Iceland 2010, part 7 Besucher/Visitors
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"Iceland 2010, part 7, the sixth week in Iceland, from Landmanalaugar back to the ferry"

NOTE: Due to the duration of the trip and therefore volume of the diary I have split it up into several parts.

 

 

02.09.2010 Starting-km: 138.327, End-km 138.478, Distance 151 km

Before I Ieft this Thursday morning I made this photo of the rocks in the sea which are trolls which have become „stoned“.

 

Uli had given me a recommendation for a tour along the 209, then F232, further the F210 etc.. The start wasn’t bad but because of heavy spray-rain and rough winds not really beautiful.

 

When bit by bit the track became worse and sometimes the track became so small that big Foot just got through because of washed away ground I decided to turn around – remembering all the other damages so far.

 

The river Leirá had a small waterfall just before the track got back onto the 209.

 

Even though the weather wasn’t really good I decided to again to Landmanalaugar and gave two hitchhiker-ladies a ride, which were after waiting since 3 hours completely wet and pretty close to give up their plan for the next destination.

In the mid of the way to Landmanalaugar a thick fog with max. 10 m visibility came up and so this is the only photo not far from the target.

 

 

03.09.2010 Starting-km: 138.478, End-km 138.712, Distance 234 km

The hitchhiker-lady from the Netherlands left even thought heavy winds and the high risk of rain for a 4-days hike with some mates from the WWW into the highlands, whilst the lady from Australia-Argentina joined me on my 1 hours walk around Landmanalaugar.

 

This rock had a green colour, maybe it changed the colour on the photo due to the rain? J

 

This is ~ in the middle of the trip.

 

The moth does not only have a fluorescent colour (it reminded me on the green Edding text marker),

 

but had sometimes these strange structures.

 

When I was back at the campground I went for another swim in the river,

 

to start then the return-trip, again with sometimes extreme fog or alternatively heavy rain, which gave especially at such steep hills gave a certain feeling of safety! J

 

At Kirkjubæjarklausur I dropped off the lady from Australia-Argentina left at a gas station and I made small technical check and filled again the tank (93l, equivalent to 38,4l/100km). I followed the “1” along the delta where several rivers were coming from the glacier Vatnajökull. Here the rain stopped and I had a look at the remains of a bridge, damaged (as far as I remember the text) whilst a volcanic eruption in 1994 and a big flood destroyed the bridge crossing the “1”.

I was already dark when I reached the lake Jökulsá, where the glacier Vatnajökull …. – please refer to the beginning of the trip.

 

 

04.09.2010 Starting-km: 138.712, End-km 138.903, Distance 191 km

In the fog of his Saturday morning I made these photos of the Jökulsá.

 

When I was in Höfn I had at least a little bit of sunshine,

but because they don’t allow overnight staying outside the campground I left after refilling the tank (59l, results in 26,8l/100km).

 

Just before Djúpivogar, where I stopped for today very early I made a snapshot out of the front window of these swans, because

  1. they would have swim out onto the open sea once I would have climbed out of the cabin,

  2. I had an aching back from the rough road from Landmanalaugar and

  3. last but not least my knee was hurting and swollen a little bit as well – most likely caused because I wanted to prevent the heavy rain at the gas station the previous day and had climbed through the connection between the two cabins and twisted it.

 

OK, at least no damages this time at Big Foot!

 

 

05.09.2010 Starting-km: 138.903, End-km 139.044, Distance 141 km

Fitting perfectly to the name Sunday I had sometimes sunshine and therefore I took this photo of the harbour where I had stayed overnight.

 

Then I left at the end of the fjord the „1“

 

to get onto the 939, which although gravel road was in a perfect condition, nearly no holes nor any washboard

 

of course here as well lots of waterfalls,

 

the grass in the wet areas had changed to an interesting red colour,

 

and after a ride with no problems

 

 I got onto the “1” again which is here in the beginning a gravel road, but before reaching the Gilsá - where you can spot remains of the old road- it is a solid road again.

 

When I was ~ 5 weeks ago here at the lake Lagarfljót war, I had missed to walk to the Hengifoss.

 

It was a little bit disgusting because the walkway to the waterfall is ~2,5 km.

 

Nevertheless the walk was worth it even though my knee was hurting,

 

On the way lots of great views.

 

On my way back I found lots of mushrooms which I fried in the evening when I had gone to Laugarfell again.

 

 

06.09.2010 Starting -km: 139.044, End-km 139.087, Distance 43 km

The first part of this Monday morning tour started at the overnight-parking place

 

passed by the Snæfell on the solid part of the 910,

 

and it was not far to the lake Hálslón of the water-power plant,

 

where the overflow of the lake is impressive.

