Coming around the west side of Lock Eriboll we encountered 3 highland cows. They are a bit scary actually and unpredictable. One reared up at Sara when she tried to pass it.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/519/17...ebde7e2b_c.jpgjohn o groat 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Scotland’s worst poet William McGonagall



There was a “cew” upon the hill
It’s “no” there “new”
Perhaps it shifted.

On the east side we ran into a herd of sheep and a Shepherd.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/260/18...fbf23c36_c.jpgjohn o groat 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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We travelled past Castletown to the lands end at John o Groats. “Ewan and Charlie” started their long way down from this signpost. The spot is named after the ferryman who charged a groat to cross on the boat to the Orkney Islands to the north.




https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/299/18...6d27072d_c.jpgjohn o groat 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Nairn
 

From Castletown to Nairn it is 128 miles South on the A9 and then west along the north coast. We had tried to take the ferry from Nigg to Cromarty, but when we got there the ferry was broken down and we had to back track all the way around the inlet to the bridge at Bonar.


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Loch Ness
 

From Nairn we backtracked to Inverness and then headed south on the west side on Loch Ness.


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At the lock itself we saw several ships traverse the 4 locks, which takes them about 2 hours. Riding back on the east side it is a single-track path along the Loch.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/440/18...f139c75a_c.jpgnairn 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Whiskey
 

Then we finally started east again and we continued on the small roads to get to Charletown of Aberlour. This is the center of the Speyside whiskey-making region. We camped here despite the poor weather. We had booked tours at Aberlour and at The Macallum. We also managed a circle walk around the village to the local falls and the old footbridge over the river Spey.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/422/18...f0ae87b5_c.jpgaberlour 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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We are making for Edinbugh today since we are in striking distance and fed up with the cold wet weather. The route we planned was again on the small roads and goes near to Balmoral Castle and then thru the Cairngorms National park.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/268/18...b316fa4a46.jpgScreen Shot 2015-06-06 at 9.49.16 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8870/1...9e6ef973_c.jpgaberlour 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Arriving back at Gino and Fi’s we were welcomed home by them and Fi’s parents Jackie and Dan!

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Saturday was oil change day. Then we treated ourselves to a few pints in Leith at the jazz festival and a great fish dinner!

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Today we did a tour of the coast roads east of the city of Edinburgh and then visited the national aircraft museum.

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We finished the day off in a 14 th century pub and with a little IOM TT racing.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/544/18...e7f756c5_c.jpgedinburgh 2 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Scotland looks like a cool place, must go there sometime.........

Ha ha ha
 

Scotland IS a cool place! Better though since we happen to have cool friends there!!!! bier

Back to the Continent
 

It is a sad day since we have to leave Scotland. Even with all the bad weather it was stunning and one of the few places we really hope to come back to. We rode south and east to Newcastle trying to avoid the main highways.


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We arrived for the ferry at 2 pm. Even though check in was from 230 to 415 there were already 15 bikes ahead of us and lots of other vehicles too.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/287/18...21df1dc5_c.jpgFILE0870 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/305/18...7a419709_c.jpgnetherlands 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


Here they load about 10 bikes at a time and there were over 40 today. The crew assigns you a spot and there are lots of tie downs available. Unlike all the other boats we have been on here you strap down your own bike. They have lash points on the deck and a cable lash running the length of the wall. You then gather all your gear and head upstairs.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/314/18...6a0fb1a6_c.jpgFILE0901 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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The ferry leaves at 5 pm and arrives at 830 am just outside of Amsterdam. You can not book on this ferry without a cabin, which is so much better than the Isle of Man ferry where there are so few it is impossible to get one. We had brought on food, but went up to the deck in the sun to enjoy some beer and cider with the other bikers. We were very lucky and had a calm crossing and a good nights sleep.


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Also unlike the other ferries where they opened the access to the car deck and the ferry doors at the same time (mayhem insures), here they gave you plenty of time to unlash the bike and get your gear stowed before the mad rush to unload. After unloading the bikes were all directed to split the lanes of cars and trucks waiting at immigration and from here we all merged in small groups at the front of the line. You show your passport to the officer and are waved thru. Just outside the gate were our friends Bart and Renate to greet us. We had first met them in Ushuaia at the end of their trip from Alaska and then in Porvenier and Porto Natales Chile.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/456/18...6e1ea942_c.jpgFILE1014 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/288/18...e0ef3f0c_c.jpgFILE1054 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/543/18...44560c18_c.jpgWP_20150609_10_16_30_Pro by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/349/18...1601810d_c.jpgWP_20150609_10_17_16_Pro by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The SPOT for the Netherlands!


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Amsterdam
 

They took us on a short tour of the beaches and for a traditional Dutch apple pie.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/427/18...f7300b42_c.jpgFILE1063 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/485/18...1436ce62_c.jpgnetherlands 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



The afternoon we took the bus and train into the city for a tour of the Amsterdam Sights. This included the “girls” in the windows of the Red light district, the cheese and flower markets, the canals, and other icons.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/424/18...fa455b5e_c.jpgnetherlands 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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“Art” in Amsterdam. You have to pay 5 Euros and then get into bed with the actress. You don’t say a word, you look them in the eye, and they tell you private story. When they are done they say goodbye and you get out!



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/531/18...6455667b_c.jpgnetherlands 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



Bike storage at the subway!!


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We finished the evening off at the brewery built in a church!



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/301/18...0b09c2af_c.jpgnetherlands 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Riding the Dykes
 

Today we did a tour all day south of the city, but Bart only used the dykes. We made a pit stop to get Dan’s new tire installed and ballanced.



