Day 7
I had a slow start this morning where I took an extremely long hot shower, washed my hair at Selfoss Campground. I did some reading, let my trent dry out and made it over to the church about an hour before start. It was open so I asked if I could go journal in the chapel. I then attended my first Icelandic Meeting. They did have a headset available with a translator and I quite enjoyed the experience.
Afterwards, I started my drive back along the Ring Road. I picked up a hitchhiker near Dyrholaey. We said that the other looked familiar. We put it together that she was the one who charged me for my campsite a few nights before at Eystra Seljaland Camping. Maria is from Mexico and has been living and working here for six weeks. She aspires to be a photographer but is also looking at a Nature Conservation Degree. She is close to her sister (who lives in Barcelona) and her mom and they are planning a girls trip in Barcelona that she is excited about. She rode with me to Vik and we went to Skool Beans where I ordered one of their famous hot chocolates. We talked about life and the transitions from over planner to trusting things will work out and how she trusts she will make it back home when hitchhiking but keeps buses as a backup plan. She started walking towards the beach and I started my drive again.
As I passed Diamond Beach, it was interesting to see how the road traffic immediately died down. The terrain remained rugged and beautiful but the establishments were fewer and further in between. I did take one little dirt road detour to capture a few more glacier photos as it was a gorgeous day out!
I made it near Vestrahorn around 6 pm and located a campground, Camping Hofn. I ate a sandwich, set up my tent, and settled in. I know this is a ‘road trip’ but I’ve never been a road trip person so it felt different just taking in the scenery while driving and not having a more hands-on experience. Another long drive tomorrow, then back on a trail!
Day 8
Today was a long day… but aren’t all days the same length? I woke up in Camping Hofn with a sore throat… If there is one thing that I try to never plan on, it is getting sick. I slept in a little later than normal, 7 am, contemplating what this sore throat meant for my travel plans. I know it sounds like such a minor affliction but I’ve struggled to listen to my body and know when and how much to rest. Am I being lazy if I rest? How many times am I going to be adventuring in Iceland? But I also recognize that if I get fully sick, this will be a bit of a disaster with five days left in Iceland, flight to the UK, boat prep for two weeks and then setting sail. I know I have friends in both camps, push through, toughen up and relax, rest, recover. I worked to find a middle ground.
I slowly packed up camp, ate breakfast, and got moving. It was a different feel in this campground as around a third of the people were up and moving the same time I was. I am curious if the further I move away from the more touristy places, the more adventurer lifestyle personalities I run into as opposed to leisure travel or maybe it was just a one off coincidence.
I slowly drove the rest of the way to Vestrahorn. I realized once I arrived that I could have camped there but it was quite small and crowded. To access the ‘great’ photography place it was another 1000 ISK. The light was harsh this morning and would have been back lighting the mountains so I decided to pass on the extra spend and took photos along the coastline as I drove.
I typically drive the exact speed limit, utilizing my cruise control but found myself wanting to drive well below the speed limit to take in the coast line and stop at various pullouts to take pictures. I set no time limit as I made my way to what was originally scheduled to be my next hike and a bit of a longer one at 10 miles. I stopped at Bonus in Egilsstadir and bought some granola and milk for breakfast for the remainder of my time in Iceland and some fruit to snack on. I used the toilets there as well. I have learned to always leave myself in need of at least one item. In this case, I will need one more loaf of bread before I leave so I can use the toilets without incurring an extra charge at a stop along the way. The toilet fees are heavily inforced if you don’t buy something.
As I got back in my car in Egilsstadir I double checked my notes for the trip and found that I had left a note that said visit the town of Seydisfjordur if I had time. It was a little over an hour detour and I walked around this colorful little town where the mountains meet the beach.
I then continued my drive to Storurd. My plan was to just see how I felt when I got there. It was a pretty mountain but as I stood in the parking lot in the late afternoon, I didn’t feel particularly inspired to climb this one.
Next on my list was to visit Hengifoss Waterfall. As I typed it in my GPS, I realized it had me back tracking quite a ways and I should have visited it first. I googled a few photos and decided to skip over this waterfall. This might be a bit taboo to say but I have seen a lot of waterfalls in Iceland at this point. I think I stopped at every one the first six days. My standards for impressive waterfalls have increased dramatically. The next adventure I had listed was Studlagil Canyon (also back a ways) but I didn’t want to skip this one.
I made my way and pulled in around 5:30 pm as the crowd started to die down. I have to say, I am not as impressed with this one as I feel like I should be and part of me knew that driving in. It was an absolutely gorgeous blue sky day but that meant the lighting was harsh and casting firm shadows in a canyon. The parts I couldn’t predict were the mud brown waters that differed from the crips blue I saw in photos and the four drones buzzing up and down the canyon.
I sat at the picnic area at the top of the canyon contemplating my next move. As I reviewed my notes for the trip and looked at the campground closest or on the way to the next spot, I decided to just camp here at Studlagil Tjaldsvæði Campsite. I figured this benefited me in a few ways; the crowds would die down more (and drones would leave) and it would give me the opportunity to see the canyon in a different light, literally. I paid 1800 ISK for my campsite and set up my tent, made a sandwich and returned to the picnic table to journal. Here’s to hopefully a good night sleep and waking up without a sore throat!
Day 9
Woke up early at Studlagil Canyon and tried to photograph in a softer light with the canyon to myself but I wasn’t satisfied. I ate breakfast, broke down camp and got on the road to Dettifoss Waterfall. I arrived around 9 am and had the place mostly to myself until about 9:20 am then the waves of people arrived. I walked around all the designated paths and photographed both Dettifoss Waterfall and Selfoss Waterfall.
I started the drive toward Myvatn. I ended up passing Hverir Geothermal on route. I pulled in but the thermals seemed smaller and less impressive than Hveradalire at Kerlingarfjoll. On top of that there were a lot of people and the midges were out in full force swarming everyone. I drove into Myvatn and fueled up while fighting off the midges and decided to skip both Kraflaviti and Hverfjall craters. I would have had to backtrack a little after fueling up in Myvatn and I realized that I’m not super excited about craters. As I drove to Godafoss Waterfall I began to worry if I was getting impossible to please or excite… as I started skipping over geothermals and craters and even passed by some waterfalls.
When I did arrive at Godafoss, I noticed how tired I was, not sure if it had something to do with the bug I was fighting so I took a nap in my car before exploring… TWO HOURS LATER, I woke up… oops. When I did get out to do some exploring, this waterfall did not disappoint. I loved the hue of the water, the volume and structure of the falls. I walked all the designated paths and selected my favorite view points to photograph from.
Back in the vehicle and on my way to Grafarkirkja Turf Church. After leaving Godafoss, I encountered a toll road and the longest tunnel I think I have ever driven that deposited me into Akureyri, a fairly large city that had two cruise ships in port. After the drive through the city, I was back on winding roads to the cute little turf church.
By the time I finished walking around the church, it was 7 pm. I looked up the nearest campsite and made the five minute drive to Hofsos Camping Ground and settled in for the night. I took an evening walk around town and to the beach after I set up my tent and had dinner. I have to get bread tomorrow.
Loved what you read, share this post to your favorite social website!