2018 ICELAND Ring Road 15 - Lava Land on the Road to Reykjavik

Mike woke up with a terrible upset stomach. We had intended to go to the Skógar Folk Museum before heading west, but decided to let him sleep in to help settle things down. We got on the road about 11:00. Our first stop was the Volcano and Earthquake Exhibition at the Lava Center. It is right off the Ring Road in Hvolsvöllur.

We lived in California for many years, so we're familiar with earthquakes. We went through several, but the worst was the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989. It occurred during the third game of the world series between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants (both local teams). The magnitude was 6.9 on the Richter Scale and was centered near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

We were both at work at the airport. Mike rode it out in the air freight building. Once it was over, he went outside and saw buildings collapsed around him. I was in the terminal in a classroom with six students. You never saw seven gals get so skinny so fast as to fit within a door frame. Lights went dark and computers went flying. The airport sprinkler system went off, drenching the airport. It took several days to pull out all the old carpeting and damaged wiring, before we could get back to work.

All in all Mike and I and our four cats were pretty lucky. We weren't hurt and our home had only minor damage. During 15 seconds, 3,000 people were injured, 67 lost their lives, and damages topped $5 billion. That included a 1.25-mile segment of I-880, a double-deck freeway that collapsed upon itself killing 42 people and closing the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland. This main thoroughfare finally reopened in 1997.

The only volcano experience we had was on the Big Island of Hawaii. On one of our visits Kilauea was spouting off. It looked gorgeous at night from our hotel window. Sadly she is active again in a big way and people's homes and lives are greatly disrupted.

OK, back to this trip. The Lava Center is an amazing place for information. Lots of hands-on learning. It includes a huge interactive display area, volcano cinema, restaurant, cafe, and gift shop. The price was around $25 USD per person, but way worth it.

The journey starts in a long corridor that walks you through a time travel display of Icelandic volcano eruptions since 1900. At each stop, you can push buttons to learn more about lava volume, time span of each eruption, etc. The hallway is dark, but lights up as you move along. Here are all the volcanoes described.

 

In the first room you come to a globe-like device which demonstrates the creation and growth of the island of Iceland. By manually moving a circular bar, the display shows the changing mantle plume, Mid-Atlantic Ridge magma upwelling, and tectonic plate forces evolving to "birth" and develop the island. All very scientific, but fascinating to watch in fast-mo.

Another room has a very large structure (from basement level to ceiling) offering a visual representation of the magma column beneath Iceland. It depicts Iceland's fiery heart in this land of fire and ice.

The next couple areas house nine interactive computer screens demonstrating various types of volcanoes, eruption debris, lava flow, aging, and geological processes. There are also matching "moving" dioramas displaying the information.

 

 

The last room is the best. Three walls offer graphics of major Icelandic volcanoes. If you stand in certain spots on the floor and point (not touch) with your finger to spots on the wall graphics, the volcanoes come to life or give info about that particular event.

Throughout the exhibit there are certain spots you step on to feel a little rumble like a mild earthquake or hear sounds of an eruption. We learned volcanic eruptions can occur without first having an earthquake. Many other interesting facts and figures are provided, plus info on how eruptions affect the environment.

The theater shows a 12-minute video from the latest volcanic activity on the island. It shows debris and ash flying, lava oozing, and smoke billowing, and how people and animal stock handled the situation. The theatre was quite cool, with huge lounging pillows on the floor among the chairs. Mostly kids plopped on them.

Back in the lobby we chatted with Helgi, who lived in this area his whole life. He was eleven during the last volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. His dog got hyper and paranoid several days before. Three to four inches of ash covered everything. No human was killed, but a few livestock did not make it. Volcanic ash and smoke halted air traffic, but by Iceland standards it was not very impressive.

Here are volcanic hot spots around the world, as well as tectonic plate divides. It takes a minute to figure out the divides, but notice the one going through Iceland. Will talk about it later.

We checked out the cafe and restaurant--both modern and pretty much the same menu we have seen along the way--but decided to eat later.

Before departure we browsed the gift shop stocked with all kinds of quality Icelandic products and mementos. Our only purchase was "volcanic salt." The bag looked pretty...mostly black salt with reddish salt sprinkled in. I wasn't thinking hot on the palate, but just how pretty the color combo was. Silly me! It was way too hot for me, but Mike and all my hot-tongued friends love it.

2018 ICELAND Skogar 14 - Skógar and Skógafoss

Do you remember what foss means? Waterfall and this one was a doozy.

We arrived at our hotel a little later than expected around 17:30. Our room was welcoming, modern and comfortable. We had a king bed, closet, space to spread out our luggage, great Internet and electronics charging station, and a spacious bathroom and shower. I'm not complaining at all, but this was one step up from Skaftafell. A bit more traditional to what we are used to.

Our room also had a partial view of the falls. I took this shot through the window. Notice the stairs up to the lookout platform at top center. This was early March, so I was also surprised to see a robin-like bird hopping around, but it had a speckled back unlike those in the states.

It had been a long day with the wait at the lagoon, vigorous shopping, and fairly lengthy drive. So once we got settled in, we met for a happy hour beverage in the bar / restaurant. It had floor to ceiling windows on three sides, so a spectacular view of the foss.

Today we passed on Brennivin, the legendary Icelandic schnapps. I ordered a Somersby blackberry cider and everyone else drank a Gull lager beer (each about $11 US). This menu gives you an idea of typical prices in Iceland, although you may need a magnifying glass to read it.

The lobby was filled with lots of folks from different lands. We noticed an abundance of Asians. Sis and I went back to the counter for a refill and meet an older fellow from Novi, Michigan, of all places. He and a friend from Kansas were camping nearby.

