Day 2 - Icelandic Road-Trip: BREKKUR to SKÁLAFELL HORSE FARM part 1

Day 2 - Icelandic Road-Trip: BREKKUR to Skálafell horse farm part 1

We woke early and were relieved to find the weather calmed dramatically from the previous day.  I don't know how many days we could have stood getting blasted in the face by gale-force Arctic winds.  It was by no means warm, but at least we didn't have to worry about our daughter blowing away like a loose kite!  We had breakfast, packed the truck, and headed back out to the Ring Road towards fishing village of Vik. 

All along the Ring Road are tiny little secondary roads that either lead inland towards the glaciers, or outwards towards the sea.   The road signs are not terribly descriptive, so occasionally, we would just make a random turn and see where the road lead us.  This is an essential element to the successful family road trip.  I think it is also an essential element for a successful, if not exciting, life as well.   Everyone needs a little adventure in their lives.



First detour - Dirt "Road"

We took two spontaneous detours on day 2.  From Brekkur Farm we could see a rather large stone sea arch in the distance.  It appeared to be fairly easy to get to according to the map; we just needed to make a right off of the Ring Road and drive towards the sea.  Looked simple enough.  We found a little road that looked promising and decided to give it a go.  The road was tight and curvy but it appeared that we were heading in the right direction.  It was a very nice little ride and we were all quite enjoying ourselves, that is, right until the road ended.  It just stopped.  There was a gate that could be opened to a what appeared to be a semi-passable dirt road though.  Hey, we had 4-wheel-drive so we opened the gate and keep on going.  We could still see the stone sea arch, which we found out was named Dyrhólaey,  and used that as our directional guide.  The track we were driving on was progressively getting wetter and wetter with the sporadic stream crossing over few hundred meters, but we since we were getting closer to the arch and it was still early in the day we figured we would push on and see how close we could get.  That plan quickly evaporated when the dirt road abruptly dropped right into a massive river, which should be pointed out, was not on the map.  It appeared to be a glacier melt river and it was fast moving and very wide.  We like adventure, but we're not crazy, so we decided against forging the river and turned back.   The sea arch was SO close, but alas,  it wasn't meant to be.  In retrospect, if we had gotten stuck out there on that water-logged and muddy trail, it would have been a little hairy.  I would have had a long, cold, walk back to the Ring Road to get help, assuming there would have been help to get. (Icelandic fact: The total population of Iceland in 2008 was about 302,000 people, half of whom lived in the capital Reykjavik.)

Lóftsalahe​llir cave (middle left of picture)

On the way back out, the dirt road we were driving split.  We hadn't noticed that fact on the way in and we were now left with a choice: take the high road, or the low road.  It was a 10 króna toss.  You have to remember, we weren't on a real road and didn't actually know where we were.  There were no signs and definitely no people to whom to ask directions.  We just figured that we would go the opposite way out as we went in and now this split threw a monkey wrench in those plans.  We took the high road, which it turned out was not the road we took in.  Big surprise.  This dirt road was much dryer though so we decided to just keep going with the hope that it would eventually take us back out to a paved road.  This dirt road took us next to Lóftsalahe​llir cave (there was a little sign).  It was really high up on the side of a steep hill and apparently during the Viking saga times between 1100-1200, the cave was used for council meetings and other political gatherings.   At least if the truck broke down and we now had a place to stay.  If it was good enough for the Vikings, it would have been good enough for us!

 



Reynisfjara beach with Dyrhólaey in the background



Eventually we made it back on the Ring Road towards Vik.  We drove for a little while but could still see Dyrhólaey off in the distance.  It was mocking us!  We decided to give reaching it another try and turned off the next  random unnamed road that headed towards the sea.  We passed quaint little farm houses perched on the side of the cliffs with little kids caring for their horses in their yards.  Occasionally a little kid on an ATV would dart out into the road with carefree abandon.  That and the fact that the road was extremely curvy with no guard rails and the cliffs dropped precipitously off into the North Atlantic, made for a nervous ride.  I drove slow.  Eventually the road pitched downhill and once again, turned into a dirt path.  After the last off-road jaunt we weren't sure we wanted a repeat disappointment but we figured, what the heck and followed the path until it dropped us off at what can only be described as the most amazing beach I have ever witnessed. 

 

Basalt Column "Stairs"

Instead of sand, the beach was covered with perfectly smooth oval shaped rocks that appeared jet black against the snowy white waves that were crashing against the beach.  The cliffs above were teeming with thousands of nesting kittiwakes, who I may add were very cranky to see us and had no problem displaying their unhappiness with our arrival by pooping several times on each of our heads.     The most amazing aspect of this beach were the giant stacks of basalt columns that formed the base of the cliffs.  They were analogous to the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.  They looked like steps and in fact, could be climbed as if they were.  My daughter really enjoyed this beach.  She loved climbing the basalt columns and enjoyed throwing the rocks.  On this trip, she became quite the budding little geologist and started a really cool rock collection.   The name of this beach (I think) is Reynisfjara.  From the beach there were incredible views of the sea stone arch, Dyrhólaey, but no way to actually reach it.  Offshore a tad, were the huge sea stacks of Reynisdrangur, the summer nesting site for hundreds of puffins.



