Along the way to Vik, we had a sheep stoppage. Farmers were herding sheep from one field across route 1 to another field. The oldest, cutest grandpa with a tilted hat was holding up traffic on one side. The sheep were somewhat disorderly but the last group had their act together and ran uniformly across the road. Chasity couldn't decide if she loved them
for their cute bouncing run or if she hated them for holding her up for her elevensies.
We stopped for hot dogs and gas in Vik (elevensies) and I bought a figurine of the Christmas Cat.
East of Vik we drove through vast lava fields in the rain that are mound after mound of moss covered lava. Chasity said they looked like drip sand castles. I thought green chocolate chip cookies.
One radio station works. We just heard the following three songs in a row, an angry Icelandic rap song, followed by Phil Collins, and then son heavy metal. Diverse. We are now up to random waterfalls every hundred to two hundred yards. Jokularson is still a ways off.
We are now 3 hours into travel. We are in Oaerifi, aka the wasteland (for real that's what the word means) surround by the desolate devastation of an old flood from an eruption. We just crossed over the worst one lane bridge so far on the trip. It was long, pieced together with metal grates and on a hill. Thus you cannot use the rule of 'he who gets there first goes'. Because you can't see the other side of the bridge. No worries, instead of creating lanes they made two 'chicken spots' on the bridge for oncoming cars to squeeze by. This confirms our ongoing discussion on the need for improved civil engineering in this country,
Glacier fingers on our left. Grey waste to our right. Where's the bathroom?!?!?
I spoke too soon. We just went over the absolute worst one lane bridge. Six chicken stops. And another car was on the bridge! We emerged on the other side unscathed with the radio blaring Icelandic easy listening complete with harmonica. We also were rewarded with our first rainbow!
Still no bathroom. Maybe in the next hour. It's 12:47 now.
We found a bathroom. It's 1:18. It's a petrol station with a lounge for hikers and a small bathroom with no toilet paper. Improvise. Use napkins from the coffee stand. On we go! Wait! Get Chasity's chocolate milk off the roof of the car first... now we go.
We are passing black sand beaches where the water is the color of light seaglass. Almost tropical, but not.
It's 2:20 and we just finished visiting Jokularson. Wow! A lagoon where ice bergs are cracking off the glacier into a lagoon, flowing under a bridge to the ocean. On the other side ice is washed up on a black sand beach. We now know the color 'ice blue.' It is an otherworldly sight. The ice sits like glass sculptures on the black sand with the ocean crashing into it.
It's 3 and we have arrived at Gerdi in East Iceland. The trek is over until we head out to the Vinbudin in a Hofn in a few minutes. One hour until lobster harbor!
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