The journey continues counter clockwise around the incredible country of Iceland. During PART 1 we flew to Reykjavik, picked up our two motorcycles that were shipped a month prior, and rode through the barren center of Iceland via the F-26 and F-831. We finished day 6 at a mountain hut in the remote regions of the Western Fjords.
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 7 of 18
🗓: 26 Aug | 🌍: Western Fjords Hut to Bíldudalur
Map of Day 7 – 220 km from the mountain hut to Bíldudalur.
It was a blessing to have the A-frame shelter last night. In the sleeping loft were some old mattresses that when combined with our air mattress pads and sleeping bags made for a great night of sleep. I really didn’t want to get up in the morning but we still had some places to explore so off we went.
Litlibær Cafe
Our first stop was to a roadside restaurant and museum. The service was nice and the hot chocolate and waffles were exactly what we needed to fuel our day of adventure riding.
Bolungarvik Lighthouse
This bright orange lighthouse definitely stood out from the surrounding mossy green scenery.
The rain was already starting with the forecast calling for heavy rain all day. Ugh.
Ósvör Maritime Museum
A bit past town we arrived at the Mariners Museum but it was closed. Since much of the displays were outdoors we still got to explore and take some pictures.
South to Bíldudalur
Another tunnel making access between the small villages easier, especially in the winter seasons.
We returned to Ísafjarðarbær where we gassed up the mules and we tried our first SS Icelandic hotdog – apparently world famous. Bacon wrapped hotdog inside a toasted bun. How was it?
Taste: Mostly anything wrapped in bacon is delicious – so yea, it was good.
Presentation: The bun looked like it was stomped on by a hiking boot and then slapped together – not so good.
I though alien cultures just existed in Area 51 in Nevada. Not so. They exist in Iceland as well apparently.
We continued south and the weather also got worse. It began to rain steadily and made the dirt section of the Vestfjarðavegur (Road 60) from Þingeyri really muddy.
Cars and SUVs would pass by and spray us in showers of muddy water. The mules and riders were soon covered in a thin layer of mud. Ugh!
Dynjandi Falls
I would have been miserable however the scenery around us was absolutely incredible with the two mountain passes being some of my favorites of the trip.
In the evening we made our way to Dynjandi Falls. This is a massive falls than can be seen for miles away. The hike up to the base of the falls was beautiful and offered tons of picture opportunities. An incredible place without many tourists.
Bíldudalur
We decided that we could make it into the town of Bíldudalur but it would be well past dark before we arrived. We were really looking forward to a great night of sleep and the chance to wash and dry all of our clothes.
It was 10:30 PM when we made it to the Harbour Inn Guesthouse. The problem is I couldn’t figure out where to park and find the hotel attendant. As we were riding around the block a guy pulled up in his Nissan truck and asked if we were looking for a place to stay. Sure enough, he is the hotel owner and saw us riding around and thought we might need a room. He showed us a nice place with a double bed and said that we could use the laundry downstairs. Sold. We ended up doing laundry until after midnight but is was well worth having dry clothes.
Little did we know how short those clothes would stay dry. Tomorrow promises to be another wet day…
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 8 of 18
🗓: 27 Aug | 🌍: Bíldudalur to Stykkishólmur
Map of Day 8: 106 km from Bíldudalur to Stykkishólmur via the road and ferry.
Today’s forecast shows more rain and winds. At least the temperature is not too bad – above 50°F.
We got up late and enjoyed a breakfast provided by the hotel. The hotel did a great job of making us feel at home and had a lot of food options for a continental breakfast.
Skrímslasetur Sea-monster Museum
After breakfast we walked over to the Sea-monster Museum. It was small and the front desk lady was not very welcoming but the displays were professionally designed including the great lighting.
It was interesting to learn about the stories of sea-monsters that had been recorded by those who witnessed them.
Illustrations, maps, and an extensive library dedicated to the the monsters of the northern Atlantic.
After leaving the museum we realized that all hopes of enjoying a sunny afternoon without rain were dashed. It was going to be a long, wet, and rainy day. No sense fighting it as we boarded the mules for the next 12 miles of muddy road towards Samúel Jónsson’s Art Farm.
