The Traveling Widower

Tag: nature

  • The Last Waterfall (and Hike)

    A serene landscape featuring a river flowing through rocky terrain, flanked by tall cliffs under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    June 30th, 2026

    All things must come to an end, and that was today  – we boarded the bus this morning for a day of hiking, and then heading to Akureyri for our last two nights in Iceland. Tomorrow we visit a whale museum and then go on a whale tour. Woo hoo. Just what I need. Maybe I’ll see some breaching or lunge feeding this time. So today we are heading off to a huge waterfall, requiring a long hike to see it, followed by a hike to see some interesting volcanic features and cliffs, followed by a picnic lunch, followed by another hike to see a huge horseshoe valley. All this before 2PM, since we have a long drive to the hotel. I’d better speed up my hikes to 2nd gear.

    We are currently in the Iceland Highlands, which are not as heavily visited by tourists as Southern and Western Iceland, so the roads were fairly empty, and there were fewer tourist buses  to deal with. Unfortunately, the midges were still there in force. But, the weather was the best we had all week, with enough wind to drive the bugs away. I asked our naturalist where the midges go when it’s not windy. I’m probably the only person who has ever asked that – my mind works in very strange ways.

    The first stop was for the Dettifoss falls (foss by the way, means waterfall in Icelandic, so that was the Detti waterfall waterfall) – one of the largest based on the volume of water that flows through it. The viewing points are reached by another 2km hike, which gets you to a point close to the top of the falls. There is a trail going down to the water edge, which has been closed since a large fault was discovered running through this area. It may eventually collapse into the river. And of course, there were idiots who went down there anyway. It looks safe, so what could happen?

    The next viewpoint required a bit of careful hiking up and down a rocky stretch, which eventually leads to a boardwalk under construction. It did not look too hard, so I VERY CAREFULLY tipsy-toed through it – it was a fantastic view, so I’m glad I did that.

    A wide view of a powerful waterfall cascading over rocky cliffs, surrounded by a rugged landscape and dramatic cloud-filled sky.
    A barren landscape featuring large rocks and patches of grass under a partly cloudy blue sky.
    A dramatic view of a waterfall cascading over a cliff, surrounded by rocky terrain and green moss. The sky is partly cloudy with sunlight reflecting off the water mist.

    The second photo shows a black basalt layer that the trail climbed – it was not that high, but was still impressive.

    The next stop was a cliff hike, to see some amazing basalt cliffs and rock formation. This hike was a bit shorter, but also with a tricky section to negotiate. I”m getting pretty good at hiking through the rocky trails – the new Black Diamond collapsible hiking sticks are fantastic. Very slender, but very strong. The big volcanic feature was a lot like Devils Tower, but the basalt columns were bent and horizontal – looked like a bee hive honeycomb. Definitely worth the hike.

    A rocky mountain peak under a blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by rugged terrain and green vegetation.
    Scenic view of a large rock formation beside a river, surrounded by green vegetation and a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
    A serene stream flowing through a lush green landscape with scattered shrubs and trees, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

    The next stop was a picnic lunch (very small hike) – a nice sandwich, seasoned with more midges. It’s hard eating with mosquito netting covering your head but we all managed. The site also had very nice restrooms….that were free. A welcome change from the day before.

    The very last stop, Asbyrgi Canyon, is a huge, horse shoe shaped valley surrounded by gigantic basaltic cliffs, which according to legend, were created by a hoof print of Oden’s horse. Must have been really big. The trail head had an Icelandic name that is not pronounceable by an English speaking person. Utsynisstadur.

    I think it means viewing point. The hike was fairly easy and did lead to a boardwalk viewing area. Absolutely stunning. This valley at one point had a huge river flowing through it, and the end of the valley was a waterfall. So this I guess would our last waterfall for the trip. A fossilized one. There was also an huge island in the middle of the valley. Well, it was an island. Very strange geology. We walked up the trail to a second view point, also very nice, and had options for one a bit higher up the trail. There were caution signs at the start of this section which warned of dangerous rock fall. I decided to heed the warnings and headed back down on a beautiful flower lined forest trail back to the parking lot with most of the group. I figured I made it through 11 day of hiking without injuring myself. That’s almost a record for me. Time to call it quits while I’m ahead.

