Icebergs

August 4, 2015

This was an exciting day and one of the highlights of our trip to Iceland.
We drove to the glacial lagoon at Jokulsarllon. We had heard stories about it, but we were unprepared for the dramatic beauty and the living drama of seeing a lagoon full of colourful, huge icebergs which were calving with surprisingly loud crashes. The current was very strong and it pulled icebergs out to sea at a quick pace. Swarms of arctic terms covered the icebergs and dove into the icy water fishing for small silver fish to feed their young. Seals were swimming through the current, feeding as well.
To add to the drama, it was a cold windy day with brilliant sunshine. We spent some time here and then walked out to the black, volcanic beach and wandered amongst the beached pieces of the icebergs.
We found a spot by the rushing water to pull out our trangia stove and had a picnic. What a sight to watch icebergs rushing by while we ate our lunch.
It was truly a magical day.

This photo captures the movement of the glacier.

The windiest day yet - and no trees for breaking the wind. We hiked up the hill to get a good vantage point overlooking the glacier shown in the above picture.

Somehow these wild flowers are able to survive,clinging to the rocks with little soil and heavy wind.

Tourists going out to the lagoon on this amphibious vehicle. We enjoyed being on shore.

What an awesome sight framed by the glacier.

In British Columbia, we have seashells and logs washed up on shore by the tide - in Iceland, their shore is covered in icebergs.

The sounds of the birds and the icebergs calving and the beauty of the icebergs are very memorable for us.

A close up of arctic terns sitting on the iceberg.

The volcanic black sand is quite striking against the rocks and icebergs.

Even with the darkness of the day, the icebergs sparkled like crystals.

A pounding surf and huge waves crashed in to shore carrying pieces of icebergs that we had watched go out to sea.

Walking amongst pieces of icebergs on the beach is a surreal experience. I love my merino long johns and tops...and I never took them off in Iceland - day or night!

Arctic terns feeding their young. We made the mistake of walking through this area and Barry was bombarded by the parents and "blessed" with droppings on his jacket.

Cycling can be a hazardous sport in Iceland: windy with huge buses, trucks, tourists in camping vehichles competing with cyclists for their piece of the road.

Our last camp dinner in Iceland. Oh so good - thanks Barry!

This is the only sunset that we saw while in Iceland - and it was stunning.
Usually we were in bed long before sunset.

The bath house and outbuildings at our campsite. Sod roofs are very common here.

The bath house at our campground. It is interesting to us that bathroom/shower facilities in Iceland are always minimal. Even the 650+ campground in Reykjavik had only a couple of showers. This large campground had one shower only.

This charming, sturdy dog was looking after his owner's store. He stood up to a large German Shepherd dog and was quite fierce, but when we spoke to him, he rolled over and showed us his tummy looking for affection.

Gulfoss is truly one of the most spectacular and powerful waterfalls we saw in Iceland. It is well worth the drive and hike to see it.

When Gulfoss was under threat to be dammed for hydroelectric power, this young woman walked to Reyjkavik and protested to parliament. In fact, she threatened to throw herself in the falls if the parliament did not save the falls.She was successful in saving this natural wonder. She was one of 12 children who lived in a farm on the lands around the falls.

Barry, Frontier Man. Could this replace his bike helmet??

Little Geyser steams and bubbles, but does not make as big a show as the big Geyser.

The steaming thermal water in this pool near the Geyser had an outstanding colour.

The English word geyser, comes from this town of Geysir.

The ever present sheep who love to feed close to the road.

A typical scene in the area near Reykjavik. When we first arrived, we missed trees, but now we are familiar with and able to appreciate the beauty of this landscape.

A storm is brewing - but in true Iceland style, the clouds blew away and it was sunny a short time later.

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