Iceland - Day 3

We knew that today would be a long day since we planned to circum- navigate the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in West Iceland. But we were looking forward to the myriad of sights that awaited us. Our first stop was the Gerðuberg basalt cliffs, an interesting volcanic formation of interlocking hexagonal columns.

Gerðuberg Basalt Cliffs

Gorgeous Scenery Along the Drive

Next up was the Black Church of Budir, one of Iceland’s most iconic landmarks. This simple one room church is perched on a cliff with nothing else around it, except for the many tourists who are looking for that perfect photo op.

Black Church of Budir

My favorite stop along the coastal drive was Arnarstapi, with its dramatic basalt sea cliffs and arch. A shoreline trail connects Arnarstapi with neighboring Hellnar, but we had time to walk only a small portion of it. We did stop at Hellnar for views of more sea stacks and the birds that nest on the cliffs.

Basalt Sea Arch, Arnarstapi 

Sarah at Basalt Sea Arch, Arnarstapi 

Basalt Sea Cliffs, Arnarstapi 

We drove into Snæfellsjökull National Park, one of the three national parks in Iceland, but knew we would not have time to do the park justice. From the park one is usually able to see the glacier clad Snaefellsjökull volcano that looks over the entire peninsula. Sadly, the overcast skies kept the mountain hidden in the clouds.

Near the end of the loop, we stopped to see one of the most photographed sites on the peninsula, and I immediately could understand the draw. The small Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall is lovely, but the entire setting is what’s special. Here the waterfall occupies the foreground while the Kirkjufell Mountain rises behind it in the background. Simply beautiful!

Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfall and Kirkjufell Mountain 

We returned to the Hotel Varmaland and enjoyed another wonderful meal.

Another Fabulous Meal at Hotel Varmaland

Our Route - Day 3

Iceland - Day 2

We left Reykjavik the next morning and headed towards West Iceland to tour the Reykholt Valley and the Borgarfjörður area. The skies were overcast so we missed out on views of the mountains, but the rest of the scenery more than made up for it. Along the drive we spotted many of Iceland’s famous horses.

Iceland's Horses Are Famous

Our first stop was the Deildartunguhver Hot Springs. This is one of the highest volume hot springs in the world, but it’s not one that you can soak in, nor to be honest is it much to look at. But, it was on the way to our next destination.

The Hraunfossar and Barnafoss waterfalls were the highlight of the day. Here, multiple cascades flow out of the rocks into a glacier-fed river. Although we expected to see many waterfalls during our week in Iceland, these first two were special.

Hraunfossar Waterfall

Hraunfossar Waterfall

Tim at Hraunfossar Waterfall

Barnafoss Waterfall 

We drove back through the Reykholt Valley and the town of Reykholt and stopped at the Gaira Bakery in Borgarnes, a pretty fjordside town. We enjoyed an afternoon treat while looking over the beautiful Borgarfjörður waterfront. Our final stop in Borgarnes was the Settlement Center, a museum that helped us gain an insight into Iceland’s history.

The Reykholt Valley

Borgarfjörður Waterfront at Borgarnes

The Hotel Varmaland was our hotel for the night, and it was a fabulous facility – beautiful design, friendly staff, and a restaurant with delicious food. We are eating well in Iceland, and, I must admit, it’s a treat to sit down in a nice restaurant after avoiding restaurants for such a long time during COVID lockdown.

A Fabulous Dinner at Hotel Varmaland

Our Route - Day 2

Iceland - Day 1

Since our flight wasn’t until the afternoon, we could take our time in the morning before driving to Denver International Airport, parking the car, and catching the shuttle to the terminal. Business class tickets allowed us to skip the line at the ticket counter (boarding passes could not be printed ahead of time due to COVID) and included a pass to the United Airlines lounge while we waited until the plane was almost ready to board. Although business class on Icelandair does not have lie-flat seats like other airlines, we had no complaints and enjoyed the perks.

