Without further adieu, we were off at 5:30am and headed south on the Ring Road. We initially thought it would be smooth sailing because it was on the most used road in the country, but the Eastfjords were littered with alternating sequences of paved then bumpy unpaved roads. We actually had to make a decision at one point to take either the 939 or stay on the 1 (i.e. the Ring Road). The 939 would've taken us to back to the Ring Road in a very short shortcut going over a pass but it involved a 17% grade according to a sign. The Ring Road was also unsealed as it traversed a different pass with a 12% grade. We figured it would be safer to take the long way around and not risk sliding on a gravel road with a steep grade (though I'm sure we could've made it). Better safe than sorry, I reckoned.

And so we continued to weave in and out of other fjords on Iceland's east coast. There were numerous times where sheep would be picking at something on the road so we had to wait for them to get out of the way before moving forward. There were also numerous farms that looked either dilapidated or abandoned. We could tell whether a farm was abandoned or not by whether it had a car that looked like it was in driving shape. In any case, it was evident how poor this area was and I'd bet many of the sheep out here belonged to abandoned farms that have since reproduced and wreaked havoc on the country's depleted soil.

The drive was mostly featureless under the dreary weather. I'm sure under different circumstances, there would probably be more reasons to stop and take in the scenery. There was however, a noticeable waterfall near an area called Hamar. Unfortunately, it was on private land and we couldn't get close to it. So we settled for distant views across a river. Little did we know it was the most significant waterfall (and probably the only one) we would stop for on this leg of the trip. This was despite the fact there were numerous smaller and ephemeral ones. I guess my mind was a bit too much on getting to our next destination thinking the drive would take all day.

About three hours later, I started to notice a strange-looking mountain. It had three sharp peaks but they tapered off in a way that looked like wings. I wondered if this was the Batman Mountain I had read about during my trip research while browsing pictures on Flickr.

Not long thereafter, we went through a somewhat short tunnel and immediately were greeted by the sight of glaciers in the distance. It wasn't long thereafter that we filled up at the quiet bayside town of Höfn (pronounced like "hup") and took a few glacier photos from afar.

We stopped at a scenic bluff near the southwestern end of town. It was still chilly due to the overcast skies and once again the winds were blowing. Even though the glaciers were far away across the bay to the north, we could still sense how big they were. From this vantage point, we knew we can see more of the glacier than we did if we went up to their terminus.

By 9:15am, we continued driving along a long desolate expanse of black-graveled plains undoubtedly scoured by glacial action. One valley after another and one single-lane bridged over glacial rivers after another, there were always glacier tongues in sight as we traversed the plains full of sandurs (sands). All of these glaciers were in fact extensions of the vast glacier Vatnajökull, which is the largest glacier in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles. The immensity of the desolation within the glaciated plains was something we had never experienced before on this scale, and it was truly a treat to drive through.

Still, most of the glaciers were nice to look at the from the road, but it was hard to take the time to take a detour to get closer to one of the glaciers. We did, however, stop by a glacier lagoon (Jökulsárlón), which excited Julie because it appeared in a James Bond movie as well as in Tomb Raider. But the lagoon of icebergs and melting ice drifting along towards the black-sand beach and awaiting ocean waves were truly something to behold.

Behind the loose ice pieces and bluish ice were intact glaciers clinging to mountains in the background. Of course this was a very popular stop for tourists so there were many other people around here. There were even amphibious boat tours to get closer looks from within the lagoon, which we opted not to do.

I couldn't help but think about how much this lagoon must've grown since the advent of Global Warming. I've read in the literature that this lagoon actually started growing since the advent of the Industrial Revolution. I'm sure this whole area will become a lagoon in the not-so-distant future.

We eventually got to the Hotel Skaftafell just before noon, but it was too early to check in. So we had ourselves a lunch of truck-stop-type food, which was affordable by Icelandic standards. We then went into the Skaftafell National Park to do the hikes considering we had all afternoon today. We were certainly way ahead of schedule as I thought we were going to do this hike tomorrow morning and the drive to get here from Egilsstaðir would've taken all day.

