Iceland – Day 3

Now that we’re fully acclimated to the 5-hour time zone change, we start out early for the 11-hour South Coast bus tour. After crossing the snow-covered highlands, the rest of the day was spent along the sea coast. Mountains with glaciers on one side and the ocean on the other with the rural folk making their living growing grains and raising those stocky, hearty Icelandic horses on the flat plain in between.

The island’s famous changing weather was less accommodating as it changed from light rain and wind to heavy rain and knock-you-over wind. There were a few breaks that allowed us to walk around but I’m afraid the lasting memory of this day will be the hours in a bus that eventually smelled like a locker room and viewing the world through a window that was as clear as a shower door and just as wet.

Skógafoss Waterfall, Iceland (14 March 2016)

The South Coast drive along the country’s main road, Route 1, reveals many waterfalls like this. Glacial melt water pours from the highlands to the sea. One could see a number of smaller cascades spilling over the edge of the cliffs and disappearing halfway down because the strong lateral winds would just turn the falls into a sideways mist that never reached the ground. At Skógafoss, you can hike a steep trail up to the crest of the cliff and look down on the falls as they drop away. Not today.

Ocean Cave and Basalt Columns at Reynisfjara (14 March 2016)

Next stop – the black sand beaches at Reynisfjara. It actually stopped raining when we arrived. The quick lunch and exploration of the beach happened without any precipitation. Like the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland and other places around the world where lava eruptions have occurred, this beach has a cliff of interconnected, hexagonal columns of basalt.

To add to the interest of the place, our guide warned us in advance…and signs at the beach confirmed that we should be on guard for “sneaker waves.” The sea here will occasionally roll a rogue wave ashore. A week earlier, a visitor was swept away, never to be seen again.

Black Sand Beach at Reynisfjara (14 March 2016)

My only memory of another black sand beach was from Hawaii. Aside from the beautiful visuals of jet-black sand against lush, tropical vegetation and blue sky, I remember how scalding hot the sand was to walk on. Not a concern here.

A Gray Day at the Black Sand Beach (14 March 2016)

At this time on the tour, our guide learned that the road to the next stop, a place where we could get close to a glacier, was made impassable by a mudslide. ‘Plan B’ would take us to an observation area, actually in the vicinity of the cliffs you see in the photo above.

After that, we went to a little roadside attraction built by a local farmer whose homestead and family were directly affected by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010. We saw a movie about the event and noodled around the exhibit and souvenirs on display. Imagine a volcano erupting beneath a glacier and the explosion that results when molten rock contacts cubic kilometers of ice. Floods of mud gushed off the plateau and the cloud of ash blasted into the high atmosphere essentially covered all of Europe and caused the cancellation of thousands of flights. As I recall, it also made for some magnificent sunsets. Mother Nature’s fury is often followed by beauty…as long as you can accept the mayhem and destruction somewhere else. Anyway, the film ended showing the family had dug out, cleaned up and restored the farm to its former self. These Vikings are a resilient lot.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall (14 March 2016)

This was the last stop on the tour. I have seen some terrific images from this place…magic hour shots full of color, made even more interesting because you can take a path behind the cascade and shoot out toward the coast. Not today. The path was closed. The rain and wind were heavy, my all-weather coat was soaked and the camera stopped working. I fought the elements and the elements won.

The long ride back to Reykjavik was improved by the fact that we were the first passengers to be dropped off at our hotel. It did get better. After cleaning up, a short walk to a nice eatery yielded the best dinner of the trip – fresh fish, followed by some warm, dry time in our room.

By the way, that evening’s northern light trip was cancelled. Again.