The Long Ride into the Valley

On the scale of Good Days, if 100 is the greatest, today was easily a 110. Maybe even 115. For the last several weeks, Lena and I have been "training" ourselves and our horses for The Long Ride into the Valley. We have gone on many evening rides when the weather was fit, and even some when it wasn't so wonderful outside. The rides, heading out from Vatn and going either South toward Hofsos or North toward the unknown would last anywhere between one and three hours and always included a good mix of leisurely walking and brisk tölting, and depending on the path, a good gallop or pace for a short while. I can't put into words how cool it is to be able to walk out my door and saddle up my horse and go for a ride. Any hour of the day or night I can look out the window and see the horses there in the yard. It's a dream come true.

Check out this video for information on the 5 gaits of the Icelandic Horse. It is really beautiful.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9P0w8vZi8 

All these rides were amazing unto themselves, but were ultimately preparing us for today (cue Rocky theme song)... Our full day ride into a nearby (mostly) uninhabited valley. The weather was perfect, which was a great change from the past few rainy and cold days. The forecast for today was actually correct and we were able to stick to our plan to ride. The sky was clear and the day was hot (for Iceland, at least). By the time we were 5 minutes into the ride I was wishing I had left my jacket behind, and within an hour I was wearing it tied around my waist like a Disneyland tourist.

Before we go any further, I should introduce you to the stars of the show. Below is a photo of Lysa (the blonde) and Björgun, aka "Una (the brunette). Una is my usual partner, and Lena usually rides Lysa, but today we traded steeds about 1/3 of the way through and Lysa and I got to spend the afternoon together.

Una and Lysa, our mighty steeds

Max came with us on this adventure

The horses, especially Una, were sweating and breathing heavily before long. They are more accustomed to chilly weather, and this was a very warm day for them. We took it easy on the way in, not pushing too hard or going to fast. We had a long day ahead. We took several breaks throughout the day, letting the horses rest and snack on the sweet mountain grass, and having plenty of snacks ourselves. 

Break #1

I shared my pizza bun with Max. If we weren't best friends before, we sure are now.

We met some other horses way back in the valley but they stayed on their side of the river.

We forded several rivers, tried to fight our way through an Icelandic forest (we ended up going around it), and slogged through swampy marshes. We soaked up the sunshine as we tölted down tiny sheep paths, and it was hard to keep the smile off my face, even if that meant swallowing a few of the annoying gnats and flies that swarmed the sweaty horses.

Lena is currently working on her Master's degree in Forestry. Here she is in an Icelandic Forest.

Lysa is suspicious of Lena's forest hijinks

Another break. It was only this peaceful for about 5 seconds. Then the rolling started and all heck broke loose.

Boop

Lunch time 

All day, Max ran and jumped and hopped like a rabbit through the tall grass, ahead and behind and all around us. He chased after birds and sniffed everything there was to sniff along the route. This is a dog that spends the entirety of most days racing (not chasing) the cars that pass by his farm. He has literally worn a trench in the grass along the fence in his front yard from all of his racing back and forth. He loves nothing more than to run and chase things. Birds seem to be his first love, but cars are a close second. He will also chase butterflies, and the occasional bee, but I strongly discourage the latter.

Actually tired, for once.

Max looks dead here, but he was just dead tired. 

On our breaks today, Max would actually sit and rest with us. On our longest break, when we were all feeling tired and sore, Max flopped down and actually napped (for about 10 minutes). This is something I've never seen before, so I know it was a successful day. We actually tired him out.

The valley

As usual, I wanted to bottle the smell of the mountain grasses and the clean, fresh air today. We were alone in the valley, save for a few sheep and horses who were out grazing, enjoying their summer vacation, and it felt as if we had left the real world far behind. There was only the sound of the river rushing and babbling in turns, or the occasional distant roar of a little waterfall as we passed by its feet.

Today I was extra aware of how lucky I am to get to spend so much time in Iceland, and to get to go on amazing adventures such as this. I am so grateful to the people I have met here that make this possible, and for each and every day I get to spend in this amazing place. 

Here I am pointing at something very important. Note the oh so stylish jacket around the waist look.

