18-06-06 - ICELAND - DAY 4

[Burton Reiff]

Today I left Reykjavik to do some of the "Golden Circle", the most heavily tourist-ed area of the country. I took a back road for the first half and it was very empty. It was remote, rugged, wild, and different from anything I had ever seen. I followed a large pipeline that sends boiling hot water to Reykjavik's heating system. It comes from a geothermal power station and I read it carries 250 gallons per minute. The last section of road before the power plant had several 15% grades. From a high point you can see the plant below in my pictures. In the one video, after a plane goes by, you can hear a nearby fumarole hissing.

Then the road goes along a huge lake and the sun slowly emerged around 3 PM. Beautiful sheep or goats (I'm not sure which) were in abundance with lots of babies that always stay close to mom and dad. Further along I entered Pingvellir National Park. That "P" is not a "P", but a letter foreign to us outsiders. It is pronounced, "THING-VETT-leer". This area has great significance to Icelanders as their history goes back over a thousand years. I won't get into any details regarding this here, but you can research it on your own. You can read the placard from one picture. It is all very interesting. There is a great fissure here that separates two giant plates. I am standing in front of a church that was built in 1859, but there were churches here for centuries before.

After the park there was rolling farmland until I arrived in Laugarvatn. The nice building with a green roof is the expensive hostel that I am not staying in. I am in a very adequate International Youth Hostel. In fact, they are not busy right now and I am staying in a private room for the price of a dorm bed. This is the only hostel I have ever been in that requires you to take off your shoes. Clean and neat is the Icelandic way.

Route;
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2757410272

https://www.relive.cc/view/1621804964

Pictures;
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AuvSBXwonxKxvgxdBFnjqPRfBfEC