Samúel Jónsson’s Art Farm
The ride out there was beautiful although wet and dirty. I was concerned that the rain would not let up preventing me from capturing some memories of this unique place. Just as we arrived and parked the mules, the rains let up!
Samúel Jónsson loved to travel and wanted to recreate his own version of various places around the world. He created a church, Indian temple, and a replica of the The Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions) located in Granada, Spain. Many sculptures decorated the yard including this grey walrus and blue seahorse.
The surrounding views were stunning, very peaceful, and quite.
Even if your not into the child-like art of Samúel Jónsson’s, the road out to his farm is worth the diversion.
We returned to Bíldudalur to wash off the bikes enough that we wouldn’t be getting muddier every time we needed to get something from the packs.
Leaving the Fjords behind we climbed the high mountain passes where we felt the worst of the rain and wind. It was blowing us around the road and the visibility was reduced to about 100 ft. We made slow progress through the mountains.
Our goal was to make it to Látrabjarg where the cliffs rise from the sea and hopefully catch a sight of a puffin, but with the poor weather we decided we’d had enough – time to head towards the ferry terminal to catch a ride to Stykkishólmur.
Garðar BA 64
Garðar BA 64 was used for fishing herring in the waters off of Iceland until is was intentionally ran aground in 1981.
Birkimelur Swimming Pool
While riding towards the ferry I noticed a hot pool on my GPS so we took a quick detour to enjoy it. It turns out that the bathroom at the hot pools were all locked. Was is closed? The pool and hot tub were open but there was nobody around. We decided we were already wet and cold, why not at least be wet and warm?
It seems that if you want a hot tub to yourself in Iceland you just have to wait until the weather turns terrible.
Although the hot pool was an enjoyable experience – getting out and changing back into our wet gear was not. Once on the bikes, each mile felt like a challenge and I was starting to curse the weather. Perhaps, we should re-evaluate our rain liners that snap inside the jacket and pants. Maybe rain gear that we wear outside our riding gear would be better?
We found this postcard a few days later and made some digital alterations. This is about right and was my exactly feelings during this particular day.
Ferry to Stykkishólmur
We managed to ride another 15 miles to the ferry terminal and payed the very expensive rate of about $170 USD to ferry us and our two bikes to Stykkishólmu. It was either that our continue another three or more hours riding in the rain. Gotta wonder if some $50 USD raingear would have saved us the misery and cost?
We were grateful that the ferry terminal was warm inside and that they had hot food. We enjoyed a couple grilled ham and cheese sandwiches while we waited to the ferry to arrive and dock.
The ferry crew gave us one strap per bike and showed where the screwdrivers were to pull up the rusted pad-eyes. Not much help. Fortunately we carry a bag of straps for each bike and managed to get them secure before the ferry got underway.
The three-hour ferry ride gave us a chance to dry off most of our riding and camping gear with towels and a heater from the bathrooms.
Just before 10PM we arrived in Stykkishólmur and rode over to the camp site. Great news; they had a clothes dryer that we could use! We ended up drying clothes well until after midnight.
Tomorrow morning looks like more rain… Not looking forward to that.
More of Iceland on PAGE 2…
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 9 of 18
🗓: 28 Aug | 🌍: Stykkishólmur to Kolviðarnesvegur
Map of Day 9: 183 km around the Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Stykkishólmur
So far so good. Cloudy skies but no rain! In the morning we explored the seaside town of Stykkishólmur and the lighthouse, before hitting the road towards the west.
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
This part of Iceland is very lush and volcanic so the lush green moss grows thick over black lava rocks.
It was an incredible ride to the Snaefellsjoekull National Park where we enjoyed some hiking down to a few beaches.
A beautiful church in a sea of green.
Snaefellsjoekull National Park
Snaefellsjoekull National Park was full of beautiful scenery at nearly every turn.
Skarðsvík Beach and the hike down to Djúpalónssandur beach.
The beach contained orange rusted pieces of the British trawler, The Epine GY7, which was wrecked east of Dritvík cove on the night of 13 March 1948 still remain on the black beach. The rocky beach is composed of black lava rocks made smooth by the churning of the ocean waves.
The impressive volcanic geology of Iceland.
Bjarnarfoss
One of the best shots was of a waterfall called Bjarnarfoss located on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. This waterfall sits high on a cliff face and without the drone you wouldn’t be able to get close enough to see the detail.
