The Traveling Widower

Category: Camera gear

  • Iceland: Glaciers and Waterfalls

    A majestic waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff surrounded by lush greenery, with several people standing on a rocky beach in the foreground.
    Skogafoss Waterfall

    June 24th, 2026

    This was day two of the NatGeo trip, and fourth overall. I was quite pleased overall with the trip so far, and after the dip in the Blue Lagoon, was not in as much pain as the day before. I was ready for more adventures.

    The day started out with an easy stop at Iceland’ largest geothermal power station, Hellisheidavirkjun. Sounds boring, right? It was actually fascinating. Iceland get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources – geothermal, hydro and wind. No beautiful, clean coal or oil on this island. They also heat most of the homes from geothermal – 100% of Reykjavik is heated from hot water from this plant, or from wells. Pretty much every home in Iceland has a geothermal source for their heat and hot water. Amazing. The tour of this facility was short, but the display in the lobbies were incredibly informative, including a great display of the different igneous rock type. Our NatGeo naturalist also gave an interesting lecture on how humans have changed Iceland – when it was first settled, a very high percentage of the island was forested. Now it’s down to about 5%. Who knew? Now they are trying to reforest, and reclaim the soil that was lost due to erosion.

    Industrial geothermal power plant with steam rising against a cloudy sky and hilly landscape.

    We then headed to the South shore of Iceland – I was really surprised by the amount of pasture and farmland between the mountains and coast line – there were farms perched along the sides of volcano. Seriously. All along the way, our guide, who was from this area, gave a running narrative about the area, including a lot of funny stories about his family. Interesting guy.

    Now for the fun part. Our first outing was the glacier hike, something I was sort of dreading. I have a lot of ice related experience from my stupid days in Colorado – climbing frozen waterfalls, winter mountain climbing and long glacier hikes in Wyoming. That was 35 years ago – been there, done that. But, it was on the itinerary, with a mixed group of people who have never touched an ice axe or worn crampons before. How bad could it be?

    It was gray and misting when we pulled into the parking lot at the base of the glacial lake (Solheimajokull Glacier) and met our guide. This is apparently a fairly popular tourist attraction, with a number of guided tours you can sign up for – the guides provide all the important gear. He fitted the group out with crampons, axes, harnesses and helmets – the harnesses were required in case we fell into a crevasse, and had to be rescued. Once that was done, we headed off down the trail, which was a black lava rock glacial moraine. This glacier has been receding for years and what is now a lake, used to be ice. The thickness of the glacial front has also been drastically reduced, which made it easier to climb up. A good view of the results of global warming. After about a mile of easy hiking, we started climbing to the start of the glacial ice, and strapped on our crampons. The view of what was ahead was foreboding in the mist – I was beginning to doubt my sanity. Plus, I had to pee. 

    Two of our group decided not to go any further, and our leader walked them back to the parking lot. I decided to give it a go. Once I started walking with the crampons, muscle memory kicked in – it wa actually fun, even the steep section. We did not go too far, but climbed high enough to get some spectacular views.

    A desolate landscape of a glacier with rocky and icy formations under a cloudy sky.
    A view of a glacial landscape with a frozen terrain leading down to a dark lake, surrounded by mountains under a cloudy sky.
    A rugged, icy landscape featuring a glacier with dark volcanic rock formations and fog covering the mountain background.
    A rugged, dark volcanic landscape with grey and black rocky surfaces, under a cloudy sky.
    A panoramic view of a glacier landscape featuring dark volcanic rock formations, a glacial lake, and misty mountains in the background.
    View of a gravel path leading through rugged terrain, with a group of hikers walking in the distance under cloudy skies.
    A group of people in helmets and safety gear are gathered on rocky terrain, discussing instructions for an outdoor adventure, likely ice climbing or glacier hiking.
    A small fox standing on a wet parking lot, reflecting on the wet surface with a backdrop of parked vehicles.

    The photos were not shot in black and white – that all basalt sand and gravel, from meltwater washed down on the glacial surface. Very dirty.