Neither of these side trips were planned.  We just wanted to see were the road would take us.  They both ended up being really cool.  You never know what you are missing in life by staying on the paved, safe, path.   Adventure and opportunity are usually found by those willing to take a little risk and make that random turn. 

And on to Vik...

 

              

  







Day 1 - Icelandic Road Trip: KEFLAVIK to VIK

Day 1 - Icelandic Road-Trip: KEFLAVIK to VIK

We landed in Keflavik International Airport early in the morning after a rough 5 hour flight from JFK.   We booked an evening flight thinking that our daughter would sleep during the night.  We were mistaken.  Silly us.  Instead, she stayed up all night, leaping between my lap and my wife's, alternatively crying like wounded wildebeest to talking and/or yelling incessantly to the poor fellow sitting behind us.  We brought a portable DVD player with us for her to watch movies, but the batteries died within an hour of the flight.   It was Daddy's job to make sure the batteries were charged before we left and obviously I failed at my task, an error everyone on the plane regretted as much as we.   Eventually she fell asleep.  Twenty minutes later, we landed.

We picked up our SUV (a full size Isuzu) and fitted in our rented car seat. We weren't exactly happy with the car seat selection.  I would recommend bringing your own for your own peace of mind.  It is worth the extra luggage fee.  Some airlines will not count a car seat as a checked piece of luggage.  Read the fine print or call the airline to find out their policy regarding both car seats and strollers.  If they do not charge make sure you have with you the airline's printed policy saying as much.   When you are checking your bag the airline staff at the ticket counter may still try to charge you an extra fee.  This annoyance happened with US Airways when we flew out of Montreal.  I showed the airline staff their own policy and they begrudgingly waved the "required fee".  US Airways is a terrible company to fly with in our humble opinions. 

Car rentals in Iceland are very expensive but due to the crazy spring weather and occasional white-out road conditions, you don't want to skimp and try to make it around the island in a tiny budget European make.    I think they actually make their economy cars out of cardboard.  One big Arctic gust and you would be blown into the North Atlantic! 

I downed 3 giant espresso coffee drinks, strapped our daughter in the back seat, loaded our bags, kissed my wife, and got us on the road to start our Icelandic adventure!  FYI - We use maps as opposed to GPS.  GPS ruins the chance of an unexpected (mis)adventure!  Maps are so much cooler. 

Our day 1 plan: Keflavik - Reykjavik - Þingvellir National Park -  Kerió - Hengill volcano - Geysir - Gullfoss Waterfall - Brekkur near Vik.

We zoomed through Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, and pushed towards the famous Golden Circle which includes Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss Waterfall.  This natural wonder trifecta is one of Iceland's most famous tourist attractions and during the summer it can be mobbed.  Although it is still cold in late March and early April, we loved having these sites practically all to ourselves.   It was usually just us and a few other brave souls on day trips out of Reykjavik.  It seems that must visitors to Iceland don't travel much further out of Reykjavik than the Golden Circle.  Their loss was our gain! 

Dad on the fissure Almannagja!

Þingvellir National Park was starkly beautiful yet eerie and lonely.  It straddles the North America tectonic plate and the European tectonic plate.  It is literally were Europe and North America are being pulled apart, albeit at a slow 2mm/year rate.   You can walk along the great fissure Almannagja, crossing over from North America to Europe along the way.  Our daughter slept through most of our time in the park.   She needed the rest after the sleepless nighttime flight but my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the striking natural beauty.  We could have done without the bitter cold and biting Arctic wind though.  Brrr!  Of course, since our daughter was sound asleep in the truck, we had to go out on little hikes one at a time since we couldn't leave a 2 year old alone by herself for fear of drunken Vikings.  That is just one of the sacrifices you make if you want to travel the world with little children. 

Þingvellir National Park

As the day went on, the wind became fiercer, until it got to the point where it was difficult to stand up straight.   We were fighting wind gusts of up to 70 mph!  I've never experienced such weather in my life.  When we got to Geysir, the original hot water sprout after which all the world's geysers are named, it was almost impossible to walk up the path from the parking lot to the viewing area without getting knocked down.  It was way too windy for our daughter, so while one of us waited in the Geysir Tourist Center with her, the other attempted to brave the winds to see the mighty Geysir.  After practically crawling on all fours and getting knocked on my butt more than once just to get up the path to see the supposedly 15m to 30m plume, I was greatly let down.  The wind was so powerful, that when the geyser erupted, the wind flattened out the plume!  I barely witnessed anything more than some mist coming out of the ground.  Quite anticlimatic for sure.  It was funny watching people (including myself!) get blown all around though.  At least I got a laugh to go along with a bruised behind.

My wife was worried that our entire trip was going to plagued by weather like this and asked one of the workers whether this weather was normal.  She misunderstood his answer (which is easy to do with their accents) and thought that he said that the wind that day was typical!  She almost cried.  We came to find out that he said that the wind that day was TERRIBLE, not typical.   It was about as typical as a cyclone in your bathtub.