Lauri and I really thought he was trying to pick us up, but maybe that was our imagination. And somehow we got around to the topic of marijuana and how illegal it was here. He said "no problem" and whipped out a vape pen from his pocket. We were both kind of stunned by the whole conversation, especially with our hubbies seated 15 feet away.

After our liquid "rejuvenation," Laur and I decided to check out the falls while the guys relaxed. It was maybe a half mile walk. This foss is unique because it comes directly from two glaciers--Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdalsjökull. Its height is 60m (200 feet) and width is 25m (82 feet). It flows into the Skógar river.

There is an option to climb 370 steps up to an overlook platform, but it was late and we two were too tired to tackle them at this point. The climb rewards visitors with an awesome view of Iceland's southern coastline. It is also the start of a popular hiking route through the Fimmvörduháls pass.

We walked to the foot of the falls, where it meets the river. It was flat land, but icy from the splash. You could walk right into the gushing water if you were so inclined. We weren't, but I bet in summer there are kids that do just that.

 Side foss and river.

Lauri taking a photo.

 Me shivering.

Icy flat land.

After our hike, we ordered dinner to take back to our respective rooms. Mike and I shared a hot mozzarella and tomato sandwich on ciabatta bread ($17 US). Laur ordered ham and cheese ($18.50) and tomato soup ($15), and Tom had fish and chips ($27). Everyone was happy with their order and I think this was the best "Caprese" sandwich I have ever eaten (and I have ordered this a lot). No kidding!

The next morning a complimentary breakfast buffet was served in the bar. It was just a bit sparser than the morning before--mostly cold foods like fruit, hard-boiled eggs, veggies, cold cuts, cheese, pastries, and the obligatory cod liver oil. We filled our bellies and enjoyed their good coffee.

Our table neighbors were having herring and wine at 09:00. Kind of turned my tummy but everyone for themselves.

Today we were returning back to Reykjavik. With car packed, we drove up closer into the foss parking lot, so the guys could get a good look and take last minute photos. This is the sunshiny version.

Oh, I forgot to mention in the hall to our room was this painting. So you can imagine what Iceland overall and particularly these foss look like in summer. Our hotel is in the middle of the pix, painted red and white. The town of Skógar is snugged up agains the foot of the cliffs.

2018 ICELAND Ring Road 13 - Ride to Skógar Continued

We saw structures built part way into the ground or hills...I'm sure to save building materials and protect against cold.

Or sometimes bales of straw were used for insulation.
This barn was particular interesting because it was built into a huge standing rock. The roof was snugged up under sheets of the rock. It was vacant at this time and we were warned not to get to close due to falling debris.

Along the way back we re-visited the Icewear store in Vik. This place is almost warehouse size, but a very nice store with quality products. There is the clothing shop with everything sheep-wool-ish (scarves, sweaters, ponchos, jackets, hats, gloves, mittens, socks, linens, blankets, etc).

There were many local Icelandic products--foods like jellies, salts, canned fish. Also paper products and flag-themed items. This area was protected by a super-sized elf. My what big feet and nose you have!

There was a woolen factory attached to the building. Ordinarily you could tour the area, but today they were closed. However, there was an upstairs viewing spot where you could look down into the manufacturing space and observe the machinery and work space. When completed, the products made there way out to the sales floor.

Another area was cold weather gear that don't involve wool--shoes, raincoats, waterproof coats and jackets, etc. And cold weather sports equipment like skis, sleds, and snowshoes.

Attached to the facility was a large and modern grocery store and deli. We looked for things we usually buy and found all of them I could think of (not brands, but in some form).

This was about the extent of the prepared frozen food department. It was the only area that may have lacked compared to home. But maybe that is a good thing because people would cook more local and fresh instead of using processed foods.

Fabulous produce department. Not big on quantity of each, but certainly a wide range. Fresh herbs, every fruit and veggie, and exotic things like mango and pineapple.

Many variations of dried fish (on right) and smoked salmon (on left).

Mike purchased a package of dried cod fish for a snack. When he opened it in the car, we other three almost gagged from the strong odor. Not used to that! Thankfully, Mike re-sealed the bag in deference to his traveling companions. We opened the car windows for about 10 miles to clear the air. That did the trick. Even though he loved it, I think Mike tossed it for our sake.

Huge cheese and dairy products, including a big selection of skyr (Iceland's wonderful version of yogurt).

Icelandic chocolate. Not sure where they grow cocoa beans (sic), but these packages were hard to pass up.

We did, however, buy some reindeer "poop" candy. It was chocolate balls wrapped around black licorice. A very weird combination, in my opinion, but a common candy here. I don't like licorice myself, but my mom does. So I got some for her and our cat sitters. I didn't try it, but they all said they liked it. (Maybe just being polite!)

I didn't really check the meat department, as I am a pescatarian, but I know lamb is a big part of the meat diet here. Other than that, I could be happy doing all my grocery shopping at this place.

There was also a sleek and modern cafeteria, but it was pretty much the same menu we had seen next door on our first travel day--just a little nicer dish ware and ambiance and a little higher price.

There were also departments for books, toys, puzzles, games, and novelty items. It was a huge temptation to buy these Viking opera singer helmets. Man, I always wanted to be blonde.

But my sis and I resisted. Let's leave it at that and get on to our hotel for the evening.

2018 ICELAND Ring Road 12 - Power of Nature

So about 13:15 we started back west with Skógar as our destination. We waved as we returned passed Hotel Skaftafell, the tallest peak in Iceland (below), and the entrance to the park.

Then we saw a curious thing we had seen the day before. We knew we would pass it on our way back, so we hadn't stop. It was this huge mish-mash of iron girders and a tourist marker. Our guess was a section of the USA's 911 event. We knew pieces of it had been shared throughout the world as a reminder of the tragic terrorist act. But no, this terrorism had been propelled by a force of nature.

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.

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.