Black Church at Buðir
After the falls we stopped to take some pictures of the famous black colored church in Buðir. It’s a beautiful church that sits alone in a lava field.
Rjúkanda Restaurant
It was starting to get into the evening and we needed gas. The GPS showed gas at Rjúkanda restaurant but it turned out there was no gas. I’m actually glad that the GPS was wrong because we discovered a great place to eat dinner. Rjúkanda restaurant was also a favorite because I got to try something I’ve wanted to eat since arriving in Iceland – fillet of foal. Yes, you read correct… Horse meat. How did it taste? Much like a beef streak but with just a bit different taste. I thought it was really good!
Horse meat – “it’s what’s for dinner”
After dinner it was near dark so we searched on the map for the closest camping spot. Great news! There was one only a few miles down the road. Bad news. It’s not there any longer. We ended up trying to find a place to set up camp until well after 10PM and finally settled on a flat area behind a small hill just off of the side road. Good enough.
Until tomorrow…
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 10 of 18
🗓: 29 Aug | 🌍: Kolviðarnesvegur to Sandgerði
Map of Day 10: 322 km from Kolviðarnesvegur, to Surtshellir and Reykjavik, and ending in Sandgerði.
We got an early start, partly because we were camped just off the road and didn’t want to arouse any more suspicion, and partly because we were excited for another day without rain.
Deildartunguhver Hot Springs
Our first stop was Deildartunguhver hot springs but they were under a lot of construction making it difficult to see the boiling water coming from the depths of the Earth. The steam, on the other hand, was noticeable for miles around.
As the morning progressed we realized that we were definitely within hours of the capital of Raykavik because the roads and tourist attractions were full of rentals and tour buses. If you wan’t to avoid crowds in Iceland stick to the northern side and western fjords.
Barnafoss Falls
Our next stop of Barnafoss falls was not the most beautiful of Icelands falls but it did have a nice hike.
We wanted to explore a lava cave but many of them have become “touristized” and require a steep fee to have a guide walk you though. Not my thing; I’d rather explore at my own pace.
Surtshellir Cave
Fortunately, for those adventurous enough there is Surtshellir cave. We parked well north of the parking area and walked south underground exploring each of the caves and entrances. The caves really are quite large some featured beautiful metallic looking stalactites.
Heading to the Surtshellir cave via a well traveled dirt road.
On our walk to the Surtshellir cave you see huge cube shaped rocks that were pushed upwards along the fault line. The power of Mother Earth!
One of the cave entrances. Inside it was cold and damp; kinda like you expect a cave to be. Once you were in the cave about 100 yards it was completely black.
This black. No kidding. Black so black you can’t see anything. Not having a lamp would be death by a thousand tiny volcanic rock cuts.
Leaving in search of other sites…
Fossatún Falls
On out way back from the caves we came across Fossatún Falls. This is a really relaxing area with a great walking trail that taught about trolls and the Icelandic folklore that surrounding them.
Tröllafossar or the Fall of the Trolls.
The trail has many displays with the artwork from Steinar Berg who has written three books on trolls and has erected several trolls from his stories. The hag looking one is Grýla, the mother of the Yulelads. She is not the nicest of the trolls because she eats naughty children and cooks them in her cauldron. Maybe she’s not so bad because she only cooks the naughty children.
Many cairns dot the landscape in Iceland because many people place their burdens or problems in the rocks and them put them in a pile like this one. How often do we let the burdens of our past keep us from progressing into the future?
It was really nice and relaxing at Fossatún. If we didn’t have a schedule to keep, I would have stayed here for the night.
We continued south-west making our way to Reykjavik via the 1 but bypassed the tolled (not trolled, that’s for bridges) tunnel to enjoy the ride around Hvalfjörður via the 47. This was some of my favorite pavement riding of the trip; beautiful views, twisty mountain roads, and minimal car traffic. Apparently other two-wheeled riders felt the same way because we saw more motorcycles on the 47 than we’ve seen the whole trip so far.
Hvalfjörður via the 47
Some of the best road riding of the trip so far.
One of the many churches that dot the landscape in Iceland. Many of them are the centerpiece of the town. I managed to capture the time of the day when the shadow of the cross was cast right on the roof.
