Yet another sunny and calm day.
We have actually been very lucky with the weather. There was really only one day when we couldn’t do anything and that was when we first tried to go to the west coast and the wind and rain were so fierce that we just turned around and headed east. We have had a few rainy days but it only lasted for a while and didn’t stop us from going out. Even on cloudy days, most on them eventually turned at least partly sunny. And of course we have had a huge number of gorgeous sunny days, which I think is pretty unusual for Iceland.
Then there is the wind. I don’t think it ever stopped us from doing anything but it sure made everything that much more tiring. It’s fun for a while to feel the power of the wind but after a short while you just wish it would calm down.
We also managed to avoid some really bad weather. Once we had done most of the loop and were returning to explore the west coast which we had skipped, that was now in the bright sunshine, we got an email from the campervan company saying that the north coast was under a heavy wind and snow advisory. We heard later that they actually had to break out the snow plows.
Then a few days later we got another email about a severe gale warning for the south east with 60 to 90 kph winds with gusts up to 125 kph. Meanwhile it was very calm where we were.
It was another below zero night and cold morning.
Preparing breakfast.
Heading out we first stopped to check out the hot tubs. It was a nice setting.
But they were just commercial hot tubs and one looked rather gross.
We also sopped at the steaming vent that was on the roadside on the road into Drangsnes.
There was s small campground on the other side of the road that did seem to have a pool using naturally heated water.
Since today was our second last day we wanted to head back south to not have to long a drive to return the camper at around 1 pm tomorrow so we headed down to Thingvellir National Park that we had skipped exploring earlier.
Before we returned to the ring road we had a choice of a direct route going inland or a longer route along the shore. Guess which we took.
We weren’t quite sure what to expect with Hwy 68. With the 3 digit roads we know they are going to be dirt and not great. The 2 digit roads are mostly paved but do have long dirt sections which are sometimes also not so great. When this one went from paved to dirt we thought we were in for another bumpy ride but it turned out that this was the first one that was smooth enough that we could actually do the posted 80 kph speed limit. Then it went back to pavement for seemingly no reason, then dirt again and finally back to pavement.
Off in the distance there was a low fog bank on the opposite shore.
As we got closer it started to break up.
Down and up several more fiords.
We always have to watch out for sheep on the road, even on the main Ring Road.
Then we were back on the Ring Road for a while before turning towards the national park. On the way we did a quick stop at Porufoss.
The photosphere.
Then on to the national park. It’s claim to fame is that is sits on the rift between the Eurasian tectonic plate and the North American plate.
Near the visitors center there is a deep crack in the lava that they let people think is the actual gap between the plates.
In actual fact both of these walls are on the North American plate and the Eurasian plate is several kilometers away across this large rift valley that has filled in the gap as the plates move apart.
If you follow the path in the gap you can get to Oxarfoss.
Our last waterfall of the trip.
Blurred.
The photosphere.
It was about 2 km one way to get to the falls. Heading back.
We spent the night at a nearby campground in the park.
And miracle upon miracle, on our last night in Iceland it was clear and the Northern Lights burst forth.
The wind had picked up a bit and it was bitterly cold so we could only stay a short while but they were so bright and seemed to change every few seconds that we still saw a great display.
We could see the green quite easily but the reds only show up on the phone camera time exposures.
We have seen some small displays at the cottage but this was definitely a checkmark off on the bucket list.
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