Thursday, July 7, 2011

Day 12: July 7, 2011

We cycled 70km (43 miles) from Kirkjubaejarklauster to Skaftafell, another ride, like yesterday, through fascinating lava fields and over occasional glacial rivers. We spent the morning enjoying Kirkjubaejarklauster's public pool and nearby soccer field, and a dramatic waterfall that serves as the town's most distinctive feature.

As we were packing up our bikes, a friendly woman approached and said, "I read about your ride in the paper a couple of days ago. It sounds both wonderful and crazy!" I didn't know about the article - if you're interested, look for it on www.mbl.is.

The forecast called for partly sunny and warmer weather today, but it remained gray and chilly throughout the afternoon. In the final two hours of riding, a light rain fell, and the temperature cooled. We were approaching Vatnajokull, the world's largest glacier outside of the arctic regions, and soon I could see my breath in the cold air. I hoped for a glimpse of the monster glacier, but a heavy mist shrouded much of the countryside. Hopefully, we will get a view of it tomorrow when we plan to hike on the glacier's tip.

Here are some pics:

In front of Kirkjubaejarklauster's beautiful waterfall:








On the road to Skaftafell:


A powerful river cutting through a lava field. Upon seeing the raging river, Saya declared, "This is busy town!"




Sho taking a break from cycling in a barren wasteland:



The remains of a bridge destroyed by mud flow during a volcanic eruption here in 1996:



- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

1 comment:

  1. Hi Charles, Sho and Saya.

    I'm happy to see you are going strong.

    Get ready for Jokulsarlon on the next leg of your journey: it's an amazing sight. And when you are there, it's worth going to the sea side on the other side of the road to see mini-icebergs on a black sand beach.

    -- Marc

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