On to the Ring Road!

Day 4

Having seen the sights along the Golden Circle, it was now time to begin our 6-day trip around the Ring Road!  This island is filled with active volcanoes and some of the largest glaciers in the world, appropriately giving it the title, “Land of Fire and Ice”.  Containing such imposing features, the interior of the island is mostly inaccessible.  The Golden Circle is as close to the interior as we got.  Highway 1 (the Ring Road) follows the perimeter of the island taking you to some really incredible sights along the way.  The southwestern coast of “The 1” was our agenda of the day, as we will be driving the Ring Road counter clockwise.  

Seljalandsfoss was our first stop.  Donned with raincoats and rain pants, we boldly began our approach to this stunning waterfall.  The water descends from the glacier Eyjafjallajökull, spills over a cliff and into a pool below.  There is a cave like path behind the waterfall where you have an amazing view of the scene.  The raincoats and pants were a good idea, as you are constantly sprayed with mist from the waterfall; however, the waterproof hiking shoes I wore proved to be of no help in keeping my feet dry.  They did give me solid footing for the rocky trail though!  I’ve heard if you make this stop in the afternoon, the sun will shine through the falls providing a view of rainbows surrounding you.  I’ll have to try that on our next visit!

A short, 10-minute hike from Seljalandsfoss is another, smaller waterfall.  To access Gljúfrabúi (Canyon Dweller) you enter a narrow gorge with a small stream coming out of the gorge. Mind you, this is both the entrance and the exit.  As we entered, we sought out stepping stones near the edge of the wall to avoid getting our feet completely soaked.  I was about two thirds of the way in when I encountered a woman who was on her way out, making things a little tricky!  Rock/hard spot!  Actually, rock/wet spot is a better description!  With my feet already damp, I chose to cede the path and took a couple of steps on submerged rocks to get around her.  The view was well worth it!  Once inside, you find a hole in the ceiling of the cave.  Pouring through the hole is Gljúfrabúi!  

Skogafoss was our next stop.  This waterfall was another amazing sight!  There is a staircase of 463 stairs (Evie counted and Lauren confirmed!) beside the waterfall so you can enjoy a view from both above and below these falls.

Skogfoss!

Up we go!

Approaching Skogfoss, you can see the stairs leading to the top of the falls.

Once we reached the top, the trail continued and we came acrtoss a bonus waterfall - Hestavòsfoss!

Dick and I have a long tradition of packing supplies for a “banana dog” lunch on our travels. Food is expensive in Iceland and restaurants aren’t always where you are when you are hungry, so we had picked up a few supplies at a grocery store for roadside snacking.  This was the perfect spot to have a parking lot picnic and introduce Emma to a little twist on a peanut butter sandwich!

Another short drive took us to Reynisfjara Beach, where you find basalt columns and a black sand beach.  People were climbing the basalt columns and sitting on the little perches, so naturally, I wanted to get in on the action.  I think I got about four feet high before I chickened out.  The rock is incredibly smooth, making them slippery!

I've obviously turned into a chicken! Or have I finally wised up?

Fjadrarglijufur Canyon (Feather River Canyon) was our final stop for the day.  If you are familiar with Justin Bieber’s 2015 “I’ll Show You” music video, I don’t need to show you any photos!  Our experience there was a little different than when Justin was there.  The lush, green moss is very delicate and, shortly after the filming, the park closed to protect it.  It is now reopened, but access is restricted with rope barriers that prevent anyone from going out onto the points. Hopefully, in time, the cow paths that now lead to each of these points will fill in and match the rest of the lush, green moss-covered landscape.  

Notice the "cow path" :(

 

Another cow path at the top, left.

Access to the spot where Bieber was in his video is strongly discouraged!

Note the pool of blue water at the bottom of the fall.  It's caused from two rivers combining!

On our way to the Hörgsland Guesthouse in Kirkjibæjarklaustur, we passed Eldhraun lava field.  The view was stunning.  The moss-covered lava rock is evidence of the world’s largest lava flow from the 1783-1784 Laki fissure eruption.  This eruption was devastating and is referred to as “the hardship of the haze”.  Ash and deadly gasses killed half of the region’s livestock and destroyed farmland, resulting in close to 25% of Iceland’s population perishing from starvation.  It's moments like this that I’m reminded just how very good I have it.  

Up next: Glaciers!