Iceland from the Road, Part III

A very common but quite pretty roadside plant is…

MOSS CAMPION

These plants grow on top of rocks, assuming a round bowling-ball appearance. They are from the carnation family and are also called compass plants, since flowers always appear first on the south side of the growing area.

On our road trip to Iceland we did not expect to drive through so many…..

TUNNELS

It makes sense, however, to build a road through the mountains between fjords rather than winding around on top of them! But they are very long tunnels….. the longest is almost 6 kilometers, or 3.5 miles! If not prepared, you might think you will never emerge.

Iceland is home to…

MILLIONS OF BIRDS

….not even counting the puffins. Some of our favorites include, clockwise from upper right – the arctic tern, common snipe, whooper swan, oystercatcher, gannet, eider duck and whimbrel. (Please note that these are also not our photos….. )

In spite of the growing crowds of tourists descending on this country, the birds are still happy here, with plenty of fresh air, pristine water and just the right kind of vegetation and sea life. Below, a whole colony of gannets off the east coast:

In search of other kinds of animal encounters? You will find that Iceland has almost ….

NO MAMMALIAN WILDLIFE

The only wild mammal we have heard much about is the arctic fox, which is apparently quite shy…..

One Icelander we met, however, can attest to their existence. When Bessie Mae got stuck in some deep sand….

This outdoorsman was kind enough to rescue us with a winch and a rope!

It turns out that he is a part-time bounty hunter, who tracks and eliminates arctic foxes that threaten the baby sheep….. He confided that he had just taken out five of them for a reward from the authorities of 100,000 krona, just over $700 US.

While we are telling sad stories (tender-hearted animal lovers may want to look away) – this church was a road-side attraction, but wait….. what is that in the distance?

Never thought we’d actually see a beached whale, but this unfortunate bottle-nose met its end in the fjord behind the church. The wildlife people had been by to check on its provenance and take some samples.

An activity near and dear to Henry is collecting geological specimens, but Iceland has….

NO ROCK HOUNDS OR ROCK SHOPS

There are plenty of rocks…

But as we were informed by virtually every resident and guide we met, it is currently illegal in Iceland to pick up and take rocks and minerals.

Henry would also suggest that there is just not that much in the way of interesting stones….. which sounded plausible until we came upon Petra’s collection.

Petra worked in one of the fisheries by day, married and raised children, but also spent a good part of 60 years venturing into the nearby mountains, picking up rocks of interest. She amassed a stunning collection during her lifetime, which her family now manages as her legacy.

It’s an enormous display of a wide variety of incredible rocks and minerals.

We have concluded that rock collecting is not a pastime in Iceland because old Petra seems to have found all of them worth finding!

And although we have mentioned this previously, it doesn’t hurt to note one more time just how prevalent, beautiful and welcoming are the….

ICELANDIC HORSES

And now our time in Iceland comes to an end. From Reykjavik, our journey will continue on to Greenland and Arctic Canada on board an expedition cruise. More reports will come as opportunity permits!

Thanks to our friend Reiner who provided us with counsel and advice on our trip. He is a frequent visitor here (and everywhere!) and a fantastic photographer.

Hope those of you in Texas are surviving the oppressive heat dome without raising a sweat! Stay cool and stay tuned!