Day 76 / 77 - London - "The finish line looms "!

It was our last day in Iceland as we started off from Grundarfjiordur and wound our way through the ominous volcanic landscape of the rugged Snaefellsness National park that helped to inspire Jules Verne to write his classic  Journey to the center of the Earth.

Our only stop along the way was at the remains of a 3 centuries old fishing village of sorts long removed from the receding sea and composing of fish drying huts made from volcanic lava rocks.

With the weather closing in H applied the humanitarian principle by picking up a lone female Italian hitchhiker who not only smelt considerably better than our previous Bulgarian friend but also remained largely silent for the 100km ride we gave her courtesy of the fact the she knew only about 3 words of English.

Stocking up for a final supermarket lunch we reentered Reykjavik by way of the amazing 6 km undersea Hvalsfjiordur tunnel entering the outskirts of this pretty impressive & modern looking city.

Following well posted signs we soon found ourselves driving across the same dark & barren landscape we'd begun our journey on just over a week ago.

We'd made our base for the night at Keflavik 35 kms outside of Reykjavik and conveniently right next to the airport allowing for potential multiple disasters in the morning.

After booking into our b&b it was down town to walk the main street (all of about 10 mins) in the freezing conditions admiring the fleet of mini trawlers gathering for their nights work and also looking on incredulously at the hordes of fun runners racing down the main street.

It wasn't those pushing prams who gained our attention but the guy hell bent on winning who was flying down the road literally running on the roads middle in between the two lanes of traffic !

Our early morning next day departure started off well enough when we returned our hire car and reunited ourselves with our missing bike boxes finally having been returned from Copenhagen.

Saying goodbye to spectacular Iceland we winged our way back to Oslo who's airport seemed to be like Tullamarine on steroids with thousands racing for flights or queuing at the few fast food outlets

Having to wait 4 hours we whiled away our time and our Norwegian currency before eventually taking our 2 hour flight to London Heathrow.

Our final stressful event for the day was to secure our bike boxes in storage prior to the 11pm closure and with H in the appropriately named "Aliens" queue with only 40 minutes to go things did not look good !

With sweat dripping down our faces we made it with 15 minutes to spare rapidly undoing and resealing our boxes on two occasions - once to fit more gear and the 2nd time because the storage clerk needed to sight what was in them (multiple curses) before we could store them.

All that was left to be done was to find our nearby hotel and look forward to a couple of days of relaxation in historic London.

Day 75 - Grundarfjiordur - " International Rescue - All systems are go" !

We left Patreksfjiordur in the morning gloom heading back the same way we'd come late yesterday with Impressive views of the coastline.

H's saga with fuel pumps continued along the way this time with the pump not operating he had to purchase  credit on a fuel card before then inserting the fuel card into the fuel pump. The total process and total confusion took about 1/2 an hour and was damned good entertainment ,!

We put on our good samirtan hats picking up a couple of Russian girls who been waiting patiently near the fuel pumps for nearly 2 hours in the chilly conditions - they'd  underestimated the amount of tourist traffic in this area at this time of the year !

Both girls were from the Belarus but it was Olga (the only one who could speak English) who spoke passionately about her hitch hiking travels around Europe saving up her money, picking a country at a time and often setting off by herself !

The impact of western sanctions on Russia has apparently caused the Rouble to plummet in value so it was not surprising when Olga indicated that they were camping near camping grounds so they could use their facilities but then shoot off without paying before anyone arrived in the morning !

Dropping off the girls we changed direction heading along  the magnificent Snaefellnes Peninsular a living museum of  Icelands volcanic history with ominous looking remains of weathered volcanic craters as well as ancient lava flows dominating the landscape

Finally arriving at our b&b at picturesque Grundarfjiordur we set out for a 2km walk through fields to a nearby Waterfall clambering up steep grassy slopes to get close and personal with the powerful water flow.

With numerous pictures taken we turned back getting within 1 km of the b&b when Kev had that "somethings wrong " look pointing to his empty trouser pocket which up until a short time ago had housed his Nexus Tablet !

Kev gave thought to co-ordinating an international search team until i asked him who'd go looking for the search team when he got them lost, we instead set off and retraced our steps back through the swampy terrain

Sure enough the tablet was sitting in plain sight and not floating out to sea on a river we'd crossed as H imagined ! Thankful H was relieved that he could now look forward to more evening hours spent on "sticky golf " without having to resort to reading the book that he's been carrying the whole trip and yet to start !