    We hung around a took a group picture or two and then headed back down. Woo hoo! I did it! Seriously, I was quite pleased with myself for not chickening out (same as TACO’ing?). I did a mental evaluation on the risks, how I felt body wise, and made the decision to just focus on enjoying the moment.

    A group of hikers on a glacier, wearing helmets and ice climbing gear, posing for a photo with a scenic valley and cloudy sky in the background.
    We did it!

    We had passed two of the well known waterfalls on the way to the glacier, and now we were going to work our way back, and stop at both. I had brought a monopod along specifically to photograph waterfalls in slow motion, and was finally going to get a chance to use it. The second waterfall was the one where you can walk behind the falls – that’s where the new GoPro comes in. It was still raining a bit, so I kept my rain gear on.

    The first waterfall, Skogafoss, is one of the highest and most popular tourist attractions. Unless you get there early in the morning, you can expect to have gobs of tourists doing selfies on all the trails (or even standing in front of the falls. That was the case when we arrived unfortunately. But, I walked down to the falls with the camera mounted on the monopod. The trail was packed as expected but including people dancing in front of the falls. But, I had the gear, so I setup the monopod, mounted the camera, and turned the Sony on. Nothing. Dead battery. I left the camera on earlier in the day, and the battery drained. And I left the spares back in the bus. No big deal – I just enjoyed the experience of seeing the beautiful water falls, ignored the people screaming in front of the falls, and headed back to the bus. 

    A majestic waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff surrounded by lush greenery, with two people standing near the water's edge.

    The next (and last stop of the day was the Seljalardsfoss falls, which is the one with the path behind the falls. That one was fantastic – there were still a lot of tourists there, but not as many behind the falls. I left the big camera behind and just brought my phone and GoPro. It was fantastic! I did the entire route, much to the chagrin of the trip lead….I was the last one to get back to the bus. Mea culpa. 

    A beautiful waterfall cascading down a rocky cliff surrounded by lush greenery, with visitors standing nearby and enjoying the view.
    A person stands near the base of a waterfall, with water cascading over a rocky ledge. The scene is set in a grassy landscape under a cloudy sky, showcasing the natural beauty of the area.
    A scenic view of a waterfall cascading over rocky cliffs, with lush green grass in the foreground and a cloudy sky in the background.

    We made it to our hotel at 9:00, checked in (great hotel in the Icelandic version of the middle of nowhere, Landhotel), had a great dinner, and then I collapsed in bed. That was a very long, but great day. 

    One more comment on the trip – this is that time of the year in place like Alaska, Northern Canada and Iceland, where the sun never really sets all the way. At 11PM, it’s still bright out. That’s great if you like to stay out till the wee hours of the morning, but not so great if you are tired and really want to get some sleep. Best to look for hotels with really good black-out curtains, or don’t mind sleeping with eye shades on. 

    Peace

  • GoPro Mission 1 Pro – My Latest Toy

    Front view of a GoPro camera with a protective case and strap, resting on a dark wooden surface.

    I want it all,
    I want it all,
    I want it all,
    And I want it now
    Queen

    June 12th, 2026

    Warning – this is a bit geekish about cameras.

    I’ve been complaining for quite some time (more like whining) about lugging my heavy Sony mirrorless camera around in caves, or other awkward places, such as trying to photograph pretty much anything from a Zodiac (small, rigid, inflatable boat). I’m willing to twist myself into a pretzel with a 500mm lens when photographing whales, bears or sea lions from small boats, but what I really need in most of these situations, is a rugged, waterproof, point and shoot camera, something that would fit more or less in a pocket. I had something close to what I needed with the Sealife underwater camera, but I wound up selling that – the camera technology was dated, it had a small sensor, and you could not buy replacement batteries for it. I also own a GoPro Hero 13, which I have used quite a bit, mostly for snorkeling – definitely waterproof, and has a reasonably sized sensor, but was difficult to use (for me at least) – it was feature rich, but the user interface was difficult to use, mostly due to the small screen size and complex menu system.  