Anyways at 12:45pm, we hiked to the glacier terminus of Skaftafellsjökull, which was disappointingly dirty and flat. Certainly it was nothing compared to something like the Briksdal Glacier we had seen in Norway.

We then hiked the full 1.5km length trail from the visitor center to Svartifoss seeing Hundafoss and Magnusárfoss along the way. The hike was mostly uphill but you can gain an appreciation of the glacial plains once you looked behind and observed the landscape below you.

Hundafoss was thin but attractive and tall. The official overlook didn't differ all that much from an unofficial spur that the trail makers put obstacles to try to conceal that path.

At Magnusárfoss, there were people chilling out at the top of the falls. The falls itself was much shorter than Hundafoss, but it had an attractive downstream view.

Past Magnusarfoss, we saw there was another car park. Julie was giving me a hard time because it would've reduced our hike had we parked there. Oh well, can't cry over spilled milk, so we continued on and it wasn't long before we saw the 20m Svartifoss waterfall surrounded by pronounced basalt columns.

By Icelandic standards, this waterfall wasn't really much considering its relatively tiny waterflow, but it was still a busy trail without ever a moment of being around the falls without other tourists trying to get their shots. On this day, we heard many of the visitors speaking French and Spanish so we reckoned those were the tour groups that came today.

By 5pm, we were back at the car park. I knew there was a fourth waterfall around here so we drove a little further beyond the visitor center towards a rocky car park. I walked up the trail from the other side of the watercourse and it wasn't long before the trail met the first hairpin turn of the road and immediately nearby was the lookout platform of Þjófafoss with a hint of Hundafoss. Clearly this waterfall wasn't visible from the Svartifoss trail. Nonetheless, I was glad I saw it, but again it wasn't much to brag about.

We then continued to drive the road which ascended steeply in a single lane. It eventually ended up at that car park that Julie gave me a hard time about. We called it the "cheating car park" but I wouldn't really recommend parking here just to cut a few minutes of the hike. Besides, if you have bidirectional traffic on the steep single lane road, someone's gonna have to do a hairy reverse to find a pullout at one of the turns to let the other guy pass. Not exactly a fun experience I reckon.

Finally, we got back to Hotel Skaftafell where we checked in and went into our miniscule room. We got the idea that South Iceland was definitely more touristy and the services, accommodations, crowds, and prices reflect this. We still have a week left on the trip, but it's all in the South...

We were on our way to Kirkubæjarklaustur (or "Klaustur" [pronounced cloister] for short). It was during this stretch that we stopped briefly for a roadside waterfall known as Foss á Siðu, which was a tall but light-flowing waterfall behind the Siðu farms. The drive then continued onwards to Klaustur where we were way too early to check into the Hotel Geirland guesthouse.

So we spent some of this excess time visiting Stjórnarfoss, which was a small yet intriguing waterfall on the way to the guesthouse.

We also drove to the far west side of Kirkubæjarklaustur in search of Systrafoss. Unfortunately, this twisting waterfall wasn't flowing at all. We couldn't believe that a named Icelandic waterfall could actually go dry like this during the start of their summer when the falls should be pumping.

Next, we had originally intended to do the rather lengthy out-and-back detour to Dyrhólaey considering we had another six hours or so before we could check in to the Hotel Geirland. However, we thought we might as well scout out the 4wd road to Laki just to see how bad the road is and more importantly how bad the river crossing would be. And so that we did. If conditions were too bad to make it on our own, then we'd take a 4wd tour to get there tomorrow or the day after. It was the very reason why we were spending so many nights at Geirland in the first place.

The road initially started out paved to some other accommodation called the Hundabakkar, but sure enough the road went gravel and then became the F206 which was bumpy with large rocks strewn about the mostly single-lane road especially on the hills. Clearly a low clearance vehicle would have a very hard time getting through on this road.

After about 20 minutes of driving, we started to drive into what seemed to be a riverbed. It was very rocky but still driveable but it wasn't long before we saw what appeared to be a pretty deep river crossing. By this time, there were three 4x4s behind us so we pulled off to a rocky shoulder and let at least the first two vehicles with monster truck wheels go through without a hitch. The third SUV noticed our hesitation.

The driver of that vehicle got out and said something to me in Icelandic.

