Day 30: July 25, 2011

We cycled 94 km from Akureyri to Varmahlid today. Before leaving Akureyri, I stopped by SportVer, where the kind manager/mechanic gave my bike a free, much-needed tune-up. We began riding at 11 am, knowing that we would not arrive at our destination until early evening.

As we stopped for a lunch break by the road early in the ride, a car pulled to a stop behind us. Out jumped Gerda and Siggi, a friendly couple from Reykjavik, and several of their kids. They heard about our ride on the local news when we started last month, and had been keeping up with our blog. It was fun to chat with them, since they knew all our stories! They generously offered us a place to stay when we reach Reykjavik at the end of our ride and warned me about upcoming hills on today's route. I tried to convince their oldest son to stay behind and help us pedal, but he was too smart to fall for that one.

Today's route followed a picturesque valley, the road running beside a gurgling, pristine mountain stream. An unbroken line of towering mountains hemmed us in on both sides, shrouded in low clouds and dotted with pockets of snow. Much of the ride was rolling or flat, but there was one long, challenging climb up 10% grade for 5 km or so. Sho and I worked hard to pedal the heavily laden bikes up the mountain, and although it was misty and cool, soon beads of sweat began dripping off my face. I pedaled while standing from time to time to gain greater force and to give my aching back a change from seated climbing.

Sho suddenly said, "Daddy, your butt is hot."

Breathing hard, I managed a snarky response, "Thanks. I've been taking butt sculpting classes at the gym."

Sho responded seriously, "No, I mean your butt is actually hot. Every time you stand up, steam rises from your seat. It's cool!"

We made it to Vermahlid at 7 pm, the site of a wonderful reunion! My wife Eiko and her niece Arisa were waiting for us. It was the first time that Sho, Saya and I had seen Eiko in 5 weeks, and we were all giddy and talking over one another in our excitement. We got a room in a local farm and ate a delicious dinner in Hotel Vermahild. Famished from the long, challenging ride, I ate everyone's leftovers.


Here are some pics:

The manager/mechanic at SportVer in Akireyri who gave my bike a free tune-up:



View from the road:


Our new friends, Gerda and Siggi:



More pics from the road:






The start of a challenging climb:



Reunion!







Arisa and Eiko reading special gift cards from Saya:



View from Vermahlid:



Arisa with web page highlighting her as a finalist for "Miss Keio", an honor she received from her university in Japan:



This what happens when cousins get together:


- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

Day 29: July 24, 2011

I'm embarrassed to say that I made a rookie mistake, but got away with it, purely through luck. We had ridden about 3 km out of Akureyri this morning, the start of a planned 90+ km ride, when my bike's rear tire started hissing. It was the first flat tire of the trip. I pulled the bikes to the side of the road and took out a spare tube, annoyed at the inconvenience, but not too worried. It would only take a few minutes for me to replace the tube.

But when I inspected the tire to find out what had punctured it, I saw that the tread was worn down perilously thin. I could replace the tube, but I was certain to get another flat soon. The front tire's tread was still in good shape, but the rear tire, which holds much of my weight and two heavy panniers, was finished. And here's the rookie mistake: I had considered bringing a spare tire on this trip, but decided not to, because it's bulky, and because I thought the new heavy duty tires I put on the bikes just before coming to Iceland would last the trip. In a pinch, you can put a dollar bill between the worn out section of the tire and the tube, but the damage was extensive enough that I would need to line practically the full tire. And that's really just a stop-gap measure, not something I wanted to rely on for the rest of the trip. Especially not in the sparsely populated west fjords. I should have anticipated this possibility, especially given Iceland's many gravel roads, and brought along a spare tire.

And here's where I got lucky. The flat occurred while I was still inside the city limits of Akureyri, Iceland's second largest city, and one of only a handful of places I would pass through on this trip with a bike shop. I walked the bikes back to town, Sho and Saya happily skipping alongside, and searched for a shop. Since it was Sunday, I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow to find one that was open. But the owners of the guest house I had stayed in (Hotel Ibudir), came to the rescue. Magnies Sigurbjornsson drove me to a bike store that had a sales rep, but no mechanic on duty. Magnies and I found a new tire and put it on ourselves in the mechanic's shop. I also bought a spare, just in case.

It was too late to start the long ride, so I took an unplanned rest day in Akureyri. This gave Sho a chance to work on his soccer skills in a nearby field. Sho, Saya and I also lounged in a bookstore, reading books and doing sudoku puzzles. We had a Skype call with my wife, who is taking a bus from Reykjavik to meet us tomorrow. We told her to stay on the bus one more stop than planned, since we fell behind our planned schedule by a day.