 We returned tired and sweaty back to Vatn around 6:15. We had been out for around 7 hours, and I'm guessing I will be feeling each and every one of those seven hours tomorrow. The horses were so happy to roll around in the grass upon our return, thrilled to have their saddles and bridles removed completely so they could scratch their itchy backs. They've now have been standing sleepily in their paddock for hours, heads down, eyes closed, too tired even to send pathetic "feed me, I'm starving" looks into the kitchen window at me when I look outside. No worries though, they'll have plenty of time to rest before our next excursion.

Hay Bales and High Winds

I'm back in Hofsós and learning new farm skills. Last night I received a quick lesson on how to properly tuck in the tails of plastic on the hay bales before setting out on my own to give it a try. It's more challenging than it looks, especially in a stiff wind. I often struggled to find and peel away a layer of plastic in which to tuck the loose, flapping part. "Oh, come on!" I would mutter to myself, frantically scratching at the plastic in search of an edge.

Notice the untucked, flapping plastic piece? Unacceptable.

One of several fields o' hay bales

Notice the neatly tucked, non flapping plastic? Acceptable.

It was fun to run around the fields from bale to bale, searching for loose ends and tucking them safely into the bulk of the bale. Lena and I even managed to mix in a little sheep herding during the hay bale activities. We felt like real pros when we managed to herd the mama ewe and two lambs through the gate and back into the proper area, but we were quickly humbled when we encountered another group of sheep that were not nearly as cooperative. We still have some learning to do.

It's been very windy since I returned to Hofsós on Sunday evening. The waves have been making themselves known to the coastline, and all of us here who spend the day looking out at it. There were wind warnings around the country; a Code Yellow according to the national weather center. Today it is significantly calmer, and I'm relieved to not have to fight against the wind so much.

There are quite a few people that choose to bike around Iceland. Particularly on windy days like these last few, I just can't imagine what in the world they are thinking. You'll see them along the highway, struggling against the wind in their brightly colored gear. As if the mountainous, endlessly uphill roads here aren't challenging enough, you then add in the elements; wind and rain, and it just seems like an insane way to see the country. I'll happily stick to seeing the world from behind a pane of glass, if my choices were bicycle or car.

Windy weather in Hofsós

One of the four kittens that were born at Vatn this spring was leaving for her forever home today. I brought her into the museum so that her new mom could come and get her. I had a couple of hours to play with her there before the woman arrived and brought her back to Akureyri. It was very cozy, and now I am convinced that the museum needs a resident cat.

Cousin Iceland Adventure 2018: Day 7

Day 7:

I was sort of dreading this long drive back through the East Fjords and across the south, nearly to Selfoss, just due to its length. I was worried that we would be spending too much time in the car instead of being out doing things, that I would be too tired to drive, or that Maddy would be bored. It turned out to be a great day, and the drive actually wasn't bad at all. We left Fáskrúðsfjörður this morning a little after 8. I was up until about 2am last night having a late night ice cream and coffee conversation party with Stebbi, Lisa, Elvar, and Bogga. It was worth the lack of sleep to get to chat with them and practice my Icelandic a little more. Maddy went to bed early, so missed the coffee and ice cream party but had the benefit of a full night of sleep today.

After the first couple of hours of driving this morning we ran into sunshine and it stuck with us all day. Even now as I write this from our amazing guesthouse in Kálfholt at 11pm, the sky is bright and looks like it was painted with pastels. I have a view of Hekla and a field full of horses, so I'm happy as a clam.

South coast foals

My writing view from the sunroom here in Kálfholt tonight

Maddy making friends with the farm dog

Our main stops today were as follows:

1. The black sand beach across from Jokulsarlon (the glacier lagoon) and the black sand beach across the road from the lagoon, which is apparently called Diamond Beach. https://www.glacierguides.is/blog/jokulsarlon-diamond-beach
The chunks of ice flow out through the river and a good number of them end up wedged on the beach where tourists can get up close and personal. I saw way too many adults licking chunks of ice on the beach today for my liking.