Sunny, warm, and a perfect day for riding uncrowded roads with great scenery. Beautiful!! This feeling should be able to be bottled so it can be shared with others.
Hallgrimskirkja Church, Reykjavik
Arriving in Reykjavik was a bit crazy with people and traffic all racing around. We managed the maze of congested roads and arrived at Hallgrimskirkja church without getting lost or going against the myriad of one-way roads. We seemed to have timed our arrival perfect because I was able to take some great pictures of the church with the late evening lighting.
The statue of explorer Leif Eriksson stands proudly at the front of the Hallgrimskirkja. At 74.5 metres (244 ft) high, it is the largest church in Iceland.
Since it was going to be dark soon, we pressed on to dinner at, of all places, Kentucky Fried Chicken. After another 30 minutes we stopped in Sandgerði where we camped for the night.
Onward to PAGE 3…
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 11 of 18
🗓: 30 Aug | 🌍: Sandgerði to Skógafoss
Map of Day 11: 271 km from Sandgerði to Skógafoss
I no longer have that wet and clammy feeling after sliding my socks into my boots! They are finally dry after three days!
It was a fairly late start because we had to wait for the camp attendant to show up so we could pay for camping. Iceland has a much more relaxed vibe that the USA – even if money is involved.
Sandgerði
Brightly colored hostels look like converted military barracks and a sculpture by Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir titled Álög.
We left Sandgerði and headed south to Miðlína. This is a bridge that is laid over two continental plates – the America plate and the Europe plate. The distance expands about a few centimeters every year.
Miðlína
It was interesting to learn more about the tectonic plates that form the surface of our earth and stand on a bridge between the two continental plates. There were also a lot of custom engraved locks hanging from the railings of the bridge. I didn’t know putting your lock on a place you’ve been was a thing. Guess it is.
We also stopped at Gunnuhver Hot Springs. It’s quite impressive seeing Earth’s hot water boil and froth above the surface. The steam rising from the springs can be seen for miles.
Waving to other motorcyclists. Little did I know, this African Twin would be parked right next to me a week later on the ferry.
The mules parked near the beach while we enjoy a short walk and drone flight. It was here that I almost had a bird strike while flying our drone to capture some shots of the beach.
Who takes pictures of candy bars? Folks from the USA who don’t see this kind of candy bar – that’s who. Anyhow, it’s kinda like a 100 grand with a wafer.
Krisuvikurberg Cliffs
The drone captured some pretty incredible views of the Krisuvikurberg Cliffs showing a deep red layer of mineral within the cliff.
Chantil’s mule ‘Chocolate’ – ‘White Chocolate’.
Hveragerði
By the time we reached the town of Hveragerði the sun was shining so we enjoyed lunch at the small, but fun, city park. The sculptures were fun to interact with. After lunch we enjoyed some ice-cream from the restaurant next to the park.
The sculptures included some interesting and precisely placed 4×4. Myri (Swamp) by Steinunni Porarinsnottur was a this sculpture that seemed to shows how we litter our lives with possession and junk instead of letting them go and floating above them. There was also some bird house sculptures. Fun stuff.
Kerið Crater Lake
Kerið Crater Lake was a bit of a tourist trap but offered a nice hike around the crater rim. I considered launching the drone to capture the view from above but the winds were too high to safely fly it.
Highway 1 towards Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss.
Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss falls are just off the 1 and can be seen for miles as they cascade off the end of a large cliff. Iceland is FULL OF waterfalls. There are so many that we just pass by the lesser known ones with nothing more than a quick diversionary glance.
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss captured from the Mavic drone.
Stunning! A beautiful day for photography.
Skógafoss
We decided to make it to the Skógafoss falls and camp there for the night. As we rolled into the rocky parking area I heard a “pop” and the clutch lever went slack. I knew almost immediately what had happened – the clutch cable from the clutch lever to the actuator broke. Fortunately it‘s a fairly easy fix. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a spare cable.
It was late so we made plans to have Chantil ride in the morning to Reykjavik where the BMW dealer will most likely have a solution. They open at 10AM and she’ll plan on being there once the door opens. I’ll see I can talk to bicyclists and off-roaders in camp with the hopes that they may have a spare cable that I may be able to make work.
