto the log while wearing a large backpack. After that portion, crossing the log was a piece of cake. I went first and was pretty methodical over the rocks. Then it was Amber’s turn, and she opted for the “faster is better” method. Both seemed to work well as we came out the other side with dry feet. Hurray for good boots!

 

After the excitement of the river crossing, things didn’t really slow down. We had a series of steep climbs where rebar poles had been hammered into the ground to provide ropes to hold. After those, there was a similar section going down, only it was across rock and it was partially wet. Our trekking poles where great for all of this as having an extra support really helped us feel stable even on tricky slopes. From this point, there was nothing quite so complicated.

Once we passed through the first climb after crossing the river, we could catch glimpses of the waterfall at the end of the canyon. Each viewpoint got progressively better until we reached a designated stop with a nice rock wall and paving stones. There was a cache hidden in the rock wall that Amber spotted in short order. The marked trail seemed to end there, but we decided to keep climbing.

 

Eventually we reached another large flat space with a cliff edge directly across from the falls. Here is where I finally busted out the good camera and the tripod. By this point I realized I had forgotten my jacket in the car which also meant I did not have my hat or gloves either. This was unfortunate because it was extremely windy and cold now that we were nearer to the top of the canyon. Amber was nice enough to lend me one of her two jackets. I was happy to have it even if I did look pretty silly in a jacket a few sizes too small.

 

Soon it was time to head back down and do everything in reverse. This was mostly uneventful as the trekking poles made the harder parts easier. The main difference was that the mayflies where out in force and would not leave us alone. Luckily we were prepared for just such a situation, so we busted out our head nets and became the envy of every other hiker on the trail. One guy even offered Amber $12 to buy hers, and I’m not sure he was joking. She countered at $15 and that seemed to kill any further discussion.

 

Back to the river crossing. Amber went first and got across with no issues. I made it to the middle rock, then went to duck under the cable to be on the same side as the rock crossing. Only I did it a little too early and didn’t really have enough room to stand on the other side of the cable. I did a nice limbo move, but I had both hands on the cable and managed to keep everything dry including my pack. Amber got some pics of me crossing, but missed that moment, probably because she was too busy thinking, “Oh, $h!t.”

 

When we got back to the point of the cave, I remembered that there was another cache nearby. I originally thought it was down next to the river, so I headed back that directoin while Amber waited at the cave. Turns out I had misjudged the GPS map and the cache was actually on top of a ridge the same height as the top of the area above the cave Amber was sitting in. I had a really steep climb made possible by my poles, but found the cache shortly after. I had no desire to go back down the way I’d come up, so I opted to follow the ridge around and realized it was headed to the back side of the cave where I could meet up with Amber again.

The remainder of the walk back to the parking area was uneventful. We spent a total of about five hours. Towards the end, we could feel just about every rock under our tired feet despite our boots. Still a great adventure to cap our trip.The afternoon was much more low key. After getting cleaned up back at our hotel, we spent some time shopping for souvenirs, then had once last expensive Iceland dinner where we both got lamb. Finally, we finished the day with some lounging in a local pool.

We started the day with our own makeshift breakfast purchased the night before, then started the drive to Skaftafell. This area has a lot to see including a waterfall I was initially hoping to visit (Svartifoss, the black waterfall), but after looking over the schedule we decided there was just no way to fit it in. So for us today, Skaftafell was merely the meeting point for our glacier tour with Glacier Guides.

We got checked in and picked up our rented jackets and pants (waterproof, of course). Then we also got fitted for crampons and handed ice axes. The axes turned out to be mostly for show on this type of tour, but they definitively made us look cool! After getting all our gear in order, it was time to pile into a bus and drive 15 minutes back the direction we came from. Then there was a 15 minute walk through the glacial valley before we reached the terminal face where we would start our glacier walk.

More prep. One of the guides showed us how to attach the crampons to our boots. These things are really cool. Once you get used to them you can pretty easily walk on even steep surfaces.

