If you don't like the weather, just drive 5 miles…
It was time to say goodbye to the guesthouse we were staying in for the past two nights. But we were able to enjoy one last breakfast, with great baked bread, before we left. As we drove away on the long driveway, I waved goodbye to any horses I could see along the way.
Today was a weird mix of weather and sights, yet it all happened in less than the distance from Seattle to Vancouver.
Our first stop was a little cave hill thing on the way to our next destination; it was actually the most technical climb of the trip because of the steep gravel scramble with no handholds. Brief moment of terror aside, it was a cute little stop to explore.
Visiting the famous black sand beach and the surrounding natural rock formations (depicted as Eastwatch by the sea in GoT!) is broken up into two areas. First, we drove down where you can see picturesque views of Dyrhólaey, a massive rock arch out in the sea, along with dramatic islands and other rock formations.
As a bonus, the area was swarming with puffins!
We drove around to the other side of the beach. This is iconic for basalt columns (formed when lava cools slowly, apparently), black, pebbly sand, and amazing alcoves.
What we did not expect is that it’s famous for massive waves, gale-force winds, and freezing temperatures even in summer (okay, it was like 10ºC, not freezing, but still…)
It was time for lunch. TBH our food choices have been pretty consistent in all these local towns, mostly burgers and fish-n-chips. Today, we had a rec from our last guesthouse for a local brewery. We both had the fried chicken burger… I, for one, am now craving green vegetables, but we’ll save the commentary on Icelandic food for later in the trip.
Described as a New England-style IPA. Also, they had Brew Dog on tap!
Nick convinced Jerry into a harrowing detour down a mis-marked rough gravel road (the little Hyundai handled it fine!) so we could see a cave.
A cave I am. Train you I must.
People say it looks like Yoda, if you’re not getting why this was so important.
We then moved on a few miles to stop at a pile of rocks. A lot of piles of rocks, actually. And man-made in honor of a farm that got buried centuries ago by one of Hekla’s eruptions.
Oh, remember that comment about weather at the top? It was 78ºF and the sun was beating down. Nick was shocked that we actually needed the AC in the car. Between the arid lava rock landscape and the heat, it reminded us of living in LA more than an Arctic nation.
Speaking of lava rock, nearby was a brief aside of “green” lava rock. It turns out it’s covered in moss, though the moss looked pretty dead and pale to us today.
The second “big” thing of the day (the black sand beach was the first, in case you’re feeling lost by now 🤣) was a visit to Fjaðrárgljúfur, also known as the “moss canyon”, though with the hot, dry weather, there wasn’t much moss that we saw. It was a nice, easy hike after a slightly scary drive in on the steep, rough gravel road. 😨
Finally, as a quick bonus before we headed into the next hotel for dinner, we popped by two more waterfalls!
Oh, and Nick might have had a run-in with a witch…
As a preview of the all-glaciers-all-day experience we’re hoping to have tomorrow, this big boy is looming on the horizon (literally the view from our hotel room). See you tomorrow!
