The Laugavegur in the City
I just finished detailing our Laugarvegurinn Trek through the Icelandic interior in recent posts, but it turned out that our trekking days were not over. We returned to Reykjavik and our AirBnB host for about a day and a half of big city exploration after our hike. Our main goals were to see the sights, buy … Continue reading
Iceland by the Numbers
I still have a few more things to post about our time in Iceland, but now that we’re back home, we have crunched some numbers for those of you who have been following our adventure. Here’s an “Iceland by the numbers” summary that Mike put together: Kilometers biked: 1880 Kilometers bused: 0* Flat tires: 0 … Continue reading
Bandit Camping in Iceland
We’ve begun the last leg of our biking journey since we are now working on completing our circle. There are no major stops until we return to where we started. We’ve moved from northern Iceland into the west, where signs of the capital’s relative closeness are more apparent. There are fewer convenient camping card campgrounds … Continue reading
Island Hopping
We’ve slowed our pace in the last week since we were ahead of schedule. We decided to enjoy a bit of island hopping. First, we hopped from the big island (Iceland!) to a tiny island called Hrisey. The ferry to Hrisey takes only 15 minutes since Hrisey is located in one of the northern fjords. … Continue reading
Myvatn
For the last couple of days, Mike and I have been hanging out around lake Myvatn (which is supposedly pronounced Mee-vawt and is a compound of words meaning “midges” and “water”). Both midges and water are readily apparent, so I guess it’s aptly named. The lake is a far cry from any Midwestern lake, if … Continue reading
A Song of Ice and Fire
If you sent warm, sunny thoughts our way, it worked. We’ve had several days with no rain, significant stretches of sun, and moderate warmth. It’s been fantastic. We travelled from the more popular tourist areas in the south to the east fjords, and now we’re in the northeast. The east fjords were very pretty. They … Continue reading
Just BRAI ‘Cause We’re Not on the RAG
As Mike and I work on our Bike Ride Around Iceland (BRAI), the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) is getting underway. I’ve ridden many RAGBRAIs, and Mike’s done a few, but my dad has our family record. I think he’s ridden at least part of 14 of the last 15 years. He’ll … Continue reading
Ice Ice Baby
Yesterday was glorious. Sure, the morning started out gloomy and rainy as usual when we headed south from Svinafell. As soon as we turned a corner and started heading northeast, though, the weather turned too. Suddenly we had blue skies, full sun, and a strong tail wind! I have never been so happy to see … Continue reading
Iceland’s Raw Power
I’ve already mentioned the geothermal power that Iceland produces at places like the Blue Lagoon, but this post is more about the other unharnessed powers of nature that are so apparent here. Many of them could be harnessed, of course, but Iceland already has an over-abundance of natural energy, so nobody bothers with the other … Continue reading
A Day in Iceland
Mike and I are carrying on, seeing sights and spending time in the saddle. We’re now in Vik, the southernmost city in Iceland. From here we head northeast to one of the least populated coastal areas of Iceland. You probably won’t hear from us for several days. Since we last checked in, we’ve seen huge … Continue reading
Traveling Applejax 