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/510/18...2a570396_c.jpgnetherlands 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Stocking up on cheese and sausage for the trip to Iceland!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/268/18...45c20753_c.jpgWP_20150610_17_09_02_Pro by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Rev'it
 

We drove south and east today to Oss, where the headquarters of Revitt is located. The marketing and design staff greeted us. We had an extensive tour and then an opportunity to see what they are working on for 2016 and 2017. It was really cool to see how interested the design team was in what we had to say about the gear and what we loved about it and what suggestions we had for small changes.

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We then backtracked a bit and scooted around Amsterdam to stop in just north to see a few more windmills. This involved a bit of off road on the dykes. Then we continued north to the Afsluitdijk, which is a 31 km long causeway that now separates the North Sea from the lake it created. This was also the first test site for the 130-km/hr speed limits in the Netherlands. Riding further north we reached the north coast of Holland and the campground at Lauwersoog after 428 km. This is a pretty nice campground on the shore of a lake, but it is pretty cold here still for a swim.

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Hamburg
 

We had been invited to the home of fellow rider Wolfgang and his wife Brigette near Hamburg. We had met him on line and passed on some tips for his trip to Morocco, which was just a few weeks after ours. He sent us the GPS coordinates to his home and was actually out front to meet us since he had been following us on the SPOT!

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They are amazing hosts. Our first night we were honored to be a part of their Friday night Bolognese night!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/555/18...f4b11ca8_c.jpghamburg 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



We took the train into the city and did a bit of a walking tour with our host’s advice. The first stop was the cool looking Chili Haus building.

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We toured around the downtown area. We had our first German Bratwurst in a long while.



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/527/18...6e94db0f_c.jpghamburg 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





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They then joined us in the afternoon and we looked around the old warf district.


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“Since 1995, Cologne based artist Gunter Demnig has been commemorating the victims of the German Nazi regime through his project "Stolpersteine” – Stumbling Stones. All over Germany, the artist has been laying small memorial stones in sidewalks and pavements outside those houses where the people lived or worked who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime. In 2002 the first Stumbling Stone was laid in Hamburg and many followed ever since.” They are now all over Germany.




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We walked along the river to see the unique car elevator from the tunnel under the Elb River.


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Denmark
 

Driving north we followed the advice of pretty much everyone to just take the highway thru northern Germany and into Denmark. We did this thru the flat agricultural lands to Aarhus.



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/318/19...382b72e8_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-07-03 at 12.28.48 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/511/18...48f32d35_o.jpghirtshals 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/541/18...cdeb8622_c.jpghirtshals 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Here there is a very nice campground that even has heated floors in the showers.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3820/1...e81ce496_c.jpghirtshals 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/271/18...bc0c6df0_c.jpghirtshals 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here we made for the northern tip of the country at Skagen, but we took the long way of course.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/373/19...d8bdd089_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-03 at 12.31.31 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/441/18...20aa98e7_c.jpghirtshals 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/266/18...288ab4af_c.jpghirtshals 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3717/1...0376b0fc_c.jpghirtshals 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/283/18...217bb97e_c.jpghirtshals 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Here we had a famous Danish Hotdog.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/503/18...614cc375_c.jpghirtshals 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/366/18...49f4f18a_c.jpghirtshals 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



We camped for the night on the north coast. This campground has nice sites each with a hedge for protection from the wind. The “1 km walk” to the nearest shop with beer was actually 2 km, so we did have to drink a few on the long way back.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3773/1...5bc032b4_c.jpghirtshals 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


We then took a long walk on the dunes and along the beach to watch the kite surfers.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/441/18...6e7812f8_c.jpghirtshals 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/295/18...f08f17f8_c.jpghirtshals 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3929/1...8f446125_c.jpghirtshals 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

To Iceland
 

Waking up in the bright sunlight I checked the time and was surprised to see it was 340 am! Because of that we were then packed up and on the road at 7 am in search of a coffee. From there we went to the ferry dock at 8 am to see about 20 bikes already.


https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3773/1...5bc032b4_c.jpghirtshals 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/559/18...3f24cf09_c.jpghirtshals 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3939/1...d76c5d1d_c.jpghirtshals 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3950/1...bd57b416_c.jpghirtshals 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were happy to see our friend Mike arriving from Bordeax.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/440/18...ab1ef122_c.jpghirtshals 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


They line you up outside the dock area until about 9 when you file thru the check in to the ferry holding area.


https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3750/1...1263f647_c.jpghirtshals 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/386/18...a4a26e5c_c.jpghirtshals 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Once the last few cars have unloaded we finally got on. You ride up to the second level, we turned around and they lined us up along the back wall, while the rest were lined up at the front. There are no wheel chocks or teams of crew to help you as shown on the video on the Smyril Line website, but we all managed to get the bikes strapped down.


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/397/18...2bf551ea_c.jpghirtshals 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/514/18...c9780faf_c.jpghirtshals 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3836/1...8e5c613c_c.jpghirtshals 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/489/18...c440840f_c.jpghirtshals 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/431/18...a85de5d8_c.jpghirtshals 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr




https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/298/18...143552c3_c.jpghirtshals 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/483/18...4e963d42_c.jpghirtshals 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Once your bike is settled for the 45 hour trip to Iceland its time for the skye bar. Dan made friends with Torsten a Faroe Man, who supplied them with Faore 7.2% beer, whale meat, and whale blubber (not good FYI).