At first, I was annoyed by this headache, but the more I thought about it, the luckier I felt.

Here are some pics:

Sho and Saya with Magnies Sigurbjornsson:



Hanging out with some locals:










Worn tire tread:


- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

Day 28: July 23, 2011

We spent the day in Akureyri, exploring Iceland's second largest city and enjoying some down time from cycling. The first stop of the morning was a large public swimming pool, which featured several hot tubs and two fun water slides. My favorite was a simulated waterfall that shot out powerful jets of water, massaging my shoulders and head.

In the afternoon, we strolled through a well-maintained botanical garden, which was especially pleasant in the warm, sunny weather. In addition to myriad gorgeous flowers, the garden was full of groves of trees. Walking on foot paths under dense foliage felt strange, since so much of my experience of Iceland has been in open, treeless expanses.

We ended the afternoon at a bowling alley and game room, followed by a dinner at an incredible seafood restaurant called Noa. We ate pan-fried arctic char and cod tongue, cooked with spices, potatoes and salad. As we marveled at the succulent food, Sho observed, "There are some pretty good restaurants in New York City, but they can't meet Icelandic standards." That says it all.

Also, we are about to gain two traveling companions! My wife Eiko is flying from NYC to Reykjavik as I write. She and her college-age niece Arisa will meet up with us on Monday in the northern town of Blonduos. Arisa is renting a bicycle from our friends at Reykjavik Bike Tour (www.icelandbike.com) and will cycle with us for about a week. Eiko will ride with us the rest of the way - we all return to the U.S. on August 13. The kids have missed their mom, and I've missed my wife over the past month. We can't wait to be reunited!

Here are some pics from today:

Posing in Akureyri:



Shots from the botanical gardens:













Bowling excitement:






- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

Day 27: July 22, 2011

We rode 91 km (56 miles) today from Husavik to Akureyri. As we checked out of the comfortable Husavik Guest House, the owner Orlygur Hnefill reduced the cost of our stay by over half as a gesture of support for our charity ride. It was another of many examples of kindness and generosity we have encountered throughout Iceland.

Before leaving town, we stopped by Husavik's beautiful port (check out the pics below) to chat with Arni Sigurbjarnarson about the Gardarsholm Project, an environmental research and education effort based in Husavik. Arni only had a few minutes to chat before meeting his duties as captain of a sailboat. We watched him maneuver the impressive boat effortlessly out to sea before pedaling away.

The ride was hilly to start, but soon turned flat, as we made our way steadily past churned up lava fields that eventually turned into farmland. We took a lunch break at the Museum of Transportation at Ystafell, meeting the curator, Mr. Sverrir Ingolfson. We learned that his cousin is Jon Erlingur Jonasson, our friend at the Iceland Mission to the UN in NYC.

Sverrir treated Sho and Saya to free ice cream and hot chocolate and told us about his father's work repairing cars and farm equipment starting in 1946. His father often said, "Never throw anything away. You'll need it the very next day." The result, over time, was a collection of automobiles, equipment and auto paraphernalia worthy of a museum! Sho and Saya loved exploring the place, and I had fun telling them about the eight track tapes and old timey radios on display. I felt like an old man when I told them, "I remember when people still had eight track tapes in their cars." And when I showed them how to put an LP on a record player, Sho thought it was cool and wanted to get one. Hmm, I wonder if he'd like my album collection of Air Supply, Styx, Yes, Rod Stewart, etc.

While much of today's ride was flat, we persevered through a long climb over a mountain about 15 miles outside of Akureyri. Sho and I have become much stronger at cycling up long, steep climbs and didn't mind the physical exertion nearly as much as the traffic. We were spoiled by the empty roads in eastern Iceland, but approaching Iceland's second largest city meant a notable increase in the number of cars and trucks zooming by us, some with alarmingly poor judgment of when it's safe to pass.

We'll spend tomorrow exploring Akureyri, starting of course with the swimming pool. Sho and Saya already researched it and informed me that it's supposed to be amazing. :-)

Here are some pics from today:

Sho and Saya with Arni in Husavik:



Boats in Husavik Harbor:







One of many stunningly beautiful views from Husavik:


Sho with an eight track tape:



Sho and Saya confirmed that the legs are fake...


Sho and Saya with Sverrir Ingolfson, museum curator:



View during ride to Akureyri:


Bales of hay on the outskirts of Akureyri:


- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

Day 26: July 21, 2011

We spent the day appreciating Husavik, a charming port town in northern Iceland. Knowing its reputation as the country's whale-watching capitol, we joined a 3-hour boat tour. Hordur and Arni Sigurbjarnarson, brothers who run a local whale watching company called North Sailing, learned about our charity bike ride from Jon Erlinger Jonasson (our friend at the Iceland Mission to the UN) and generously gave us complementary tickets.

