Iceland pt. 2
Day 3 - off to explore the “ice” in Iceland. Diamond beach and the glacial lagoon were incredible. The Vatnajokull glacier is the second largest in Europe and the icebergs that break off end up washing ashore on the jet-black sand. Finding a photogenic piece of ice can be very difficult and shooting it with water movement without getting your feet wet is an even bigger challenge. I was able to capture a couple keepers and managed to keep the socks dry.
We backtracked to the Skaftafell campsite where we would be spending the night. This ended up being one of my favorite campsites of the trip. We fueled up on chicken salad sandwiches made with a roasted garlic mayo from a Swedish taco truck. I wish we could get some of that here, soooooo delicious! There was a short hike to a waterfall (Svartifoss) and to the base of the glacier at this campsite, with fall colors everywhere.
This was our last day with our travel friends and we continued further east on the Ring Road. Vestrahorn, the insta-famous mountain, was our next campsite. We were treated to low hanging clouds on the mountain the first day and clearing skies the next morning. Unfortunately, it was cloudy overnight so no Aurora in this iconic location. As we made our way north along the Ring Road, the weather continually improved. The paved road turned to a bumpy dirt road that took us up into a mountain pass with gorgeous views of the fjord below.
We hiked up to see Hengifoss, known for the red-striped iron deposits. It’s a short steep hike along a canyon with multiple waterfalls. Looking back you can see the snowcapped mountain pass we came from and the river below where we would be camping. As high clouds started to build, I was losing hope that we would be able to see the Aurora that night. These clouds provided us with our first colorful sunset of the trip. One last bathroom break before going to sleep and I could see stars! The sky was clear and the Northern Lights filled the sky in every direction.
We continued toward Myvatn, now on the north side of the Vatna glacier. Stopped by a multi-tiered waterfall on the side of the road before checking out Studlagil canyon. This place was crowded in the middle of the day. Is it a “must see?” I’m not sure.
We haven’t experienced Iceland’s strong winds up until this point. This all changed when we went through the mountain pass. The winds were absolutely nuking. It was a fight with the steering wheel with every gust and anytime we passed a large vehicle. The views were incredible, but hard to enjoy. We set up at our campsite early to settle the nerves. Enjoyed a hot shower, whiskey, and pasta.