https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3722/1...a4e93768_c.jpghirtshals 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3809/1...a61e29fe_c.jpghirtshals 45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/417/18...3f847ef8_c.jpghirtshals 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/288/18...12ee8442_c.jpghirtshals 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3769/1...22904948_c.jpghirtshals 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/503/18...5ed2b08d_c.jpghirtshals 50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3678/1...c0098248_c.jpghirtshals 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr




https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/383/18...08792ce1_c.jpghirtshals 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr




https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3883/1...6f5b44b7_c.jpghirtshals 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Once we left the shelter of the coast of Norway there was a lot more rocking of the ship and you needed to hold the handrails, but the night’s sleep was not too bad. Lying down seemed to make the worst of the motion less nauseating. The only sights we saw were a few drill rigs in the North Sea.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/523/1...bdf07ffc_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-03 at 12.34.56 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3947/...80b3483a_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Faroes
 

Finally we sighted land the southern most islands of the Faroes.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/381/1...7e9cb08b_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


We docked farther west on the large island of Streymoy at the capital in Tórshavn, briefly to exchange passengers and vehicles.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/1...7066be53_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-03 at 12.35.48 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3899/...c4963765_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Then we continued thru the island chain with their steep sided fjords and cliffs.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/437/1...324b23b6_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/...a8faaaa4_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/461/1...58ca343f_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/...df28c267_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Iceland
 

After another mostly calm night in the North Sea we readied for the 730 am arrival. We watched our approach from the sky deck. Braving the cold and howling wind we saw our first view of the snow covered shores of the island and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/533/1...2be25036_c.jpgiceland 1 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/431/1...6677fa25_c.jpgiceland 1 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/401/1...282109da_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3725/...537acac1_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/537/1...cd2743e5_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/351/1...095c78c4_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/...51ceb53f_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/332/1...28cfec93_c.jpgiceland 1 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had already heard from other riders that all the central roads on the island were still closed due to snow and lack of melting after a very cold spring. It looks like the dream to ride the “central cross roads” of Iceland will not be possible.



https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/...30661b78_c.jpgiceland 1 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/410/1...6496a0c9_c.jpgfaroes to iceland 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Getting back to the car deck we found that they had loaded the vehicles from the Feroes like a complex jigsaw puzzle. There were bikes, cars, and motor homes parked in all directions. Some were so close that the people could not get into them until the other cars had unloaded.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/288/1...11836c76_c.jpgiceland 1 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3897/...5683daa3_c.jpgiceland 1 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We disembarked from the ship to find ourselves in a cathedral valley around the port of Seydisfjordur dripping with waterfalls.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/297/1...d372c85d_c.jpgiceland 1 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/469/1...00468cdd_c.jpgiceland 1 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



Rising up out of the valley on the switchback road we then crossed the snow-covered plains. We saw several guys unloading snowmobiles! We later heard that when people arrived the week before us ther road was snow covered.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/269/1...edd663ed_c.jpgiceland 1 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...f516cafa_c.jpgiceland 1 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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We were of course pretty happy to see the view from the top of the pass of the green valley below in Egilsstadir. At the viewpoint we saw our first “what were they thinking” incident. A rented camper had been driven off the highway onto the gravel side road, but on backing out they had run it off the road into the steep deep verge and were being winched out by several guys in 4x4 s.


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3870/...a95259dc_c.jpgiceland 1 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Here we stopped for some Icelandic Kronor at the ATM. You hardly need cash here as they accept Visa almost everywhere. Even the campground attendants walk around with a visa machine. The other thing you need to work out right away is how the gas pump system works. We had been told “ you have to guess the exact amount you need and prepay at the pump on your Visa”. This is of course not true, but I met several riders who still thought this after 2 weeks on the island. You preauthorize up to the amount selected and then of course are only charged for the volume you use. There are detailed instructions in English at the station where there ferry docks, but of course no one fills up there since they left Denmark with a full tank. We did not see the sign until the last day when we gassed up to go to the Faroes. This was not necessary since the gas on the Faroes is actually cheaper because of subsidies.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/304/1...44751b1a_o.jpgimages by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/329/1...03806d2a_o.jpgGravel Road Sign Iceland by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/321/1...d51eb669_c.jpgDSC01005 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

South shore day 1
 

We have 2 days to meet our friends at the Reykjavik airport 720 km away via the south shore route, “turning left”, or “going clockwise”.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/486/1...221f8a88_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 5.44.48 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



We did turn left at Egilsstadir on the highway 1 or the ring road, which is paved for about 20 km and then turns to a firm dirt road. We took the cut off on the 939 to meet the pavement where it meets the #1 again.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/513/1...1332e9cc_c.jpgiceland 1 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/333/1...301b451f_c.jpgiceland 1 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/287/1...2a62ed73_c.jpgiceland 1 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Going over this pass there are incredible views of the snow covered peaks and hundreds of waterfalls. There are several large ones along the way. Here we saw the “what were they thinking” incident number 2 for the day. We were taking some photos at the falls and this guy was attempting to back his car out and onto the road when he went off the road, into the ditch and hooked himself on a rock. He dug the rock out and we along with 3 German riders who had stopped pushed the car back up onto the road.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/444/1...6226fcd7_c.jpgiceland 1 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/352/1...0283372d_c.jpgiceland 1 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/461/1...837a0ae2_c.jpgiceland 1 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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You meet the highway 1 again and the pavement, but there are a few short unpaved sections on the way to Hofn.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/297/1...f61bd215_c.jpgiceland 1 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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We experienced our first Icelandic tunnel. They are located all over the island and are 2-7 km long. What is amazing especially in the northwest is that they spend tens of millions on burrowing thru the mountain for the small village on the other side.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/415/1...cb994c59_c.jpgiceland 1 50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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The only reindeer we saw the whole time were just off the highway, but the terrains was deep wet moss and so we could not get close to the herd.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/442/1...c0a9007d_c.jpgiceland 1 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Here we took a detour into the town of Hofn. From the far end of the town after going past the pier you can look back to the view of all the glaciers extending down from the mountainside above the ring road.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/...2b189d20_c.jpgiceland 1 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Jokulsarion Lake
 

Just past Hofn is Jokulsarion lake where the Breidamerkurjokull glacier has retreated and now calves into the glacial lake. This fills the lake with ice burgs. They then flow out under the bridge via a river and into the ocean.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/458/1...be5c4414_c.jpgiceland 1 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





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The black sand beach there is completely littered with ice cubes!