"Uh, talaðu ensku? Ég tala ekki íslensku," I said.

He then said something to the effect that you're Icelandic is fine, but he switched to English and asked if the ford was too deep. I told him I wasn't going to try it, but then he looked at our vehicle and told me we can easily handle anything 1m or less in depth. So with that, he took the initiative with his similarly sized SUV and we followed suit. It turned out it wasn't that bad.

The drive then continued onwards alternating between rough hills and smoother plains. Eventually, we'd pass by a scary-looking sign indicating that river crossing paths may change depending on the current conditions. The track up ahead sure looked intimidating, but at the same time, we noticed there were people on some overlook way across the river on some outcrop. We figured that must've been Fagrifoss.

Once again, the SUV in front of us waited for us before going through the pair of river fords. The first one looked scary and it had a current, but it was short. After seeing how he got through with no problem, we followed suit and encountered no difficulty. The next ford also looked deep but it turned out to be not as bad.

Then, the road continued along some rocky track before reaching a signposted junction for Fagrifoss. The generous Icelandic guy continued towards Laki, but we turned right and headed up the rocky hill towards the car park. I rolled down the window and waved at the SUV before us to try to show our appreciation. It wasn't much longer before we joined two other big SUVs at the car park. They were on their way out though so Julie and I had Fagrifoss all to ourselves. It was 11:45am.

The falls itself was at least 30m tall with a few strands twisting and splitting amongst the rounded volcanic cliffs. All the views were from the top of cliffs so it was not possible to get to the bottom of the falls. Still, the falls were quite satisfactory to see anyways and we took what photos we could. We didn't want to linger too long just in case the new tires we got from Akureyri were about to go flat after all the sharp rocks I've seen on the 4wd road. I also worry about these things on unpaved roads, but especially on this trip since it has happened twice already!

I had also realized that our last two river crossings were on the river that fed Fagrifoss. In fact, we could see the 4wd river crossing signs from the Fagrifoss overlook. I shuddered at the thought of the river being higher and possibly sweeping 4x4s over the 30m waterfall!

We opted not to go to Laki and drive another 15 miles or so on nasty roads. So we headed back towards Klaustur, but not before making a brief stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur, which was a scenic gorge not too far from the Laki turnoff. Unfortunately, some film crew was shooting some Peugeot commercial so we couldn't see the gorge from the bridge. We decided we'd come back later in the day for that.

Next, we had ourselves some $20USD fish and chips at the N1 station in town. We then spent some time at the visitor center inquiring about the Landmannalaugur road, which was also a 4wd road. The clerk said our car should be able to handle it, but they do offer tours for about 2700 Ikr per person each way, which was actually surprisingly reasonable considering the type of road it goes on and how much fuel it would require. I guess we'll figure out whether to do it on our own or not tomorrow morning when the bus leaves at 9:30am from the N1 station.

With still some time to kill on this day (we were way ahead of schedule - especially with our Fagrifoss excursion, which I had allocated a whole day to do on a 4wd tour either tomorrow or the day after), we checked out the Kirkjugólf, which were basalt column floors that previous discoverers had thought were manmade for the church. In actuality, the hexagonal patterns were naturally occurring and they're very similar to the top of the Devil's Postpile Formation in the California Central Sierras. It was especially interesting to see wildflowers growing out of the cracks between the hexagonal patterns.

By now, it was finally close enough to 4pm to check in to Hotel Geirland, which we did. Then, we headed back to Fjaðrárgljúfur, but not before being stopped by the same filming crew on the Ring Road who I guess decided to do some shooting on this busy highway. We'd eventually get to the gorge, get our photos while battling annoying midges, and then get back to Klaustur. We opted to have pizza at the Systrakaffi (the Sister's Cafe), which costed us about $25USD but I didn't feel like spending another $80USD for dinner for things like lamb, fish, or other mains again.

And with that, we returned to our guesthouse room. We still have tonight and two more nights at this guesthouse so we have lots of flexibility about what to do for the next few days. In hindsight, I probably booked one too many nights in Iceland (not cheap as you know), but you can never tell these things when you're planning the trip. At least we're allowing ourselves some time for the weather to get better so perhaps we might be able to get good photos of Skógafoss, Seljalandsfoss, or other beauties, which aren't all that far away from our guesthouse...

