Rob Kerr

Rachael and the Arctic Tern

An Arctic Tern at a small cafe/fuel stop near Fagurhólsmýri was strafing every person coming or going to the cafe door. The tern meant no harm and was probably just defending a nest.  Rachael made it across the parking lot...barely.

Skaftafell

Visited another site where it's possible to get up close to the glacier.  I preferred Fjallsjokull since it was easier to get to and the ice filled lagoon is so cool. But Skaftafell is also worth seeing for its larger scale and the long hike through what feels like a

Fjaðrárgljúfur

Visited Fjaðrárgljúfur (Feather River Canyon) on Friday. It's hard to choose favorite sights in Iceland but this is somewhere in my top three. What struck me most is how lush and green the canyon walls and tops are. The green and black color contrast is beutiful--well done mother nature! The

Fjallsjokull Glacier Lagoon

Visited a second glacial lagoon. This lagoon is located at the edge of the glacier.   While we were taking in the view we heard a loud crash over the horizon, followed by an increase in wave action on the black sand shoreline. Just a reminder that the glacier is a

Diamond Beach

Across the road from the lagoon at Jökulsárlón was Diamond Beach, a beach of black sand with fragments of ice scattered about. Pro tip:  ice is deposited on the beach as the tide moves out, so arrive here at low tide to see the largest blocks of ice. Many of

Jökulsárlón

Today we visited Jökulsárlón, which translates to "glacial river lagoon".   This lagoon is a slow moving water body carrying glacial melt and ice floating in the melt out to sea. This is something unlike anything I've seen before, and is well worth the visit! Among the floating ice we saw

Breiðdalur

On the way to our next waterfall we descended from a mountain pass into the Breiðdalur valley. Beautiful vistas! As in many places we had to stop for sheep crossing the road!

Hallormsstaðaskógur

The route to the Lagarfljót lake we took was through Hallormsstaðaskógur, one of the few forests on a mostly treeless island. We saw a lot of familiar trees, like Oaks, Pines, and Poplars. I only noticed one tree too large to put your arms around. Umlnown if this is because

Lagarfljót

Continuing our tour of Eastern Iceland we visited Lagarfljót, a lake formed of glacial runoff. What struck me the most is how silent it was at the shore of the lake. Occasionally I could hear a car making its way down the road across the lake, but otherwise you could

Seyðisfjörður

Made it through the Highland and descended into a charming village to spend the night. We stayed at a hostel thst was previously the town's hospital.  The current hospital is next door. On the way into town we encountered yet another stunning waterfall literally next to the road.  Glad we

Highland of Iceland

Today we drove through the high interior as we turned South. This area is largely uninhabitable and very dry.  The only stop on our way was a fueling stop/restaurant. I was imaging what the only stop would look like in a desolate high desert, and this place definitely lined

Hijódaklettar

Our last stop in Vatnajökull National Park is this area having a collection of large and majestic geological formations. Hijódaklettar translates to "echo rocks", and its accurate: at many points bowl-shaped rocks are pointed at the river, giving the false sense that the rushing sound of the river is emanating

Ásbyrgi canyon

We took a tour of Ásbyrgi canyon, formed a glacial flood through a lava flow. Notable are the sheer vertical cliffs. At one end is a birch forest. This is notable as we rarely have seen stands of trees since we've been in Iceland. Within the canyon is  Botnstjörn pond

Dettifoss

This waterfall located in the Vatnajökull National Park is the second most powerful in Europe, and is fed from the same glacial runoff as the Goðafoss we saw earlier in the day. Dittifoss is the second in a series if falls running through "crater row". This fall is of the

Dimmuborgir

This site translates to "Dark Castles", which accurately describes the place. This is a site formed by volcanoc activity and includes the castle structures as well as several inactive volcanos in the area. This area is in the vicinity of Midge Lake, named for the primary inhabitants.   The local shop

Goðafoss

Visited this impressive waterfall, which  carries the runoff from Europe's largest glacier. The horshoe shape of the falls reminds me of Niagara Falls. We hiked down to the base of the falls for photos, and definitely needed hiking boots and raincoats. Below the falls the water winds its way through

From Westfjords to Akureri

We stayed the night in an apartment Sudavik. Nice little fishing village at the North of the Westfjords. Very spacious, and excellent views. On the way onward we encountered many of the "suicide-prone" sheep that compete with cars for right of way. As well as many groups of Icelandic horses.

Dynjandi Falls

After driving the fjords, we stopped to hike up to Djandi falls, often described as the most beautiful in the Icelandic Westfjords. Not having seen all of the rest, I can't confirm this--but I wouldn't doubt it! The falls are 60 meters wide at the base, and below it there

Driving the Fjords

We spent the day Sunday on the road driving through the fjords of Iceland's Northwest corner. The views were stunning. Photos really don't do justice to the scale of the place. Much of the route traced the outline of the fjords, with many switchbacks. When the roads were paved the

Lava Falls

After The Cave we made a stop at the nearby Hraunfoss (Lava Falls). These falls are impressive not for their height or power but for the breadth of the falls. The falls cover your field of view from horizon to horizon. I don't think there's a vantage point where all

The Cave

Started today driving North from Reykjavík towards The Cave,  a volcanic cave in Western Iceland. We've toured a many caves and mines, but this is the first volcanic cave I've seen, so it was definitely a new experience. This cave has an interesting origin story.  It is said a gigantic

Iceland

Iceland - arrival

Our first international trip in the post-pandemic is Iceland!  So excited! Our plan is to circumnavigate the island clockwise from Reykjavík.  As of this writing--we've landed! This trip was a bit uncertain at the last minute due to a health scare in the family though... Cats and Dogs This was