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/1...0e6866ee_c.jpgiceland 1 74 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


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From here we continued along the National Park to the campground at Skaftafell, which is situated right at the base of the glacier. The camping here in Iceland is very organized and reasonably priced unlike hotels and guesthouses. The procedure is to find a spot and set up your tent. Eventually someone wanders by with a visa machine to take payment and hand you a sticker to put on your tent’s guy line. It varies whether showers are included or you need to but an activation card. Most are included especially in the north and in most there also was washing machines. All had hot showers and wifi.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/309/1...04889ec2_c.jpgiceland 1 93 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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Leaving camp in the morning we again were treated to views of the glaciers behind us.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/412/1...af015f02_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 5.45.32 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/330/1...7666ee5f_c.jpgiceland 2 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

After leaving the glacial area you pass thru the volcanic region with huge lava fields. In fact the road did not exist here until the 70’s.


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3846/...b553e00c_c.jpgiceland 2 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/534/1...51ec7841_c.jpgiceland 2 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Driving on the 1 got a bit boring so when we saw a path going out into the moss covered lava we took another loop detour!


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/...b4ff0630_c.jpgiceland 2 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/331/1...ff8e351a_c.jpgiceland 2 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/388/1...4cf91082_c.jpgiceland 2 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/367/1...93a83475_c.jpgiceland 2 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Going further east you arrive at the village of Vik. From the hill above the town there is a nice view of the houses and the sea stacks behind them.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/402/1...62d74abc_c.jpgiceland 2 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/524/1...1e9b842d_c.jpgiceland 2 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We took another small side trip to the bird wall at Dyrholaey, where we saw our first puffin!



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/530/1...4d7c51c2_c.jpgiceland 2 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/1...be7fd0d7_c.jpgiceland 2 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The weather was turning a bit rainy and fairly windy on the exposed coast road. There is plenty to see with the lava fields and hundreds of waterfalls.




https://farm1.staticflickr.com/294/1...f3931c8b_c.jpgiceland 2 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/329/1...c6ab2ca1_c.jpgiceland 2 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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The two main attractions on the coast here are the waterfalls of Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. The first is one of the biggest in the country and drops 60 meters. Legend says there is a Viking treasure buried behind the falls. We hiked up to the top, but the best view if from the halfway mark. We also met this crazy Canadian there with the same shirt on as me!

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/394/1...5362b14c_c.jpgiceland 2 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3852/...d4422e2a_c.jpgiceland 2 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/265/1...38977433_c.jpgiceland 2 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/543/1...248e0fbe_c.jpgDSC02943 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3953/...debe4c59_c.jpgiceland 2 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next we moved onto Seljalandsfoss, where you can walk behind the also 60 meter falls. Leaving here there was some very gusting heavy winds. This is the same location where near the end of our trip the highway was closed due to high winds that had blow several cars and a camper off the road.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/462/1...99d327f9_c.jpgiceland 2 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/493/1...ed39cb8a_c.jpgiceland 2 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/359/1...d331fef2_c.jpgiceland 2 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We arrived in Grindavik in the south west of the Island with the intention of camping, but the winds were howling and it was 4 degrees and raining. It is shocking how expensive a room in a guesthouse (shared bath) is on Iceland. Almost as much as Scotland Gino. We did not have much choice and hunkered down for the night.




We woke up to a dreary day, but it was barely raining now and not really very windy. From Grindavik we rode up to the airport to meet our friends Gord and Adrianna who have come from Vancouver to spend 2 weeks with us exploring Iceland.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/438/1...19336b62_c.jpgDSC00974 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We did some touring of the Reykjanes Peninsula including a visit to the Viking museum and Bridge between the continents. This is a bridge that allows you to cross the continental divide from the Eurasian continental plate to the American plate.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/388/1...772cb5cf_o.pngScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 5.48.58 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/...5c875d70_c.jpgDSC00976 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/424/1...9d49b304_c.jpgDSC00978 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/...c105622b_c.jpgDSC00982 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/375/1...5041cd4a_c.jpgDSC00986 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/266/1...fa9f3859_c.jpgDSCN3303 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We had tickets to the Blue lagoon today, but instead of taking the paved road there we rode cross-country on a dirt track that was on the GPS, but not on the map. This was thru a lava fields. Along the way there were several steam vents visible and finally the pipes for “harvesting” the steam.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/398/1...a82d2f01_c.jpgDSCN3328 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/335/1...b7402a53_c.jpgDSCN3327 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3794/...e1e9d3c9_c.jpgFILE1721 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/303/1...cc25e32c_c.jpgDSC00988 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/504/1...f70c0e4f_c.jpgDSC00996 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3722/...cb6aa4c7_c.jpgDSC00999 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The Blue lagoon itself is very expensive for a soak in the wastewater from the nearby geothermal plant, but was a relaxing way to spend a rainy afternoon.