Next they split everyone into three smaller groups, then we met another guide who would be taking our group onto the ice. He introduced himself, “I’m Dan, and I’m from England. So, yeah, that’s me.” He didn’t talk about himself much, but he did a nice job of telling us what to expect and how to act on the glacier. In particular, we were instructed to stomp our feet a bit to make sure the crampons really got engaged with the ice. He described several things he thought people might enjoy stomping on: “your mother-in-law, the British Prime Minister, Donald Trump’s face.” (No one here seems to like him very much.)

Finally we were headed up the face of the glacier. Dan led us single file in a sort of lazy zig-zag fashion, stopping frequently. After the second or third stop, I realized he was pausing not to survey the glacier for a safe path, but because a woman in our group had asthma and was struggling. After about the fifth stop, she decided not to continue and we left her in a safe spot. Dan used his radio to call another staff member up to get her then continued on the tour.

Some interesting things to note:

• Interior glacial ice is too dense for the crampons to have much effect.
• But in the summer with lots of sunlight, a crust forms on the surface of the glacier which makes it easy to walk just about anywhere with the proper equipment. I found I didn’t really need to stomp my feet at all and had no problems. 
• The steepest point of the main face was probably about 30 degrees. There were steeper points as we neared the crevice field at the height of the tour. Dan used his ice axe to create makeshift steps in those places.
• A Viking push-up involves placing your ice axe over a crevice with water in it, then lowering your face to the water to drink. I did one, but Amber just decided to bend over instead. Boring!
• This glacier is receding quickly. They estimate that the terminal face will be too steep to continue touring here within about four years.

Our afternoon had several stops after leaving Skaftafell.

Within easy walking distance from Seljalandsfoss was another, hidden waterfall called Glúfrabúi. It is the real literal hidden gem at this location. It falls into a wide crevice which blocks it from view until you either enter the crevice or climb up the small mountain in front of it. Walking inside the crevice would leave you soaking wet, so we opted for the latter. The climb was a bit sketchy in places, but we were rewarded with great views of the waterfall.

This morning we grabbed a cache on the way out of Akureyri, to set us up for find number 400 at a waterfall later in the day. Then it was off to Húsavík for our whale watching tour with Gentle Giants. We picked up breakfast at a cafe/bakery once we arrived, then headed over to get prepped for the tour. Our guide Theresia helped us into flotation suits to keep us warm and safe during the tour. She Also suggested goggles and gloves which turned out to be a wise choice. Luckily I was able to clip my camera bag to a loop on the front of the suit.

Our tour was on a rigid inflatable boat (RIB), so it was pretty maneuverable and could move across the water quickly. It also happened to be a brand new one, so we were lucky enough to join for its maiden voyage. After getting everyone settled into their saddle-style seats, we sped off straight for puffin island. This island has 30,000 mated pairs nesting on it currently. During peak season later this summer, there will be as many as 100,000 pairs. We idled nearby to take in the sights: puffins in the water, flying overhead, and sitting on the island. Some interesting puffin facts we learned from Theresia:

• Puffins can’t glide, so they never stop flapping their wings while flying.
• They mate for life and both sit on their egg.
• They lay one egg each season. (one at a time).
• They dig a hole for the nest which has its own “toilet” to keep the rest of the nest clean.
• When both puffins leave the nest, the male returns to the nest first to clean the house before the female gets back.
• Puffins are sometimes called the clowns of the ocean as they can be quite clumsy.

Soon it was time to leave the puffins to look for something larger. After what felt like a really long time speeding across the bay, the captain finally turned the boat sharply as they had spotted some white-beaked dolphins. They were around us on all sides for a while. They eventually travelled too far for us to follow, so we turned back into the bay. It wasn’t too long before someone finally spotted a whale. More specifically, a humpback. We saw him surface for a few breaths, then flip his fluke out of the water and dive deeper. After about 5 minutes (Theresia was timing) he was back again. Soon we realized there where actually two humpbacks, one on each side of us. From that point the two mirrored one another. When one surfaced or dove, the other did, too. Every 4-5 minutes, they would resurface, the captain would speed the RIB over to the whales , and we had our own private show. Very cool! With all this activity on both sides, I was having difficulty capturing the right timing for pictures until in remembered that the camera has burst mode.

