Iceland, Captains Log Day 3

Day 3: This morning we woke up ridiculously early considering how late Chelsea stayed up writing the initial entries for the Captain’s Log. 

Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and full of hope, we began day three of our adventure at the Skogafoss Waterfall. A thunderous force of nature we immediately spotted from the main road. After a steep climb up a wobbly metal staircase (which left us gasping for air and wondering at the validity of our workout regimens), we reached the main overlook atop the falls with distant ocean vistas. We were rewarded with achingly beautiful views of hidden waterfalls along a stunning river path.

Desperate to see more - but worried about time, we retuned to the car. Next stop: Fimm-ooo-roh-aul....? (Fimmörōuhàul) the infamous hike known for its spectacular views. Hopping in the van we plugged in directions to the trailhead. .3 miles away. Perfect! Google Maps then led us in a worthless circle to a nearby dead-end road. After some frantic googling, we learned that gorgeous “river path” at the top of the waterfall was the start of the world famous 2-day trek that we had wanted to spend some time on. Time for round two with our new favorite staircase. The views continued to amaze and we basically have a photo from every five feet to prove it. 

Our afternoon was filled with black beaches, cliffs of puffins, and rock formations. Not the rock formation from my desktop (the view that motivated me through bar prep), but another monolithic picturesque landscape nonetheless. I happily learned that my desktop view is yet to come.  

BAMM!!!!

Did that scare you? Us too. During the calm and quiet drive to more black beaches a meteor of gravel struck Chelsea’s driver side miniature window. The impact shattered, but didn’t break, the windshield.

With the help of packing tape and a cheap poncho, we patched the window and contacted the rental company - praying insurance would cover the completely-not-the-fault-of-Chelsea’s-driving accident. It does. Don’t trust the bloggers who say gravel insurance isn’t worth it.

A quick phone call to home to dad confirmed our decision to back track to Reykjavík for a new van. Luckily at this point, Chels and I have the whole retrace-our-steps thing down. 

Logging off,

Audrey 

(Comments and feedback provided by a driving Chelsea)