Iceland: South Coast Part 3 - Bad Weather
The weather that turned us away from Reynisfjara the night before got way worse overnight. The wind increased to a sustained 30 mph with gusts to 55 mph. It whistled through the window of our room like an angry flute. We slept in knowing that there’d be no point in trying to go out early. A hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel of eggs, sausage, skyr and oats, and fruit felt good. The town of Vik was a 15 minute drive from the hotel, where we stopped at the Skool Beans Cafe for coffee. The bus belonged to an American military base before being sold and converted to a cute cafe. Despite the bad weather, the bus was full of patrons who were cozily sipping lattes.
From Vik headed east, we fought the wind and the rain and the trucks on the road all morning. By the time we reached Kirkjubæjarklaustur (I’m not even going to try to pronounce this one), the rain had stopped and the wind had abated. From the banks of the Skaftarós river, the imposing edifice of the west side of the Vatnajӧkull plateau came into view. The road out to Skaftafell was flat with dark basalt sand on either side. The sun broke out for us as we got close to Skaftafell. At a roadside stop we could see three big glaciers from the Vatnajӧkull ice sheet: Skeiðarárjökull, Skaftafellsjökull, and Svínafellsjökull. At a small roadside stop, a section of elevated highway and some twisted metal are all that remain of an earlier version of the Ring Road, destroyed in 1996. Volcanoes underlie many of Iceland’s highland ice sheets. When these volcanoes erupt, the heat from the erupting lava rapidly melts the glacial ice above and sends it out the glacial canyons in a massive flood called a jökulhlaup (yo-cull-hype). The flood in 1996 came from the volcano Grímsvötn after a large sub-glacial lake burst, releasing nearly a cubic mile of water into the floodplain.
We skipped fueling at a busy gas station in Skaftafell and pressed east. The break in the weather was a nice reprieve but as we rounded the south end of the mountain, strong winds and heavy rain returned. Our goal was to reach the Vestrahorn two hours away and we considered shortening our trip to reach Diamond Beach, but the chance of another weather break spurred us on. We reached the Viking Cafe outside Höfn at 14:30. Wind speed was registered on a digital display outside: 17 m/s = 38 mph sustained. Gusts were over 60 and the rain came down sideways. We positioned the car into the wind to ensure the doors didn’t blow off. Running slanted against the wind we made it inside, where we had delicious hot chocolates and some of the best waffles I’ve ever eaten. I asked the attendant how to get down to the replica Viking village, but with a concerned look he recommended that we not go. “You cannot see the mountain, and to be out in this weather is dangerous. Look, if you really want, I’ll sell you a single ticket and you can all go, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” His somber tone was well-taken. It was a gamble and we lost. We drove four hours round-trip to get some really good waffles. Weather 2, Testers 0.
On our return to Skaftafell, we stopped at Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and Diamond Beach. The wind had calmed slightly. It was now a steady 20 mph with a drizzly rain. I was not about to be outmaneuvered by mother nature. I have plenty of rain-protection for me and my cameras and I put it all to good use. The lagoon is formed by the retreating Breiðamerkurjökull (brai-tha-mare-cur-yo-cull) and calving from the glacier forms bright blue icebergs that eventually make their way to the shore and wash back up on the beach as clear blocks, hence the origin for Diamond Beach. The tide was coming in, bringing turbid muddy-brown water into the clear lagoon. Icebergs clunked against each other and with the influx of ocean water came fish. Arctic terns by the score hovered in the high winds and then dove in to catch their dinner. When not diving, the terns were fighting off a Parasitic Jaeger (a kind of bird) and keeping away from two seals. Despite the strong wind and the rain, I stayed for the better part of an hour, shooting terns with those beautiful icebergs behind them. The girls retreated to the car to watch the Lego Movie.
As we rounded back on the mountain towards Skaftaell, the rain stopped and all that was left was wind. Dinner consisted of a Viking experience which included dried fish (think fish jerky), herring, smoked lamb, shark, various breads, and a shot of brennivín (a caraway spirit). The shark was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The main course was a delicious lamb dish. We finally got some authentic food that wasn’t burgers and pizza. From the hotel bar, we watched the alpenglow on the mountaintop through a carpet of mountain lupine. Not a bad way to end the day.
