June 24, 2013
Borg to Geysir: blowing off steam
I don't know about you dear reader, but I sleep really well when I'm camping. It was past 8 o'clock when I woke up, and I dozed off and on for another half hour before bestirring myself to make breakfast. This consisted of a very heavy rye bread and instant coffee, and was taken in the entry of my tent staring out at a grey morning. The tent was full of condensation, and I hoped to see it dry with the sun, but the morning remained misty and cool, so I packed up and got on my way toward Geysir.
I hadn't planned to go far today, as one of the major goals of this trip was to see the geysers, so I loafed along in the greyness until I reached Reykholt where a gas station/market provided me with a sandwich and a soda.
My wife Susan had accompanied me to Iceland, and she was touring the region by bus. Sue doesn't ride, except to the market, and considers roughing it to be without a hair dryer. Anyway, she was going to be going home in a couple days, and I was on the lookout to see if her bus might pass me sometime during the day. In fact she did pass me, but she saw me before I saw her and she had the bus driver slow down so she could take a photo of me.
Riding a mountain bike with big nobbly tires on the road is a slow process anyway, but Sue got to Geysir a good half hour before me even though she passed my only about 6 kilometers from the site. We ate a hurried lunch (my second) in the cafeteria in Geysir before she had to board the bus for further touring and the return to Reykjavik. While saying goodby, we were stopped by a German woman who wanted to know about the bike. When I told her I had ridden from Reykjavik she was suitably impressed. Usually people tell me I'm crazy, so its nice when someone gives me a (metaphorical) pat on the back. Shortly after Sue left, the sun came out, so I went to the campground across the road and set up the tent. I did some laundry, too, but had to wait until the campground manager came back from his break to take a shower, as this needed to be paid for in advance. The campground is in sight of the geysers, so every five minutes or so the one called Stokkur shot into the air. I pretty much spent the entire afternoon and evening watching it and wandering around the various hot springs and pools, before calling it an early night and falling asleep.
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Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 40 km (25 miles)
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