Category: Through Fire and Ice

This summer will be hot! Not particularly surprising, but the chart below provides another compelling reason not to be in this part of the world over the next few months:

So we are heading out in a few days for Iceland and beyond… will pick up a tiny motor home in Reykjavik so that we can circumnavigate the island over the next few weeks.

Iceland is called the Land of Fire and Ice – “fire” for the extensive geothermal activity there (we hope for a volcanic eruption!) and “ice” for the subarctic conditions that include glaciers and a permanent ice sheet that covers a portion of the island.

The term “Fire and Ice” always brings to mind a short poem that doesn’t have anything to do with this, but I happen to like it a lot.

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

Robert Frost

Love the meter and rhyming scheme. “They” just don’t write poetry like that any more!

But hopefully this blog will NOT be about the end, but about a new part of the world we have only dipped our toes into before – the Arctic.

The word Arctic is derived from the Greek word “arktos”, or bear – referring to the northern constellations known as Ursa Major (Big Bear) and Ursa Minor (Little Bear). These constellations incorporate the features known as the Big and Little Dippers. The North Star, or Polaris, is part of Ursa Minor and has been used for centuries in navigation to establish the direction of true north.

Perhaps only coincidentally, the Arctic is home to the polar bear, one of the largest land predators in the world.

The Antarctic, at the southern tip of the planet, was named to establish it as the opposite of the Arctic region. It’s also fitting since there are no bears there.

Hope you will follow us as we again seek cooler climes!

Earlier this year we ventured on a road trip west to Rock Hound Mecca – Quartzsite, Arizona. In January and February each year, the population goes from less than 2,000 souls to more than a hundred thousand, virtually all of whom are visiting in RVs and campers. These folks are by and large “mature” retirees – distinguished, however, by their vigor and energy, zooming around town and the nearby hills in ATVs and eating way too much junk food in the local eateries. (They generally will not become a burden on society and their families for another 10 or 20 years!)

They come for the swap meets and rock and mineral shows, as well as the camaraderie of their fellow oldsters! Here is a view of the town from our powered parachute, the big rock show in the foreground and camping areas spread out for miles around:

Henry was in hog heaven buying rocks, participating in auctions, visiting wholesalers, trading stuff and sharing stories and experiences with like-minded rock enthusiasts from around the world – Argentina, Germany, Afghanistan, Mexico and more.

Our camping space was far out of town, where we had space to launch the powered parachute. Raider was along for the ride!

Marfa, in far West Texas, had a fabulous rock shop that provided several days of browsing (and purchasing) for Henry’s rapidly growing collection.

Fascinating and friendly people along the way…..

Cousin Galen and his wife Mary were consummate hosts at their winter getaway in Green Valley, AZ – where we played golf (!) and helped prepare a meal for some homeless folks in Nogales near the Mexican border.

Of course, no road trip is complete without a breakdown of some sort – in this case, a flat tire near sunset along the border…..

Back on the East Texas home front, Henry processed some of his finds in his lapidary shop (wearing the very latest in protective gear):

His wares were displayed (and a few sold) at special Farmer’s Market events in Nacogdoches, here with daughter Ivy and grand Morgan helping out.

Visitors always receive geology lessons……grands Jake and Mallori here.

A long-postponed project realized – installation of heavy iron doors from an old kiln on the barn. Another heritage item preserved!

And that brings us more or less up to date since last year’s journey to South America and Africa. Looking forward to getting out and about again!

In Boston for a couple of days before our leap further north, we saw several historical sites, but one was particularly intriguing –

Victory gardens were established in the US shortly after it entered World War II as a way for private citizens to grow their own food, freeing up larger agricultural efforts to support the military. At their height, victory gardens supplied more than 40% of the fresh fruit and vegetables consumed in the US! Boston’s Fenway Victory Gardens is the only such garden that has remained in continuous operation at its location since its inception over 80 years ago. It is a lovely oasis of more than 500 small tenderly-cultivated plots in the heart of the city (now featuring flowers and ponds as often as comestibles…)

A local eatery reminded us of the theme of our ultimate destination.

And off we went, with an intriguing view of Greenland along the way.

The Icelandic language is closer to Old Norse than modern Norwegian is…. With some very difficult sounds for American English-speakers – including me, obviously. The name of the Land of Fire and Ice is….

We flew into the capitol city, site of the famous 1972 Cold War competition between American chess player Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky…. pronounced, more or less…..

The name of the international airport is roughly –

I intend to continue mangling the language as we go along, in a feeble effort to learn something new and exercise my remaining viable brain cells. Although it is almost totally unnecessary, as everybody here speaks near-flawless English.

Our primary residence for the next 25 days…..

Our first incident….. on Day 2! Stuck in the mud after a torrential rain!

Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers with a winch! A very nice couple from Switzerland pulled us out of the muck.

And one of Henry’s favorite activities in a new country – visiting the local thrift store!

Preliminary activities taken care of, the next posting will include some fabulous photos of this beautiful country……

Weather being very changeable, we were extremely fortunate to have a clear and sunny day for our helicopter tour….. first, over the volcanic area near Reykjavik, where there was an active eruption as recently as a year ago!

From there, over some amazing inland water features…..

And across glaciers and over the Highlands in the central part of the country, which are accessible on the ground only by 4-wheel drive vehicles, and then only for a couple of months in the summer.

Iceland has innumerable waterfalls…. The pilot landed the helicopter so we could approach and admire this one, Haífoss, on foot.

Sightseeing from the air is such a treat….. this video illustrates the thrill of rising over a landscape that is breath-taking from any angle.