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3894/...406c13b9_c.jpgDSCN3331 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/385/1...aed57150_c.jpgDSCN3335 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/500/1...067a52db_c.jpgFILE1764 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/423/1...68d09131_c.jpgFILE1771 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/1...6e94b0a5_c.jpgFILE1825 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/505/1...97dc2354_c.jpgFILE1889 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/444/1...d09be43a_c.jpgFILE1883 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here we continued north towards Reykjavik, but stopped for the night in nearby Hafnarfjordur, which according to the signage is the city of Vikings, Elves, and lava. It apparently has the largest concentration of elves, dwarves, and hidden people on the island! It is set in a 7000-year old lava field and is home to a large Viking festival every summer. That said it is a very picturesque fishing town with brightly colored metal or wood clad houses.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/544/1...bdcee3d6_c.jpgDSC01002 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/269/1...e5c7c4c5_c.jpgDSC01003 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/333/1...aaba8122_c.jpgDSC01006 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/447/1...bc336a08_c.jpgDSC01008 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3828/...4cb16892_c.jpgDSC01009 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Most visitors to Iceland land in the capital and then only do a tour of the “golden circle” This includes the major attractions in a 300 km loop. They see Thingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysers as well as a scenic drive.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/412/1...410acd83_c.jpgGolden-circle-in-Iceland by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


We did a 212 km route that was off road and on the secondary roads.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/424/1...edaafcc9_c.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-21 at 8.15.05 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We started our tour in Reykjavik with a visit to the waterfront and then the Viking ship sculpture.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/376/1...06f599af_c.jpggolden circle 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/273/1...e6ee5bfb_c.jpggolden circle 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/549/1...8653086d_c.jpggolden circle 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Driving into the city center the skyline is dominated by the huge tower of the Hallgrimskirkja church. It was designed to look like the forms and shapes that lava makes when it cools into basalt rock. The statue out front is of Leifur Eiriksson, who was the first European to discover America in 1000AD.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/1...ca1e376b_c.jpggolden circle 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3770/...faa995c3_c.jpggolden circle 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

From here we decided to take the small dirt road and cut cross-country to skip the highway driving and head right to the main sights.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/390/1...a9e1beb2_c.jpggolden circle 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/333/1...9483a522_c.jpggolden circle 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/405/1...d4015cab_c.jpggolden circle 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3782/...39dbdb97_c.jpggolden circle 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/1...fdc09c05_c.jpggolden circle 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/510/1...c947bba3_c.jpggolden circle 28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

On the way we did have some incredible view across the lake to Thingvellir.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/305/1...377b3172_c.jpggolden circle 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/313/1...7ee860cd_c.jpggolden circle 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/272/1...2bd8f1bc_c.jpggolden circle 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/437/1...3ef4a102_c.jpggolden circle 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/411/1...0b53e5f4_c.jpggolden circle 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/463/1...89c616af_c.jpggolden circle 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/476/1...979216e1_c.jpggolden circle 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/505/1...4107158c_c.jpggolden circle 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/336/1...a02903df_c.jpggolden circle 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The first stop was at Geysir to see the hot water eruptions. The Great geyser was dormant before an 1896 earthquake and by 1910 was active about every 30 minutes this frequency declined over time and then only rarely. Since an earthquake in 2000 it became active again but by 2003 was only erupting about 3 times a day. The nearby Strokkur geyser erupts up to 30 meters every few minutes. It is very cool to stand there and watch the pool start to swirl and then splash over the sides. This increases in intensity until suddenly a large bubble appears followed by a huge plume of hot water.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/548/1...70e6684f_c.jpggolden circle 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/379/1...3b51385b_c.jpgIMG_4157 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/316/1...a0e18b07_c.jpggolden circle 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/455/1...e78234f2_c.jpggolden circle 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/548/1...416a3562_c.jpggolden circle 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/393/1...6c5035e2_c.jpggolden circle 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/534/1...655d11cb_c.jpggolden circle 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/485/1...ce5400e3_c.jpggolden circle 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/406/1...e9d8980f_c.jpggolden circle 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/1...e41271ca_c.jpgIMG_4446 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/342/1...d4daf614_c.jpgIMG_4446 (1) by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/536/1...0d9a7d96_c.jpgIMG_4446 (2) by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Next we rode over to Gullfoss, which is one of the most popular attractions on the island. The river makes a sharp turn and flows down a wide 3-tier staircase and then abruptly crashes into a 32-meter deep crevice. From a certain angle it looks like the river disappears into the earth. There was a lot of controversy here since the plan was to use the river to generate electricity. It was saved because of the failure of investors to raise the money and the land was sold to the state for protection.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/...a1a52deb_c.jpggolden circle 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/291/1...b9077491_c.jpggolden circle 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/506/1...d1d2c457_c.jpgDSC02960 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3709/...f7dfeebc_c.jpggolden circle 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/1...8b9d0dc2_c.jpggolden circle 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/486/1...600f0a65_c.jpggolden circle 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Wow, what a beautiful pictures !

Thanks so much!!! S&D

We tried to make a circle route by heading further east to get one of the infamous “F” roads (F338) back, but arriving at the start of the dirt road we found it was blocked off due to snow! We backtracked a bit and headed to the campground at Thingvellir.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/388/1...2318e292_c.jpggolden circle 61 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



Here several other riders joined us. We had run into these 3 German guys several days in a row and so we felt it was time for a photo op.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/468/1...2095ce9e_c.jpgolafsvk 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/...4261c890_c.jpgolafsvk 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/508/1...e743ed33_c.jpggolden circle 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/270/1...9cc22ac3_c.jpgolafsvk 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

In the morning we toured the National Park. This is an important site as it was the location of the first parliament established in 930 and remaining here until 1798. The park was founded in 1930 to mark the 1000 th anniversary. It is also a location where you can see the continental plates are pulling apart.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/...a7d4c7b9_c.jpgolafsvk 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/508/1...c4911fa1_c.jpgDSC01203 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/396/1...fa784286_c.jpgolafsvk 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3695/...2657c783_c.jpgolafsvk 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/477/1...550a22d8_c.jpgolafsvk 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/...8d7698fa_c.jpgolafsvk 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/378/1...18695290_c.jpgolafsvk 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


