To recap the sign: "In 1996 the road crossing the Skeiöarársandur sandflats was washed away in a flood. It was the result of a subglacial volcanic eruption under the Vatnajökull glacier. So in other words, the heat of the volcano melted a huge part of the glacier which caused massive flooding. The black and sulfurous floodwaters rose rapidly, reaching their highest point in just 15 hours.
A maximum rate of 20,000 cubic meters (or over 5,000,000 cubic feet) per second of water flow was expected, but in reality it was 50,000 (or over 13,000,000) per second. Only one of four bridges was left untouched along a 35 kilometer (or 21 mile) stretch of the Ring Road." These beams lie here in remembrance of that event.
We saw this bridge which is similar to what the bridge looked like before the disaster.
"Enormous blocks of ice were swept along by the flood, causing destruction to the road and the three bridges. Those ice blocks were so huge, they initially thought it would take years for them to thaw, but they were surprisingly gone in a matter of months." Compare the normal width of the river to the flood stage width. I think the white masses are icebergs.
Keep in mind the Ring Road is the ONLY access route in most areas of the country. In this case, the closure caused folks to travel all the way around the island to the north to get to Reykjavik. Everyday activities like shopping, schools, or tourism become infinitely difficult or even impossible. I tried to find how long the road was impassable, but no luck on that fact.
Next was our first gas stop--in Kirkjubæjarklaustur (or Klaustur for short), meaning church farm. Population is about 150. Nearby I later learned is Dverghmrar (Dwarf Rock) known for its peculiar formations of columnar basalt. It is believed that elves (or dwarfs) inhabit the hills here.
The Hertz gal had emphasized that we must look for the black pump and that it was easiest to use our debit card to pay. We found the pump with no problem, but getting our card to work was a different story. It took us too long to figure out the picture instructions. A little line built up behind us. Thank goodness others were patient. The gas station also had a grill, so that turned out to be our lunch spot.
Tom had lamb hot dogs, Mike had schnitzel (nothing like he was expecting), Laur had ham and cheese, (again one slice of each), and I had cod fish and fries. The guys were not so excited about their meals, but the gals were happily satisfied.
Continuing on we saw more of the beautiful and varied countryside. Glaciers.
Buttes.
A crater (or caldera).
Icelandic horses. Too cute not to take more photos.
Rolling hills with little "nipples" on top. We saw many hills in this area with nipples!!!
Green "carpeting." We still had not figured out what that was, but we saw it off and on all along our route.
You hear there are no trees in Iceland (because all trees were used as firewood or building materials way back when). But there are a few here and there and reforestation continues. The most common species are birch and tea-leaved willow. An uncommon but native species is rowan. Aspen grows, but very rare to come across.
You hear there are no trees in Iceland (because all trees were used as firewood or building materials way back when). But there are a few here and there and reforestation continues. The most common species are birch and tea-leaved willow. An uncommon but native species is rowan. Aspen grows, but very rare to come across.
The only domestic animals we saw (besides the horses) were Icelandic sheep (black, white, and B/W, running freely along the hills) and cows. There are also chickens, goats, and Icelandic dogs. Wild mammals include Arctic fox, mink, mice, rats, rabbits, and reindeer. I already advised that an occasional polar bear arrives traveling on icebergs from Greenland.
Continued.
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