19.05.2021
195 km – Reykjanes Penninsula – Geocaching in the volcano aftermath
Being still totally high of my magnificent first visit to the volcano, I was not sure what could top this. The afternoon was still young and down here in the valley the sun was out and it was pleasantly warm.
I took the road the few kilometers to Grindavík and stopped at the Vínbúðin – the wine shop – basically the Icelandic version of a liquor store – to buy some local beer. The State Alcohol and Tobacco Company of Iceland is a state owned company that is the sole legal retail vendor of alcohol in Iceland. It runs a chain of 51 retail stores named Vínbúðin – known colloquially as Ríkið – The State. Iceland has very high taxes on alcohol to curtail consumption and as a government revenue source. It is one of the few countries I visited, were there is a Duty Free Shop in the airport after arrivals … even Icelanders shop there when returning home from somewhere. I bought a 6 pack of Einstök Icelandic Arctic Pale Ale for a hefty ISK 2400 today – strictly for celebratory purposes …
Next door to the Vínbúðin was a Netto discount store – I felt like home going shopping in the Netto supermarket … There I bought some cream and carrot/orange juice – because it was the cheapest – and checked out the meat section just for the fun of it. Not surprising, I found something I was not even looking for … They had Horse Steak! Well, they had everything else as well, but Horse Steak I had never seen … I am not 100% sure … but I dare say I have never eaten horse before … or maybe I did … I will have to think about it somewhat longer … They had the Horse Steak at 30% off on sale … I bought it without knowing the price. In the end the 240 g steak came to ISK 510 which I think was cheap and the same price like I paid for the 500 ml cream for cooking …
Not ready to go back to the apartment, I drove #425 west along the coast for 10 km or so. There was a series of 60 geocaches along this road … I was not going to look for them all. But a few would be possible. I started at Brimketill Lava Pool. Having the car parked I had to walk just a few meters to the viewing platform over the shore. Here is a small, naturally carved pool at the lava shore edge. The basin-like shape of the lava rock pool was formed by coastal marine erosion. The lava around Brimketill is extremely rough, cracked and with high, sharp edges and surfaces. The field was most probably formed in the Reykjanes fires in the 13th century. The waves usually pound the southern coastline of the peninsula with great force, having great time to build when the wind comes from the south, as there are no significant landmasses south of Iceland before the eastern tip of Africa. Such forces have shaped these jagged shores.
A folklore tale relates that the pond was regularly occupied by a night troll giantess named Oddný who used it to bathe and wash her clothes. She lived in Háleyjabunga – a nearby small picrit lava shield – with her husband Hróar and her son Sölvi. One night, she went over to the nearby reef Ræningjasker to fetch a whale carcass that had washed up onto shore. On the way back she did not get far – the sun came up before she got home. As a result, she was turned into stone and for a long time she could be seen as a tall lava pinnacle. The sea has slowly worn it down over time. The pool is therefore also called Oddnýjarlaug – Oddný’s Pool.
The literal translation of the word Brimketill is something like surf kettle. It is an apt name – the pool is perched at the edge of a cliff by the ocean. In rough weather, waves wash over the pool. In good weather – like today – it is a beautiful pool of water. An Earth Cache was located right here. I just had to take some photos and would find the required answers later. It was just dealing with lava – of which I am a specialist now – and erosion.
Near the parking lot there was the geocache 15/60 of the Ice & Fire series located somewhere under some rocks … a very common hiding method in Iceland … only nobody had logged it since August 2020 – not many tourists have been around recently … So eventhough I searched intensively … I did not find it … but I logged it anyway … I was here!
Driving back towards Grindavík there were 14 more secret boxes of the same series hidden every few hundred meters close to the road. The first one was right by the turn-off to the parking lot and I found it very quickly. The hint was – under rocks – and there was only one small pile of rocks in the immediate vicinity …
I ended up doing geocache hopping along the road. I found most of them. A couple of the boxes were flooded by rain and the logbooks wet and unsignable and a couple of others I could not find, but logged anyway … Who is going to judge me?
One of the geocaches was hidden near a Golf Course – I did not find the box, but I found a golf ball rolling around on the road and took it as a souvenir … I never had a golf ball … now I have an Icelandic one … well … one that had played in Iceland anyway …
But I did not just focus on finding secret boxes! I took in the landscape as well – I got attacked by Arctic Terns defending their breeding grounds, disturbed some Seagulls resting on a geocache hide and started to get behind the myth of the 3 Icelandic Sheep.