    A serene landscape featuring a calm, greenish lake surrounded by rocky cliffs and lush vegetation under a blue sky with clouds.
    A rocky cliff with a small waterfall, surrounded by green moss and a clear pool of water at the base, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

    The ride back to Akureyri was beautiful, running along the coast. We were just short of the Arctic Circle. Amazing glacier covered mountains across the fjord. The town is fairly large, with a small airport (we fly out to Reykjavik from here), and a lot of shopping, bars and restaurants.

    A large, humanoid puppet resembling an elderly woman stands outside a souvenir shop, with a shaggy fur coat and tattered clothing, looking down as if in thought.
    I’m not really sure what this was…

    A nice place to visit for a few days. I got to see some of it on a very long walk to buy some cough drops. I had a choice of walking up hill for a half mile, including a 100 step staircase which starts in front of the hotel, or take a leisurely stroll to a shopping mall, also a half mile away. I chose leisurely over steep. I’ve done enough of that the past 11 days.

    I probably will not post anything else until I get home….hopefully, I will have some photos of whales breaching and lunge feeding, but my expectations are low for the trip. I’ll just be happy to be out in what technically is the Arctic Ocean. 

    Peace. 

  • Plate Tectonics and Midges

    A lone figure walking across a barren landscape with steam rising in the background, under a blue sky with scattered clouds and mountains in the distance.

    29th June, 2026

    I think the main difference between this type of trip and the NatGeo cruises that I’ve been on, is that the land based trip do not have any sea time, where you can sleep late, hang in the lounge or library reading, work on photography, or just relax and do nothing. Even the activity days have a lot of rest time in between the morning and afternoon off-ship activities. This trip, you get up, have breakfast, and you are off for the day with multiple stops, a break for lunch, then back in the bus. I’m on day ten, and I’m running on vapors. But at least we had an ice cream stop today – that always helps. One scoop of vanilla and one of banana crunch. Yum!

    Today was a hiking day, amid some really interesting volcanic and rift related landscapes. First off was a walk-about at an area with a high degree of geothermal activity – Hverir Geothermal Area. There were lots of stinky, bubbly pools and a lot of smelly steam. Similar to some parts of Yellowstone. Another place where you do not touch the really hot water unless your are missing a few cylinders. This area has had recent volcanic activity, and has a major geothermal plant, with pipes and wells all over the mountain pass. 

    A desolate landscape showcasing arid hills and rocky terrain under a partially cloudy sky, with steam rising from geothermal areas.
    A geothermal area featuring steam rising from hot springs, surrounded by a rocky landscape and distant snowy mountains under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
    A geothermal landscape with steam rising from multiple vents against a cloudy sky.
    A geothermal area with steam rising from a vent, surrounded by barren land and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
    A large mud pot in a geothermal area, showcasing bubbling gray mud with swirling patterns, surrounded by cracked earth and various textures.

    Next up was a stop at a beautiful underground pool, which was along the actual rift zone (Grjotagja) – there is a large crack where the two plates are separating, so you can stand with one foot on the North American Plate, and the other on the European Plate. Really, I’m not making this up. This region has had a lot of activity along this rift, and the crack can be seen in a number of places. The pool at one time was a popular bathing spot – it’s a little tricky getting down to it, but worth the risk of falling into the water. 

    A panoramic view of a rocky landscape with a fissure, surrounded by clouds and distant mountains.
    A man in a black puffer jacket and sunglasses stands with his legs apart on rocky terrain, holding a hiking pole. In the background, a group of hikers and mountains under a cloudy sky can be seen.
    An underground cave featuring a clear blue pool of water, with rocky edges and natural stone formations above.

    That’s me straddling the rift zone. Impressive. The crack, not me.

    From there, we took a hike up the remains of a volcano, to see the blue lake in the large crater, created when the volcano blew its top. Something I do not want to ever witness close up. As Jimmy Buffet put it, “I don’t know where I’m gonna go when the volcano blow”.

