Second Day

Here’s a bit about our second day with photos:

Waking up to brisk Icelandic air brought the realness of our trip to our senses in the morning and, with some instant coffee, we set off north to the Hvitserkur rock formation in a bay off the Arctic Ocean. Brandon grew up by the Pacific Ocean and I by the Atlantic. Now as landlocked Coloradans, any coastal destination is tantalizing. So, against the advice of our phone navigation, we took the longer route around the peninsula along the water’s edge and extended our enjoyment of the sun rising over the water.

There was a flat, easy trail to the viewpoint and then we took a longer trail down to the beach. Sea stacks occur off coastal cliffs and Icelanders are thorough intheir cautionary signage with warnings to not go straight down the cliffs. Brandon also has nerve damage in his right leg that caused it to be paralyzed from the knee down. It’s unrelated to his epilepsy, or is it? The brain is the most complex and mysterious part of our body and Outdoor Mindset is a fabulous group with stories to share that can help us better understand it’s intricacies.

After our first jaunt with the Arctic Ocean, we meandered through various mountain ranges to the city Akureyri. It is casually known as the ‘capital’ of northern Iceland. We weren’t planning to do much in an urban setting, but Brandon forgot his swim trunks and we DID plan to visit hot springs on this adventure. This was also an opportunity to try a local hotdog stand, surprisingly one of the popular foods Iceland is known for.

Continuing on, we had to drive through a 4.5mi tunnel to get to my most anticipated part of Ring Road, the Diamond Circle. First stop was the gorgeous waterfall, Godafoss. We walked around both sides of this beauty under delightfully sunny skies with just enough clouds in the background to make lovely photos. The next stop was the nearby Lake Myvatn, named after it’s abundance of midges. There are many attractions around this lake and our next trail at Dimmuborgir took us through the rugged lava field used to film the TV show Game of Thrones. Here the dark rock formations were speckled with trees whose leaves had turned colors for the autumn season and the contrast was stunning. Lots of photo ops here, especially with the warm afternoon light.

Our campsite for the night was just past the town of Husavik, nestled on the shore of the Tjornes Peninsula. With clear skies and the ocean providing a black backdrop, we hoped to catch the Aurora Borealis and set alarms every hour for a good part of the night. Alas, the sky did not dance for us, but we had five more nights for possible sightings.

First Day

Hi, y’all! Sabrina reporting on behalf of the Sabrina/Brandon adventure team. I’m excited to share this experience in writing since the most ‘damaged’ area of my brain controls language in writing and I enjoy the exercise for my mind. Also, Brandon is a mechanical engineer and writing is not his favorite brain function lol.

Our first day in Iceland might be considered low key by some, but we had a blast, eyes filled with wonder and synapses firing full throttle. Picking up the camper van was relatively easy since most Icelanders speak English. Hitting the road in said van was more interesting. Paying attention to how traffic flows in other countries and deducing what signs say is an adventure on its own. This was Brandon’s first time out of the country not with the military and this was my first time renting a vehicle in another country.

The first stop was a grocery store. Seems like a boring location, but I enjoy observing the layout of retail aisles and grouping of products on the shelves to figure out what items are when I can’t read the language on the labels. It’s a lot like recovering cognitive skills after a brain injury, looking at the big picture and filling in the missing parts.

We planned to take the Ring Road highway around the country with a list of attractions saved to my phone in geographic order. Most folks choose to drive counterclockwise, but we opted for the less trafficked side of the country first and began the clockwise route. Not far out of Reykjavik, we stopped at Hraunfossar and Barnafoss (foss means waterfall, -ar being plural) for a short walk, restroom break and coffee. There are waterfalls all over Iceland and each has a different personality. After a bit more scenic driving we parked the van at Hvammstangi, cooked dinner and called it a night. 

Iceland Bound

Sabrina experienced a traumatic brain injury early in her life as a high school student and now, more than two decades later, has a growing interest in neurology, how her brain recovered, and the long term effects. When she met Brandon (diagnosed with epilepsy as an adult), he pointed her to the Outdoor Mindset community for sharing experiences. Brandon has been a member for over twelve years when OM was newly developed. These two are headed to Iceland for a camper van road trip around this incredibly geographically unique country. They will send updates with plenty of hiking to waterfalls, through canyons, and hopefully inside a glacier!