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

More Exploring at NERI

The original communication snafu that resulted in our RV site switched from Grandview to Burnwood and a part two. A long-term volunteer at Canyon Rim Visitor Center was scheduled to arrive at Burnwood on June 19. Uh oh! That meant that we were going to be “homeless.” We worked with the park on options and found a site at a city-owned campground in Beckley, West Virginia. NERI picked up the tab, and we moved into town on June 19. It wasn’t a big deal for us.

On our days off, we continued to explore more of the far-flung sites within the park. We always enjoy exploring the historic buildings in the Thurmond Historic District. Thurmond was a boomtown in the early 1900s because of the vast quantities of coal being shipped through there. It was a vibrant era of coal and railroads for Thurmond. The boom didn’t last long, however, and most of the businesses closed. The depot, which has been restored as a visitor center, as well as the remaining buildings evoke this important period in the history of the area.

While walking along Commercial Row, we ran into a couple who used to live in the town. They come back every year to visit, and it was fascinating to hear their stories of the “good old days” in Thurmond.

Thurmond Historic District

We also visited two other railroad towns along the New River. Prince was built by the two Prince brothers. Prince was not a coal town, however, and the general store that they established was the only independent store in the area. The store remained in business until 1984, and many items from the store are now in the park’s museum collection. The wood frame building remains.

The building in Prince that fascinated me the most, however, was Prince Station. Built in 1946 to replace an earlier depot, the structure is a fabulous example of Art Moderne style architecture. I had no idea that a building like this was in the park. Amtrak still stops at both Thurmond and Prince.

Just down the road from Prince is the town of Quinnimont, the first mining town in New River Gorge. Virtually nothing remains of the town, however. We did go searching for the Quinnimont Missionary Baptist Church, the first stop on the African-American Heritage Driving Tour. Established in 1880, it was one of the first African-American churches in the New River Gorge. 

Prince and Quinnimont

Near the end of our stay, we made our way to the south end of the park.  We had visited many of the historic sites at NERI.  Now, it was time for a visit to Sandstone Falls, the largest waterfall on the New River.

Sandstone Falls