After enjoying a sojourn in Reykholt, we continued our adventure onward to see the incredibly gorgeous waterfall, Hraunfossar. The sun crept closer to the horizon in the west as we advanced our efforts eastward.
The rolling hills were sprinkled with farm houses and gargantuan geomorphic formations, and the closer we drove to the falls, the more barren the ground became. The stark landscape was riddled with chunky, organic shapes resulting from glaciated lava fields. Porous rock gave way to powerful forces of water. This series of waterfalls has a bleak history , encapsulated in the worn and rough beauty.

The water really is that color.

*The vantage point provided multiple angles to inspect the area.*

*Looking up, looking down, looking all around.*

*Examining the igneous arrangements, one can visualize how the island was birthed so long ago.*

Water rushed from craggy arteries.

The roar was massive and encompassing, but yet, soothing; and made one feel small.

We saw, maybe, a dozen people in various group sizes while we were exploring the cultivated areas for humans. The infrastructure was beautiful and added to, rather than distracted from the experience. The waterfall can be seen, in full, from a few different angles; but to move through the gushing waterway that feeds it, you traverse a series of bridges that reinforce your confidence in human engineering.

Arriving late in the day, with still one more stop to go, and losing daylight quickly, we wrapped up at the café with a free coffee for liking their Facebook page, and a visit to the baðherbergi.

We booked it to Husafell so we could enjoy some hot spring fed pools (with an air temperature near freezing). It. was. exhilarating. And, there was a slide! —Actually, Husafell is kinda schmansey and I would entertain the idea of staying there if we made another voyage that way.

After our soak, we drove back to Reykjavik across the dark, open range that we had so pleasantly observed during daylight hours before, on our venture north and west of the city.

…The drive back consisted of some stomach cramps and a stop off in Borgarnes to visit the Settle Museum, which was closed. The frigid wind and dark night made this stop quick…

Arriving in Reykjavik, we continued to the north end of the city, near Eiðisvík bay, where we arrived at our terminus for the evenings — the Oddsson. The accommodations were less than comfortable. It was super hot in the room, the doors slammed so loud. The shared kitchen smell like stank fish. Gross. I know they could do so much better, but #willnotgoback, unless they give me a free night stay.

We made a late night snack and planned the next day’s adventure. Our inspiration came from a variety of sources — Iceland does a fantastic job of marketing it’s natural wonders, and there were a great number of opportunities to fill the daylight hours. For the upcoming road trip we decided on an end point destination of Vik, known for it hilltop church and black sand beaches. To break up the drive, we selected a stop to view a couple glacier fed waterfalls.