Day 5 - Heading south toward Kirkjubaejarklaustur

Our fifth day in Iceland we bid a fond farewell to our beautiful little apartment in Reykjavik, loaded up the van and headed south toward Kirkjubaejarklaustur.  We had our first taste of the $8.50/gallon gas prices and silently thanked the good Lord that we "only" pay about half that in Hawaii.

Once we left the city of Reykjavik and drove for about an hour, we got to experience the utter desolation of the countryside.  For 6-7 hours, we drove on a narrow, two-lane road that encircles the country and saw nothing but grazing sheep, rocks covered in green moss, seemingly endless sandar plains (fine sand and gravel deposited by migrating glaciers) and the very occasional petrol station.  For the most part, this is what the road looked like...and we probably only passed another car every 15-20 minutes.

It was all quite peaceful and beautiful, but the best part of all? The waterfalls.

The first one we stopped at (Seljalandsfoss) we could see from the roadside.

 

And best of all, we got to walk behind it and get showered by the mist!

The second and third falls we saw involved a bit of a hike.  But we all did it, even though we had to carry up a certain lazy 3-year old half the time.

We also had to stop and check out this little cave, that we of course called "Ryan's House."  I always have to accompany him in them because I'm convinced bears lurk within.  Since they probably appreciate a well-marbled cut of meat I figured if I go in with him, I'll be the more desirable target.

But the coup of the day was the Gljufurarfoss, which is actually hidden within a canyon.  To get there we had to walk across a farm, and then the only way to see it?  By rolling up your pants, taking off your shoes and wading up the knee-high, freezing cold river.  Only Rich and Joey were able to tolerate the painfully cold water temperature, but both were rewarded with what they called one of the most surreal, beautiful experiences of their life.

Here's a picture of Rich (taken by Joey) in the canyon!  It felt very Jewel of the Nile-ish...even from the outside looking in!

The fourth fall we saw that day was the 62-meter high Skogafoss, which is shrouded in (freezing) mist.   It was also set along a beautiful, green hillside with grazing sheep seemingly defying gravity.

What can I say?  They make you jump for joy.

But it wasn't just waterfalls and sheep, we also saw Icelandic horses, more turf-covered buildings..and this one built into a rock cliff!

We also stopped at Solheimajokull, a glacial tongue extending from one of the ice caps there.  To get there we had to bounce along a gravelly road for about 15 minutes before hiking in to see it.

Even though the glacier was covered in black sand/pebbles, we loved the otherworldly feel to it.  We made sure to stick to the main paths because of the quicksand in the area.

Ryan actually took this (slighty blurred) picture of Rich and I doing our best 007 poses on a chunk of dirty glacier!

Our final destination of the day, and just in the nick of time (since reservations are only held until 6pm and they were booked solid) was our much anticipated cottage in Kirkjubaerklaustur- Horgsland!

What can I say?  Like our apartment in Reykjavik, Horgsland more than delivered.  Thirteen self-contained cottages are nestled at the base of a towering mountain range (which we hiked/climbed with Ryan on more than one occasion).  The cabins were extremely well equipped and cozy, smelling distinctly of pine, and even though a bit pricey at $250 a night, were far cheaper than most other accommodation in the area.

My parents and I each took one of the two downstairs bedrooms (each held a bunk bed that could sleep three) that I compared to a cruise ship bedroom...so tiny all you could do was sleep in it.  But Joey got the best room of all- the second floor steepled 'attic' (if you were willing to brave the ladder up to it)!

After unpacking, some of us got organized in our bedroom cubicles, while other less responsible, fun loving folk took in the ambiance with a cold brew on the porch...  :-)

The two boys hanging out eating candy together (their favorite past time) in the cool hangout upstairs...

Right across the street from the cabins was a field full of sheep that we took Ryan to see at dusk.  Uncle Joey tried once again to chase them closer to us, but failed...miserably.

All in all, a long, but perfect day.  :-)

Ryan hiking with mommy up the mountain behind the cottages