It was a dark and stormy night.
That pretty much sums up our first overnight experience in Iceland and by all accounts, the weather was not going to improve much in the coming days, particularly in the east and to the north. We can’t drive west because that is over the mountains and the interior of Iceland which is all but inaccessible to Bijou. She’s been to some interesting locations, but she’s no 4×4. No, if we wanted a chance at any decent weather at all, we would have to go south, and quickly.
The wind was howling outside and we thought about staying another night in Seydisfjordur, mainly because we didn’t know if it was safe to drive across the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass to get from the coast to the Ring Road. But we hadn’t heard of any further landslide warnings and we felt like the wind was going to be a constant factor, so finally we decided to go for it. I had kind of figured out at this point that Iceland’s driving conditions were probably going to take me out of my comfort zone so I decided to just embrace it and hope for the best.
No sooner had we started up the pass when we came across our first stop, the Gufufoss waterfall. The parking lot was literally a pullout on the road, so I didn’t even have to get out of my seat to see the waterfall in all its glory, it was right out the window. This is my favorite kind of sightseeing. That’s not because I am lazy (per se) it’s that I don’t like to leave Bijou. It is time consuming to get out the door and get her secured, so if one of us can stay behind, we usually do. Steven did walk further up to the falls to get better photos.
It was only 27 kilometers to the town of Egilsstaðir and the Ring Road. We had planned to stop there and stock up on groceries. We were not allowed to have Bijou’s fridge on while on the ferry, so we needed a few things. Turns out the grocery store didn’t open until 11 am and we had gotten there way too early. The sun had peeked out through the clouds and rather than sit and wait, we decided to keep going and shop elsewhere.
There is no question that autumn had arrived in Iceland, fall colors dominated the landscapes. Much of the farmland was still bright green and dotted with sheep. Almost every herd had a few black ones, and even a few multicolored sheepies. Iceland sheep have two layers of wool, the one closest to their skin is fine and soft, whereas the outer layer is coarse and water-resistant. The rain doesn’t seem to bother them much, they just graze and watch the world go by, or in this case, the tourists.
On our first driving day we went for five hours making a few stops here and there, mostly to admire the scenery. The Ring Road essentially follows along the very curvy fjords, which makes for some spectacular views, but also a long day. In some places we were sheltered from the wind, but mostly there was nothing between the mountains and the sea except the Ring Road, so we did get battered around a bit. We stayed our first night in the town of Höfn, near the water at the foot of the Vatnajökull Glacier. Even though we knew we’d be more protected from wind if we faced into it, that would have put the glacier behind us. We could not pass up the view out our front window, so more battering, but the view was worth it.
Day two brought sunshine and warmth, and when I say “warmth” I mean high 40s(F). When we were outside, the wind made it feel so much cooler although it had calmed somewhat. Inside Bijou it was practically T-shirt weather! It was lovely! We had planned a couple of stops along our drive, Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. Both are pretty touristy, but we really enjoyed them.
We made an impromptu stop that had a huge glacier view that we could easily walk to. When I saw this great view, I literally made a split-second decision and turned into the gravel and uneven parking lot.
Biiiig mistake. It was a much steeper entrance than I had anticipated, so Bijou scraped along the ground. This is not exactly uncommon, but it is always embarrassing. Anyone within earshot snapped their heads around and watched in horror as I just kept going with terrible scraping sounds coming from Bijou’s rear end. As awful as that seems, it isn’t her actual bottom that is scraping, it is a low metal bar that is attached underneath, near her back bumper. I suppose it is there to protect her from incidents like this one, but there is also a bunch of wiring nestled up in that bar. Unfortunately, I managed to slice the wires clean in half. ARRRRGH!
We walked out to the glacier to get a photo, but all I could think about was what damage I had caused and how was I going to get out of that parking lot without causing more. Steven got on the ground and gave it the once over. Yep, lots of wire damage, but everything else was okay. I fired up Bijou and we methodically went through all the lights to see what we had lost. Funny enough, we had been traveling with the warning light indicator on the dash shining brightly, but we could never figure out what was causing it. When we had a service inspection just a few weeks earlier at Dave Newell’s, he found the obscure parking light that was out and changed it. We were so happy to see that warning light indicator go off on the dash, but now it was back again. UUUGH!!!
Turns out all we lost was our rear camera and reversing light. Steven managed to repair the wiring enough to get our camera back, but not the light. We need to find a replacement bulb for it, which we will do once we return from Iceland. We found a way out of the parking lot and avoided any further damage to Bijou. I learned a big lesson and I now do not pull off the road in an unplanned, willy-nilly manner.
