November Notes

 In spite of a beautiful November in terms of weather, the inevitable winter prep has begun. I also found a few odd chores around the yard that needing my attention, while conditions were still favourable.

I raised the existing walkway, which was slowly sinking into the clay, and began adding new pavers to also extend it out in the increasingly wet area between the stairs and the car. I also pulled a lot of weeds and other plants and put cloth and gravel down around the new heat pump....which was technically installed in a garden.

Meanwhile, inside the house Jane discovered a "make work" project. We bought a new cabinet for the kitchen pantry, so we decided to take the opportunity to paint this very small room before installing the new cabinet. That led to....removing wallpaper.....then removing the old panelling.....then moving and replacing the old light....and miscellaneous demo. Still no paint. Still no cabinet.

So now we're left with exposed walls consisting of some plaster, some drywall, some bare insulation, some metal....yeah. We're waiting for some local plaster specialists to come and do their thing before we paint, and assemble that darned cabinet that started this whole mess.

We also opened the studio and hosted visitors for a day as part of the Wheatley Winter Sale.

In and around this, we managed to squeeze in a few overdue visits to eastern Ontario and Grand Bend before the snow truly flies.

Empty pantry

And during tear-down!

A bit of everything behind the walls

Funky new light fixture!

Gravel around the new heat pump

Raising and extending the walkway

Welcome!

Wheatley Winter Sale

Iceland 2024 - Part III

For our last two full days, we opted for some relatively local touring. We set off early to visit Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui, which can get quite busy later in the day. While it was fairly quiet when we got there, everything near the waterfall was coated in a layer of ice, from freezing spray. We chose not to do the walk behind the waterfall, since the stairs and slopes were more than a tad treacherous.

Walking down to Gljufrabui, there was some more ice around the entrance to the cave. However, once we carefully picked our way through, inside the cave was wet but not icy. More surprisingly, we had the entire cave to ourselves for almost half an hour!

We drove a bit west and then explored Road 26 to the north, where it ended at the volcanic plains under the creepy facade of Hekla. The beautiful landscape changed gradually until suddenly there was no vegetation or signs of life. Apparently Hekla erupted several times between 1970-2000, leaving the area a desolate and decidedly lunar wasteland. An F-Road did head eastward and into the interior, but we chose not to follow in our little (albeit 4x4) car.

Back at the apartment, we made a nice dinner and then waited until dark to drive the short distance outside of town to enjoy another light show. We could have walked, but it was nice to have the car to stay warm in between aurorae.

The weather continued to grace us during what could have been a very rainy time of year. While the nights fell to slightly below zero, every day of the trip was sunny with daytime highs between 7-10 C.

Friday was another driving day, as we returned to Gluggafoss - the "Window Waterfall" - where the river tumbles into a cave and created a "window" partway down from which it re-emerges sideways. With more time today than during the jeep tour, we did the steep hike up to the top of the waterfall, then continued to follow the river up two more hills to see more waterfalls and enjoy the commanding view of the plains and ocean to the south.  

Backtracking on the Ring Road, we took Road 32 north until a single-lane bridge crossed a large river, and we met up with yesterday's Road 26. Returning across the bridge, we took a slow (20 km/h) and very rough and rocky Road 332 about 7 km in to see the stunning Haifoss waterfall. The windchill was brutal, or we may have done the hike down into the valley itself. We settled for the view from above.

Bidding farewell to the Borg apartments on Saturday morning, we grabbed coffee at the N1 and hit the road. Our luck persisted and we enjoyed a sunny drive all the way. There was some snow on top of the mountain pass just west of Hveragerdi, but thankfully the road itself was bare and dry. The suburbs of Reykjavik were also mercifully tame, as we passed through on our way to the airport.

With time to spare, we ducked down Road 44 to visit the Bridge between Continents, where the Eurasian and North American plates visibly diverge. From there, we grabbed a few more snack souvenirs at the Bonus in Njardvik, topped up the fuel tank, and returned the car without issue. 

Our flight left at 330pm with an interesting cast of characters seated around us. We lucked out again, as the gentleman beside us was able to move to sit with his wife, leaving us with an empty seat and room to spread out. Favourable winds saw us back in Hamilton a full half-hour early, and the customs and baggage collection process was also quick.

The only hiccup was the last hour of the drive home, squinting in the dark through a thunderstorm as fatigue and jet lag took its toll. We grabbed Pizza Hut to go in Tilbury and arrived home to happy cats. We relaxed and reflected on just how much adventure we packed into less than a week in Iceland!

An icy Seljalandsfoss in early morning

Gljufrabui cave waterfall

Northern Lights over Hvolsvollur

Worth staying up!

Gluggafoss

About to hike the trail up the right side....

