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| Top of the crater |
Hotel Dalvik was our home for nights 4 and 5 of our Iceland road trip. On our way from Bifrost to Dalvik we climbed a cinder cone that was a short drive from our hotel.
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| Path up to the crater |
It was very breezy at the top and, because of the wind, we decided not to walk to the smaller cone. We had to hang onto our hats and really brace against the force of the wind. At one of our stops after that, we managed to acquire gas and a paper map. I’m old fashioned and there is a certain sense of comfort that comes from having a paper map onboard because it’s much easier for me to understand the big picture from a physical map.
When we were, again, looking for a washroom we decided to take a detour into a little town where the community swimming pool overlooked the ocean.
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| Small town |
We managed to find a washroom and ice cream there. I drove for a while but Richard did the bulk of the driving.
Around noon we arrived in Siglufjordur and, what ship should be in port but the Ocean Endeavour so we decided to put on our Adventure Canada jackets and play a few head games with the staff.
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| We meet again |
We met a couple of people we knew as we walked toward the ship and then on our way back to the car, at an outdoor pub, we saw a collection of the distinctive light blue ball caps worn by staff. We sidled up and began a conversation as if we had never left. Some of the folks knew we were driving around Iceland but it took one person about 15 minutes before she exclaimed, “Hey, you guys aren’t on the ship anymore are you?” We confessed and everyone had a good laugh. Shortly after that we said our goodbyes and headed for Dalvik.
In the morning we intended to take a hike noted in All Trails but we weren’t able to find the start of it so we headed for Akureyri. Turns out the Ocean Endeavour was docked there when we arrived and again, we bumped into staff that we knew. We checked out a pedestrian mall which was very crowded and decided to head for a Bonus store to buy stuff for lunch. Richard found a pull off by a pretty little bridge so we opened the hatch and had our lunch there.
After lunch Richard sketched while I had a nap. We caught something on the ship and, although we tested negative for covid, we were left with coughs and diminished energy on our circuit around Iceland. We finished up the day with dinner at Georgie’s. I was doing my best to eat whole foods that are plant based on this trip and it was a challenge. In the smaller towns dinners rely on either fish or lamb to anchor the meal. I had cod which was very good but I was feeling the lack of fresh veggies.
Sunday July 9 brought us to our 6th day in Iceland. It was a perfect day with the car thermometer reading +23C by 5 pm. We stopped at Godafoss where we walked down one side of the falls, crossed a bridge and then walked up the other side.
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| Godafoss |
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| A little closer in |
In the afternoon we visited Lake Myvatn. We walked part way around the lake and my birding heart was happy because we saw ducks, swans, loons, Arctic terns, and some LGB’s (little grey birds) that I couldn’t identify. We had lunch on the deck of the information centre and I discovered that I had left my Swiss army knife at the last place we stayed. I was not amused.
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| Lake Myvatn |
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| From another angle |
Swiss army knives seem to be a casualty of my travels. I lost one on our Cumbria way hike in 2008, and now someone in Iceland has a little souvenir from Scotland. I hope both knives found good homes and that their new owners are enjoying them. We spent the night at Hotel Laugar and in the morning continued our journey. We saw 2 waterfalls, some rather smelly fumaroles, and boiling mud pits.
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| Waterfall ! |
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| Waterfall 2 |
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| Dried mud |
Stinky 1
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| Stinky 2 |
The volcanic region was quite different from the coast road. Whereas the coast road had farms and green fields, we passed through a desolate landscape where the only green was lichen on rocks.
After a night at Hotel Edda in Egilsstaoir, we needed to put on some miles so we drove. It was cloudy when we left in the morning and we had cloud, sun, and some rain throughout the day. We covered some beautiful territory with sea views, plateaus, farms, lavascapes, and a humongous glacier with more tongues than I was able to count.
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| Sea view |