It was sunny with a gentle breeze - perfect whale watching weather. And we were not disappointed. As we cruised out of Husavik's harbor toward the open ocean, we saw several white-beaked dolphins darting powerfully through the glistening waters. Puffins zoomed nearby, flapping their stubby wings almost frantically as they took off and landed on the undulating water. Graceful arctic terns, probably my favorite bird, performed aerial stunts overhead, their distinctive split tails, grey wings and white bellies streaming by in a blur.

After about an hour, we saw a sudden white spray in the distance. A majestic humpback whale was calmly coasting through the water. It seemed undisturbed by our presence, as the boat approached to within several dozen meters. The whale took several breaths, spewing out of it's blowhole, before taking a dive, its broad tail flipped out of the water for a brief moment before disappearing into the deep to munch on krill. After about a minute, it resurfaced near the same spot, giving us a chance to get a good look, and repeated the pattern.

Sho and Saya rushed around the ship, hoping to find the best spot to see the glorious creature, and chatted excitedly about how cool it was to be so close to such a massive animal.

Sho said, "He seems so peaceful."

Saya said, "I want to pet him."

We watched the whale for about twenty minutes before returning to the harbor, where we spent an hour in Husavik's whale museum. Sho and Saya explored the museum with vigor, comparing the exhibits to what they had just seen in the wild. Saya was also enthralled by the narwhal and asked if they were "pretend, just like unicorns.". I told her that sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

The museum included some recent newspaper articles about whales killed by consuming large amounts of plastic. I thought about the Plastiki expedition that highlighted the ridiculous amount of plastic that is now churning in the oceans, and I wished there were a feasible way to solve the problem.

Sho, Saya and I made time in the afternoon for Sho to get in some soccer practice on one of Husavik's many impressive soccer fields. Sho is trying to keep up his skills during this ride, so that he'll be ready to play on his school team in the fall. He's certainly getting in some good endurance training with all the cycling we're doing.

It was another memorable day on this trip. A chance to discover a charming town and to watch my kids internalize a connection with the natural world that I hope will persist into adulthood. Perhaps these experiences will help them counter the constant pressure to consume and acquire material wealth. Perhaps they will grow into adults with a sense of stewardship for the world and see the natural environment as something more than a resource to be exploited for personal gain.

Here are some pics:

Husavik harbor:







Hordur Sigurbjarnarson:


Saya pointing out a puffin from the whale-watching boat:



















Another whale-watching boat:


Humpback whale:






White-beaked dolphin:


Saya being herself:






Sho and Saya with our whale-watching guide:


- An Iceland Bike Adventure post

Day 25: July 20, 2011

We cycled 55 km (34 miles) today from Myvatn to Husavik along a rolling stretch of road, sometimes paved, sometimes gravel. As we were leaving town, a group of tourists asked to take our picture. One man from Italy interrogated me about Saya's comfort in the bike trailer. I assured him that we took regular breaks, so that she could stretch her legs. Sho grumbled, "She's got it easy. I wish I could sit back and relax in that thing!"

It was chilly and cloudy at the start, but steadily warmed up as we rode along the varied terrain. Barren rocky expanses merged into pleasant grassy fields with meandering streams and grazing sheep. Snow-capped mountains appeared in the distance, and eventually we saw the wonderful, glistening ocean laid out ahead.

We arrived in the mid-afternoon in Husavik, a picturesque town in northern Iceland set on a gorgeous waterfront. A snow-dusted mountain chain framed the horizon looking out from the harbor. As the town is known for its whale watching excursions, Sho, Saya and I reserved a spot on a 3-hour outing tomorrow morning with the tour operator North Sailing. We then had a delicious meal of various seafood dishes (fish soup, grilled monk fish, trout) at Gentle Cafe, while enjoying the harbor view. It was luxury. We ended the day (where else?) at the local swimming pool, which Sho and Saya had scouted out in advance.

Here are some pics from today:

Sho and Saya with the friendly proprietor of Elda Guest House in Myvatn. He gave us a discount on the room when he learned we were doing a charity ride for the UN:



Sho with Baldur, a cool guy who works at the tourist office in Myvatn. He helped arrange our airplane trip and horseback riding outings:



Some views from the road as we cycled:











Our lunch spot:






Sho and Saya practicing emotional expressions over dinner. Here's happy:


Angry...



And crazy:



View from our dinner table:


- An Iceland Bike Adventure post