At this point Theresia decided to get us drunk. OK, not really, but she did offer us a shot of local liquor made from lava moss and other wild plants. It had a very earthy flavor but was surprisingly good. After some small talk, it was time to head back. On the way, we stopped where a large group of boats had gathered in one area, and we joined them for a few minutes. In short order we saw two more humpbacks, as well as a mink whale. One of the humpbacks surfaced with his mouth open right next to our boat. Everyone wanted to stay longer, but we had to head back to keep the tours in schedule. All in all, a great way to spend the morning.

Today was one of our longest driving days of our tour around the ring road. We left Ísafjörður around 8:15, grabbing the final of the multi cache from last night on the way out of town. We stopped a few times within the first two hours. Once was to get a better look at some seals in the water, though they were still pretty far away. The second stop was to grab another cache, this time an ammo can hidden in a nice quiet spot near a river emptying into the current fjörd. Amber took over driving at that point, and was just thrilled when the road turned to gravel in short order. She took care of all of those parts before getting sleepy and asking me to take over.

I took us the rest of the way to Holmavík and the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. This Museum is primarily comprised of stories and a handful of reproductions as opposed to actual artifacts, but it was still pretty interesting. We learned about some of the crazy things people used to believe and also how many people were burned to death for practicing Witchcraft in Iceland. We also saw the necropants, which were sufficiently creepy. The Museum was also conveniently a restaurant, so we went ahead and ate there as well. I had a seafood soup, while Amber had a dish with trout, potatoes, and onion. Yum!

The only interesting activity for the afternoon was a stop at Kolugjúfur waterfall. This spot is only a few kilometers off the ring road. It was extremely windy when we got there, so I didn’t bother trying to take any waterfall shots with the good camera. Instead, we explored the rocks near the top of the canyon and took some pics on my phone. Oh, and there was also a cache there, too.

After the waterfall, it was time for the last leg of our drive to Akureyri where we are staying for the night. There was nothing particularly interesting to report about this part of the drive. The host at Our Guesthouse seemed particularly eager to talk to someone when we arrived. He explained all of his favorite things to see near Lake Mývatn and beyond (most are already on the agenda for tomorrow). We hauled our stuff up to our room, then set off for dinner at Goya Tapas Bar where I’m typing this post. Time to sign off.

We slept in! It was almost too long; we had to have breakfast on the run as we walked to the downtown area to start a walking tour with CityWalk. Our guide’s name was Jo. He gave us a great sense of history and culture in Reykjavik and Iceland in general. He also had a great sense of humor, which was good when he kept getting interrupted by loud construction and traffic noises.

 We grabbed some hot dogs for lunch (they’re really popular in Iceland) and continued wandering on our own. We stopped by Harpa to see the really interesting architecture, then found a cache nearby. Next we walked to the National Museum. Yep, it was a Museum. I guess that’s just not our vacation style as we both agreed to speed through the last third or so. On the way back to our hotel we stopped at Hallgrímskirkja church. It’s quite an impressive concrete building, though really plain. It does have quite a large organ.

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Argentina Steakhouse. They had an entree with both steak and lamb which we both wanted to try. Luckily we realized we could each order one entree and upgrade a sirloin to a rib eye for less money, so we did that and then split them. The lamb was the clear winner, even for me.

Amber really wanted to go snorkeling while we were in Iceland. I was surprised because it would be in 35 degree water, but I was totally game to try it. Well, today was the day for that adventure.

We woke up earlier than we would have liked and drove about an hour to Þingvellir National Park to meet our tour group. After meeting our guide Stefano (from Italy, of course), we got to stand around in the cold for a bit while the other participants arrived. We learned about the gear we would be wearing and started psyching ourselves up for the cold water.

Before getting into the initial gear, we walked over to the entry platform to hear about the path we’d take through the Silfra fissure a.k.a. “the crack.” Stefano explained how the water came to enter this portion of Þingvallavatn lake through miles of lava rocks, filtering out impurities and making the water crystal clear. We would be snorkeling over the gap between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and this is pretty much the only place in the world where you can do something like that. The water is so pure that there are no fish or other animal life, but there are a handful of different types of plants.

