Monday was another big day. Myvatn is a lake in northern Iceland that is located in a geologically active area. It boasts mud cauldrons, steaming vents, lava fields, volcanos, and hot springs. We had one day to pack it all in.
First stop Hverir. We were up early, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. It was surreal. Imagine a barren brown landscape dotted white and yellow mineral deposits. Eerie boiling mud puddles, some small, some big, some simmering, and some at a rolling boil. There were 4 foot high cones emitting vigorous jets of white steam reeking of the rotten egg smell of sulfur and ammonia, and everything was covered in the billowing mist and smell from the vents. It was surreal and pretty neat, although Madeleine did not care for the smell.
Next stop was Dummuborgir. Dummuborgir is a lava field with strange vertical formations that are pretty impressive. It is also supposed to be the home of trolls and the Yule Lads, 13 mischievous trolls with names like sausage swiper, spoon licker and window peeper who figure prominently in Icelandic Christmas traditions. We had a pleasant stroll through the area and met a lovely German couple that we kept bumping into the rest of the day.
Next stop was Hverfjall, a nearly perfectly symmetrical volcano crater. As I understand it, this volcano erupted under a lake. Under those circumstances, the magma ejected from the volcano is turned into ash and small stones rather than jagged rock formations. This is what led to the volcano’s shape. Whatever the reason, it was pretty neat, and there was a fairly easy path to the top. Wow, walking up a volcano, then around its rim was a pretty fantastic experience. The path along the rim was wide, but the drop offs on either side were pretty steep, so that got you attention. However the volcano’s perfect slopes and the dormant caldera with its central dome were showstoppers.
After along day of sightseeing and driving around, what better way to end it than with a hot bath. Not in a tub mind you, but in a powder blue mineral rich natural outdoor hot spring with a walk up bar and panoramic views. I didn’t book much in advance for this trip, but I did book the Myvatn nature baths because I didn’t want to miss it. I’m glad I did too, it was fantastic. The pool is about the size of a public pool and there were a hundred or so people there so it wasn’t crowded. It was a bit cold getting in and out, but once in, it was heaven. The minerals that make the water its special color are said to do wonders for your skin (they sell products in the gift shop for a small fortune), but to me, it was worth it just for the soak.
Back to the campsite relaxed and ready for tomorrow, which will be our longest drive day of the trip (at least 8 hours). As we were getting ready for bed, we noticed something. The sun is setting here around 10:30 (although even after it sets it doesn’t really get dark, the sun just drops below the horizon then pops back up at 4 in the morning), but we noticed that the path it takes as it sets is a much shallower angle with respect to the horizon than latitudes further south. In other words, the sun travels a significant horizontal distance as it sets. I know that the sun does this, but to see it in person was pretty cool.
Wait! I almost forgot about the roadside shower. So I guess someone installed a perpetual shower (there’s no on or off or temp control) over a hot spring next to a road out of town. No one knows who or why. We heard about it from a friend of Colleen’s that had been to Iceland. Of course Colleen had to check it out…
Bogarnes campsite
Iceland