Waiting till we could avail ourselves of the b&ds washing machine and dryer we headed back into town for a late night Pizza celebrating our successful search and rescue mission as well as just one more day in Iceland !

Day 74 - Patreksfjiordur - " A bloody long tunnel " !

Reluctantly leaving our Hot Tub paradise at Beydalur we went straight into Fjiord mode either driving alongside or over numerous Fjiord arms until we reached the picturesque town of Isarfjiordur.

Taking time out for another luxurious supermarket lunch we touched base with a local who proudly told us about his travel exploits including rocking up unannounced at his ex girlfriends (now married) place in Australia describing her look of horror as she opened the door.

Isarfjiordur is a fishing town (one of the largest fisheries in Iceland) and according to our new found friend has a fairly mild (mean summer average of 9.7 C) climate. He also told us that it's fish factory used to employ people from all over the world giving him many options for free accommodation when he travelled - hopefully announced !

Leaving Isarfjiord we immediately took an amazing 6 km largely single lane tunnel (with passing bays and even a second tunnel turning point inside) to Tangeryri with lovely lakeside views.

We stopped here to read a road side information plaque that detailed what we thought would be an interesting Viking Story ! The Gisli Saga as it was called, detailed the account of a key Viking who decided to throw a gathering but wanted to uninvite someone be didn't get on well with . He sent two people from his house to ensure that this other dude didn't rock up but they missed him as the other guy had gone off to argue with someone else!

WTF !!!

We both fell about laughing imagining that there was another missing plaque detailing the story as surely you wouldn't have a plaque based on an ancient domestic ! We'll leave it for latter Google investigation !

From here the scenery really improved as we went off road along beautiful fjords with hardly another person in sight !

Rounding a corner we came across the lovely Djindandi Waterfall. We pulled up with the tourist hordes (at least 10 people) and walked towards the top of the tiered Waterfall taking in the magic fjiord views along the way.

Going slightly off course following our return to the road we climbed towards the clouds for wild and remote scenery across this amazing landscape.

Eventually we emerged from the wilderness to the coast at Flokulandur which brought the surprise of white sand beaches although for some reason we saw no one queueing for a swim !

We arrived at our destination in Patreksfjiordur where we immediately headed to the local supermarket to source ingredients for our 5 star evening meal - Tuna salad !

From Patreksfjiordur it's now all roads south as we head towards Reykjavik and our flight out to London on Thursday

Day 73 - Beydalur - "Its been 40 years .." !

Our first priority after leaving our lovely accommodation at Hofsos was fuel as we sped along quiet roads to Blonduos. Finding a servo I watched with just a little amusement as Kev performed a type of Icelandic jig even dragging the fuel pump attendant out before realizing that the pump was credit card only !

Picking up the main Reykjavik road from Blonduos we travelled along non descript roads before turning towards the Western Fjiords at Staour.

Not only did the scenery start to pick up but so did our interest in the roads which for some strange reason kept alternating between bitumen and dirt potholes every 5 kms or so .

What really peeved us was the occasional 4wd with super sized wheels (we nick named them Billy Big Wheels) which would fly past us from the opposite direction threatening to pit our rental car with numerous rocks !

Eventually we worked our way to the head of the Fjiord arms where a 1-2 km forward drive first required a 30 km detour down and back on the sides of the fjiord

Luckily our destination was Fjiord number 2 which required only a 12 kms off road drive to Beydalur a cross between a B&B and an outdoor adventure centre that included horse riding and canoeing.

Situated in an impressive valley we were worded up at the reception to the fact that Beydalur also had its very own natural hot springs about 800 metres from our cabin.

With H in tow and in Indianna Jones mode we crossed a dangerous river where a fall could have been lethal (wet socks leading to hypothermia) before arriving at our hole in the ground - our very own natural outdoor hot tub !

Now for those that know H you'd be aware that he last went swimming some 40 years ago and last had a hot bath 16 years ago - so it was reasonable to suggest that water and H needed to be reacquainted !

Taking the plunge we both luxuriated in our magnificent natural surrounds laying back taking in the scenery while wondering which rock hid the buzzer for outdoor room service !

Taking turns to take photos H thought he'd show me his Mexican high dive routine when he slipped on a mossy rock re-entering the pool falling in head first and taking in a good litre or two of hot water up and in his various orifices !

Returning invigorated to our cabins we tidied up ourselves before heading next door to the residents own restaurant and one of our few cooked meals to date in Iceland - what a treat, what a place !

