Day 10
Made the drive to Hvitserkur Basalt Rock. Along the way, I was distracted by some marketing for seals so I stopped off to see the Seal Center hoping to see some seals but I ended up being a seal museum and visitor center. I continued the rainy drive to Hvitserkur and made the short walk down to the platform viewing area. I snapped a few photos. I contemplated making the walk all the way down to the beach but there was no marked trail. There were barren routes along the steep edge where people had been walking but it felt like it was not intended to be a path. I walked back to my car and started the long drive north to locate a secluded hot pool I had heard about.
Along the way I picked up two hitchhikers from the Czech Republic. They were so young (18) and named similarly to John and Alisha. This was their first big trip outside Czech. We chatted about life, school systems, languages, potential career opportunities, travel… We stopped at a church to take some photos and eventually departed ways in Holmavik. They had an interesting travel philosophy that I would like to try one day. They had no real plan on where they were going. They just hitchhike to the next town, set up camp, look for activities to do there, meet people, then hitchhike again the next day. They are keeping an eye on how far they get from the airport as they need to make sure they make it back for their return flight but other than that, they are just experiencing whatever presents itself without an agenda…
I finally found my secluded hot pool and went for a long dip by myself. The constant drizzle I had been driving in all day even let up for a while.
I contemplated finding a camping spot (around 5 pm) but continued the drive to Dynjandi Waterfalls. This was a lot of window time. I remember reading the book Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey. He talked a bit about his time on the road with his camper trailer and in Europe with a friend on motorcycles. I wonder if this time alone, just me and the road lost in thought on winding coastal paths dodging the occasional sheep with endless views, were having a life-clarifying effect or if I’m just wasting time and money on a foolish endeavor. I thought about my place in the world, what I am learning, am I giving anything back, does any of it really matter? Do I really matter? I ponder concepts I have learned like Ikaigai that you should find what you are good at, what you are passionate about, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. I thought about regions and societies and how aliens would interpret what we are doing down here to and for each other. I remembered weird old concepts I researched about fractals and how to measure a coast line and how the smaller your measuring device, the longer the coast would be from A to B. If you use a ruler versus a yard stick, it would be longer because you are able to measure around more of the features… Then I followed that trail of thought and wondered if the coast would be infinitely long from A to B because you could measure around each grain of sand in theory, but then around each atom, then around each subatomic particle… My brain was on overdrive. I have always believed that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail but it feels like I don’t actually have a clear plan for the first time.
Somewhere along this drive I encountered an interesting tunnel. I have to admit that I don’t understand a lot of the street signs. I am not sure if that is why this tunnel caught me by surprise but the first surprise was that there was a turn off in the tunnel! As it approached all of a sudden, I hoped I chose the right path as I kept going straight. I don’t remember a turn coming up on the GPS but the GPS was also struggling a bit under ground. Next, it dropped to one lane! I mentally panicked wondering if that turn I passed made it a one way! I frantically looked for signs and noted a speed limit sign facing my direction (60km/hr) which seemed way too fast! There were pullouts inside the tunnel about every 100 yards marked with a large M. I navigated passing a few vehicles using these and decided to continue and not try to turn around in one of them. The third surprise was how long it was. It felt like I passed under an entire mountain range. Eventually I made it out the other side and back on a two lane road!
Finally I made it to the falls around 8 pm and walked around for 45 minutes. They were impressive and so was the view of the bay. This is the first time there wasn’t a campground close by and I was tired so I contemplated using a pull out along the winding remote roads but decided instead to make the drive over the next dirt road pass into the clouds to Flokalundur Campsite and set up my tent in the rain.
Day 11
I woke up in Flokalunder. I have settled into a good morning routine of breaking down camp, eating breakfast, brushing my teeth and getting on the road. I started my drive to Latrabjarg, the western most point of Iceland. The drive continued in typical Iceland Fjord style of rugged terrain, ocean views, and a fair bit of dirt roads. The weather was mostly stormy.
I remember reading about the oldest steel ship in Iceland as a possible attraction but it didn’t make my list. On the drive I realized it was right off the road so I did stop and briefly check it out. There was some steep terrain and a thought that crossed my mind a few times in Iceland crossed my mind again… how much do I trust the brakes in this rental car? Lol
There was one point on the drive where the road crossed a steep boulder field. I suddenly took note of every “Watch for Falling Rocks” sign that I figured I wouldn’t be able to react to in time as one basketball sized boulder tumbled across the road in front of me and saw two more pass behind the vehicle. Once I made it to the Latrabjarg, I once again had the whole trail to myself for the first hour and half. The cliff edges were beautiful but reeked like a chicken coop. The puffins had already left but there were plenty of seagulls still around. The rain came and went as I hiked. The first person I encountered on my way back was a gal from Slovakia. She asked if there was anything further up the trail and informed her that it was just more of the same cliff edges and ocean views. She turned around and walked out with me. She is working here in Iceland for the summer and has been here for four months. This was her first time exploring this region. After we made it back to the trailhead we walked around the lighthouse and parted ways.
After lunch I was back driving, this time to Raudisandur which is known for its golden beaches. On the way over the pass to get there, there was a small car with a couple standing outside hitchhiking. They didn’t know if the car they rented could make it so they jumped in with me. They were from Germany. He was a tree climber and she was studying to be a midwife. When we arrived at the parking area, I photographed the black church first then we made the short walk to the beach. The gold sand, the blue waves, the green hills, and the rolling clouds had amazing contrast and was so pretty to just take in.
We made the walk back to the car and then the steep drive back to theirs. They were grateful that they had jumped in with me and we said our goodbyes. Then I made the next long and winding drive to Kirkjufellsfoss. This was a lot of window time again with not a whole lot of radio options. I recommend having a downloaded playlist if you follow this itinerary.
Kirkjufellsfoss was pretty much like the pictures. I imagine it is quite packed during the day but was relatively empty at 8 pm. Now I’m settled into my tent listening to the rain at Hellissandur Camping.
Day 12
It was a short drive to Svortuloft Lighthouse. I walked around for a bit with the place to myself, looked at the lighthouse, the black cliffs and the sea arch. Then started the drive to Reykjavik.
I was lucky to find a parking place at Hallgrimskirkja. I walked around and as I approached the main door to enter, I saw it that it was closed for a funeral.
I grabbed a pulled lamb sandwich from a street vendor next to Hallgrimskikja that was amazing!! Then I walked down to the Sun Voyager and made a random loop back around including walking Laugavegur, a street that felt like their high street. I sat on a bench for a while watching people, then my urge to get out of the city kicked in…
Back in the vehicle, I looked up where my car rental return was and checked if there were any other camping places nearby that were different then the one I stayed at the first night and found Vogar Camping that was just a 15 minute drive to return the car early tomorrow. I arrived here early which gave me time to set up my tent to let it dry a bit, do a load of laundry (they had a free washer and dryer!!) and take a shower and repack my bags to fly out tomorrow at 7 am.
I don’t know if I will ever return to Iceland but I do know that I enjoyed parts of the last 12 days here. There was a LOT of window time which sometimes was hard to sit with myself but it also gave me plenty of opportunity to reflect on my life and evaluate where I am and realize that I have no idea where I am going. The trails were beautiful and there were ample opportunities to hike with amazing views to take in.
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