    I had been considering buying the OM System (formerly Olympus) TG-7 – a very rugged, waterproof point and shoot camera, but much like the Sealife camera (same size), it was dated technology with a sensor even smaller than the GoPro. There have been rumors of OM releasing a new, improved version, but not in the immediate future. Bummer. I really wanted something to use for the upcoming Iceland trip (many caves), Patagonia (a very wet waterfall adventure) and for snorkeling in the Sea of Cortez in December. 

    Waahhh. I want it now!

    An older man sitting on the floor in a camera store, expressing frustration with his hands raised, surrounded by onlookers. A sign reads 'Temporarily Out of Stock: GoPro Mission Pro' near various camera products displayed.

    My temper tantrum worked. GoPro came to the rescue a few weeks ago, when they announced availability of a new product – the Mission 1 series of action cameras. This is a slightly larger version of the Hero product line, with a much larger sensor (1”, 50mph), a larger display screen, and many new features. That sounded interesting but not enough to get me to buy one until I noticed that there were three options for the product, a Pro model with even more features, and which also included a “grip” model. This was a casing that the camera fit into, which basically created a point-and-shoot camera. Bingo! That pretty much covered everything I was looking for – a high-end, rugged, waterproof (up to 60’) action oriented point and shoot camera. So of course, I ordered one.

    As with most electronics, there were only limited instructions in the package. Basically, turn it on, and then follow the instructions on your phone or tablet. Better yet, I did a quick search on YouTube and found a few really comprehensive tutorials for this camera, which is amazing since it has only been out for a few weeks. It’s a very feature rich camera, with many configurations for each shooting mode (photo, video, slow-motion, low-light…). The menu is even more complex than the Hero 13, but the larger screen makes it easier to negotiate. The camera alone is a bit larger than the Hero, as you can see in the photo’s below:

    Two GoPro action cameras positioned side by side on a wooden surface.
    Two GoPro cameras side by side on a wooden surface, showing their sleek black designs and control buttons.

    The grip frame is interesting – the camera slides in easily, and has a nice firm feel to it. Just like a “real” camera. The grip also comes apart, making for easy packing…something important for me and all my strange travels. Exactly what I was looking for. There is no view finder – you just use the live screen image on back (or front for selfies) of the camera. A true point-and-shoot.

    A GoPro camera positioned on a marble surface, featuring a protective lens cover, a display screen, and an attached grip for stabilization.
    A GoPro camera displayed with an external battery, a protective case, and a strap, placed on a light marble surface.
    A GoPro camera with a protective case, laid on a marble surface. The camera features a front display and a strap attached for secure handling.

    I plan to have it configured and gain familiarity with it before I leave for Iceland. I am planning to use this in the many caves we will be touring, especially on my solo visit to the big magma chamber (Inside the Volcano) I’ve scheduled for my second day in Reykjavik. 

    A deep mine shaft illuminated by a beam of light, featuring a suspended platform surrounded by rocky walls.

    Speaking of Iceland, I received an updated itinerary and have spent some time going through it. For once, I thought it might be a good idea to be a little prepared for what lies ahead. This should be a crazy trip. My first two days are on my own, and I’m doing a whale/puffin tour from the Reykjavik harbor the morning I arrive in Iceland. The second day will be the “Inside the Volcano” tour. The day after is the start of the National Geographic tour – the other 14 people show up that day, and we head off to the Blue Lagoon for a soak in the thermal pool. There will be two more thermal pool soak opportunities on the trip. The rest of the trip wanders about Iceland by bus, visiting a bunch of well known tourist locations, and some lesser known spots as well. Many waterfalls, volcanic features, lava tubes, two small islands, geysers, many birds, and a whale watching trip. Unfortunately, they dropped my absolute favorite stop – a herring processing plant. I do like pickled herring – I was really looking forward to that. I’ll be consoled if I get to see (and photograph) some puffins. Almost as cute as Screech Owls.

    A puffin standing on a rocky surface, showcasing its black and white plumage and distinctive orange beak.
    Not my photo, I can only hope

    All the hotels have WiFi, so I may do a post or two while I’m there. Unlike the expedition cruises I’ve been on, this trip is not as adventurous – more time to relax I hope. 

    Peace