Day 14

Day 14 Route with photo locations marked

Today we got up early and drove to the Seljalandsfoss falls parking lot, where Debbie had arranged for us to meet a private photography guide to take us in to the Thorsmork area (Stop A), which is surrounded by glaciers. It had rained hard all night and was still raining and completely socked in, so we were concerned, to say the least, that it would be a total washout. We met the guide (Halldor) and headed in with his modified Land Cruiser and started fording the streams to get to the area. Once we got into the rain shadow of the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the clouds started breaking and there were rainbows and magical lighting as the sun shafted through the clouds. That area apparently often benefits from all the rain falling on the glacier before getting there. The streams were much higher than usual though because of all the rain on the glacier, and the weather closed in, so we turned back early at the first of two larger river crossings. The photos ops were great though while it lasted. At the end of the trip, the guide pointed out on our map a number of good places to visit the next day with fewer tourists and better photo opportunities, including Stop B, where we saw more Puffins up close in the rain.

Rainbow spans the wide glacial outwash river as the clouds break on our way in toward Thorsmork.

The sun breaks though.

Glacially carved volcanic landscape

Cliffs in the mists

Debbie views a tongue of the glacier.

Moss and lichen on the ash and rocks. Our guide told us that there are over 400 types of moss in Iceland.

Closer view of glacier

View across the ashy outwash plain. Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted under the glacier in 2010, resulting in steam explosions and ash emissions in the area.

Puffins squawking in the rain at Stop B.

White Wagtail at our hotel. This is the most common songbird that we have seen.