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https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/...26f5bc02_c.jpgolafsvk 30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Our plan for the day was to head north to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/538/1...ec97bc86_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-13 at 12.57.43 AM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



We did take the long way around the fjord and not the tunnel shortcut and we also took 40 km loop on the dirt roads towards the west coast to see the wetlands. Here you can see a lot of the famous Icelandic horses.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/...13bb0017_c.jpgolafsvk 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/524/1...78fcf3fe_c.jpgolafsvk 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/348/1...10d8ddc2_c.jpgolafsvk 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/...aa2d4fa0_c.jpgolafsvk 36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/388/1...fdf07c1f_c.jpgolafsvk 37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/519/1...1ecff004_c.jpgolafsvk 38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/523/1...2814f198_c.jpgolafsvk 40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/385/1...88421496_c.jpgolafsvk 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/557/1...4d75d3f2_c.jpgolafsvk 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/479/1...18d0f4cb_c.jpgolafsvk 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/361/1...8c1d5e11_c.jpgolafsvk 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/...9047f83d_c.jpgolafsvk 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/521/1...d1681dcd_c.jpgolafsvk 83 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

After you get out onto the Peninsula you head for the national park.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/...5ac70de2_c.jpgolafsvk 85 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/...6e60b9d9_c.jpgolafsvk 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


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https://farm1.staticflickr.com/519/1...2dd1f9e9_c.jpgolafsvk 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were just inside the Snaefellsjoekull National Park and driving down a side road to see a waterfall we found the 800 has a low rear tire.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/...f5604718_c.jpgolafsvk 52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/422/1...4bf4d4d6_c.jpgolafsvk 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


We pumped it back up, but when we check it again in 10 k it was low again. At least we had a pullout off the road to change the tire. Inspecting the tube dry we could not find a hole and we could see nothing inside or outside on the tire. We put in a new tube and headed off.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/434/1...12038743_c.jpgolafsvk 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/...07e1f567_c.jpgolafsvk 54 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/519/1...542864fc_c.jpgolafsvk 58 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/367/1...52abd5e1_c.jpgolafsvk 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/498/1...056f11e1_c.jpgolafsvk 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Driving along there are often signs and parking lots and you never know what you might find. Some are boring duds, but some are awesome like the bird wall at Vatnshellir Cave where we saw our second Puffin.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/522/1...b1906134_c.jpgolafsvk 65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/373/1...11a5fb7a_c.jpgolafsvk 64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/446/1...1e1d98f8_c.jpgolafsvk 63 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/403/1...b3dc8099_c.jpgolafsvk 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/413/1...6dac800a_c.jpgolafsvk 69 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3807/...c6b55e38_c.jpgolafsvk 81 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The volcanic peak dominates the park. The Snaefellsjokull glacier sits on top of an active volcano that is 4745 ft. We in fact saw its snow covered peak from Reykjavik about 200 away as the crow flies. Here you ride around the base of the volcano. On the north side we came across another small crater that you can hike to the top of in about 10 minutes.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/491/1...d9c641bf_c.jpgolafsvk 94 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/477/1...fc022880_c.jpgolafsvk 87 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/1...29cf8b86_c.jpgolafsvk 88 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/316/1...ac202245_c.jpgolafsvk 89 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Continuing on we drove thru an area with bird flight warning signs and they really mean it.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/418/1...3e79076b_c.jpgolafsvk 91 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/355/1...8cd510bc_c.jpgolafsvk 92 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/561/1...7dcee7d4_c.jpgolafsvk 93 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/538/1...ca6951df_c.jpgolafsvk 96 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We were about 4 km from the campsite and Dan’s tire was low again.



https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3771/...588ef372_c.jpgolafsvk 97 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr



He pumped it up and limped to the camping. Here when we took the tube out it was almost shredded and at about 10 cm from the valve. Looking at the tire there was noting! We tried to really compress it at that spot and finally saw a metal shard peaking thru. Like a sliver in your skin it took some effort to get it out. The new tube was toast, but Dan was able to patch up the old one once we had some soapy water on it you could identify the tiny punctures.




https://farm1.staticflickr.com/308/1...c92c0086_c.jpgolafsvk 98 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/412/1...61f21929_c.jpgolafsvk 99 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/...938bc6fc_c.jpgolafsvk 100 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/274/1...3bbbd038_c.jpgolafsvk 101 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This was quite a day for our 19 th wedding anniversary, but I still managed to pull off a nice dinner for the “sun set” at almost midnight.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/413/1...17fb43b9_c.jpgolafsvk 102 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/298/1...ac9eaaa3_c.jpgolafsvk 103 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/337/1...a8c78d12_c.jpgolafsvk 106 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/538/1...654b6e59_c.jpgolafsvk 104 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/482/1...de0631d2_c.jpgolafsvk 105 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today we are headed to the famed Western Fjords. We have a long day of 398 Km a lot of which is off road.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/422/1...38a14d17_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 5.58.31 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

But first we decided to try and see if we could get up the road near Olafsvik, which goes up to the glacier. It all went well for about 20 km until the road was blocked with snow!


