Life in a Camper Van

Traveling in a camper van is similar in some ways to being on a cruise.  You can unpack and don't need to worry about where you will eat or find a hotel.  The big difference is that in a camper van YOU are the room steward, waiter, chef, tour director, and captain.  Even with that, I have to say that George and I loved it!

How could you not when you wake up to views like this each morning! Yes, 3 waterfalls right at our campground!

To camp in Iceland you must be in a designated campground.  When you find one, you simply drive out onto the field and park.  Most of the time, the caretakers are not there in the evening so you pay in the morning. It is all on the honor system. Campgrounds have electrical connections and all have nice bathrooms and showers.  Often they have common inside areas where tent campers can cook their meals  A few even had washers and dryers. 

You find your spot, hook up to the electricity and you are set for the evening.

Our van had a bathroom

The bathroom did mean some 'dumping' chores.

Because we used the campground toilets most of the time, we only had to 'dump' twice and it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

The kitchen area was small but usable.  We had all but 4 meals in the van which saved us a ton of money.

Because the 'hallway' was so narrow, we did have to have some coordination as we maneuvered 

around each other in the van!

The bed was warm and comfy.  There was adequate storage space and enough plugs for recharging our electronics.

Every campground had a place where you could refill the water supply and it was free.

 Bonus, with its big pink pig logo, was the best grocery store for purchasing perishables at prices that weren't too outrageous.  One funny thing, in this cold country the meat and dairy were in 

very cold rooms within the store, not in cold cases, like we have.  I was shivering as I shopped.

If you have a spirit of adventure and don't mind driving a van, I highly recommend seeing Iceland this way.  It was a unique experience and I would do it again.

Wind

Everything I read about Iceland  alerted me to the fact that the weather changed rapidly.  Some people say that they experienced all 4 seasons in one day. That wasn't true for us as temperatures didn't vary greatly.  The temperature fell to 32 degrees one night but most of the time, day and night, stayed in the upper 30's to the mid 40's.  We had some rain but not enough to affect our daily plans.  The only weather related change we made was because of wind.  Seriously high wind!  

It's hard to capture just how windy it was.  Let's just say that the wind howled and it was the only time I've every been scared in wind.

We started off to hike 2.7 easy miles to the Skaftell Glacier,.  Easy wouldn't be the word I would use to describe this hike on this particular day with the wind blowing at upwards of 30 MPH, with even stronger occasional gusts.  We got to the top of a ridge and could see the glacier but the wind was so strong that we just stopped.  George hunched down and I braced myself on the wooden guidepost.  Deciding it wasn't safe to stay on the ridge in that wind, we walked cross country and did eventually arrive at the very impressive glacier.  'Walking' probably isn't the best description of the hike.  It took so much effort to stay upright against the wind.  At times I just bent over and spread my feet to make a big base so I wouldn't be blown away.

The camper van rental company had warned us that is was not safe to drive the camper van if winds were over 45 MPH.  When we got back to the Visitor's Center, we learned that on the Ring Road (which is where we had planned to go later in the day) gusts were up to 90 MPH.  The decision to stay became easy when the Ring Road, which is the main tourist road all around Iceland, was closed. The red road is the ring road.  Closed.

Skaftfell is about in the middle of the picture, close to the white glacier.  The place we wanted to go was Hofń which is at the end of the red road.   One of the women working at the gift shop said that she wouldn't even drive her car on the Ring Road in that kind of wind. 

So we stayed put and enjoyed a relaxing day watching movies in our warm comfy van! 

 

  

 

October

You probably are familiar with the quote from Anne of Green Gables, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  

To that I might add that I am so glad I experienced Iceland in October.  The colors were stunning.

There is a lot gold color 

With some reddish highlights

Dramatic basalt cliffs with glacier blue water with yellow and red accents

Unique rock formations and golden highlights

One interesting thing about Iceland, since the sun is so low on the horizon, you get long shadows for most of the day.  I thought they added a unique perspective to photos.

Because Iceland has so few trees, you notice the ones you see. We think these were some variety of aspen.

This area on the south shore of Lake Myvatn had the most trees of any place we visited. Apparently, it is the result of a couple spending their summers there for several decades planting trees and plants.  When the husband died the wife donated the place.  It's beautiful and a refreshing change from the usual vegetation.

This tree was in the city of Akureyri and reminded me of Christmas with the bright red berries.

'October is the opal month of the year.  It is the month of glory, of ripeness.  It is the picture-month.'

