#Icesterlin Day 3

May 25th

Today we packed up our bags to find adventure along the Ring Road. We made a quick stop at our favorite bakery for food on the road and off we went. 

We only had 300 different sites we wanted to stop at before we got it our final destination for the evening. The first one on the list that we got to was Seljalandsfoss. When we got there it was rainy and cold. This destination was Eric’s #1 place he wanted to go. He would give up the rest of the trip to get the perfect picture here. Needless to say the weather was not corroborating with his plans. He checked the weather and it looked like it would clear up in about 3 hours. After some discuss of how to tackle what to do with weather, timing and the rest of the day, I decided I was going to make the best of what was in front of us. I mean, really, I am in Iceland staring at an amazing waterfall from a car window. Rain or not, I was going to experience it up close and person. 

Seljalandsfoss is a waterfall you can walk all the way around and stand behind it. It was really cool and very wet but honestly, you couldn’t tell the difference between the rain water and the waterfall kick back. 

It wasn’t long before all 4 of us were out there being silly in the rain and the absurdity that we were in Iceland.

We all agreed that we would go check out a few other things in the area and make a return trip later in the day to Seljalandsfoss if the weather took a turn for the better. So we set off in the car again. 

Iceland is such a beautiful country and it wasn’t uncommon for us to randomly stop the car to take pictures. So when we can across a really tall waterfall, we had to stop for a few pictures. This might have been one of the most memorable  moments of the trip and one that can not easily be expressed in words. As we all were watching/looking/experiencing this waterfall and this beautiful landscape in front of us David Crowder’s “He Loves Us” started playing through the car radio. The fact that we were standing in Iceland, staring at God’s creation and having the opportunity while being reminded that “He Loves Us” was a humbling experience and one that I hope stays with me for a really long time. The waterfall picture isn’t impressive, but it will always be a visual reminder of that special moment. 

After we gathered ourselves from that experience, we made our way to Skogafoss. As we were approached Skogafoss we learned they had a visitor center of sorts called Skogasafn skogar museum. Since the weather was still pretty dreary, we went to check it out. Unfortunately, it was a little pricey for our taste but we took a few pictures of the turf houses and headed to Skogafoss. 

It was still rainy but it had lightened up a little so we headed back out into the rain to experience Skogafoss. 

We were able to hike to the top of the waterfall and from the top, even through the clouds, it was an impressive view of the countryside.

At one of the stops to get to the top, there was a face in the rock that is looking back at the waterfall. The face in the rock is total nature made and so fascinating. 

Once you got to the top, we hopped a fence and could keep hiking for as far as we could see. We did go over to explore a little but decided to head back to the car after a short hike.

We were starting to get hungry and there was one place to eat that we had seen all day, Gamla Fjosid. Thankfully our guide books talked really highly of it, not that we had many options. 

The restaurant was pretty much in a restored barn, it was a pretty cool venue but we came pretty close to backing out when we stepped out of the car and it stunk like cow poo. It wasn’t very appetizing but we stuck it out and it didn’t disappoint. 

The weather didn’t look promising after lunch and it was starting to get to the moment of truth with heading back to Seljalandsfoss and hitting the road for other destinations down the road. We decided we would head back even though  the weather apps were still showing rain.

As we got back, there was finally a break in the clouds and the rain started to lighten up. It was really pretty. We spent some more time exploring the area while Eric worked really hard to get the absolute perfect picture. While he did that, we ran around exploring like little kids. 

Up a path a little ways, there was a secondary waterfall, Gljufrafoss, hidden behind very large rocks. The younger crowd climbed boulders and used chairs to pull themselves up very compromising places to get a look at the waterfall while others simply walked through other boulders into an opening to see the impressive waterfall. Of course, we had to do both.

Top view from the top of a rickety ladder

Entrance to the bottom of the waterfall

The bottom of the waterfall

After we finished up at Seljalandsfoss, we continued our trip east along Route 1. Our next big stop was the Solheimasandur plane wreck. I was SUPER excited for this part of the trip. I was so excited that I started to run to the plane. But it was a LONG way to the plane and we even questioned if we were going the right way despite all the other people making the trek as well.  

Once we got to the crash site, it was absolutely worth the hike out here. For a few minutes, Jed and I had a crash site all to ourselves to take it all in and try and capture it with our cameras. 

It felt like we were on a movie set and there was something so surreal. It was a very memorable moment and another Iceland destination not to miss. 

By the time we got back to the car, we were starving so we quickly ate our sandwiches we got from the Bakery in the morning and off we went. We were very thankful we thought ahead since we haven't seen food in some time. As we headed down the road, we made a split decision to swing by Dyrholaey. Since it was puffin mating season, we didn't think they would let us in but we didn't run into any issues.

The area was beautiful and we spent some time walking around and taking it all in. We even found a few puffin in the distance!

We made our way to Reynisdrangar. This area was so neat and different. It was a black sand beach with these very unique cliffs. We spent some time walking around the beach, taking pictures on and of the cliffs and ended up in a little shop/restaurant, Svarta Fjaran, before we hopped back in the car to finish the drive to our hotel.

Audrey & I powered through to our final destination with the guys asleep in the back. We had a great time laughing, talking and enjoying the beauty around us. It never really got super dark on the drive even though it was past midnight when we got to our hotel, Hali County Hotel and it was bright enough for us to get a quick look at our first and very exciting destination in the morning.