Reaching Grindavík once more, it was time to head back to the apartment. It was still 72 km back to Eyrarbakki, I was hungry and getting tired. It had been an incredibly exciting day today and I was not only physically exhausted but also mentally. I had to process all those stunning impressions at some point …
The drive was pleasant and the weather still good. I reached the apartment at 19:45 and started cooking right away. I decided on Thai Instant Noodles pimped with carrots, capsicum, corn and a healthy dash of cream. A friend from Austria once told me – everything tastes a little better when you put some cream in it … It did! I use a lot of crème fraîche when cooking at home, but here I could not find any – maybe because I did not know the Icelandic word for it and none of the packages in the supermarket looked familiar. So cream it was and it was good.
My concoction went beautifully with the Horse Steak and it all tasted delicious! I like Horse Steak, I have to say. My apartment had a sofa and a small table with a view. I did not want to sit on the dinner table as it was occupied with all my stuff … cameras, cables, laptop, books, gloves, hat etc … And I had the TV running as well which was mounted over the table. So my perch on the sofa was perfect. My V & Carrot went well, too.
After dinner I had just enough energy to sort some photos and post them for the family at home. My first Icelandic Beer disappeared quickly and I fell asleep around 22:45.
20.05.2021
286 km – Golden Circle – Reykjavik
As usual on vacation I woke up very early – long before the alarm went off. The sun was out. Sunrise was approx at 04:00 around here and sunset around 23:00 … if it ever got really dark in between … I would not know. I had slept like a log. I never had problems sleeping with the midnight sun …
I made some coffee – there was a good coffee machine in the apartment – and settled in bed to write. Later I took a shower and got ready to leave at 09:00. For this afternoon I had a booking at the brandnew Sky Lagoon in Reykjavik, so I figured I would drive around the Golden Circle once more. We had visited there in depth during our Ringroad Roadtrip in 2019. But hey … since I am here I can visit again.
From Selfoss I took the road #35 northeast to the Geysir. It was approx 75 km and the roads were empty. At the car rental desk and in all driving instructions for Iceland it was always said not to stop just by the roadside to take photos because of the traffic … At the moment there was no traffic at all … I was not sure, but I would say it was a combination of mid-May still being sort of off-season and the circumstances. In regular times November til March is considered off-season, while September/October and April/May are said to be shoulder season with still a fair amount of visitors but considerably less than in high season from June through to August … I think, shoulder season had simply not happened this year …
With so little traffic I was absolutely not worried to stop for photos … often I did not even pull over … I just checked traffic in the rearview mirror, let the side window down while I stopped and clicked away quickly … The snowy mountains in the distance were gleaming in the morning sun.
The landscape was stunning. But everything was still brown from the winter … I remember when we were here in August, it was all a lushy green. Still I spotted the first Icelandic Horses and many Whooper Swans – Cygnus Cygnus – a large northern hemisphere swan and the only swan in Iceland. Francis Willughby and John Ray’s Ornithology of 1676 referred to this swan as the Elk, Hooper or wild Swan. We had seen large flocks of them last time in August. They usually spend winters in the British Isles and return for the summer to Iceland where they breed all over the island.
Around 10:15 I reached the parking at the Geysir Visitor Center. The lot was empty! Had we have to search for an empty spot to park when here in August … now I was all by my lonesome! The Geysir Center also opened only 11:30 … But the geothermal area was accessible, so I wandered around. Iceland is pure, untamed nature, unbridled space, impressive waterfalls and home to one of the world’s most powerful geysirs – apart from this brandnew volcano … I figured that maybe all of the few tourists that were in the country at the moment, were probably all at the volcano right now …
The Haukadalur valley is a geothermal area on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill beside the Hvítá River. The Great Geysir was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans. The name Geysir is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa – to gush. Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 70 m in the air. However, eruptions may be infrequent and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time. It has been active again since an earthquake in 2000, but it only erupts irregularly. In June 2000, the Geyser reached a height of 122 m for 2 days and is therefore considered the highest geyser. The height of its eruptions is now only up to 10 m, albeit with a longer eruption duration … I was again not lucky to see it.
Strokkur – Icelandic for churn – is a fountain-type geyser located close to the Great Geysir. It typically erupts every 6-10 min with a usual height of 15-20 m, although it can sometimes erupt up to 40 m high. It was somewhat eerie to be all alone in such a usually very busy tourist hotspot. Only a lone photographer had set up his tripod next to Strokkum. Last time we had basically had to elbow our way around here and I never got a photo without other people on it … this time it was pure bliss.
Strokkur was first mentioned in 1789, after an earthquake helped to unblock the conduit of the geyser. Its activity fluctuated throughout the 19th century. It continued to erupt until the turn of the 20th century, when another earthquake blocked the conduit again. In 1963, locals cleaned out the blocked conduit through the bottom of the basin and the geyser has been regularly erupting ever since. It is one of a very few natural geysers to erupt frequently and reliably. I hung around for several spouts of it. Due to the steam I could not see the eruption coming like the last time we were here … The bursts came really sudden and were not as high sometimes. But still impressive.