 

Art at industrial buildings – even in Iceland.

 

And I definitely wanted to go to the hot waterfall at Laugarfellir, to which a track more or less directly behind the lake goes, it’s number should be F907. After ~10 km in the no-where of the highland a “crossing” and a sign to Laugarfellir. The track to that place isn’t difficult and even driveable with a normal car, except eventually the river crossing more or less directly at the final destination. (N65 00.346 W15 45.799)

 

Here I met 3 guys, one of them was Thomas from Switzerland which I already had met with his Pinzgauer in Þingvellir.

 

We enjoyed the pool together,

 

and when the two 2 Germans had left

 

Thomas and I were the only ones there.

 

Directly under the pool with the hot waterfall are two more pools built out of rocks which are colder bit by bit – so you can change the temperature whilst you are bathing.

 

The plants had a never seen green,

 

And on our way back we found the heating source of the hot waterfall. J

 

If the sheep are enjoying as well the hot pool?

 

When later Thomas has left as well I was alone here at this fantastic place – except fort he sheep!

 

At ~17:00h I enjoyed again the waterfall and was just to leave when I saw a MAN KAT 3-axle truck plus another 3-axle MAN coming: Ela & Thorsten plus Roland & Nicole. The evening was going to become even better! Once the 4 had enjoyed as well the waterfall we all had a really great evening amongst brothers (and sisters) in mind.

 

 

 

07.09.2010 Starting-km: 139.087, End-km 139.270, Distance 183 km

After the breakfast at this Tuesday Thorsten and I went to the waterfall again, I stayed for nearly one hour till the skin became wrinkly. Afterwards I had a tour through the two 3-axle camper-vans (the KAT was with a cabin form Ormocar, the MAN was from Actionmobil). I drove the 907 north, the target I had had on the map the Icelandic sign for a special attraction was just another moss house plus the possibility for fishing which both wasn’t that attractive for me – but the landscape was really great – no wonder with the sunshine.

 

So I continued, after a short distance to the right onto the 901 and then onto the “1“ and from there onto the 85. At this crossroad I have more or less completed the completed the circle around Iceland except for ~ 50 km (the gap till the road to Dettifoss is missing).

 

Before I came to Vopnafjörður I had this view from the top of the volcano ridge to the town and fjord.

 

The town itself wasn’t so attractive except the harbour so I continued on the 917, here a view from the other side of the fjord to Vopnafjörður.

 

Not that far from the previous stop I reached the waterfall Gljúforsá.

 

Afterwards I enjoyed these spectacular views from the coastline.

 

A lot of serpentines brought me up to the Hliðarfjöll to more than 600 m and because of brilliant sunshine I had lots of other nice views.

 

Next to the crossing of the ridge this refuge hut.

 

Whilst the de-climbing I saw on the other side of the bay Heraðdflói the mountains and the street which family Lauerbach's and I had driven up at the very beginning to see the puffins.

 

The serpentines offered a great view with in the sunset but I was getting a little bit sad: After nearly 6 weeks in Iceland I had the best weather ever, lots of memories coming up of the start of the trip, great people met meanwhile, all the impressions, ….

 

Although it wasn’t too far to Egilsstaðir I wanted to enjoy Iceland in that way how I had fancied it the most and the most frequent. Just a few 100 meters from the 917 I found a lonely place, directly at a river, in the back a waterfall, nothing disturbed except eventually the noises from the river.

 

When I had a look out of the entrance-door at ~23:00h I saw a green light-shadow above the volcano-ridge in the west. I thought there is a event on the other side with lots of laser-lights, and went to bed a little bit amazed – the next day on the ferry I got the information that in the western part were polar lights visible and therefore I felt sorry that I didn’t get out completely to have a more detailed look.

 

 

08.09.2010 Starting -km: 139.270, End-km 139.340, Distance 70 km

After the breakfast I drove to Egilsstaðir, filling again the tank, dumping and refilling everything, shopping, packing for the ferry,

 

Making some photos,

 

and then to the ferry at Seyðisfjörður, where I saw this interesting motorcycle from Denmark, a Nimbus.

 

 

03 Southern Germany ] 05 Events ] 06 AET-Meeting ] 2010 Iceland, part 1 ] Iceland 2010, part 2 ] Iceland 2010, part 3 ] Iceland 2010, part 4 ] Iceland 2010, part 5 ] Iceland 2010, part 6 ] [ Iceland 2010, part 7 ] Iceland 2010, part 8 ]
Stand: 24. September 2010