Gullfoss

We hopped back in the truck and took off towards Gullfoss, Iceland's most famous waterfall.  It was AWESOME!  It is a huge double cascading waterfall that drops about 95 feet into a ravine.  Because of the time of year and the temperature, the steps and path were covered in thick, extremely slippery, I-am-going-to make-you-fall-on-your-butt, ice.  It made it impossible to take our daughter anywhere near the waterfall for fears of her falling and sliding right over the edge.  That would have really put a damper on the rest of the road-trip.  So again, we went one at a time while the other stayed behind to entertain our our little elf.  We made sure we brought lots of kid's music and fun toys for her to play with during the drives.  It was still insanely windy and I thought that if the killer ice didn't send one of us plunging over the edge, the wind certainly would!   My wife got a little nervous when I didn't come back promptly, but the waterfall was so beautiful, I couldn't rush away. 

Gullfoss

On the way out of the Golden Circle back towards the Ring Road we crossed the deep blue Þjorsa River and also stopped by Kerió, a 3000 year old explosion crater with green lake in the middle.  Björk once played a concert while on a raft in the middle of Kerió.  She is SO weird, yet oddly normal for Iceland.  We also passed by Hengill volcano.  Occasionally Icelandic volcanoes like to erupt when you least expect it.  One is going off right now as I type this.  Don't let that little fact dissuade you from visiting Iceland though!  It just adds to the excitement!

Myrdalur Mountain Range

Our first farm-stay was right next to the Myrdalur Mountain range at Brekkur right outside of the town of Vik.  The farm was up a long, steep, driveway.  This is just another reason to rent a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.   You never know when you will be going off-road.  The setting sun turned the Myrdalur mountains pink.   It was a nice way to end an incredible day.  We had the entire place all to ourselves minus the staff and a young Scottish couple.  We missed dinner but we were so tired after our long day exploring Southwest Iceland, we didn't care.   We fell into our bed and slept very soundly that night. 

Day 2 to follow...

Þjorsa River

Icelandic Circumnavigation

, In March of 2008 our family took a 10-day road trip around the island of Iceland.  At the time our daughter was 1 1/2 years old and was quite full of spunky personality.  She could walk and talk and loved to climb and run.  This was her first trip abroad (but not her first time on an airplane).  When we told people that we were going to Iceland the usual response was "why?".  Our simple answer to that question was "because it will be awesome, duh!".  Iceland is actually really easy to get too.  It is only a 5 hour flight from New York City.  Icelandair has direct flights from JFK to Reykjavik.  In less than 5 hours you can enter a land of amazing glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, fjords, volcanoes, and Viking lore.  Although the people and buildings in Iceland are rather austere and utilitarian, the landscape is unlike any other we have experienced.  It felt like we were driving through the Lord of the Rings movie set at times!  At any point, we were expecting a gnome or elf to pop out of a hidden hole in the tundra.  It is a truly breathtaking and magical land.    

Our plan was simple:  We would rent a SUV and drive around the entire island, staying each night at a local farm.  You need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle if you plan on traveling around the island in March because you never know what the weather and road conditions will be at that time of year.  We drove primarily on the Ring Road.  Here is a map of our route:

We used Iceland Farm Holidays to choose the farms we would stay during our trip.   It was really easy to pick and choose the farm that would fit our itinerary from the site.  You could either book directly from the site or contact the farm directly.  We booked directly from the site but I guess you could call or email the farm directly and try to negotiate a better rate.  A simple continental breakfast was included but if you wanted a home-cooked  lunch or dinner with the farmers you had to pay extra.  FYI - Icelandic farmers charged about $20 USD per person for lunch or dinner in 2008!  Expect to eat fish of some sort. 

Many Icelandic farmers have built little cabins or lodges on their properties in order to make extra money during the summer tourist season.  Although many Americans seldom consider Iceland as a vacation destination, it is very popular for Europeans.  Apparently, during the summer it can be very crowded but in the off-season, it seems like you have the island to yourselves. 

We used both the Lonely Planet Guide and Frommer's for Iceland.  They were both adequate in their descriptions of the towns, sights, and restaurants.  I would probably say we favored the Lonely Planet Guide though.

In the following posts we will discuss our daily adventures (and misadventures!)... Stay tuned.

Jambo!

Hello, Ciao, Jambo, Bonjour, こんにちは,

Welcome to our travel blog!  We are a family who loves to travel the world on a budget.  We aren't afraid to travel to far off lands with our little guys and we want to show people that it is not as difficult or scary as you may think.  International travel with your children can be exciting and fullfilling in ways that a cruise or a vacation to Disney just can not replicate.

Future posts will cover our adventurous family road-trips through Iceland, Australia, Canada, and the National Parks of the American West from Grand Canyon NP up to and throughout Glacier NP.

I hope you find our posts interesting, funny, and hopefully useful.   More to follow...Happy travels til then!