Reykjavik to Borg.: A nice way to begin.

June 23, 2013

The guy at the bike shop was helpful, or so he thought, and he spoke English, but somehow we just didn't seem to communicate. "You just go up this valley here 'til you get to this other valley, then you go up there 'til you get to the ring road, OK?" he said as we stared at a map of Reykjavik. I said OK, but was not very confident in the directions. In the end, after several wrong turns and at least one needless climb, I did find the ring road, or highway 1 as some know it and started south and east toward Selfoss. The day had broken (if that is the word in this country of endless light)cloudy and/or foggy but just as I left the city behind it cleared to a brilliant blue. The ring road has a shoulder that for the most part is bikable, which is a relief as it is also the busiest highway in Iceland with the possible exception of the road connecting Reykjavik and the airport at Keflavik. The part of the shoulder that is not bikable has a rumble strip that leaves no room, but it only lasts for a short while.

The wind was at my back as I left and I sailed along until I crested the hills overlooking Hveragerdi, when it switched to being a full on headwind. Have you ever HAD to peddle DOWN an eight percent grade? I have now. I stopped for a sandwich in Hveragerdi, which I bought and payed for in English, the Icelanders showing remarkably more language skills than I have come to expect. I continued on highway 1 until just before Selfoss, turning right on the road to Geysir. From there, the traffic was somewhat less, and I began my search for a campsite. The first one I tried was full (but see below) and involved a three kilometer slog into the headwind, relieved by a three kilometer romp getting back to the main road. Just four more kilometers on the main road (Iceland route 35) brought me to Borg, which has a campground with showers and a general store. Heaven. The store provided me with soup for supper, bread for breakfast and fruit for both dessert and breakfast. As almost everywhere in Iceland, hot water in the showers is geothermal and VERY hot. Its also open use, meaning not timed, so I could stand under the shower as long as I liked. The toilets also came equipped with toilet paper and paper hand towels, two things usually not found in French campgrounds. The campsite had been almost full when I arrived, but by the time I had finished dinner, showered, washed dishes, and changed into "street" clothes, I was the only one there. I lay down to read and promptly fell asleep. I was awakened about 10:30 by a young man asking me for the camp fee of 600 ISK, which I duly paid and returned to sleep quickly despite the full daylight that still persisted. The only things to mar this otherwise perfect day were the wind and the flies, which don't bite but do swarm around your face when the wind is not blowing. I decided I'd prefer the wind. Be careful what you ask for.

These lupines were in full bloom and very pretty; Only later I discovered that they are an introduced species and very invasive!

A last look back at Reykjavik as I rode along the ring road.

Somewhere on the ring road out of Reykjavik. You can see steam rising from a geothermal plant in the background. The shoulder was generally this good.

Looking down on Hvergardi. Wind doesn't photograph well, but it was howling!In the distance you can see the ring road curving off to the right.

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