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Grand Staircase Escalante and Bryce Canyon
We awoke in the dark, to the sound of rain dripping outside our door. Falling back did not result in a lot of extra sleep. When it was light enough to see outside we saw that it was snowing. No rush to leave as the long hike we were planning was suddenly not going to be an option. So we took our time, and enjoyed the scenic drive and lots of scenic overlooks from Capital Reef to Bryce, with a little side trip down the Burr Trail.
Our first little hike was to the singing canyon.
Then we stopped at this amazing overlook about 17 miles down the Burr Trail. The trail goes for 74 miles before turning into a dirt road, and somehow connecting to a Lake Powell ferry. The overlook was far enough for us.
Here is a view looking back down the trail.
After a delicious lunch at the Burr Trail Burger joint, we drove through Escalante and enjoyed some great views.
We finished up the day with a great late afternoon hike in Bryce Canyon. It was cold and snowy when we checked in to the lodge. But we decided to head over to the rim anyway to check out the views. As we got there the sun started to peek out. We hiked from the Sunset Viewpoint to the Sunrise Viewpoint. About 3 miles, with a solid climb to get out of course. It was great to get down in the canyon out of the wind. The longer we were down there the sunnier it got and the views just got better with every step.
Tomorrow will be a long day in the car, driving from Bryce to Indio. Maybe through Zion depending on road conditions in the morning.
Capital Reef
We love to use the drive to California each Fall to visit some of the national parks. But it is tricky to find a national park to visit this time of year. Most things are shutting down, and in many parks the scenic drives are closing, and the risk of snow increases every day. Our original plan had been to visit Great Basin, but park officials closed the scenic drive two weeks ago. So we rerouted to Capital Reef. We are glad we did. The drive in was spectacular, going past Goblin Valley state park. As you approach from the North, its not hard to imagine you are seeing a goblin sleeping on its back.
What was so great about this time of year is the contrast of the yellow leaves on the Cottonwoods and Aspens, both as you approach the park, and as you drive through.
There are many interesting hikes in the park. For our schedule we chose do do the Hickman Bridge, which is about two miles and fairly easy. The views are great.
Or in some cases spectacular!
We also did a much shorter hike to Sunset Point, This was fantastic because we were the ONLY people on the trail, so we had the point all to ourselves to enjoy 360 degrees of viewing.
Today the plan is to make our way down to Bryce Canyon. Its cold and raining so we might not see as much as we had hoped, then Monday we will hop on the freeway and make our way to Indio! Can’t wait to reconnect with all our friends, and get back on the golf course and pickleball court.
Runestone Origins
Had fun visiting friends in Alexandria the last two days. I even got to revisit the site of the Runestone.
Check out Runestone Origins on the Runestone Academy blog.
An Extra Day in Reykjavik
We were just ready to walk out the door to drive to the airport when this happened.
The Delta app said our flight was on time, but our incoming plane was late from Detroit. Flight Aware said our incoming plane was four hours late from Minneapolis. Flighty Pro showed our incoming plane as still sitting on the ground in Minneapolis. Sometimes you get a sense that things are going wrong, and this was one of those times.
Delta rebooked us for the same flight one day later. Thanks Delta. Iâm sure there were other options to get us back sooner. I know there were seats on an Iceland air flight this afternoon, but those are gone now. Maybe not gone, but the price adjustment systems didnât take long to make them go from marginally affordable to completely unaffordable for a group of 8!
We cannot get through to Hertz, so we are just going to keep the van. We found a new AirBnB for tonight, and weâll take advantage of our extra day as best we can. Looks like a trip to the Perlan museum and maybe a short hike, otherwise more hanging around downtown.
A Day in Reykjavik
A Day in Reykjavik
We left our beautiful seaside house and headed to Reykjavik for a day of city touring. We were very lucky in that our AirBnB host had our apartment ready for us by 11:30 so we had a base for the day as well as a place for the kids to crash and rest during the afternoon.
Our first stop after dropping our stuff was for an icelandic hotdog at BĂŠjarins. Its just a hot dog stand, but they are worth the walk and the wait. There were at least 25 people in line when we arrived. The line moves quickly. As there is not a lot to think about. The hot dogs come with fresh diced onions, some cruncy onions fried in the air frier, Icelandic Remolade, ketchup, and pylsusinnep ( sweet brown mustard). As we were standing in line we struck up a conversation with the lady in front of us who was a tour guide. I think she was really just charmed by Maren. She warned us that we really needed to try the regular hot dog. When Bill Clinton visited, she told us, he only had mustard, and we’ve never forgiven him!
After the hot dogs we all went our own way to explore for the afternoon. We saw the Viking ship sculpture and the big Lutheran church.
We also checked out Rainbow Road, and lots of shops and a few bars.
Dinner was at Bastard Brew and Food, just down from our apartment. Delicious delicious stake sandwiches, in a quirky atmosphere.