Leaving the Geysir I kept driving up the #35 towards Gullfoss Waterfall. The parking lot there was empty as well … I was not going to stop there – I had my sight on another geocache at the end of the asphalted road up in the highlands. Already when passing Gullfoss there were several signs stating the road up ahead was only accessible by monster 4×4 due to still heavy snow. I was not going to go that far, though.
Approx 10 km past Gullfoss a geocache was hidden somewhere near the road … under rocks … I met no other cars on the way, just stopped by the roadside and found it quickly.
The map showed the asphalt was ending approx 5 km further on and then #35 turned into F35. F-roads are roads that access the highlands of Iceland. They are breathtaking routes, whilst also being very challenging and – in some cases – dangerous. These F-roads can contain a lot of loose gravel and some of them can also contain quite deep and wide river crossings. Driving on F-roads requires to have a 4×4 vehicle – for the F-roads with rivers, it is even required to have a raised 4×4. Regular rental cars like my cheapy are not allowed anywhere near F-roads … Not that I would have tried, anyway …
But to the end of the asphalt I could go – it ascended to approx 350 m of altitude and the landscape up here was breathtaking. Blazing sunshine let the snowy mountain tops in the distance glitter. The Highlands of Iceland are a sparsely inhabited plateau that covers most of the interior of Iceland. They are situated above 400-500 m and are mostly an uninhabitable volcanic desert, because the water precipitating as rain or snow infiltrates so quickly into the ground that it is unavailable for plant growth. This results largely in a surface of grey, black or brown earth, lava and volcanic ashes.
Most of the numerous glaciers – such as Vatnajökull, Langjökull and Hofsjökull – are also part of the Icelandic Highlands. I had thought about taking a monster truck tour to the highlands at some point during my trip … unfortunately those tours only started from mid-June this year … There was still too much snow up there and probably not enough tourists around anyway.
As I reached the end of the asphalt there was a lone man in a bulldozer working at the gravel track ahead. This was my cue … my point of return. This was as close as I would get to the highlands on this trip … I got out of the car to take some photos. It was not cold today. There was only a slight wind as well.
Having turned around I had to go back the same road, of course. When passing Gullfoss I swang onto the lower parking lot … might as well have a look at the famous waterfall whilst I am here. Today there was one other car there and I met the 3 tourists as they were already on their way back from the view point. Then I had the falls all to myself – a stark difference from our visit in August 2019.
Gullfoss – Golden Falls – is one of Iceland’s most iconic and beloved waterfalls and found in the Hvítá River canyon. The Hvítá River travels southward and approx 1 km above the falls it turns sharply to the right to flow down into a wide curved 3-step sort-of staircase and then abruptly plunges in 2 stages of 11 m and 21 m in a dramatic display of nature’s raw power into a canyon 32 m deep.
There was almost no wind today and so I could get very close to the falls without getting sprayed. The water shimmered in a brilliant turquoise in the gleaming sunlight. I found a good spot to sit and have my picnic right by the water’s edge. It was lunchtime and it was beautiful here.
The canyon walls on both sides of the waterfall reach heights of up to 70 m, descending into the great Gullfossgjúfur canyon which is approx 20 m wide and 2.5 km in length. It extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. Geologists believe that this canyon was formed by glacial outbursts at the beginning of the last ice age.
During the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. During this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners, Tómas Tómasson and Halldór Halldórsson, to foreign investors. However, the investors’ attempts were unsuccessful, partly due to lack of money. The waterfall was later sold to the state of Iceland and is now protected.
From Gullfoss it was time to make my way towards Reykjavik. Passing the Geysir I saw a few more tourists there now, but still not many. Just past the Geysir I turned onto #37. There was another geocache I wanted to find in Þingvellir National Park. It was only a small detour on the way to Reykjavik. Near Laugarvatn I took the # 365 to cross over to the National Park. On the way I stopped at a viewpoint to take a quick powernap in the car. It was this time of the afternoon when I needed my afternoon nap … I did not need long to repose, though … and was on the road again 20 min or so later.
Soon the road reached the #36 which is also part of the Golden Circle and leads through Þingvellir National Park. Þingvellir – anglicised as Thingvellir – was the site of the Alþing, the annual parliament of Iceland from 930 CE until the last session held at Þingvellir in 1798 CE. Since 1881, the parliament has been located within Alþingishúsið in Reykjavik. Þingvellir is now a national park and a site of historical, cultural and geological significance. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We had visited here on our tour in 2019 and I had been SCUBA diving the Sifra Fissure between the continents – it had been an incredible experience.