We arrived in the little village of Vik and decided to stay for a couple of days. Vik is a very small and touristy place right on the coast and in the shadow of Katla, Iceland’s most dangerous volcano. What makes Katla so dangerous is that it is covered by ice, which in an eruption would melt and flow quickly to the sea, right through Vik. Residents have less than 30 minutes to grab their go-bags and get to one of several areas on high ground. The amount of melt water coming from Katla during an eruption would be comparable to the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile and Yangtze rivers combined. I hope we are long gone from Iceland before Katla erupts, she is overdue.
And a final drawing contribution from Steven. This time it’s his own version of a famous painting of Lady Agnew by John Singer Sargent. Quite the challenge but he is pretty pleased with it. If you would like to see more, you can keep up with what he’s doing by following his Facebook art page here or on Instagram here.
NEXT UP: Iceland’s South Coast and Golden Circle
What a stunningly beautiful place. Gorgeous photos! Glad you are seeing it all in the Fall.
The fall has been stunning, but I can see how Iceland is gorgeous in every season. I think it would be fun to visit in the winter, but not in a motorhome. 🙂
These photos are fabulous!! So different from anyplace else. It may be cold and windy, but the fall colors are amazing.
Thank you, we are loving the fall colors. I think winter would also be spectacular! Frozen waterfalls!! 🙂
Fabulous pictures ! Thank you so much for letting me/us discover Iceland in a different way. The views are stunning, the glacier endlessly amazing and your ‘adventures’ quite distracting ! You post gorgeous pictures — congratulations ! they’re like paintings … well, works of art, let’s say. Thanks and keep posting more like these.
Thank you, Armande! Iceland has been a real adventure for us, we’re so glad you’re along for the trip!
All the previous comments apply- fascinating terrain & such stark contrasts.Thank you for sharing with us & be careful.All the best
Thanks so much for taking time to comment, it’s good to hear from you! I’m glad you are enjoying Iceland, it has been very exciting for us, but challenging at the same time, especially traveling in Bijou! The wind is fierce at times!
WOW ! ! ! Although I was exposed to the Nat’l Geographic growing up and in our home , your photos bring these locations so much closer. Thank you so much.
Yeah, NatGeo!! My dad is a geophysicist and we had years and years of that magazine in our house! There always seemed to be some exploding volcano on the cover, which looked beautiful and dangerous! I did not know until we came to Iceland that Volcanic Tourism is HUGH! When one starts spewing, people flock to see it by the thousands! It is big business in Iceland!
Awesome photos and story. I’d love to visit Iceland…flights are pretty cheap but not sure if rental cars would be reasonable once on the island.
I think airfares to Iceland are very reasonable, but I have no clue about rentals. That said, van and car rentals are the typical way most folks get around. Otherwise, based yourself in Reykjavik and take day tours on a comfy bus! Definitely worth the trip, but lots of tourists!
Your terrific photos have certainly piqued my curiosity about Iceland. What a wild and beautiful place!
I think Iceland is worth a trip, but it is very touristy. The only way to escape that is to have your own transportation and visit places beyond Reykjavik and the south coast. That said, we’ve enjoyed all of it!
Specatcular scenery… when I was in Antarctica I had a gin and tonic with blue ice from an iceberg…try it!
I didn’t think to try that with the ice diamonds here, but we did do it in Alaska! I don’t recall it being a blue piece, though, it was clear.
As always, out standing photos with writing to match. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Vern! Plenty of beautiful things to photograph here, it’s hard to keep my eyes on the road! So glad I travel with my personal photographer! 🙂
Simply stunning photography and what a story! Can’t wait for the next installment!
Thank you, Joyce, good to hear from you! It won’t be too long until we get the next post up, and I can promise more beautiful photos!
It is a real pleasure to travel and see Iceland through your eyes. Incredible colors.
I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful images with us.
Thank you for your comment, Jorge. We have been very privileged to see such beautiful countryside in Iceland. More beautiful photos to come!
Thank you for continuing to share just how vast and unique the world is and that there is still so much beauty despite the day to day chaos.
We have been so busy with our trip I totally missed your comment. Thank you for taking time, and yes, I agree with you that the beauty in our world gets lost among all the turmoil!
Such a beautiful place to visit. My husband and I went to Iceland in June. I would love to go back!!!!!
I have read about so many people who love Iceland so much they go over and over and over. I mean, I really enjoyed it, but there are just too many places in the world I want to see before I start repeating, especially a place so remote and expensive! But I get it. Iceland is a magical place!