Rusty here–We woke up in our awesome campground and went to feed the ponies.
We started the day by back tracking a bit to Reynisfjara Beach to see the black sand beach and the beautiful basalt columns. The columns were massive and made great picture spots. The black sand was really just tons of tiny little rocks. But awesome. And we looked up and saw more PUFFINS! Blake ran to get the binoculars so we could get a closer look. Such a cool place.
We stopped at a gas station to try our first Icelandic hot dogs. I have to say….we aren’t sure what the hype is all about. They are mostly onion!
We started our drive to Múlagljúfur Canyon or what we called “Landons Canyon” or “secret canyon” which was past the lava fields, past Skaftafell and Svartifoss, past the most idyllic cute little town with waterfalls behind it,( This is a pic of the house we’re going to buy in Iceland)and around the corner to the southeast corner of the island.
We drove on an unmarked bumpy rode, but there were still a fair number of cars. The hike was another amazing experience. Crossing a river. Then up this ridge where you can see two beautiful waterfalls at the same time. And the weather was perfect for us with blue skies. Tara and I walked up a bit higher and got to talk with each other. When Tara was walking back she spotted the glacier lagoon in the distance with the icebergs floating in the lagoon. Her hands went to her mouth and she was breathless with the beauty. It reminded me of when she went into la Sagrada Familia, just literally takes your breath away.
On the hike down Josh wanted to taste the glacier water in the river. He slurped a few gulps and said, “It’s like drinking a stalagmite.”
The best part was next, where we crossed the bridge to Diamond Beach. As we did, a seal hopped out of the water and a HUGE chunk of the iceberg split apart and sailed under the bridge. The beach was a blast as the boys tried to “rescue” pieces of ice from the ocean.. We liked to throw rocks at the glacier pieces and watch them split apart. Blake would run into the ocean to try and avoid getting dragged out to sea. It was a beautiful evening watching the sun go low in the sky over the glass pillars.
I was really tired. I wasn’t sure I could do another night in the van so I started to look around for hotels but of course there was nothing on this half of the island, like nothing. I checked the websites direct and everything. But it ended up being my favorite night camping. We pulled into an amazing place called Svinafell tucked by the mountain side which had a waterfall running down it. We got the back corner which was a terrace and were able to use the van to create a private little nook. We ate dinner out on the table (the only time we used the table and chairs) and chatted and had a great evening. We made quesadillas and guacamole. Tara and Blake slept in the tent this night. God bless Tara, she only slept in the van one night! And slept in the tent 3 nights!! How awesome is she? Pretty awesome I’d say. It rained a little this night, but not too bad.