Þingvellir National Park was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2004.
I was not going to visit all the sights again, we had been there. But the geocache was right next to the road and the drive was nice. The cache was called Eurasia meets North America. Close to the cache I parked the car and walked some 300 m to the gap between the continents. The water deep in the fissure was still frozen to ice. I suppose, the sun does not really reach deep down there between the rocks. I located the secret box quickly and happily signed this logbook as well.
Then I set up to take some photos. I had left the tripods in the car and had walked only with the camera in hand, but where there is a will there is a way … I found a suitable rock to put the camera on and set it to selftimer.
Here the question crossed my mind again … On which continent is Iceland located? … A big part of what makes Iceland so unique is that it is on top of 2 tectonic plates – the Eurasian plate and the North American plate which meet in the Mid Atlantic Ridge. So … geologically, Iceland sits between 2 continents … Europe and North America. The 2 continents move away from each other by approx 2 cm every year and this movement fuels the highly volcanic activity of Iceland. In fact, there are a number of small earthquakes taking place every single day in Iceland … I have not felt one, though. These earthquakes can be caused by both the tectonic plates movements or volcanic activity. Culturally and geographically, however, Iceland is part of Europe. It belongs to Scandinavia along with Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Before gaining independence in 1918 Iceland belonged to the kingdom of Denmark. Cultural similarities between the 2 countries and the rest of the Nordic countries are still strong to this day.
After having successfully logged this geocache, I decided to drive straight to Reykjavik. I still had time until my 16:00 booking for the Sky Lagoon, though. Therefore, I did not drive fast … not that I could have on Icelandic roads. The signs for Sheep on the road were reminding me constantly to look out for them … an accident with a sheep is not covered by car rental insurance … Today I did not meet any sheep, however …
I thought, I might drive around Reykjavik somewhat before my lagoon visit and find the odd geocache … but as I neared the capital city of Iceland, traffic increased significantly and it was just too much for me. I wanted my peace and quiet cruising along empty roads … big city traffic was just not in my plan … So, I directly headed for the Sky Lagoon located just south of the city center in Kársnes Harbour of Kópavogur. Thanks to google maps and a few sparse signs along the road I found it at the very tip of the peninsula in what seemed to be an industrial harbour area. There was a large enough parking lot which was however packed and I had to turn 3 circles before I could squeeze into a spot just being vacated by another car. This place was busy, it seemed.
I was too early and so sat in the car for some 45 min catching up on some e-mails and posts and trying to figure out where to head after my first 5 days in Iceland. I still had no real plan. To the north I had a great view towards Reykjavik over the city airport towards the Hallgrimskirkja.
If there is one thing that is an absolute must-do in Iceland, it is bathing in the mineral-rich waters of a geothermal lagoon. Soaking in warm water is a favorite national pastime here. And now, the unmissable experience has been taken to a whole new level with the newest bathing hotspot – the Sky Lagoon, which opened to the public only in the beginning of May this year. I had come across it on the internet when searching things to see I had not visited in Iceland before. It looked spectacular and I had booked a discounted ticket online for only ISK 5990, which was less expensive than the Blue Lagoon, but did not have any drinks included.
My booking was for 16:00, nevertheless I went in 20 min ahead of time. There were absolutely no signs … and I walked into the exit first looking a bit dumb at the turnstiles there until a staff member told me to go find the entrance around the corner … Oh well … OK … I walked around the side of the building and found another door … in I went … I saw the reception counters behind a glass door wall and stood there frantically waving at a nonexistent automatic door opener … until I happened to look left and saw the actual automatic door there … duh …
The lady at reception – who happened to be the same one who had spoken to me at the exit – already shook her head grinning … Sorry, but I am German and I am used to signs! How was I supposed to know where is the entrance if there is not the tiniest sign? …
Check-in was quick and I got my wristband which opened and closed the locker and would be used to charge any drinks. Another rubber wristband was just for the staff at the rituals to know I only come by the counter once … The changing room was large, spotless clean and quickly I changed into my swim suit. I took the GoPro which I had precautiously put into its waterproof case and on a simple tripod to hold onto. Then I took the compulsory shower and went into the lagoon.
The entrance was between rocks and the water was beautifully warm and approximately chest deep. Wading along I came around the corner and was … stunned … a 75 m or so natural infinity pool seemed to spill into the glinting ocean … It was beautiful … and it was busy … catering to locals and visitors looking for sweet soaking opportunities in Instagram-worthy landscapes. I think, those people who were not at the volcano at this moment, were all here! Believe it! Facemasks were not mandatory and nobody wore them … it would have been strange to do it in a pool anyway … and the 2 m rule was hard to keep … but everybody tried and it was well worth it.
