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Published: October 25th 2015
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Icy Roads
We couldn't believe all of the snow! Hey folks - if you're checking in my travel blog it sure would be nice if you left a comment. Otherwise I can't tell who has stopped by. Come on, give me some blog love 😊
Sorry but holy hell what a day! Fabulous stops, sub freezing air, sideways blowing snow. Becky and I were saying we have gotten our money's worth on this trip! Northern lights, winter weather, milder but chilly evenings. The only things we've really missed are earthquakes and volcano eruptions - but hey - we still have a day and a half left!!
So - Day 3. The Golden Circle. Today was about the best known natural, cultural and historic sites.
We headed out to the west today. As we were boarding the bus it began to snow. And snow. Once we got out of town it was really snowing hard. Our first stop was the Helolishedi Power Plant which lies at the foot of Mount Hengill Volcano. This is a geothermal power plant where the power from the super heated water - which comes close to the magma chambers below - is harnessed and used for both hot water
Tumbled Rocks
These rocks fell during the last bigger earthquake in the area. They have hundreds a day - most of them not felt by the population. in Reykjavik and the steam is also used to turn the turbines to produce clean power. America needs to take a lesson. The amount of power and hot water they generate is incredible. No pictures from this site. There was not much around - it was stinky (sulfur) and just not a photogenicic stop.
Next we were off to the Kerid Crater. This is a 3,000 year old crater lake. So when we get there it is snowing so hard and is so cold that I barely got to see the lake. Got a quick, bad picture and got my frozen carcass back on the bus! It was a little disappointing because it is a beautiful site - and how often do you get to see volcano crater lakes at home.
Somewhere along the way to our third destination the weather changed and cleared up some. This was another geothermal site and we were there to see the Strokkur geyser. Of course these geothermal areas are a little stinky (sulfur) but it's fascinating to see water boiling out of the ground in freezing temperatures. The Geyser did not disappoint. Because of the cold we had to be especially
Blizzard!
This is how hard it was snowing when we were at Kerid crater. A few brave souls made it to the top but most of us took a quick peak and ran back to the bus! careful to be upwind of Strokkur when it blew! This site is also where I got the picture of me in front of the trees. I was just mesmerized by the fall color against the snowy mountains. We took our lunch break here and then headed back out for more adventure.
Between Strokkur and our next stop, Gullfoss, we saw lots and lots of Icelandic horses, lots of sheep and a few head of cattle. The horses are fabulous. Short and stocky - they look like ponies but are not. Right now the sheep are big and woolly for the winter. Then we arrived at Gullfoss. In Icelandic - Gull means gold and Foss means waterfall - so this is the golden waterfall. I didn't see gold but it is a gorgeous thing. It's water source Langjokull or the Long Glacier which is the second largest in Iceland - but disappearing at a rapid rate. This was the highlight for me. I am a waterfall fanatic.
Our last stop for the day was in Thingvillir. This is where the Icelandic parliament was first founded in 930. It I also where the American and European tectonic plates meet. They
Boiling Water
This water is heated by the magma below and comes up through the earth in fissures. The green on the rocks is from the sulfur and other minerals. are being pulled in different directions in small but measurable amounts and one side is actually sinking (I can't remember which one). This is an amazing place. To see the deep ravines, to walk down thorough one of them was pretty surreal. Surreal. I have used that a lot on this trip. It is.
Tomorrow we are on to the South Shore. More waterfalls and volcanoes and some black sand beaches!
I can hardly wait to see what the day brings!
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Tara
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another WOW
I love this day, thank you for the "schooling" about Iceland, very interesting and great pictures. I'm having a wonderful time! Ha Ha.