Day 4: July 10, 2007 Reykjavík to Hveravellir
Trip Start
Jul 08, 2007
1
4
21
Trip End
Jul 23, 2007
Hveravellir,
Iceland
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
I got up at 5:45. Þráinn met me at 6:00 and we drove out to Keflavík, arriving at 6:45 and finding Sydney outside waiting for us. Þráinn had to go to the field in Revkjanes so he left us there and we took a bus back to the main terminal in Reykjavík. I got off and picked up Curt's bag, which had been sent there after it arrived. I got back on the bus and we took it to the campground. Curt was happy to get it. We figured that Rain's bag, since it was a military bag, probably went to Iraq with the airmen we saw in Baltimore.
The van and our driver, Magnus Bjarnarson, arrived a little after 10:00. We loaded the trailer and climbed in. Magnus' daughter followed us with the ice chests, which we filled at an ESSO station.
Once that was taken care of, we headed to Nesjavellir geothermal field. Magnus took us to the actual power station where we had an excellent tour. The weather was beautiful so we had excellent views of Langjökull to the northeast. We drove up the west side of Þingvallavatn to Þingvellir. We had a beautiful walk through the park before going over to the souvenir store where we prepared our lunch. By this point I needed sunscreen-a first in Iceland.
Magnus took us down the east side of Þingvallavatn. I had not been that way before. Then we turned northeastward and drove for nearly an hour to Geysir. I showed people the settlement tuff (n AD 784) and Motley found a fossil birch leaf in it. Strokkur gave several nice eruptions but Geysir was silent. After an hour, we drove to Gullfoss. The falls were magnificent in the bright sun. The heavy spray made beautiful rainbows, one of which came down right by the trail. A new, improved cliff top trail allows a view right down the main fracture.
We left for the long ride to Hveravellir. Some new asphalt paves part of the old road but soon we were back on gravel. Soon after passing Bláfell, we were pulled over by the police to inform us that one of our four rear tires was flat. Magnus had been worried about it all day. They filled it with air and we drove at 15-20 km for the last 20 km, picking up a French hitchhiker along the way and taking him to the campsite.
Hveravellir had clear views of both Langjökull and Hofsjökull-views I hadn't seen since 1996. Some of the group and I walked around the geothermal field and then looked in vain for the Outlaw's Cave. We had a decent pasta dinner before most of us went to the thermal bath where we stayed and talked for a couple of hours. By midnight I was worn out so I said goodnight to the few other hangers-on and went to bed.
