Unlike our previous driving adventures which led us from one point to another, our trip today looped us back to our cottage along the shores of Lake Myvatn. There are numerous towns and natural wonders in the North of Iceland which allowed us to maintain a home base. In addition to other guests we share this base with a fluffy golden retriever named Fálki. Fálki enjoys making the rounds between the cottages seeking out attention and back scratches! After another filling breakfast (Jay was happy this was included in our lodging) we set out on our adventure to the upper reaches of the island.

Our first stop was the fishing village of Húsavík which is well known for its fisheries and numerous boating excursions. The town is within 50 miles of the arctic circle which means that in the depths of winter there is only 3 hours of sunlight a day. In fact one of the many excursions is a boat ride which takes tourists to the arctic. We opted to skip that adventure but enjoyed knowing that when we looked north there was nothing between us and the North Pole. Except for very frigid and rough seas of course.

We left Húsavík and headed North along the cliffs facing the arctic which offered us expansive views of the sea below. As we descended from those cliffs we saw a seemingly endless black sand beach. We were not expecting to encounter a beach as impressive as Fjallahöfn so we found a small makeshift pullout on the side of the road and made our way down to the water. The weather today was perfect (sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s with minimal wind) so walking on a beach staring at the arctic was not too dissimilar from walking on ocean shores back home. Back when we planned this trip we certainly did not expect to spend time on a sunny beach, but here we were looking North towards Santa’s Workshop.

Following our diversion to Fjallahöfn Beach we continued onto our next stop (Ásbyrgi Canyon) where we saw the remnants of a massive Ice Age flood. What is left is a horse shoe shaped canyon inside of which is a tranquil ecosystem. We spent time exploring the area within before making our way towards Europe’s most powerful waterfall (Dettifoss). Dettifoss is another one of the premier waterfalls in Iceland and it is known as the beast to Goðafoss’s beauty. The power behind this waterfall was evident from the very close vantage points offered by the park. One of the more striking aspects of parks outside the U.S. is the relative lack of safety measures protecting visitors. In this instance all that kept guests away from the edge of cliffs was a loose rope hung between rebar posts. While Dettifoss takes much of the attention, just a short walk up river leads to Selfoss which is another significant waterfall in its own right.

Our last stop for the day was the geothermal hotspot of Hverir. This roadside attraction featured bubbling pools of boiling mud and steam vents emitting sulfuric gas. As with much of the rest of our drive today the landscape was other worldly. It was not surprising when earlier in the day we stumbled across a monument in Húsavík commemorating the visits made by members of the Apollo program back in the 1960’s. Included in the list of visitors to this remote part of Iceland were the likes of Neil Armstrong and Jack Swigert. The main purpose of their visit was of course geology training.

For dinner we stopped at a restaurant owned by a local farming family. The restaurant itself is attached to the dairy so you are able to watch the cows eat while simultaneously enjoying your dinner. Tomorrow we make our way to the East Coast of Iceland and the town of Eskifjörður.