After the first look-around, I found the in-water bar which as if it was carved out of striking rocks like a modern cave. There was no menu or pricelist, so I observed what the people around me ordered and decided a pink Prosecco would do me just fine.
Floating around the pool I found a spot at the infinity edge and enjoyed the atmosphere and the view across the ocean – I could only guess that in the distance the erupting volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula with its smoke plumes and a red glow could be visible when the conditions were favorable. This would be a view the architects could have only dreamed about in the planning stages of the complex – it was an incredible stroke of good fortune. In winter season a front-row seat for rosy sunsets would complete the appeal – and imagine winter soaks under northern lights adding an extra wow factor. I might just have to come back to Iceland in winter to see this …
There had been a choice of 2 packages with the main difference being in the changing facilities. I had of course chosen the cheaper Pure Pass which included lagoon admission and access to the 7-step Ritual – a “rejuvenating journey that awakens your senses and leaves your skin healthy and glowing”. It combines warm and cold waters, warm steam, dry heat and fresh air. Step 1 is the slowing down in the warm geothermal waters of the lagoon – Done! Step 2 – take a plunge in a cold pool which apparently stimulates the immune system, decreases blood flow in the body and in doing so tightens the skin – did that … dipped my big toe in … this would have to do … too cold!
The next steps take place inside a turf house inspired by an age-old Icelandic building tradition. Step 3 – sweat and swoon over the magnificent view from the sauna which is truly magnificent and boasts apparently the largest single window in Iceland – the window was truly invisible and not only I went to touch the glass to make sure there actually was a glass panel – Done!
Step 4 – cool down under a cold foggy mist – just stuck my arm under … too cold … Step 5 – use the sea salt body scrub provided … this re-invigoration step will be exfoliating and revitalizing the skin. Truly, this is the highlight of the ritual! – But do not put it in the face! Only on your body! – Done! It was awesome!
Step 6 – sit and inhale in the steam room in order to open the pores once again and maximize the therapeutic benefits of the scrub – skipped that too … too steamy … could not breath … Step 7 – rinse off the scrub in a blissful shower and then return to the lagoon – Done! If I felt all that rejuvenated … you bet!
I moved around the pool a bit more and then set the GoPro on timelapse just outside the edge of the pool. The liveguards were walking there as well. I felt like this formidable afternoon – and vacation – called for another Prosecco. So I drifted to the bar to splurge in a second one – they had a limit on 3 drinks per wristband … but I was not going to have a 3rd one anyway, because I still had to drive back to the apartment …
A friend asked me how expensive the drink was … at this point I did not know and quite frankly, I did not care … I was travelling with almost no restrictions in an absolutely breathtaking country … that was the most important! I lived in the moment and could not imagine returning home to all those restrictions again …
I chatted with a couple of Icelandic ladies about anything and everything under the sun, but mainly about this beautiful place, the new volcano and inevitably also about getting vaccinated and being allowed to travel again. One of the ladies had been to the volcano once so far and the other one not yet … she laughingly said, she would wait until they built a cable car and a coffee house up there …
Not being ready to leave yet, I was gliding around in the lagoon some more. It was totally different from the Blue Lagoon which we visited on our last trip. The water it absolutely clear vice the silica rich water of the Blue Lagoon. So I would think it is not a competitive lagoon, but rather a completion of an Iceland vacation.
There was also a warm waterfall at the opposite end of the pool, but unfortunately it was not strong enough to massage my shoulders. It was great to stand under it, though. And it was so relaxing to float around the pool and looking over the infinity edge where the dramatic horizon of the Atlantic ocean met the sky …
Every now and again I had to ask other bathers for the time … there was no clock anywhere around which was probably supposed to contribute to relaxation process. But I wanted to know the time … In the end I stayed a good 2 hrs in the lagoon before I went to shower and change. While I had packed everything else, I had forgotten the comb … so I went out to the car with wet hair. There was no point in blow drying my unruly hair without a comb or brush …
At the exit – which I found in the second go despite there being a sign – they scanned my wristband and I had to pay a hefty ISK 4500 for the 2 drinks – only credit cards excepted. Never mind … it hsd been well worth it!
It was approx 60 km back to Eyrarbakki. From the Sky Lagoon it was straight forward out of the city on #413 and then onto the Ringroad #1 west towards the southern coast. As I was leaving Reykjavik it started to rain heavily.
Half way I turned onto #39 and eventually #34 to Eyrarbakki. It was the more scenic route and avoided the detour via Selfoss. With the rain I could not drive fast anyway. As I reached the apartment around 19:30 the sky was blue and the sun was out again.