Day 72 - Hofsos - "A room with a view" !

There are 4 thoughts that come immediately to mind when you mention Iceland 1) The scenery is wild & spectacular 2) its either cold or looks cold 3) If you're a bike tourer (and we've seen plenty) your nuts 4) If your a hitchhiker (and again we've seen plenty) your also nuts !

Flaunting Karma in its face H drove us out of bloody cold Seyisdifjiordur straight past a young hitchhiking girl - according to me with her hand out signalling a lift, according to H with her hand out signalling the direction of the nearest inhabitable star system.

Climbing out of the valley was not as bad as our entry yesterday. We had to admit that maybe our imaginations had slightly overreacted when the fall offs from the road barriers revealed themselves to be about 10 feet - slightly less than the 1,000 feet we'd imagined in yesterday's whiteout !

Heading inland Karma came back to bite us on the ass. When feeling guilty about not stopping for hitchhiker number 1 H stopped for HH number 2 a slightly less attractive 6 foot 2 bearded Bulgarian who smelt like he'd been living in a sardine factory !

It was a long 50 kms as we conversed with the Bulgarian while trying desperately not to breathe ! We discussed his various travels , love of Iceland and alarmingly his various run ins with the local police!

After asking where the farm was that he was meant to be staying at our friend pointed out the first one he saw making us a little wary about whether this guys marbles were all in the right place !

We climbed higher onto a Volcanic plateau that went on for miles with our main interest now centred around how low the temperature would go. Our car gauge read 2-3 C but our own experience when hopping out of the car indicated that it was more likely - 10 C with the biting wind chilling us to the bone !

With the driving endless and the low clouds obscuring the scenery i resorted to entertaining myself by using the drivers control to keep opening H's passenger side window to see how many expletives he could come up with (many !)

Eventually we came to a turn off point indicating that the Dettifoss Waterfall (listed as one of the most powerful & Impressive in Europe) was some 28kms distant along an unmade road.

In my thorough research I'd uncovered comments suggesting that the road was in average condition although after 5 kms I'd thought the travellers comments were exaggerated ! Boy did i turn out to be wrong !

After enduring until we could endure no more we turned around and headed back to the main road this time though taking a note of the distance travelled to see how close we'd got to the unsignposted waterfall .

By the time we got back we'd registered over 27 kms indicating that we were only about 1 km from arriving at our destination. - Burke and Wills would have been proud of our failure !

Disappointed we drove towards Myvatyn renowned for its GeoThermal activity. Here we got the chance to road test a park that included bubbling mud pools and super steamed rocks that emitted that delightful and chewy sulphur smell that had H on the verge of throwing up !

All sulphured out we drove to beautiful Aukeyri the 2nd largest of Iceland's cities with over 17,000 people delightfully situated with its own harbour.

After taking lunch here in the supermarket complex (we're culinary experts) it was only another 100 kms to lovely Hofsos in outer rural Iceland.

Our B&B perched at the base of a giant scree filled hill came with beautiful coastline views in the setting sun as we were welcomed by our hosts.

We took an early night hoping that just maybe wed get a glimpse of those spectacular Northern Lights that this part of the world is famed for.

Day 72 - Hofsos - "A room with a view" !

There are 4 thoughts that come immediately to mind when you mention Iceland 1) The scenery is wild & spectacular 2) its either cold or looks cold 3) If you're a bike tourer (and we've seen plenty) your nuts 4) If your a hitchhiker (and again we've seen plenty) your also nuts !

Flaunting Karma in its face H drove us out of bloody cold Seyisdifjiordur straight past a young hitchhiking girl - according to me with her hand out signalling a lift, according to H with her hand out signalling the direction of the nearest inhabitable star system.

Climbing out of the valley was not as bad as our entry yesterday. We had to admit that maybe our imaginations had slightly overreacted when the fall offs from the road barriers revealed themselves to be about 10 feet - slightly less than the 1,000 feet we'd imagined in yesterday's whiteout !

Heading inland Karma came back to bite us on the ass. When feeling guilty about not stopping for hitchhiker number 1 H stopped for HH number 2 a slightly less attractive 6 foot 2 bearded Bulgarian who smelt like he'd been living in a sardine factory !

It was a long 50 kms as we conversed with the Bulgarian while trying desperately not to breathe ! We discussed his various travels , love of Iceland and alarmingly his various run ins with the local police!

After asking where the farm was that he was meant to be staying at our friend pointed out the first one he saw making us a little wary about whether this guys marbles were all in the right place !

