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.