Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

We're approaching the midpoint of the trip! Today we'll roam about the northlands. Here are the links to post #1     post #2   and post #3 of the 2-week trip, for those who want to read it in order.    I left off early on Day 5. Day 5 (Sept. 15), continued: Leaving Lake Myvatn behind me, I followed the Ring Road west a short distance to Hverir, a small developed area with substantial geothermal activity. One hint about this was the large geothermal power plant I drove past on the way, with a strikingly blue lake (the blue of pale turquoise) next to the road. The color of the lake was just one of the effects of having the power plant there, I think. Only later, after visiting Hverir, did I discover how extensive the power plant is. Rt. 1 (the Ring Road) climbs above Blue Lake, and  some of the power plant buildings.   The sulfuric exhalations of the Hverir were the price to pay for the striking colors of the hillsides. Parking fees were somewhat h...

Continuing to work my way through the photos from the trip. It looks like I'll be sharing them for several more weeks! Here's the link to post #1   and post #2 of the 2-week trip.      Day 4 (Sept. 14): Trollaskagi Peninsula, Gothafoss, Lake Myvatn  I wish I'd kept track of my daily driving mileage. It was a lot lower than you'd think for the amount of time it took, thanks in part to my propensity for the road less traveled.  As usual, there was at least some sun in the morning, after our wild night of wind and rain, and I headed north for the Trollaskagi Peninsula and the little town of Hófsas. My guidebooks raved about the ocean-side community swimming pool there, and I was feeling due for a swim as a change from hiking and driving. Morning light on the Austari-Herathsvotn estuary. Alas, when I got to Hófsas, the pool was temporarily closed and drained. Since the guidebook indicates it is open all winter, I must have just gotten unlucky. All was not ...

Also, happy Halloween! I kind of decided this year to ignore the whole thing, but hope you all have fun! Here's the link to post #1 of the 2-week trip.  Day 3 (Sept. 13): Snaefellsness Peninsula Visiting Iceland in September has some advantages over a summer trip: fewer other tourists, darkness that means you may see the Northern Lights, and lower prices for many things. But there's no denying that the weather is a great deal less stable than it might be in July or August, and it takes more luck than I had to have good weather all the time. I learned fast to take advantage of sun when I had it, so that sometimes I did things that weren't on my plan in order to do something interesting while the weather was good. Other things got skipped because the weather was wet and windy. My third day in the campervan turned up sunny and "breezy" after the windy night. I was already learning that wind is what you get. I drove into Snaefellsjokull National Park and immediately ...