    A serene volcanic crater lake with turquoise water surrounded by brown hills and overcast skies. Steam rises from a distant geothermal area in the background.

    As you can tell, this day so far was all about geology. It’s hard to avoid in Iceland. We had really good weather to this point – the sun was out, temperature relatively warm and not much wind. That’s both a blessing and a curse. In this region, there are swarms of small midges and when the wind dies, they are all over you – all openings on your face are fair game for them. It’s hard not to inhale them. The only thing that helps are head nets, which some of us had. By the time this day was over, we were all wearing one. Most of the food stops sell them. You are still surrounded by clouds of the darn things, but at least they are not crawling in your ears and nose. 

    After the crater hike, we headed off to lunch which also happened to be at the start of our longest hike of the day. The restaurant was packed – there were a few cruise ships docked in Akureyri, including a NatGeo/Lindblad ship. We had already seen a bunch of passengers, all wearing the same blue parka. We felt under dressed for the day. The restaurant was also strange about restroom use – you had to pay, or have lunch there, More on that in a bit.

    After lunch, we set off on our 2+km hike through Dimmoborgir, a very weird park with a set of trails which wind through some very bizarre volcanic structures. I won’t bore you with the geology – there are strange towers of basalt, many with holes large enough to walk through. It’s an absolute maze which would be easy to get lost in, but fortunately, the signage is excellent, and points you back to the parking lot. The hike was long enough to feel like it would never end. Fortunately it did. And it was fortunate for some of us that we made it back to the WC’s at the restaurant with time to spare. 

    A view of a large volcanic rock formation with a prominent arch, surrounded by smaller rocks and sparse vegetation.
    Unique rock formation with a prominent arch, surrounded by greenery and a cloudy sky.
    A jagged lava rock formation featuring a circular hole near the top, under a cloudy sky.
    Rocky landscape with rugged terrain and sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky.

    There was a pretty bird, singing away as we neared the end of the trail. I snapped a few before setting my speed record back to the restaurant.

    A bird perched on a branch, singing with its beak open, surrounded by green foliage.

    I was pretty pooped at the end of this little activity and it was still early afternoon. This is where a “sea day” would have come in handy. There were only two more stops to go and I was bound and determined to not sit these out in the bus. The next one was to view, and hike of course, a series of volcanic craters near the South edge of Myvatn – the hike was fairly easy, and scenery was fantastic. The craters reminded me of the Civil War crater at Petersburg National Battlefield. But bigger, and created by nature, not by war. This is where the ice cream stop occurred. My outlook on life improved markedly after the break. It was difficult eating ice cream without ingesting midges – unwanted protein. I found a free corner in the ice cream shop to lean against, and enjoyed the ice cream midge-free.

    A scenic view of rolling green hills surrounding a calm lake under a cloudy sky.
    A display of various ice cream flavors in a glass-fronted freezer, with colorful containers and a decorative design on the front.

    The very last stop was for some birding along the lake, not too far from our hotel. A short walk on an easy trail – not a lot of birds, but I did get a few nice shots.

    A duck flapping its wings while swimming in a body of water, surrounded by lush green plants.
    A group of seven ducks swimming in a green-tinted body of water, with six black and white ducks leading and one gray duck trailing behind.

    That was it – 13K steps and about 5.5 miles of walking. I was ready for a nap. I’ve given up on processing photos from the two cameras and phone. I’m doing enough for initial posts to the blog, but any serious sorting and curation will have to wait until I get home. I’ll do a ‘best of’ post once I get settled in.

    We did have an interesting dinner later in the evening, at a working farm a short distance from the hotel. The dining area has windows into the barn, so you can see the cows as they are fed and milked. Our table was right next to the windows, and I thought it would be interesting to face the cows while we had our dinner. I did not notice that we were facing the rear ends of the cows in their stalls. That was a very big mistake. You can probably guess why. I did not take any pictures other than this one. Ick. I just focused on my plate.

    Cows eating hay in a barn, with several animals visible through metal partitions.
    View of a dairy barn with cows lined up in stalls, seen through a glass window. Vintage items are displayed on a shelf above.

    Peace.