SLIDESHOW

This illustrates our general route. So much seen, and so much to explore in the future!

Map courtesy of John Barrett, with edits by me.

Black Sand Beach and Reynisdrangar (sea stacks). Vík is on the other side of the basalt cliffs.

Rogue waves here give no warning and can be deadly. Two weeks previously a tourist standing by the basalt columns was swept out to sea.

Church and sea stacks

Vík, looking west/southwest. The old ring road is visible zig-zagging up the mountain.

Sunrise at the church cemetery

Roadside en route to glacial lagoons

Behind the mountains is the Vatnajökull icefield, largest in Iceland. It has 30 outlet glaciers. The Ring Road is only two lanes, and its bridges are single-lane, because they're so frequently damaged by volcanic eruptions.

This might be a small volcanic cinder cone

Grazing Caribou

Outer wall of a roadside gift shop

Guesthouse next to the "book" shop

Beachfront property

The bumpy, icy "road" to/from Sólheimasandur beach

The famous DC-3 that crashed on Sólheimasandur beach in 1973. About 15 minutes offroad. Access is now prohibited due to tourists driving all over private land.

Most private farm buildings look like this -- small, low-roofed and tucked under hills/mountains. Almost all the cattle and sheep were penned inside for the winter.

Our best sunset location. The white specks on the cliffs are Northern Fulmars, gull-like seabirds that are once again abundant now that the Icelanders no longer hunt them.

Walking up to Fjallsárlón