Next it was back to the changing room (a van dedicated solely to this purpose) to get into the initial gear. This included several layers starting with our own thermal underwear and socks followed by a warm full body onesie undergarment, a dry suit, plus neoprene mittens and hoods. It’s a good thing Stefano was there to help us as it was tricky to put on everything after the onesie. Amber ended up with a dry suit that was probably too big while mine was almost too small, but they worked out well enough. A dry suit has to fit tightly around the neck and wrists to keep water out. My suit was plenty tight, but Amber’s required an extra neck collar and some good ol’ electrical tape around the wrists. She was thrilled.

Back at the entry platform, it was time for the remaining pieces of our ensemble: the face mask, snorkel, and fins. Stefano insisted that spit was the best way to prevent fog in the masks, and the more you used the better. (He was impressed with our group’s spitting prowess.) By the time all gear was on, there was only a small portion of skin left to be directly exposed to the water. At the edge of the platform, each person leaned over and started to float (made easier by the air inside the dry suits), and we were off.

The water was cold, especially on our hands and head which were the only areas not covered by something waterproof. But it was a manageable cold and the views through the water were impressive. There was a natural current which meant we really didn’t have to use our fins much until the very end when we had to swim against the current to get to the exit platform. We paid for some pictures taken with a waterproof camera. We will post a few once we have them.

Getting out of the gear was a bit less of a production than getting in, though it was still a team effort to remove the dry suit layer. When we were back in our own clothes, we got to enjoy cookies and hot chocolate to warm up. We learned a bit more about Stefano’s diving career before the group broke apart.

After snorkeling, we took some time to see a few other sites around Þingvellir. The most interesting was Öxarárfoss where I took my first shot at using one of my new camera filters to get some waterfall shots with the streaming water effect. I was pretty pleased with the results I was able to achieve in about 10 minutes with no prior practice. I don’t have the right gear to transfer photos off of the big camera on the trip, so you’ll have to take my word for it until I can post some of the shots when we get home.

It’s been a year in the making, but on Sunday we left the two kids at home with Grandma and Grandpa Monroe then set off for Iceland. We left Madison around 730 PM CDT in the evening, connected through Minneapolis, and finally made it to Keflavik at 915 AM GMT Monday morning. Amber probably got about three hours of sleep, but I’d guess I was under one. There’s just no way to get comfortable on a plane without much room to stretch out. Thankfully both flights were otherwise uneventful and we arrived virtually on time. After collecting our luggage, we cleared customs quickly but had to wait a bit for the shuttle driver to pick up our rental car.

At the rental company, we filled out paperwork, told them we didn’t need sandstorm insurance (hopefully that wasn’t a mistake), and took a few pics of the car just in case. Next we were headed off to the Blue Lagoon. Good news: my offline Google maps worked perfectly and got us there in the estimated timeframe.

The Blue Lagoon is sort of like a hot tub on steroids. The runoff from a nearby power plant flooded a portion of a lava plain with warm water, making an ideal location for tourists like us to relax. We started with a fancy lunch with sparkling wine, then headed outside to have a soak. Our package included a free round of drinks and mud masks which made us look like monsters. After about an hour in the water, our fingers and toes where pruny and it was time to go. But not before finding our first physical Icelandic geocache.

The drive back to Reykjavik was beautiful and easy. We checked into our hotel, did a little recon on dinner options, then decided to ignore our research and just explore. We ended up eating at a tapas bar named Public House Gastropub instead. They serve small, shareable portions, so we picked five from the menu and ordered adult beverages. Amber’s favorite was the “duck chopsticks”, while I preferred the Japanese Fried Chicken. We weren’t exactly stuffed afterward, so we wanted to find some ice cream for dessert. Not knowing where to find any and without an easy phone internet connection we opted to stop in a grocery store and pick up some Ben & Jerry’s to take back to our hotel.

We finished the evening with NCIS on TV while we ate ice cream in bed. Amber fell asleep around 8pm, while I almost made it to 9:30 when grandpa let us know the girls were home and ready to do FaceTime. It was good to see them, but also good to crash afterward.

I just moved the site to a new web host, so there may be some issues to work out. Maybe even some new updates coming soon. Something big (or small?) is on the horizon.