The view ascending and Eyjafjallajokull glacier

More waterfalls above!

Start of F225 into Landmannalaugar

F-Roads diverge under Hekla volcano

Haifoss

Heading for the airport

The Bridge between Continents

And so do we!!!

Downtown Toronto on approach into Hamilton

Iceland three years in a row!

Iceland 2024 - Part II

We relocated to Hvolsvollur to a rented apartment for the remainder of our stay. On Tuesday, we had booked a super-jeep tour of the interior with Midgard Adventures, conveniently located a few blocks away. We had a wonderful driver/guide and she started us off with a drive along a black sand beach near Landeyjahofn. The seas were angry and the wea

The tour began in earnest as we ventured inland on Road 249, which turned into F249 and then the real fun began! F-Roads are rough gravel and rock "roads" which only 4x4 vehicles can travel, which often include several unbridged river crossings. We followed F249 up the river valley and into stunning Thorsmork to a summer camp. We hiked up steep Valahnukur for a scenic panorama of the valley and glaciers on either side, Myrdalsjokull to the left and Eyjafjallajokull to the right.

After a picnic lunch at the base of the hill, we started back, stopping for another hike into gorgeous Stakkholtsgja canyon, one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones. Our guide also took us to a secret troll cave, where we hiked up and in and then down into the cave. On our way back to town, she made one final stop at Gluggafoss waterfall before returning us to the Midgard base camp. We stayed and enjoyed an incredible burger and some local smoked salmon and craft beer.

The next day, we caught the ferry to the Westman Islands off the south coast, and made a chilly ascent up the Eldfell volcano. In 1973, this one erupted and buried much of Heimaey town in lava. At the base, we walked the lava field with maps showing the various buildings buried thirty feet below our feet. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch at Voruhusid in town before walking back to the ferry terminal.

After another long and tiring day, we returned to the apartment to make dinner and relax for the evening, with an eye on the skies for more Northern Lights! With few TV channels to choose from, we found a Polish station playing rock and pop videos from the 70's, 80's and 90's to entertain us as we charged our devices and recharged our own batteries. 

Midgard Super-jeep!

River crossing following F249 into Thorsmork

Stunning Thorsmork valley and Myrdalsjokull glacier

Walking back down Valahnukur

Hike into Stakkholtsgja canyon

Emerging from a troll cave!

Borg Apartments in Hvolsvollur

Catching the electric ferry....

...to the Westman Islands!

Part of Heimaey town buried under lava

Hiking Eldfell volcano

Waiting to catch the ferry back to the "mainland"

Iceland 2024 - Part I

The trip began with a relaxing drive along the scenic route to Hamilton airport. Arriving early, we had left ourselves enough time to explore the Canadian Warplane Museum next door, before landing a choice parking spot at the airport and dropping our checked bag. Passing quickly through security, we awaited out 7pm overnight flight with Play.

Landing in Keflavik at 430am (now 4 hours ahead), we stopped for coffee and to collect our wits, before catching the shuttle to the nearby car rental location. Even though we were early, Blue had our well-worn Dacia Duster ready for us, and we set off in the dark on a quiet Sunday morning. The weather and roads were favourable, and we enjoyed a pleasant drive along the south coast to Skogar.

We stopped in Selfoss for another coffee, then had a power nap in the parking lot while waiting for the Bonus to open for some groceries and snacks.

Too early to check into the Kverna Guesthouse, we visited the majestic Skogafoss nearby before climbing the 467 steps to the top and then hiking inland a bit to see more waterfalls. After a nice hike, we made our way to the guesthouse to check in. We walked next door to the Skogar museum, and then made the short trek into Kvernufoss without any rain gear on, knowing we would just look for now and return in the morning fully prepared to walk behind the cascade.

For our first night in Iceland, we were treated to an epic Northern Lights show over the darkened commune, which we enjoyed along with the other guests. As per our usual luck, leaving Canada to search for them meant they apparently also appeared at home while we weren't there!

Early the next morning, we returned to Kvernufoss at dawn and had the walk-behind waterfall all to ourselves. After walking back to our room and changing out of our rain gear, we drove further east and visited the black sand beach at Reynisfjara and then another one in the town of Vik. We had a hot dog at the N1 and shopped for souvenirs and groceries, before heading back to the guesthouse for the night to rest up for tomorrow's epic adventure.

Leaving Hamilton at sunset

Coffee stop in Selfoss

Driving the Ring Road along the south coast

Skogafoss

About to climb the steep staircase to the right....

....for the view from above!

Hiking inland from Skogafoss

Kverna Guesthouse - an old boarding school repurposed!

Welcome to Iceland!

Aurora over Skogar

Kvernufoss at dawn

Basalt columns at Reynisfjara

Black sand beach at Vikurfjara