The mostly cloudy skies were light enough to let the sun get through for moments. So we figured we'd get some decent photos of the landscape though not the blue skies and bright colors of the volcanic landscape the postcards would lead you to believe.

The morning went by uneventfully. After parking our SUV at the N1 station in town, the bus arrived on time. Then, we paid the two-way fare for each of us, and we found a seat towards the back of the bus. The bus was literally a bus with big wheels and probably with some four-wheel drive capability. I didn't think it was suitable for the mountain roads due to its size, but indeed this was going to be our ride. Then, the driver started off. The whole time we were on the road, I was hoping that we got our money's worth with rough roads and river crossings. I didn't want this to be something where we could've driven on our own.

At first, the road was indeed tame and the rivers were bridged. We stopped by some guesthouse near a big waterfall to pick up a few more passengers. The stop wasn't really for us so we didn't get a chance to see this waterfall. Oh well, we'll have to do this one on our own. But the falls certainly looked pretty big.

Anyhow, the tour continued and as the road got progressively rougher, we finally had our first river traverse. We'd eventually get to the Eldgjá chasm which was not too far from that river crossing. There was actually a car park with two footbridges to get through the river. However, the bus splashed its way through these rivers and got to a closer car park.

We were given about an hour to explore Eldgjá and the Öfærufoss. It turned out that the hike to get to the falls and back was at least 45 minutes so there was hardly any time to get closer to the falls (though one guy did do that) for more photos. There used to be a natural bridge between the upper and lower tiers of the falls, but an earthquake knocked that bridge down. There was a guy we met on the bus who said he was here 20 years ago and actually stood ON that bridge!

Anyways, the swarming midges made things a bit uncomfortable throughout the entire hike and at the waterfall. When it came time to leave, everyone beat a very hasty retreat back to the bus. I managed to get a bite on my arm so my theory that these midges don't bite was incorrect. Even though the vast majority of them don't bite, their bites were indeed itchy and irritating and definitely undermined my piece of mind while walking through their swarms without swatting at them.

Next, the bus took off for Landmannalaugur and it quickly became apparent that we'd get our money's worth after all. The road was very rough, narrow, and forded several rivers and creeks. The driver made a few photo stops along the way and he'd eventually get to Landmannalaugur at about 1:45pm which was nearly an hour behind schedule.

We'd only have until 2:45pm to explore the area so we hastily did so by taking photos but we didn't get far enough to the thermal pools. Apparently, other tourists on the bus managed to see thermal pools next to the campsites, which were something Julie and I missed. It was also strange to see so many cars, tents, and even some structures in an area so desolate. In fact, 2wd cars were parked here and it was then that we learned that if you came from the west, you could make it by 2wd.

Well as promised, by 2:45pm, we got back to the bus and not long after, the driver proceeded to take us back to Kirkjubæjarklaustur. There were far fewer passengers on the way back than this morning as many of them opted to spend the night at the huts here, camp, or catch the connecting bus to Reykjavík.

Actually, our driver proceeded to head back towards Eldgjá before finishing off at Klaustur. Julie and I had a little food coma from the snacks we ate at Landmannalaugur so we took brief naps. By the time I awoke, the clouds rolled in and I realized that we were going through fog! It wasn't long thereafter that the driver returned to Eldgjá to make another stop there for those passengers coming from Reykjavík.

During this stop, the driver (who didn't speak much english) made some conversation with a Dutch couple with us listening in and partaking somewhat. The driver then noticed that the bus behind us was in trouble. It turned out that the other bus was really stuck in the mud.

Apparently, the other driver attempted to take a different line through the river and didn't even make it to the river. By this time, passengers from both buses were watching like paying spectators. Our driver tried to help the other driver, who was a strikingly-dressed Madonna-lookalike female driver.

However, he wasn't successful with his attempt to pull her out of the mud. In the mean time, a pair of rescue trucks showed up and eventually managed to tow the stuck bus out of the mud. The incident was comical because drivers from both buses (including the Madonna-lookalike that drove the stuck bus) took photos! It was almost like they couldn't wait to show their friends or something what had transpired here.