Let’s hope that all works out… Like all well laid-out plans…
Iceland 🇮🇸 Day 12 of 18
🗓: 31 Aug | 🌍: Stuck at Skógafoss
Map of Day 12 – No progress.
We woke up early so that I could help Chantil get ready to ride the two hours to Reykjavik Motor Center – the BMW Motorrad dealer in Iceland.
Insult to injury… After crawling outside the tent I noticed that both of our mules were on their sides knocked over. You’ve got to be kidding me! What happened?
This is what I think happened – The rain last night caused the soft dirt under my center stand to shift and then my bike fell over to the right. Unfortunately, right into Chantil mule, knocking hers over to the right as well. My throttle and GPS cable were wrapped around her left foot peg. After unwrapping the cables and getting the bikes lifted we did an evaluation of the damage:
• Throttle cable housing was mangled including the aluminum channel that threads into the throttle.
• GPS cable was torn from behind the fairing but suffered no damage
• Multiple scratches on fairings (add these to a long list of scratches)
• Bent foot-peg (easily fixed)
I decided that it would be best to add a throttle cable to the list of things that we should pick up. With the words “ride safe!”, a kiss, and a wave, Chantil was on her way…
At least Apache (my motorcyle) picked a pretty spot to break down.
#brokeinskogafoss
I went to the task of searching for a way to ‘jurry-rig’ a bicycle cable – if I could find the needed parts. I carry just a small assortment of screws, bolts, nuts, and washers. Miraculously I found what would be the perfect parts to lock down the cable free end. I just hoped that the bicycle cable, once found, would be thick enough to get us through the rest of the week and then to the BMW dealer in Denmark.
There were two groups of bicyclists at camp but since it was raining they seemed to stay inside all morning. I decided to ask them once they got up and started packing…
At 10 AM, I called Reykjavik Motor Center. I explained my problem but was met with no solution, just resistance. It turns out that Biking Viking and the associated repair center had finished the tourist season and were preparing for a week-long excursion vacation. I was told, “We can not order that until Wednesday (6 days away) because everyone is about to start their holiday vacation. There are no mechanics here and I’m not a mechanic.” I tried to explain my predicament but she was not budging – she would not even start the order process until Wednesday. I’m actually surprised they even answered their phone!
Chantil also received the same discouraging words from BMW. She found a KTM dealer that was very generous with his time and assistance; even calling the BMW dealership and talking in Icelandic (even he was surprised by their lack of customer service). He offered some suggestions and provided a used KTM cable that might work.
Ultimately, everything we needed to fix the bike was located right here in camp. A little while later I talked to a bicycle couple from Poland. Without hesitation they pulled out a spare cable and offered it to me with a smile. I tried to offer some money as compensation but they graciously did not accept. I just hoped that they would not need it for their own journey. I thanked them and returned to my mule with a new sense of hope.
This bicyclist from Poland is a better Boy Scout that I am – he was prepared and had a spare cable.
Once Chantil returned with the clutch cable housing we had the clutch working within a short period of time. The larger problem was the throttle issues that were directly related to the throttle cable housing damage. This took us another hour of straightening out and ensuring the cable alignment was correct.
Adventure motorcycle touring is fixing your motorcycle in exotic places.
Close-up of the bolt, nylon nut, and washers used to hold the cable in place. Almost a perfect fit!!
All fixed!!! Would it last for the rest of the trip?…
Hindsight: Having a spare cable would have saved A LOT of wasted time and energy. A bike cable, bolt, nut, and washer doesn’t hardy take any space. Besides, Murphy’s Law says the part won’t break if you have a spare, right?
Add Iceland to the list of countries that I’ve needed to do some type of repairs to our mules: USA, Mexico, Canada, and now Iceland. Is it our destiny to break down in every country we visit?
We enjoyed a dinner at the nearby restaurant and then retired to our cozy sleeping bags and tent. Tomorrow will be a better day…
Next Blog Post
Iceland – Part 3 or 3 continues our journey! There are still some incredible places to discover and some unanswered questions – Would we actually find some ice in Iceland? What exactly is a Skyr Volcano? Would we have any more breakdowns? More adventure to come…
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