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/1...dc378ed7_c.jpgnorth to puffins 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/263/1...ca07c418_c.jpgnorth to puffins 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/401/1...6cdf1341_c.jpgnorth to puffins 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/...84dd48fb_c.jpgnorth to puffins 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/...7376bdfd_c.jpgnorth to puffins 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/377/1...d5f802db_c.jpgnorth to puffins 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/304/1...35b406b7_c.jpgnorth to puffins 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/337/1...8c7cb3b0_c.jpgnorth to puffins 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/256/1...1b58e659_c.jpgnorth to puffins 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3724/...42b87d7a_c.jpgnorth to puffins 15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/394/1...e9bfca8c_c.jpgnorth to puffins 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/287/1...8bdba58d_c.jpgnorth to puffins 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/265/1...95e012de_c.jpgFILE2346 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/369/1...6297dc75_c.jpgnorth to puffins 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/357/1...9f3eeae7_c.jpgnorth to puffins 21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3757/...48c87a91_c.jpgnorth to puffins 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Back on the intermittently paved highway we were headed west and north past lava fields, lush green hills, and waterfall after waterfall.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/459/1...567cfcaa_c.jpgnorth to puffins 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/447/1...b22998c0_c.jpgIMG_4170 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/331/1...bace8444_c.jpgnorth to puffins 32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/374/1...c0a0ab13_c.jpgnorth to puffins 35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/...e078b444_c.jpgnorth to puffins 26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/531/1...da458f23_c.jpgnorth to puffins 29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/539/1...a8af29d3_c.jpgnorth to puffins 27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/356/1...dc95f3d1_c.jpgnorth to puffins 33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/381/1...5b8809ed_c.jpgnorth to puffins 34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/302/1...c76240a6_c.jpgnorth to puffins 39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/556/1...74dd96a6_c.jpgnorth to puffins 41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/390/1...53a38a05_c.jpgnorth to puffins 47 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/450/1...a12d9588_c.jpgnorth to puffins 48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3829/...d63a0c93_c.jpgnorth to puffins 42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/425/1...54b38e8c_c.jpgnorth to puffins 43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/...37325a23_c.jpgnorth to puffins 44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/275/1...7489dcbc_c.jpgnorth to puffins 46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/340/1...9c97b937_c.jpgnorth to puffins 49 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/368/1...5252df6e_c.jpgnorth to puffins 50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/262/1...7a08a6c9_c.jpgnorth to puffins 51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/407/1...4d699eb7_c.jpgnorth to puffins 53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/344/1...20aa51c4_c.jpgnorth to puffins 55 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/...7c7029d5_c.jpgnorth to puffins 56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/308/1...a33882f9_c.jpgnorth to puffins 57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/1...b2a1c577_c.jpgnorth to puffins 59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/417/1...e12466d2_c.jpgnorth to puffins 60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/372/1...10aea85a_c.jpgnorth to puffins 62 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/413/1...8414164c_c.jpgnorth to puffins 65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/292/1...b40b0d2e_c.jpgnorth to puffins 67 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/370/1...0cc025a0_c.jpgnorth to puffins 68 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/336/1...13578b7f_c.jpgnorth to puffins 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/...9b876455_c.jpgnorth to puffins 71 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/443/1...88583b60_c.jpgnorth to puffins 74 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Finally after the last of the Fjords we turned off of the paved road towards Breidavik and into some cold and very foggy weather. Arriving at the lodge we were freezing at 8 pm and the fog was so dense you could hardly see. Since the camping was very expensive we opted for a bunkroom where you use your own sleeping bags for not much more.


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3688/...7575a9d6_c.jpgnorth to puffins 75 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/549/1...f9cd3f1d_c.jpgnorth to puffins 73 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/...67ea0f67_c.jpgnorth to puffins 77 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/339/1...5f8670e7_c.jpgnorth fjords 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/278/1...9e3550c1_c.jpgnorth fjords 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This church is 20 meters from the hotel and you could barely see it when we arrived, but it cleared up and today for the puffin wall we have spectacular weather!

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/399/1...dd1f7b7c_c.jpgnorth fjords 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/488/1...3dd7d29f_c.jpgnorth to puffins 78 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The road from Breidavik to Latrabjarg is 12 KM and good except for a small section with freshly poured gravel.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/472/1...8ab7c09a_c.jpgnorth fjords 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/532/1...ecffb9ed_c.jpgnorth fjords 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/302/1...aa96530f_c.jpgnorth fjords 7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/265/1...6b729b12_c.jpgnorth fjords 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Arriving at the most western point in Europe we stopped for a photo OP.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/455/1...4de45e37_c.jpgnorth fjords 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We headed towards the cliff edge and were surprised to see when we looked over puffins everywhere. You can spend hours watching them and we did. We also walked about 2 km along the cliffs, but the best viewing was nearest the car park.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/446/1...02ea7752_c.jpgnorth fjords 9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/311/1...8e0a1d75_c.jpgnorth fjords 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/276/1...eef7220e_c.jpgnorth fjords 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/496/1...0fe4b9cf_c.jpgnorth fjords 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/470/1...d5ce644b_c.jpgnorth fjords 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/...ba6a73d1_c.jpgnorth fjords 24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/481/1...b63ae67e_c.jpgnorth fjords 25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/312/1...b7e86b95_c.jpgnorth fjords 31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/387/1...81884b6d_c.jpgnorth fjords 54 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The road out was much better when you could actually see where you were going and there were lots of thing we had not seen at all on the way in.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/324/1...4c8031e1_c.jpgnorth fjords 64 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/540/1...007024e6_c.jpgnorth fjords 65 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/284/1...814bbe04_c.jpgnorth fjords 66 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/554/1...8def5ae1_c.jpgnorth fjords 67 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/342/1...eb924a59_c.jpgnorth fjords 75 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/317/1...b6a25ed0_c.jpgnorth fjords 70 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/366/1...dfff98e9_c.jpgnorth fjords 71 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/544/1...fdaf6fab_c.jpgnorth fjords 74 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/281/1...76907d23_c.jpgnorth fjords 77 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/387/1...462b5330_c.jpgnorth fjords 78 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/438/1...65db06f1_c.jpgnorth fjords 80 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/485/1...a7aa1c2b_c.jpgnorth fjords 81 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/440/1...5afb6ffd_c.jpgnorth fjords 83 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/526/1...a39b708c_c.jpgnorth fjords 4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/342/1...ee3bc8b0_c.jpgnorth fjords 84 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/396/1...92434016_c.jpgnorth fjords 86 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/280/1...800146f6_c.jpgnorth fjords 87 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today’s plan is to head to the northern coast of the west Fjords in 404 km or at least to the largest town on the peninsula at Isafjordur. Much of this route is unpaved also.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/521/1...d5784618_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 6.12.27 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


