July 28, 2019

July 28, 2019

Our hotel room has a view overlooking a wide river valley in Skagafjord, Iceland. This morning it was gone, hidden by fog, but not for long. By the time we left it was visible again and it looks like we have a beautiful sunny day ahead.

We set out driving west through flat rolling farm fields. All throughout Iceland we have seen farms growing grass, cutting it and rolling into colorfully plastic-wrapped bales of hay.

About an hour later, we left the main road and a few miles down a dirt road suddenly came upon a roaring cataract in a small crack in the landscape called Kolugljufur Canyon. Iceland surely has more waterfalls than any other country its size.

Continuing west the main road becomes dirt and gravel for about ten miles. Just a few years ago we would have encountered much more of this. For better or worse the gold rush of visitors to Iceland has driven a lot of spending on infrastructure. Almost the entire Ring Road is now paved as are many secondary roads. Most of our accommodations have also been new. All this by a country with a population significantly less than the city of Tucson.

Less than an hour later we drive up a nice scenic lake-filled valley along a dirt road. We soon come to Eiriksstadir. Here was the home of two of the most famous Icelanders: Eric the Red and his son Leif Erikson. Only the stone foundation of the original house remains. His Long House has been recreated for tourists. Since wood was scarce, this rectangular dwelling is made of earthen walls and topped with sod. It looks like a giant loaf of bread. The interior has a central fire pit lined with bunk beds for up to twenty people. Our guide regaled us of life here a thousand years ago.

Eric was a testy Viking. He kept killing his neighbors and having to flee further west. He eventually moved to Greenland and convinced more than a few Icelanders to join him. His son Leif explored even further afield discovering and founding a colony in North America (Vinland).

When we visited Thingvellir and learned how Icelanders established a legal system shortly after Settlement, I wondered why a group of scattered farmers would have this need. Now after learning many early Icelanders were ornery outcasts living in cramped Long Houses, I now understand why establishing rules was desirable.

From Eric’s Home we went southwest stopping briefly at Grabrok Crater. It was a short hike to and around the rim of this volcanic crater.

We made a brief stop in Bogarnes for an early dinner before continuing on to our hotel room on the Sneffel's Peninsula.