July 25, 2019

July 25, 2019

Today is a long driving day. Finished with the glaciers of the south coast we circle north to explore the east coast of Iceland. The weather has cleared up and we see blue sky for the first time. The scenery is beautiful. It starts out with steep coastlines of what looks like cinder cone walls. After a while the cliffs become layers of basalt probably built by one eruption atop another. In some places the layers are cut back into the cliff and could stand in for Game of Thrones locations. Our progress is slow because of frequent stops to take photos.

The good weather doesn’t last and the cloud layer begins to descend hiding the cliff tops. The East coast is also fjord land and after zig zagging the first dozen inlets, I am beginning to tire of driving. To stretch our legs we make a quick stop at one town named Djupivogur that has a quirky set of large granite eggs lined up on the harbor.

At the end of the fjord lands we made a detour to visit the seaside town of Seydisfjordur. Besides being a cute village it gained fame from the 2013 film "Life of Walter Mitty". In the movie Ben Stiller skateboards down the mountain into town showcasing the majestic scenery. As we begin our detour, I am excited because the sky has cleared again. We exit and climb a high pass. As soon as we reach the summit, we encounter pea soup fog and it doesn’t dissipate until we reach town. We can’t see the expansive scenery! Plus there is a large cruise ship in town with passengers walking everywhere. To add insult our recommended restaurant doesn’t open until evening. We punt, grab a sandwich from the market and have a picnic above town by the waterfall in the Walter Mitty movie. The best laid plans!

Leaving the East Coast we turn northwest and cut across the center of Iceland. The scenery is so different. We begin climbing a wide river valley, then top out at a flat prairie. The greenery doesn’t last and soon it looks like the barren lunar landscape. As we approach the Icelandic center, we cross a raging river and take a detour north. Some fifteen miles up we come to where the river roars down two cliff sides in Selfoss and at Dettifoss. We hike a mile across a basalt dry riverbed to reach the falls. Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. But what makes it most unique is the brown muddy water and its setting inside a basalt channel.

We finish our long driving day in the Myvatn area. We have pizza and Viking beer for dinner.