Add the beautiful fall colors to the list of reasons why I am glad we went to Iceland in October.  

Full Disclosure - We did wake up one morning to this.  And yes that is snow!

And yes, it was cold!

'What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.'

 

Seyðisfjörður

The names of places in Iceland were so difficult to pronounce, spell  and remember that we frequently talked about the A town or the S town or the F Canyon....it was just so much easier. 

One of the many places that did not disappoint was Seydisfördur which is located in north east Iceland.  The setting is simply incredible as the town is on a fjord with waterfalls, mountains and the sea.  It's a 27 kilometer trip from the top of the mountain down to this picturesque village. 

This was the view from our campground. And yes, you do drive down from that mountain on the left.

Traditionally the economy was based on fishing but tourism has really picked up in the last few years. 

 Artsy painted buildings!

And a rainbow sidewalk leading to the quaint church.!

This is the place where you can catch the ferry for a journey to the Faroe Islands or Europe.

There is even a pretty waterfall on your way out of town.  I think that must be required for any self respecting town in Iceland!

For us one of the highlights was the excellent dinner we had at Kaffi Lara.  Our REI freeze dried meals were good but this meal was a definite 5-star!  Barbecued ribs for George and cod for me with the best baked potato I've ever had. Just look at that butter!

Definitely recommend a trip to the S-town when you make your trip to Iceland!!!! For the view, the church, the waterfall, the artsy charm but definitely for the dinner!

Land of Fire and Ice

 Iceland is known as the 'Land of Fire and Ice' because it is a country of extremes.  From steaming geysers and mud pots to sparkling glaciers, we found Iceland to be country of dramatic landscapes.

11% of Iceland is covered by glaciers and 269 are actually named.  The largest is the Vatnajokull glacier  which covers more than 3127 sq. miles.  That's 3 times the size of Rhode Island! 

When parts of the glaciers break off, they make some beautiful icebergs in glacial lagoons.

Smaller pieces break off during the journey to the ocean to give the appropriate name of 'Diamond Beach' to one of the black sand beaches.

As to the 'fire' part of the nickname, Iceland has 600 hot springs and 200 volcanoes.  

Here we are at one of the beautiful dormant craters.

You've probably heard of the Fagradalsfjall Volcano that started erupting earlier this year.  When we were there in October, there was no visible flowing lava so we didn't make the hike.  Earlier this year our friends who are serving a mission in Iceland, did see the molten lava and even roasted marshmallows in  it.  I've borrowed a couple of her photos because they are just so fun! And really illustrate the 'fire' in Iceland.

You might remember the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano which caused severe travel disruptions for much of the world when 20 different countries closed their air space because of volcanic ash in the jet stream.  George was traveling from Portland to India and had to adjust his route.  Several of the guides we talked to said that everyone in Iceland was amused at listening to foreign newscasters say the name of the volcano - Eyjafjallajökull - 'because it really isn't that hard to say."  Right!!!

Roughly 85% of primary energy use in Iceland came from renewable resources.  Geothermal accounts for 66% of Iceland's primary energy use.

Here's one geothermal plant in the north of the country.

If you are driving by and happen to need a shower, no problem! And yes the water is warm enough to shower.

Our word 'geyser' comes from the Icelandic word, 'geysir' which means to gush.

There are also hot pots and steaming, bubbling lakes plus that rotten egg smell you may recall from a visit to Yellowstone.

Safety rules are a bit different from Yellowstone however!

Best of all, every town has its own heated swimming pool.  This one was more of a spa and the water contains a large amount of minerals, is alkaline and very healthy for your skin. A perfect temperature for totally relaxing after a long day of hiking!  The only hard part is getting from the dressing room to the warm water when it is really chilly outside - or downright cold, some might say.  And just like what you read, you MUST take a full naked shower before getting in the pool.  I had showered but was careful not to get my hair too wet and the attendant thought I hadn't showered and she stopped me before I left the dressing room.  I am glad that I could tell her that I had taken a shower.  

We read that some parents take their children to the pool every night for a shower followed by a relaxing soak, put them in their pjs and take them home all mellow and ready for bed.  Because energy is so cheap and abundant, Icelanders are known for their long showers and if the room gets too hot, they are just as likely to open a window as to turn down the heat.  

Land of Fire and Ice is spot on : a frozen landscape set right on top of a volcanic melting pot!  If you haven't been I highly recommend a visit.