Laugavegurinn Trek (Part One)
Well, we survived the nasty weather in Landmannalaugar and started our trek a day and a half late. Saturday morning was still grey and drizzly, but the forecast was improving, and it was then or never. With limited time left in Iceland, we decided to complete the 34-mile trek in three days rather than four. … Continue reading
Landmannalaugar Refugee Camp
One of the main things Mike and I wanted to do in Iceland was the Laugavegurinn trek, a 55 km hike in the interior of Iceland. We found an accommodating AirBnB host in Reykjavik who let us store our bikes and panniers at her house for a few days, and then we rented backpacks and … Continue reading
Draggkeppni Islands: Iceland’s 2013 Drag Competition
It’s been 5 weeks of biking and camping, and suddenly you’re in an actual city: Reykjavik, Iceland, home to some 200,000+ people. What do you do to celebrate city life? What do you do to break the routine? Why, go to a drag show, of course! Mike and I arrived in Reykjavik on Wednesday, August … 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
Nammi! Icelandic Candy Review
Icelanders seem to love candy almost as much as they love ice cream. The country has a couple of major candy manufacturers and many original candies. In Iceland, candy is called “nammi,” which seems like the perfect word. Om nom nom! Note: All but one of the candies detailed here are made in Iceland. I … 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
Traveling Applejax 