iceland roadtrip
Iceland roadtrip: the Ring Road August 2011 Route 1 is an unassuming two-lane road that follows the Icelandic coast for 830 miles. It leaves the comforts of Reykjavik in a matter of minutes, giving way to family farms and the occasional N1 gas station, the de facto community center for most small villages. Once the capital city is behind you, settle in because the next big town you'll see is in 400 miles. The Ring Road serpentines in and out of fjords, across black rock desert and over blind hills on gravel roads. It skirts the largest glacier in Europe, bringing you to turquoise hot springs, iceberg-filled lakes and recent volcanic wastelands. Unexpected jags in the road are usually an effort to leave a troll's home undisturbed. Makeshift replacement bridges are a reminder that Mother Nature rules these parts. Icelandic sheep roam free, often cluttering the roadways and surprising drivers. Icelandic horses, protected from outside species for more than 1000 years line up to watch the cars whiz by. The diminutive arctic fox is the only mammal native to Iceland and the country's only (albeit timid) predator. Armed with a VW Polo, our trusty hiking boots and a AAA map, this is what we saw.
Vatnajรถkull, the Glacier of Lakes
Whale watchers to the right, whale hunters to the left.
Iceland HD Book 3