We climbed higher onto a Volcanic plateau that went on for miles with our main interest now centred around how low the temperature would go. Our car gauge read 2-3 C but our own experience when hopping out of the car indicated that it was more likely - 10 C with the biting wind chilling us to the bone !

With the driving endless and the low clouds obscuring the scenery i resorted to entertaining myself by using the drivers control to keep opening H's passenger side window to see how many expletives he could come up with (many !)

Eventually we came to a turn off point indicating that the Dettifoss Waterfall (listed as one of the most powerful & Impressive in Europe) was some 28kms distant along an unmade road.

In my thorough research I'd uncovered comments suggesting that the road was in average condition although after 5 kms I'd thought the travellers comments were exaggerated ! Boy did i turn out to be wrong !

After enduring until we could endure no more we turned around and headed back to the main road this time though taking a note of the distance travelled to see how close we'd got to the unsignposted waterfall .

By the time we got back we'd registered over 27 kms indicating that we were only about 1 km from arriving at our destination. - Burke and Wills would have been proud of our failure !

Disappointed we drove towards Myvatyn renowned for its GeoThermal activity. Here we got the chance to road test a park that included bubbling mud pools and super steamed rocks that emitted that delightful and chewy sulphur smell that had H on the verge of throwing up !

All sulphured out we drove to beautiful Aukeyri the 2nd largest of Iceland's cities with over 17,000 people delightfully situated with its own harbour.

After taking lunch here in the supermarket complex (we're culinary experts) it was only another 100 kms to lovely Hofsos in outer rural Iceland.

Our B&B perched at the base of a giant scree filled hill came with beautiful coastline views in the setting sun as we were welcomed by our hosts.

We took an early night hoping that just maybe wed get a glimpse of those spectacular Northern Lights that this part of the world is famed for.

Day 71 - Seydisfjiordur - " World class rally driving " !

After our sensory overload of the day before we headed further on Highway 1 winding our way along the scenic volcanic coastline in threatening weather !

While the glacial treats were not present the towering black scree covered hills reminded us of the powerful forces behind this islands creation !

At Breadilsvik we headed inland on a section of Highway that must have been left over as a clever reminder of the Jurassic period - a mixture of brown sludge and swamp material !

With H our Diamond Creek world class rally driver at the helm, the 4wd Skoda soon looked like a swamp dune buggy ! After finally emerging from a precipitous valley climb we rejoined the sealed road section grateful in the knowledge that Hertz would not likely find any damage to our car for some time as it was going to take them 6 months just to get the caked mud off !

With cloud and temperatures dropping quickly we rolled into Eigillstadt to take lunch in the car park before an exciting 25 km journey to our destination at Seydisfjiordur

I'd pre read about the last section of road as having wonderful valley views - views that we now needed to try to imagine as we climbed into the clouds. With visibility down to about 6 inches Kev navigated by the middle white line and my occasional screams letting him know we were about to plunge to a horrifying death down an embankment that (in my imagination at least) went for thousands of feet !

We snaked our way up and over the pass before descending and finally emerging out of cloud next to a thundering waterfall - I'm not sure if it was the relief of still being alive or the effect of all that running water but we were soon scurrying over the rocks to relieve our pressing bladders !

We journeyed into picturesque Seydisfjiordur at the head of a Fjiord surrounded by weeping waterfalls before heading out to find our accommodation a km or two further on amazingly in a restored office building on a dilapidated run down wharf with rotting timbers and rusted machinery - nothing like ambience ... and did I mention the serenity .. !

Having checked into the weird looking accommodation we ventured into town to find something to eat that didn't require our mortgage documents for security. Luckily we found just that, the cafe "El Grillo" named after the British ship of the same name sunk by some sneaky German aircraft in the fjiord during WW2 after Britain invaded neutral Iceland to secure it from potential German occupation - work that one out !

As it was a cuppauchino and (i must admit it was tasty) and a bit of burger meat slapped between 2 pieces of bread set me back $27 AUD - I consoled myself in the knowledge that the way our $A is going I had in fact saved myself $10 on what it would have cost me in a week's time !

A walk around town had H poking and prodding at the cladding of the towns Swedish Consulate building -   although why an isolated town with only 50 buildings would need a consulate was beyond our simple comprehension ?

For Kev and self it was back to our meagre but comfortable room for some "Sticky Golf" - H having major problems in "Sandy Land" - while i put together the plans for tomorrow with only 1 week left of our far northern adventure !