We left the campground early, and backtracked north to and through Hveragerdi, up into the hills beyond. From there, we began a 3.2 km hike UP and over the hills, on a sunny albeit windy morning. Our goal was the Reykjadalur, or "Valley of Steam", where you can soak in a geothermal river as it washes over you and on downstream.
It was another challenging hike, and seemed to go on forever, until finally the bathing area came into view. They have built boardwalks and a few rustic changing stations, which consist of some 4' panels to hide behind while otherwise getting changed in the open. There were already a few people there, despite our early start, but we managed to find a small pool to ourselves as some people were leaving.
We held towels up for each other to expand the "changeroom", before slipping into the warm water. I use the term literally, as Jane found the wooden stairs into the water quite slick and took a tumble. Luckily no major damage was done, and I was far more cautious entering the stream as a result of her advance scouting.
We soaked and enjoyed the surroundings for about twenty minutes - our spot had a deeper section and a small rock wall to rest against, and was warm - further upstream would have been hotter but also busier.
We quickly changed again and made our way back down, much quicker than the ascent. We also saw a group on horseback making their way up, which would have been a nicer way to climb....at least for the humans! By the time we got back to the van, the little coffee and gift shop at the parking lot was open, and we grabbed our first java after the four-hour hike.
Before leaving Hveragerdi, we grabbed hot dogs at the N1 and then a few supplies at the Bonus, before continuing south and back to Thorlakshofn. From there, we took the 427 westward along the coast, eventually passing the Fagradalsfjall volcano area which had been actively erupting shortly before our arrival. While it had suddenly been part of the itinerary when it started, it only erupted for a few weeks this week (versus more than six months last year) and was done before we got there.
Following a particularly windy drive, buffeting the van around the road, we stopped for the day in Grindavik. A nice lunch was in order at The Fish House - fish and chips for Jane, chicken salad for me - before finding the local campsite and setting up. Besides drying our bathing suits and towels in the sun (OK, wind), we also started to get the van in order as this was our last night before returning the rental.
Jane crashed for an afternoon nap after the long morning hike. Dinner was, once again, ham on a fresh baguette....no sense making extra dishes to clean on the last night!
Once there was actually someone there to pay (7pm), I paid cash for the campsite to try to use up some of our surplus kronur - the clerk had never seen such new and crisp bills before! (we ordered them from our bank in Canada before we left, but really never needed cash at any point)
The evening consisted of listening to music on the tiny speaker, and people watching the politics of the campground, including one couple who seemed to want a whole extra space be left beside them for their van awning despite a very full campground....and they never did use it! (though by morning, we saw that someone had squeezed in beside them anyway in a small rooftop car camper)
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