A Day on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula
We arrived at our AirBnB in Grundarfjörður on an amazing evening. We have a beautiful view of the ocean and Kirkjufell mountain right out our window!
After a good nights sleep we spent our saturday in Snaefellsnes peninsula, driving a big loop and taking in lots of sites, stopping for short hikes along the way. The morning began with very sunny weather and the seas outside our window were completely calm.
Our first stop was the town of Hellissandur, the street art capital of Iceland. There are so many different buildings with murals painted on the side. This is probably the most famous of them.
Not too far down the road from is the SaxhĂłll crater. A small volacano that is easy to climb. Johannes led the way in grand style! The views from the top were great, but it was super windy! One of those winds where you could lean way into it and not fall over.
After an impromptu comfort stop behind one of the many rocks next to the road we continued on our way to DjĂșpalĂłnssandur Beach We spent a good amount of time here exploring the remains of the Epine GY 7, a British trawler that shipwrecked here in 1948.
We also spent a lot of time getting our feet wet in the North Atlantic, throwing rocks into the ocean, sitting on the beach, and saving many starfish that had washed up on the beach.
It is a great little hike with lots to do. Oh and we all tested our strength by trying to lift a series of rocks, that were part of a test for old sailors. The weight of the rocks ranged from 50 to 340 pounds. You had to be able to lift the 120 pound rock if you wanted to be an oarsman.
After our hike we ate a picnic lunch at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot.
Next up was Arnastapi and statue of BĂĄrdur SnaefellsĂĄs, the giant troll man. By this time the youngest ones had had enough touring and were in need of some play time, luckily there was a small playground that was perfect for the situation.
Although there was a real need for some nap time, and yes, by this time it was way past nap time. We had one last stop for the day at Ytri Tunga Beach The main attraction here was to see some seals.
The weather at the beach was really windy, but we did see some seals, so mission accomplished! We had just under an hour to drive back home and it was very quiet in the van.
Dinner this evening was a smorgasbord of what we had leftover for groceries, Icelandic hotdogs, French friends from the fish and chips a few nights ago, and even a few pieces of fish, not to mention the Mac and Cheese that Nana brought with.
Next stop, a short night in ReykjavĂk and an early morning flight back to Minneapolis.
Geysers and Waterfalls and Nap Time
Today was a pretty easy day, we wanted to give the grandkids a bit of a break and let everyone else have an easy morning. So we had our breakfast, and headed off in the van to Gulfoss. These are some serious waterfalls! The Icelanders compare them to Niagara Falls. 1200 cubic meters per second!
The geysir was just a short drive from the falls. The term Geyser originates from the Icelandic Geysir. They donât tell you that at Yellowstone.
We ate our traditional lunch of turkey and pepperoni sandwiches in the parking lot of the geyser center, and then headed back to the house. Maren, Kaia, and Tanner had nap time and Johannes had some quiet screen time. Jane, Josh, and Rachel went back to see more waterfalls, and I got the lamb braising for our evening meal of curry. Considering it wasnât my kitchen, and I guessed at spice amounts before even leaving home, it turned out great.
Tomorrow we are on the move again to a new house in a new part of Iceland namely Grundarfjor. We will be there two nights before spending our last night in Reykjavik.
Vik to Reykholt
Today we moved from Vik to our country house on the golden circle. It was a little shorter day with a couple of waterfalls, a trip to the farmers bistro, and a stop at the secret lagoon. We awoke to heavy fog and rain. You have to love dreary weather to live in Iceland! I must say that we have been quite lucky to have a mix of weather including some beautiful sun!
Our first stop of the day was at the SkĂłgafoss waterfall. It is the largest waterfall we have seen so far. There are 500 stairs leading to the top if you want to see the falls from two angles.
There was another falls, called hidden falls very near SkĂłgafoss which turned out to be a real highlight! We were there early and when we got to the falls nobody else was there. These are also falls where you can walk behind them, kind of magical!
One of the few reservations we made on this trip was for our lunch at the farmers bistro. The bistro is part of a mushroom farm, so of course mushrooms feature pretty prominently in the menu. It was a tough call between the mushroom burger and the buffet which featured mushroom soup. But I went with the burger. It was a totally unexpected presentation!
The buns for the âburgerâ were two portobello mushrooms, the actual bun was a kind of fried crouton like mixture, and then there was meat which was probably a blend that included lamb. Plus some aioli⊠The desert menu listed âmushroom ice creamâ I just could not turn down the chance to try that! It also listed Carrot ice cream which would have been fine to skip, but it actually tasted a little like sherbet. Still, I really did like the Mushroom with honey topping.
After lunch we waited an hour, (because you have to right!??) and then went swimming at the secret lagoon. Well, it wasnât very secret, as there were a lot of people there. It is the oldest pool around dating back to the early 1900âs. The water was a very comfortable
The grandkids were very tired but we went to a nearby wine bar anyway, after that we got fish and chips takeaway from a nearby restaurant, which was delicious!! The only thing that would have made it better would have been to eat it right there!