We came across a few small waterfalls as well as hot pools.



https://farm1.staticflickr.com/289/1...aacb566f_c.jpgnorth fjords 88 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/477/1...5bb52cce_c.jpgnorth fjords 89 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/315/1...89524dac_c.jpgnorth fjords 92 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/290/1...5b796b53_c.jpgnorth fjords 93 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/1...3bdfa28f_c.jpgnorth fjords 94 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Coming around the corner and down the steep decline you are awed by the view of the massive collection of 7 falls at Dynjandi (Fjallfoss or thunderous falls) with a cumulative height of 100 meters.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/323/1...0f9255d8_c.jpgnorth fjords 95 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/432/1...6cdfd936_c.jpgnorth fjords 96 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/441/1...512538c4_c.jpgnorth fjords 98 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/484/1...e3373958_c.jpgnorth fjords 101 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/500/1...35487516_c.jpgnorth fjords 102 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/...e2daa550_c.jpgnorth fjords 104 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/521/1...e1ecf981_c.jpgnorth fjords 105 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Leaving here we continued over yet another few snow covered mountain passes.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/459/1...86000628_c.jpgnorth fjords 108 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/507/1...b91550aa_c.jpgnorth fjords 119 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/275/1...161fcf3a_c.jpgnorth fjords 120 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/456/1...68a395bd_c.jpgnorth fjords 123 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/420/1...e3c2cba3_c.jpgnorth fjords 125 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/404/1...49868076_c.jpgnorth fjords 128 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/306/1...33c10269_c.jpgnorth fjords 129 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/518/1...633cd1a2_c.jpgnorth fjords 134 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/...f893205a_c.jpgnorth fjords 138 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/416/1...4e35b3b6_c.jpgnorth fjords 135 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/...b19a3604_c.jpgnorth fjords 137 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3668/...0c9e8e62_c.jpgnorth fjords 132 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/533/1...79882260_c.jpgnorth fjords 133 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/342/1...d95f545e_c.jpgnorth fjords 130 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...e62bbe2b_c.jpgnorth fjords 140 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/...8b5cb640_c.jpgnorth fjords 141 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/384/1...e7a73e1e_c.jpgnorth fjords 142 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

There are also a number of tunnels. The 7 km Vestfjaroagong tunnel that opened in 1996 and ended the winter isolation of 3 villages by connecting them to Isafjordur. There are actually several side tunnels from this tunnel of 2.9 and 2.1 kms. This was the last tunnel with one-way sections built here in Iceland.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/398/1...b1f98653_c.jpgnorth fjords 144 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/559/1...6a4c74e1_c.jpgnorth fjords 146 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We decided to keep going to the town of Bolungarvik thru another 5.4 km tunnel, since the sun would be shining longer on that side of the peninsula. There is a modest campground here at the recreation center.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/282/1...dd4f47a4_c.jpgnorth fjords 147 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3779/...ac0d8180_c.jpgnorth fjords 148 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Today we had 427 km to get to Blonduos over the “most fjorded” section of the coast.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/347/1...1f161f12_z.jpgScreen Shot 2015-07-04 at 6.13.16 PM by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

You literally drive into the mountain when leaving town via the tunnel.


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/313/1...7013cf01_c.jpgblonduos 1 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/474/1...5de4557c_c.jpgblonduos 2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/454/1...ccdfefeb_c.jpgblonduos 3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Once we got over the mountains the day was spent going in and out of the long fjords.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/384/1...3fee5d82_c.jpgIMG_5043 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/...8aaa8a38_c.jpgblonduos 5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/402/1...cae517db_c.jpgblonduos 6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/445/1...de037089_c.jpgblonduos 8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/479/1...863d545f_c.jpgblonduos 10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/548/1...263e4971_c.jpgblonduos 11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/429/1...32687855_c.jpgblonduos 12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The going in was pretty good, but the going out was into the wind and much colder and harder work.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/501/1...6a137e52_c.jpgblonduos 13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/346/1...1f6594b3_c.jpgblonduos 14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/381/1...9873b77c_c.jpgblonduos 16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/264/1...f23eb948_c.jpgblonduos 17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3718/...c45629c2_c.jpgblonduos 18 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/255/1...262f54c8_c.jpgblonduos 19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr





https://farm1.staticflickr.com/379/1...32cb80bb_c.jpgblonduos 20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/405/1...018cb451_c.jpgblonduos 22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr


https://farm1.staticflickr.com/259/1...eca11688_c.jpgblonduos 23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Here in Blonduos there is a not bad campground that was luckily out of the wind. The best part was the N1 across the road where you could get a cold beer. This is a difficult thing in Iceland since you buy liquor at special stores that have very limited hours. At the gas station restaurants they can sell you a beer if they open it. Otherwise they only sell low alcohol beer.

Great pics guys, enjoying the trip (that must be a good camera Dan :clap:)