I immediately went to see if I could spot the volcano from the shore next to my apartment … unfortunately it was very cloudy over at the Reykjanes Peninsula. The rain clouds were hanging over the mountains. I could only imagine it was there at the horizon. By now I had decided that I would go hike up to the volcano again tomorrow … but in the night … well for sunset … if it ever got real dark … I doubted it … I could not be bothered to get up to check … I guess, I would see tomorrow …
Quickly I blow dried my hair, before I started cooking – by now I was really hungry. It was quick as I had the ready-made pasta. I chose Käsespätzle today and pimped them with carrots, corn, cream and more cheese. Luckily there were at least salt, pepper and cooking oil in the apartment. So I did not have to bring that.
I settled on the sofa and while I ate watched some netflix. But I soon turned the TV off and flopped on the bed to sort through some photos and posted them for the family back home. We had as usual the deal that I would post some photos every day, so they knew I was OK. And in return they would all like the photos so I knew they were OK. Saved me from having to call too often … What had we done before internet and mobile phones? … I remember hitchhiking Canada and Alaska in 1993 and 1994 and I would send a postcard from every town I stopped. I had a phone card to use on public phones for a short call every 14 days give or take a couple depending on if I found a phone … That worked fine … Nowadays, if there is no photo posted or a message not answered immediately, everybody gets nervous and thinks something horrible happened …
My duty done, I went to sleep. I would get up very early tomorrow. I planned to hike to the airplane wreck in the morning.
21.05.2021
242 km Eyrarbakki to Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck return
I had set the alarm for 05:00 this morning. I had great plans for the day and needed an early start. So at 06:00 on the dot I started the car and was on my way. In Selfoss I stopped at a gasstation and filled up the car with 37.7 liters for ISK 8803 before taking Ringroad #1 east. The weather was brilliant – sunshine and blue sky. The road was empty.
Since I had not really decided yet on what to actually do and where to go after my initial 5 days, I wanted to hike to the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck today. It was approx 120 km from the apartment one way. But I like roadtrips and driving those currently empty roads in Iceland was beautiful. During our last Iceland tour, we had bypassed the plane wreck because we had other priorities and the hike was too far for Mom. So this time around I wanted to see it. If I was going to go west or north later, I would not come by here … and if I was going counter clockwise around the ringroad, I would not have the time to stop, because in that case I would want to make time and kilometers to reach the northeast as quick as possible … All this would have to be decided today and mulling it over during a roadtrip was just the way to come to a conclusion …
The road led through broad plains with pastures lining both sides. I spotted more and more sheep. It seemed to be lamb season … so many lambs were around. Luckily, there the fences seemed to be somewhat stronger as so they would not run on the usually busy road too much …
I reached the base of the infamous and hulking Eyjafjallajökull. Still remember its ashy 2010 volcanic explosion? This eruption threw volcanic ash several kilometers up in the atmosphere, which led to massive air travel disruption in northwest Europe for 6 days in April and again for a few days in May 2010.
The fact that a cloud from a minor volcanic eruption in Iceland –
a small disturbance in the complex mechanism of life on the Earth –
can bring to a standstill the aerial traffic
over an entire continent is a reminder of how,
with all its power to transform nature,
humankind remains just another species on the planet Earth.
Slavoj Žižek
Back then we thought it outrageous that this could disrupt our live so massively … I was transferring from a river cruise ship in Germany to an ocean cruise sailing out of Genua/Italy at the time and was luckily booked on a bus … But the hassle we had with arriving and departing passengers with flights was nerve-wracking … and it was only for a few days plus a few days aftermath … Had we know back then what was to hit us only 10 years later in 2020 … we probably would not have complained as much …
The socio-economic impact of such a minor outburst
is due to our technological development (air travel) –
a century ago, such an eruption would have passed unnoticed.
Technological development makes us more independent from nature.
At the same time, at a different level,
it makes us more dependent on nature’s whims.
Slavoj Žižek
I drove as fast as possible and took only very few photo stops. There was no sign on the road to point out where to turn for the airplane wreck – but my trusted offline geocaching map led me there without problems. The plane could not be seen from the road. There was however a newly made parking lot by the side of the road and a sign marking the trail head and stating safety instructions. I reached there at 08:00 and the parking lot was totally empty. I took all the camera gear and all warm clothes and started the hike. I left the hiking poles in the car, because the terrain was very flat and straight forward. The weather was great – blue sky, sunshine and no wind. The hike to the airplane wrack at Sólheimasandur was just short of 4 km one way.