By the time we got to our AirBnB, everyone was tired, especially Johannes and Maren who had only been napping between stops. The rest of us were ready to explore the wine bar nearby, and we thought that the fish and chips would be a good takeout option to avoid staying out too late. Even so, we learned that it is probably not a great idea to be out after 6:30 with a 4 and 2 year old!!
That is enough for today!
So Much Adventure
Every country seems to have its own unique kind of natural disasters to worry about. Whether it’s hurricanes, sandstorms, typhooons, tornadoes, whatever. In Iceland one of those things is glacial flooding. It happens fairly frequently when water builds up and suddenly explodes out of the glacier. This happened the day before we flew to Iceland, and it closed a section of the ring road. The ring road is a pretty important road around the island, and in fact in many cases the only way to get from point A to point B. For us this closure could have meant two days of our trip needed to be rescheduled. For others who were not so lucky, they needed to drive more than 14 or more hours out of their way to get to the airport or to get to their hotel! Yes, if you havenât seen a map of Iceland, the middle part of the island has no roads. Our map from Hertz explicitly forbids us from driving anywhere near the middle of the island.
Thankfully the Icelandic people know how to deal with all of this, and quickly got the road opened, at least one lane, as you can see in the picture above. OK, all that sounds very dramatic for something that ended up barely impacting us. Once through the one lane stoppage we had smooth sailing, but along the way we saw many signs of past breaches of the road just like ours. Itâs very interesting to note that eruptions and ice melt have actually increased the size of Iceland rather dramatically! The ice melt decreases the mass of the island and causes it to rise up out of the sea! The lava flows and glacial flooding have added more than 5km of distance to the coast in many places! Yep, visiting Iceland is a good geology lesson.
Our first big stop of the day was at FjaĂ°rĂĄrgljĂșfur Canyon. This was such a beautiful hike up a river gorge, and several of us said it was one of our favorites of the trip so far.
After the hike we had a nice picnic around the back of our van! Turkey and pepperoni sandwiches, Pringles, weird Icelandic Doritos, and delicious Icelandic butter cookies with chocolate! Itâs a hoot traveling with a 4 and 2 year old, as they love picnics! Eat pringles first, chocolate second, set the sandwich down on the gravel⊠Get upset when the tiniest crumb of Pringle falls on the ground and you are not allowed to eat it. Yes, parents, we have all been there! Iâm just so happy to be the grandparent!
With Lunch behind us it was time to move on to the Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon, this was not a small commitment as it was another 1.5 hours drive away from our house through lots of flat land. Ocean on one side, sheer cliffs on the other but we were in the flat glacial runoff area. In the end it was a good stop for all! You just know that when you get to water the 4 year old grandson is going to end up with shoes off and pants wet!
It was just after 6 when we arrived back in Vik. So we stopped at the Black Crust pizzeria, the line was really long for getting a table, much less for 8 so we grabbed a to go menu and went back to the house and called. Jane and Josh dropped us off and then headed to the Brewery for some beers! Conveniently, the pizzeria and the gas station share a parking lot, so while one filled up the other picked up the pizzas. We were sitting at our kitchen table eating delicious pizza around seven. We had a black crust Langostine with truffle cream cheese and Rucola, a marinated duck pizza with orange syrup and nuts, and a pretty traditional salami and cheese! Each was the favorite of at least one person!
Everyone had strict instructions that we needed to be out the door by 8 or there would be no time for a coffee stop! So the after dinner activities were largely packing and getting organized to get out the door in the morning. Incentives do work!
Puffins and Sneaker Waves and Glaciers (Oh My!)
The weather today was super promising! Small chance of rain, medium chance of sunlight, and big chance for adventure! Our first stop was the home of the Puffins!
Boy do they look awkward when they try to fly! From every angle and every view, take off or landing! But they are very colorful and cute!
Our next stop was one of the many black sand beaches. This beach has a warning system, green â explore with caution, yellow â donât get too close, red â stay in the parking lot. Never turn your back on the ocean and watch closely for rogue waves.
The plan for the afternoon included the Katla ice cave tour, a lava show, or chilling at the house with the grandkids. The ice cave tour is on the MĂœrdalsjökull glacier which is on top of the Katla volcano, currently well overdue for an eruption! No need to worry it is very closely monitored and the guides all have an evacuation plan should an unexpected eruption occur.
It is quite a ride just to get to the glacier, and our guide definitely subscribed to the theory that you can minimize the impact of potholes in the road by driving as fast as possible over them! The glacier itself isnât like other glaciers as it is covered in ash, and the ice itself has many layers of ice with ash in between the different layers.
As part of our hike we also got to help maintain the trail for those coming after us. Just a little work with an ice pick.
After returning to the house I started the spaghetti for supper and Tanner and Johannes headed to the lava show. We also tried it the sauna and hot tub on the deck. This house is so amazing views of the ocean out one window glaciers and horses out the other!