2. The weather was incredible, so we made another stop at the glacier lagoon, parking on the west side of the bridge to get a different view of things. We ended up staying for well over an hour. We ate cookies in the sunshine and watched the big pieces of ice slowly turn and break apart enough to flow out of the lagoon, cheering when they managed to move along. We walked along the beach, taking pictures of the seals and flocks of ducks that lounge in the lagoon among the ice. Tough cookies. 

It was hard to leave, but we still had a lot of hours of driving ahead, so eventually we hopped back in the car.

3. We stopped in Vík for a very late lunch/early bird dinner followed by a walk to yet another black sand beach. The wind in Vík today while we were out on the beach was nuts, so we didn't linger nearly as long as we had at Jökulsárlón where it was warm and calm.

Maddy in Vík 

Maddy in Vík

Cousin sand selfie

Vík

4. Our final big stop for the day was at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi. I wasn't certain we were going to stop here, and I had skipped it on the way to the east because I had heard they started to implement a parking fee, and because it is usually insanely busy. Today we arrived there around 6pm and it was not that busy at all. Not a single giant tour bus in sight. I have been to these waterfalls before, but had never walked behind Seljalandsfoss before. It was totally glorious. It was one of the most magical experiences of the week, and I am so glad we stopped to check it out. Maddy was so happy with it, and it really was beautiful.

Gljúfrabúi

Maddy in Gljúfrabúi

Tomorrow is Maddy's last day in Iceland. I have to bring her to the airport in the afternoon and send her back to California. We are going to go horseback riding here in the morning, which I think will be a great final activity to cap off the trip. We have had a fantastic week. 

Cousin Iceland Adventure 2018: Day 6

Day 6:

Cousins enjoying waterfall views

Maddy and I made the most of another rainy day here in the east. We took a day trip to Seyðisfjörður, with a brief stop in Egilsstaðir (the big city) both coming and going. The fog driving up over the mountain to get into Seyðisfjörður was intense, to say the least. I could see about 10 feet in front of the car during the worst of it, and was crawling along, my eyes glued to the faded white lines on the road so I'd know where to drive. My knuckles were whiter than normal. It's a shame it was so foggy, because the views driving down into the fjord are spectacular on a clearer day.

Seyðisfjörður

We visited a few local shops around town and had a nice lunch at Nordic Restaurant in Hotel Aldan. They have a great 2 for 1 lunch special so we enjoyed fancy fish, chips, and "mushy peas." It was all very tasty, including the mushy peas.

The weather was not exactly great for hiking, but Maddy and I decided to do at least one short walk up the mountain to see Tvísöngur, which is a strange "site specific sound sculpture" up on the side of the mountains near town. http://www.visitseydisfjordur.com/project/tvisongur-sound-sculpture/ 

Queen of the mountain

Tvísöngur

It was about a 15-20 minute hike, and relatively steep. Everything around us was lush and lovely and dripping with a light rain. We too were dripping with a light rain, but it didn't make any difference. It felt great to get out and stretch our legs in the cool mountain air after that tasty lunch.

Tvísöngur

 The sculpture is fascinating. Maddy figured she could live there quite happily for awhile. She has said that about several places along our route this week, and I'm half afraid that she is going to disappear into the mountains somewhere and I'll have some real explaining to do to her mother.

Inside Tvísöngur

We tried out a series of notes and noises in the different domes to see how the sound was amplified differently in each spot. After we were through with silly noises we sat in silence for a long while and just soaked in the sounds of the mountains around us; the cries of the birds and the distant roar of waterfalls.

Seyðisfjörður

Gufufoss 2018 (recreating a photo from this spot in 2009) 

Photo at Gufufoss in 2009

On the way out of town we made one last stop at a waterfall that my dad and I had visited in 2009. I tried to re-create a picture that I have from this waterfall on that trip.

Maddy at Gufufoss

We stopped again in Egilsstaðir to replenish our snack supply for the big drive tomorrow. We are going to leave Fáskrúðsfjörður early and drive to a farm near Selfoss for Maddy's last night in Iceland. We will make a couple of stops tomorrow along the way, but mostly it will be a lot of driving. I think we will drive back into some sunshine at some point. Friday morning the forecast calls for a 99% chance of horseback riding, so we are both pretty stoked for that.