Retreat: Highland campsite to Akureyri

July 26, 2013

The fog lifted early this morning and Is awakened by the warmth of the sun. The plan today was to ride back to Godafoss, thence to Akureyri. When I descended into Bardudalur, I was surprised to see three cyclists coming towards me. Were they making the same mistake as me? When we came level, they were three Icelanders that had ridden up through the Sprengisandur route from the south west, had crossed over the bridge a little further and were coming south again where they would climb and then turn off left on a track leading to Myvatn. Being from here, they knew all the different routes and the man that did all the talking said he wouldn't recommend the route to Askja I had planned, that there'd be a lot of sand which I'd have to drag the bike through. He also said, when I told him I'd come from Myvatn but had stayed on the northern side of the lake, that the south side of the lake is nicer with it's craters. So, that's a thought as I could return east without going over much road which I've passed over already.

Shortly after twelve, I reached Godafoss and went into the café Vossholl for a coffee. It being the middle of the day there were lots of people at the café and at the waterfalls later when Is having lunch where I managed to lose the teabags, so had to do without a much wanted cup of tea. I know I'd packed them in the morning, so where did they go; vanish into thin air.

I could've stayed all day in the sun watching the people marvel at the waterfalls and take photos of themselves with the falls in the background, but I needed to be going if I wanted to get to Akureyri by evening. I set off again at four. The Ring Road, it being the Summer holidays was busy with campervans and caravans, so what should've been a scenic enjoyable ride, I didn't much enjoy and was glad when I eventually reached Akureyri.

The first thing I did when I got to the city's central thoroughfare, was look out for a place with free Wi-Fi. I spotted a cafe which belonged to a hostel. The computer was really hard work, though: it should've only taken half an hour what I had to do, but, I entered at half seven and didn't get finished and leave until quarter to ten. Supposedly, being rocked around in a pannier bag all day long isn't the best treatment for it. The symptoms are the cursa running wild all over the screen and the pictures changing rapidly in succession. And uploading the pictures to CGOAB was really slow with the need to restart the computer after every few pictures uploaded. All of which was making what is already a time-consuming activity even more so. I was so annoyed with it and was thinking my heart is no longer in this journal and perhaps it'd be a lot easier not continuing online.

Saturday morning: was back at the cafe and was having luck with the computer, perhaps because it'd sat still since the evening before in the tent. The cafe as said is part of a hostel and a German man who was having breakfast introduce himself and told me that he'd walked across Iceland. He said he had had a wonderful holiday, just himself with his thoughts walking through the desert. Now there's an inspiring thought.

Old and new lines of communication across one of Iceland's mighty rivers. The canyon below Godafoss on the Skalfandafjot river, was first bridged in 1882. The stone block footing of that bridge are still there on the rocks below the bridge in the foreground, which, was it's replacement, built in 1930. The present road-bridge in the background, was built in 1972, at the time of the building of the Ring Road.

Then after a climb, the road dropped down into Eyjafjordur and continued towards northern Iceland's city, Akureyri.

Eyjafjordur by the turnoff for Grenavik.

Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 3,247 km (2,016 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	2
Comment on this entry	Comment	0