Second Iceland Departure

It's always sunny at the hostel! (Note: Actual sun may vary.)

In Iceland, we park bikes wherever. Sometimes we even put locks on them.
Here's where you check in and get that all-important WIFI password.
Still got that vague hospital vibe.
Small but cozy!

It's the cat from 2019! Hooray!

I didn't manage to spot any of these creatures while I was in Iceland.

How many fairies can dance on the top of a vine?

Another of those cool names-as-streets maps.

I remember this path from my last visit!

Lots of tourists on lots of different vechicles have passed this way!

I like this guy. He's got a cool dog and his shirt roughly translates to "Less talk, more forest."

Ultima 9 used to take a 300-watt tower PC to run. Now I can play it on a laptop in an emulator and it looks just as good. That's wild.

I really hoped that this truck would have a man in underwear on the other side. Nope!
Sounds delicious!
Last order of business: Repair these poor headphones.
Checking in for the boarding line!
Everyone here was excited to get going. Some of them kept their engines idling uselessly the whole time, just in case.
All lined up to board the ferry.
Caution: Children crossing, and cats flying over mountains.
Some great hiking around here.
A last, lingering view of these fine Icelandic hills.

On we go!

Still quite the conga line of cars waiting to park.

Tethering up the bike in the standard area.

Over the last pass

There's that big basket from last time!

Dang, I don't have chains!

The road won't turn you to stone, but the wind will certainly scare you.

Quite a view up here.

Who's smug that he made it all the way up here in this insane wind? This guy!

The art installation has lost a bunch of portable TVs.

Finally reached the plateau.

That looks like a good spot for a nap!
Water goes on top of and inside this mossy carpet.
Beware the gooseprints: They indicate goose poops nearby.
Quite a cool spot for napping.

It's like a big green mattress!

Aaaah, time for a nap.

So many colors in these clouds.
Snow under late summer clouds.
Dramatic lighting up here!
Mesmerizing sunset colors.

The high elevation brings the clouds closer.

Narrow band of horizon.

Good ol' Valoria, always ready to stop for a photo -- and hold my snack while I'm taking it.

A night-time approach photo to match the one from two years ago.

Quite an amazing tunnel

Sjanni is a great fellow and I wish I'd had more time to spend with him!

Spot the cyclist!

Aww, two little arcade machines! That's adorable!

Have snacks, will pedal!
Huh? Whaaaa?
I think it would be cool to have hills like this all around my farm. Might get annoying chasing after lost sheep though.
It almost looks like the mountain is venting steam.
Clouds doing weird things over the peaks.
Just a liiiiitle snow left up there.
Lovely view. Unfortunately it looks warmer than is actually is!
I hereby name this region 'Sheepy Hollow'!
Every time I make a baa-aa-aa noise at them, the sheep get slightly more confused.

Guess what this marker means!

Today's route appears to go straight up over a mountain! No wait, that's a tunnel.

Oh boy, this one's a long one!

Tunnel time approaches.

Looking back. See ya later, daylight!

10 whole minutes of coasting silently downhill into the mountain. Very trippy.

If you look close you can see the tunnel I came out of.

Better watch it, motorists!

Some impressive sides to this valley.

I was tempted to walk over and put my feet in, but I figured the water would be far too cold, and my socks would take far too long to dry.

These roadside memorials to dead motorists are rare in Iceland, but no less saddening for it.

If I'm reading the sign correctly, the motorist was only 16 when she died here.

So many waterfalls!
Pausing at the rest area for a photo and a wee!
Lots of spinning on those cranks to get up here...
Zig-zaggy waterfalls!
Only a few cars on this stretch today, which is a nice change.
The highest point of today's ride.
The curves are especially dramatic because there isn't a single tree to interrupt them.
There's sheep in them thar hills!
Weird perforated sunset clouds.

Here's a place that looks like it can serve up a lot of calories.

This guy's name is Patti Burgersson. (I'm lying.)

Got a lot of snacks in the fridge today.

The Misty Mountains

One more bathroom stop before the road...

Local lore on display.

Nice spot to run a local government from.

It's pretty cool seeing all these little kid toy sections in restaurants.

YESSS!! Greens!

Shout-out to Glen, giving his trailer a trial-run on this Iceland tour!

The back of the bike: Table, coat rack, extra hand, clothesline, and occasionally even a work desk.

This could be a clear day or a cloudy day, depending on your perspective.

This side of the rock was constantly getting wet from streams of water and then quickly drying out from the wind, over and over.

Having a good time in the rain!

Hills hiding behind hills.

Just how much mist is an excessive amount? Iceland has no such limit!

You could climb to the top, but I don't know where you'd stand when you got there!
Creepy!
Another world, above and below the clouds.
Gorgeous sandwich layers along every fjord.
I cairn do this all day.
Mysterious!
And all this geography, right by the side of the road...
Ride on in, the mist is fine!
Farming the sea.
Watch out for them trucks!
That rock's in the way! Blast it!

A ribbon of road, making this travel possible.

Fjardabyggd:. More than just that thing you shout when you stub your toe: It's also a town!

The aurora, vaulting up behind the clouds. I did not expect to see them this time of year.

Is something wrong with my lens? Nope. It's the northern lights.

Look at all that exploded luggage!

Amazing Coast All Day

Didn't get a chance to pay for your spot? Be a good citizen and leave some cash.

Aha! I think I found the Icelandic version of Pride Rock!

That's a lot o' geese!
Shallow tidewater, good for straining some nutrition out with your beak.
I don't think I've ever seen so many geese in one spot before.
Just another amazing scene on the Iceland coast.
Lovely calm waters for a goose convention.

This bay is protected by a long thin arm of land that smooths the waves on the ocean.

Geese on the water near the Hvalnes Nature Reserve Beach.
Am I enjoying this day? Yes; yes I am!
Geese on the Icelandic coast.
Honk honk honk honk honk!
A long, narrow stripe of beach, with the sea beyond.
Geese enjoying the fair Iceland weather.
Time for a nap!
This is the same stuff that's in the pillow packed into a compression sack on my bike!

So fluffy!

Got a piece of cardboard? Maybe you can slide down!

A cool panorama along a bend in the coastal road.

Lighthouse or giant carrot?
Clouds chopping the top off the nearby peaks.
Quite astonishingly windy on this particular chunk of road.
Up along the coast road we go!
Ready to hit the beach?
Lots of travelers want you to know they've been here before you.
Lots of pedaling, running out of food, and having an excellent day.
A nice view of the next hour of riding.
Random rainbow!
Such nifty contours on these hills...

Grateful for the sudden sunlight.

A column breaking through the clouds.

Awww, don't run over the dude! He's just walkin' here!

It's a teeny waterfall! I approve.
Hey, yo, check out dis heah waterfall!
Often I find myself wondering how long ago any given rock wall was built on this island. 50 years? 300?
Pedal on the way down, pedal on the way up. Then catch breath and do it again!
That's way too tilted to be a house foundation. Some kind of waterside animal pen?
Cairn you see what's in the photo?
Tired, but determined.
The fog appears to be clawing its way over the peaks.
Roadside columns.
Leaning layers in the landscape.
Apparently there's an old religious dude buried right around here.
That looks like enough rocks to hold down a deacon!
Qutie an impressive stack built up over the years.
I am amused by the way this burial site has been turned into a picnic spot.

Whole lotta symbols in the next town. Not sure what a bunch of them mean...

If you don't dry your frillies on the radiatior, some other camper will come by and do the same.