The trail was marked with wooden sticks, but still well visible – it was this wide track. It used to be allowed to drive all the way up to the wreck itself, but this is now forbidden because to approach the plane required to be driving on the black sand in a 4WD and the sand can be pretty soft in some places. The nearby vegetation is fragile and was easily ruined by people that were not used to driving in Iceland and many people have gotten stuck and damaged their cars when attempting to drive to the wreck. At first private vehicles were banned and a couple of tour companies had permission to drive up to the wreck, but now all vehicles are banned to protect the flora.
Ahead I could make out the ocean in the distance and behind me was Sólheimajökull – a glacier between the volcanoes Katla and Eyjafjallajökull. It is part of the larger Mýrdalsjökull glacier and a prominent and popular tourist location owing to its size and relative ease of access. We had visited there in 2019 and had done a little hike to the edge of the ice.
I walked briskly. The sun climbed and it got warmer. It was a nice hike and frequently I turned back to admire the glaciers behind me. Then the wreck came into sight and after only 1 hr I reached it – the epic plane wreck on the black beach of Sólheimasandur!
The 1973 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur Crash happened, when the aircraft was flying from Hofn Hornafjördur Airport to Naval Air Station Keflavik, after delivering supplies for the radar station at Stokksnes. En route the aircraft encountered severe icing and the crew was forced to land on the frozen black beach at Sólheimasandur. All 7 crew members survived and were rescued by helicopter, but the aircraft was written off. The US Navy decided that recovering the plane from the crash site on the barren sand near the ocean some 3.5 km from the nearest road Suðurlandsvegur was too difficult. The following year Suðurlandsvegur became part of the Ringroad, when Skeiðará River, the last of the great glacial rivers of South Iceland was finally bridged. At the time of the crash, however, the site was literally in the middle of nowhere. The unsalvageable remains of the aircraft were left at the scene and are still on the sand very close to the sea.
Only the engines and wings were dismantled and some of the aircraft’s innards were removed. The hull was left behind. Since the beaches in Iceland are usually privately owned and the wreck fell exactly between 2 neighboring properties – it was probably discussed for some time who the plane wreck belongs to … The fuselage of the aircraft remains relatively intact and it is even possible to go inside the plane. The wreck has however accumulated superficial damage from graffiti, gunfire and tourists over the years.
The scenery of this white abandoned DC on the totally black sand is quite cool and surreal and the landscape around is pretty amazing too. The sight is actually like from a science fiction movie and is of course a photographer’s paradise in every way. I would have liked a bit more moody weather to get more dramatic photos, but never mind. It was cool in any case. I would not have wanted to hike here in stormy or rainy weather … And there was a geocache hidden inside the wreck as well … a very easy find …
So the airplane wreck sits in the middle of a barren black sand desert and seemed to be lost forever in the loneliness of Iceland like a symbol of human transience. In fact, for many years it was only accessible to insiders and the location of this aircraft was a well-kept secret that was only passed on through verbal communication. For years the empty plane was used as a storage place by the farmers whose land it had crashed on. It was also used as target practice by local hunters, who riddled it with bullet holes while practicing their aim.
The plane wreck became popular after being featured in a number of music videos, but only in 2007, this unusual photo opportunity was made accessible to a larger audience when the music group Sigur Rós showed recordings of the plane wreck in their documentary film “Heima”. Perhaps most famously though, Justin Bieber used the crashed plane in his 2015 music video for the song “I’ll Show You”, in which he is seen skateboarding on the roof. This was the year that the planes popularity really soared.
All this and given its unique look make it one of Iceland’s most iconic & haunting photography locations. Of course, I set up the tripod … since I had lugged it all the way here … and played with the mobile app remote control for my camera to get some selfies. I was all alone here … no other tourists anywhere …
I played around for some 45 min and then started the hike back. It was getting really warm now. The sun stood high and there was not a cloud in the blue sky and not the slightest breeze … I met 2 guys about half way to the wreck. They were hauling quite a bit of camera gear as well … Right by the parking lot 3 tourists were just starting the trek to the wreck and asked me for the way … Well, just go straight and follow the track … you cannot miss it in this beautiful weather!
By 10:45 I was back in the car … all windows down for a bit of a cool breeze … driving back west. I had another mission this morning! I needed a warm bath! And I knew just the best place for that today. The turn-off was only some 20 km down the road and at the end of a short gravel track I parked the car and grabbed the bag with my bathing stuff which I had decided to always leave in the car … after I had dried it, of course.
I had set my eyes on Seljavallalaug – apparently the oldest still functioning pool in Iceland. Built in 1922 by 25 local farmers, the protected outdoor pool has withstood violent storms and even volcanic eruptions in almost 100 years. Under the direction of the Icelandic designer Björn Andrésson, the volunteers built a 28 m x 10 m clay pool and a small cloakroom. At that time, Seljavallalaug was the largest bath in Iceland and was intended to bring people closer to swimming. Therefore, the workers received no money as payment, but free swimming lessons.
