Eskifjörður to Hali

So, here’s the arctic fox I mentioned in the last post. Cute little thing, uh? Turns out that, though still wild, she has adopted the cottages where we were staying, and hangs around regularly. She has become accustomed to people and we got to pet her. She played with me for a short time, even playfully biting my arm. Great way to welcome the morning.

The weather left much to be desired. Overcast, with very low-lying clouds shrouding the peaks, and intermittent drizzle. Take a look at this map of Iceland. On the far right, you will see how craggy the coastline is. This region is called Eastfjords. To drive this coastline from north to south, as we did today, you must follow the only road there is, which winds its way around each and every peninsula you see. With clear weather, this is a spectacle. With today’s weather, much of it was obscured, but with the occasional clearing it made for great visual impact.

Our lunch stop was in the town of Djupivogúr. Very enjoyable.

The highlight of the day, however, was visiting one of the estuaries of the Vatnajökull glacier. Small icebergs floating out to sea littered the space, all with different hues. Seals swam happily by. Vatnajökull is Iceland’s largest glacier, and it makes up 8% of the country.

We spent a long time at the glacier, but even longer at nearby Diamond Beach. The black sand is so fine, and the ice blocks lying on it contrast with it, creating a very unique environment. The roaring sound of large waves crashing against the bergs in the water add impact.

Brave man!

Tomorrow’s drive will be a long one. I hope we can make it to the next gas station on ¼ tank of gas. I’ve been told it’s an hour down the road. But I’ll worry about it then. Right now we all need a good night sleep.