We started the day by trying to hike to another waterfall near Skogafoss, but it was closed as it was being used as a film set....but more to come on that, as we did get back to it later in the trip! Sheep were everywhere, right from the side of the road to all the way up steep mountain sides.
Following the Ring Road eastward, we made early morning stops at Dyrholaey and then Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach. People are killed here when "sneaker waves" surprise them and drag them out into a very chilly North Atlantic. We stayed a safe distance from the waterline while exploring the beach and basalt columns. As the day unfolded, we were graced with what would become over a week of unseasonably fabulous weather, 15-17 C and sunny instead of 8-10 C and rainy.
After a quick stop in Vik for coffee and groceries, we carried on through a desolate stretch of volcanic ash and lava field, before tackling a relatively short but steep hike to Fjadrargljufur canyon. Parking was also quite a challenge since the small narrow lot was very full and people were lining the road and parking on the sketchy shoulder.
We grabbed some lunch (more N1 hot dogs!) in Kirkjubaejarklaustur, before hitting another desolate length of Ring Road, with views of glaciers in the distant mountains and the wreckage of an old bridge destroyed by flooding after an eruption in 1996. When major bridges on the Ring Road are down, everyone on the entire island must "go the other way around" until things are fixed. FYI, it's a long way "around".
We also experienced a 4.4 km construction zone, with some white-knuckle moments in very thick and loose gravel coupled with an extremely narrow stretch with oncoming traffic AND a grader coming at us, at the same time. Numerous one lane bridges (einbreid bru!) also enhanced the Ring Road experience, where basically the first person there has the right of way and the traffic going the other way has to stop from 90 km/h on short notice.
We arrived at our campsite for the night at Skaftafell National Park, with enough time to take on a 1.6 km hike to the Svartifoss waterfall. Of course, they don't really tell you that it is 1.6 km almost entirely straight UP....but still well worth the effort. Coming back was faster but not necessarily easier, as the steep downhills were actually harder on Jane's new knees.
Back at the van after a few hours of hiking, we had showers and enjoyed a view of mountains and glaciers, and our daily rainbow for good measure. Dinner was ham on a fresh baguette, a theme that would continue intermittently in the coming days.
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