It was a short 20 min hike up to the pool in this beautiful valley. We had been here on our tour in 2019 and had forgotten to bring our bathing suits … but I really had wanted to go in and ended up doing it in my underwear … It had been busy here back then … being often touted as ultra secret hot pool for locals only … which is not quite the truth … a quick google or instagram search will come up with how popular this pool really is … amongst tourists … However, today I had the pool entirely to myself … That might have been, because it was still off-season. It was beautiful.
Quickly changing into my swim suit, I climbed in the warm water. It was pure bliss. I had brought one of my Icelandic beers and as I floated around the pool in a valley where the silence was omnipresent and thorough, I soaked up the volcanic energy of the geothermal waters.
Thanks to the help of a number of volunteers the pool is still in operation today and supplied with warm, clean groundwater. In 2010 the nearby and now world-famous volcano Eyjafjalalaökul erupted and buried the pool and cloakroom under mud and ash. After the eruption, it looked like the end of this historic place had come. But thanks to an appeal for donations and many helpers, the pool was renovated and made operational again. Now the place is cleaned and serviced once a year. Admission is still free, but every visitor should throw some coins into the donation box at the entrance to the cloakroom – this is the only way the pool can continue to exist.
I enjoyed the pool for a good half hour before I packed the left-over beer and changed again. Just as I was leaving, a couple of American tourists arrived to take a dip as well. That was my signal to leave. It was a quick hike back to the parking and by 12:30 I was back on the road heading west once more.
Traffic was still light. Meditating – letting my mind wander while cruising back to Selfoss – I enjoyed the beautiful landscape and mulled over my options for the next days. Slowly my plans were taking shape … I would head around the ringroad counterclockwise again. But I intended to fly past the south coast just stopping at a couple of selected locations on the way and get straight to the northeast. We had spent a significant amount of time on the south coast on our last visit and I did not really want to waste time at places I had seen already.
When I was back at the apartment, I would look at accommodation. I had scanned my options previously, but had not yet made a decision. I figured, I would find the cheapest available accommodation with preferably a kitchen so I could stick to my ready-made dishes. That meant saving money and time by not eating in restaurants all the time. I would rather spend that money on gasoline, geothermal pool visits and other extravaganzas … The beauty of solotravel … I could decide on a whim and do whatever I please …
In Selfoss I therefore stopped at the big Krónan supermarket to stock up on groceries for the rest of my trip. I love huge supermarkets … I found the cheapest stuff of what I intended to buy … some cabbage and onions, more skyr, instant noodles, couscous and rice mixes, instant noodles, more carrot juice, some Thai green curry paste and bouillon stock cubes for extra seasoning, crispy bread because it would not get old, a portion of the cheapest meat I could find – Danish piglet – because I am not a vegetarian and will never be … My big bag full of essentials came to all of ISK 3000 … and it would last a while. I was set for my roadtrip around Iceland … because Iceland is more than the new volcano …
By 14:45 I was back at the apartment – finishing up my left-over beer, I had to catch up on some e-mails. After all, the possible start of the cruising season on the rivers was close … it was not imminent … but still … maybe by mid-June it could finally take off … While I was on the laptop, I had the apartment door open – the weather was outstandingly beautiful today … Being totally submerged in sorting and copying photos now to make space on the SD cards for my next adventure, I all of a sudden heard a demanding Meow … What? … I had a very cute and fluffy visitor who just strutted around the apartment inspecting every corner!
It was as if the kitty wanted to tell me to stop fiddling with the laptop and get outside. It was such a beautiful day … I should make use of the porch instead of being inside!
Quickly I finished up with the photos and started cooking my late lunch/early dinner. It would be Couscous pimped with tomatoes and corn with green curry piglet, cabbage and onions. A feast!
And I indeed took it outside, moved the bench a bit forward into the sun on the porch and enjoyed this beautiful day. I did not even need my jacket! It was so warm in the sun, I could sit in my t-shirt.
The rest of the afternoon I posted some photos and prepared my camera bag for my next excursion. I booked guesthouses for the nights of 24 and 25.06. as well – this is how far I had sort of had a rough plan … At least I knew already where I wanted to go. I also took a nap for an hour and then got ready … The weather forecast for the volcano tonight was outstandingly favourable and I wanted to see the sunset over the lava! Since sunset was only around 23:00, I got on the road by 19:15 to drive the 65 km to the volcano again … a night excusion was coming up … Stay tuned for some awesome volcano porn!
Dear Iceland. You’re the coolest.
instagram