Our flight arrived at Reykjavík at a very early 6:15 am, and we cleared customs easily. We made our way to the Hertz counter and picked up our rental car. Rather than getting a local SIM card or renting a mobile hotspot, we had decided to use the international plan with our phones. Google maps directed us to our hotel, and we crossed our fingers that we might get an early check-in. Unfortunately, no rooms were available yet.

We then decided to drive around the city a bit.  We visited the landmark Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church and found a bakery for a late breakfast. Figuring out the maze of streets and the parking was a bit of a challenge, but we somehow managed.

Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran Church

Before leaving home, we had booked a helicopter tour for the afternoon in order to see the Norðurflug volcano that had been erupting for the past several months. Unfortunately, we got a call advising us that the flight had been cancelled due to weather. That was disappointing.

When we checked back with the hotel, our room was ready. Since Tim wasn’t feeling well, we decided to just nap and take it easy. We did manage to drag ourselves out of the room for a delicious dinner at the restaurant adjacent to the hotel. 

Tim Eyeing His Dinner at the Scandinavian Restaurant

We then went out to explore the neighborhood. Laugavegur, where our hotel was located, is the primary commercial street in downtown Reykjavík, and we enjoyed seeing the colorful buildings and nearby streets that are painted with interesting designs.

"Ode to Mother" Is One of the Most Famous Murals in Reykjavík

Street Art in Downtown Reykjavík

Our Route - Day 1

Trying to Arrange a COVID Test

In order to travel to Iceland, Americans had to be vaccinated and present a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of departure. We were vaccinated, but getting the test in that time frame over a weekend was not as easy.

We ended up driving to a testing facility in Denver on the Saturday before our Monday flight. The results came back quickly, negative as expected.

Result - Negative

Now, all that was left to do was finish packing.

Change of Plans for the Drive Back to Colorado

Although we were sad to leave NERI, we were more excited about the many upcoming travel adventures we had to look forward to. Because we had been having issues with the RV not starting, we made our way to Knoxville, Tennessee, so that the Mercedes dealer there could see what was going on. Unfortunately, they couldn't seem to find what was causing our issue.

Although we had originally planned to take a more scenic route home, visiting two new National Park units on the way, we decided to scrap that plan. We didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and have RV issues.

We therefore took the safe way back, interstates almost the entire way. We also decided to stay in hotels right off the highway instead of more remote campgrounds.

The highlight of the trip happened on our last day when we stopped to see the Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. The building was closed, and we had to peek through the windows to see the beautiful interior. I’d love to see it when it’s operating.

Kit Carson County Carousel

We arrived home on July 14. We had less than three weeks to get ready for Iceland.

Our Last Project for NERI?

As I’ve mentioned before, I love working at NERI and fondly think of the museum collection as “mine.” We really feel like we have accomplished so much over our last five years working here and that the collection is in so much better shape than it was.

This year, we continued to perform backlog cataloging and re-housed and reorganized the museum collection. We also decided to tackle the many items that had never been accessioned into the collection.

In order to make it easier for those who will come after us, we inventoried and photographed all of the unaccessioned items. These items will require a review and determination as to whether they meet the Scope of Collection Statement and should or should not be accessioned into the collection.

Jessica was so good at her job that we recommended that NERI hire her as a museum technician. By doing so, however, we pretty much guaranteed that NERI would no longer need our services. That’s a sad thought for us, but the park needs Jessica on a full-time basis.

Finishing Our Project at NERI

West Virginia State Capitol

Our last field trip in West Virginia was a bit farther afield. Tim and I like to visit state capitol buildings but had somehow never made the time to visit West Virginia’s. To rectify that omission, we drove to Charleston to tour the capitol.

Designed by Cass Gilbert, the structure was dedicated in 1932. It is said that Gilbert liked the design of the interior so well that he reused part of the design for the United States Supreme Court.

Almost all state capitol buildings are impressive structures, and this one was no exception. I always love to look up inside the domes, and I was quite impressed by the huge crystal chandelier.

West Virginia State Capitol