We moved on from the Reykjavik area north to a peninsula called……

Henry enjoyed walking along the beach; most of them here feature black sand derived from volcanic material…. Here he is with the “lava” his life:

And a pilgrimage to a Game of Thrones filming site, known in the show as Arrowhead Mountain, north of The Wall.

It was mostly covered in snow and ice in the film…… spectacular in any event!

From the Snæfellsnes Peninsula we took a ferry from Stykkishólmur to Brjánslækur in the Westfjords, a region with stunning scenery that is somewhat off the beaten track.….

Látrabjarg is the site of 14 kilometers of impressive cliffs that provide nesting places for approximately a zillion birds…. Gannets, guillemots, razorbills and puffins, among others. (We were there at the wrong time of day for puffins… apparently they spend their afternoons fishing in the ocean.)

June is Pride Month…. And we noted that Icelanders are either very proud, or else fond of the rainbow!

Salt in the olden days was a precious commodity, traded all over the world. The industry was abandoned in Iceland at one point, but resuscitated in the Westfjords not so long ago. The processing facility was next to one of our campgrounds.

Five different types of salt to try – flaky, seaweed, licorice (!), birch-smoked and lava… all of them processed from Greenland Sea water in this remote facility and shipped around the globe!

We very much enjoyed visiting about world issues with the young Croatian salt maker.

And at last, Henry got a chance to acquire a vehicle license plate from Iceland, trading it for an old Texas plate…

A few words about our (mostly) trusty vehicle and the camping experience. We are generally required to overnight in established campgrounds. Reiner, the like-minded traveler we met in Namibia last year, has been to Iceland many times and gave us suggestions and directions to one or two “special” camping spots….. like this one….

This poor motor home (I’ve been calling her Bessie Mae) has been through many rodeos, and creaks and moans a lot as we take advantage of her features. After several days of intense searching, we finally found a can of WD-40, which Henry generously applied to some of Bessie Mae’s tender joints. She is very grateful.

Bessie Mae is bigger than what we expected, with a nice eating area….

A little kitchen space, teeny bath with toilet and shower, two bunk beds where we store our luggage, and a bed that descends from the ceiling for sleeping!

Although we generally prefer to find remote areas to spend the night, we have had great luck with beautiful campgrounds, in spite of having neighbors……

And remember – this far north at this time of year, the sun never fully sets. Here is midnight in another lovely place:

A view we are all rich enough to share!

(Lest you think I have turned coward, please know that I will in fact mangle some more place names in a future post or two! Stay tuned!)

Husavík, on the north coast, is the Whale-Watching Capital of Iceland…. Also the location for the film “Eurovision Song Contest – Fire Saga”, a cute comedy with Will Farrell and Amy McAdams that was largely filmed in this small town.

The movie is not great cinema (although its theme song was nominated for an Oscar!), but it is a charming travelogue for the area. Many scenes were shot in the harbor in front of the sailing schooner Opal, which was our home for 3 days, along with 10 other passengers and crew members.

The Opal is a sailing ship….. and when not under sail, it is powered silently by its hybrid electric motor, which makes for peaceful cruising that is far less likely to startle the surrounding marine life.

With teeny cabins….

Cosy dining room…

But lots of deck space and incredible weather….

There was even an onboard hot tub!

The first mate caught a fish!

The onboard marine biologist dredged the water from time to time, expecting to find lots of plastic and other pollutants, but it actually came up pretty clean (the pinkish material is a marine invertebrate, kind of like krill).

A major activity was looking for whales… blue whales and lots of humpbacks were spotted…

White-beaked dolphins and beautiful calm seas….

The itinerary included Grimsey Island, where a giant gray sphere denotes the location of the Arctic Circle.

Also onshore were semi-abandoned villages …. And a cunningly-designed knitted cover for the township trash container.

And puffins nesting among rocks on the shore!

A fellow passenger breaks out some hardfiskur, a traditional dried fish snack that is quite popular….. although some people like to play with their food before they eat it.

The sailing experience was a wonderful way to meet local people and see the island from a different perspective.

More of Iceland from the land later!

Here are some of the things you will notice on a road trip in Iceland.

Well, first and foremost …..

BREATH-TAKING SCENERY

Of course, more of this later..

You will also see…….

WATERFALLS

Mountainous terrain + glaciers + plenty of water = lots of waterfalls.

It’s a pity because after a while, you simply don’t notice any more just how spectacular they are.

Did I mention……

GLACIERS?

About 11 percent of Iceland’s land area is covered by glaciers. Lots of people like to hike or take a boat ride to see them up close.

One thing you will not see is…

TREES!

Iceland was first settled in about the 9th century by Norwegians….. and one of the first things they did was to clear those pesky trees to make way for raising livestock and planting crops. What they did not appreciate is that poor soil and a harsh climate would inhibit natural regrowth, and the island was stripped of trees in only about 3 centuries.

To be fair, there are significant reforestation and soil conservation efforts under way, but they are up against so many years of neglect. It would be easy to become discouraged. As one Icelander pointed out to Henry, it can take 17 years for a seedling to grow to just shoulder height….. to which the wise forester replied, “The tree you don’t plant will never grow at all.”

And although not actual trees, you do see a lot of upside-down driftwood (most of which we are told comes from Russia) used as decoration or signposts…

And then there are the descendants of the livestock the Norwegians were so anxious to establish here….

SHEEP

Sheep are everywhere. There are more than twice as many sheep as people in Iceland.

At this time of year, the adult females always have two babies with them (don’t ask about other seasons….. lamb is a very popular dish here).

During the frequent rainy, cold and/or windy weather, they get a little shelter in hollows in the hillsides….

In addition to providing meat, the sheep produce wool which is most popularly used for knitting….

ICELANDIC SWEATERS or LOPAPEYSA

Knitting has always been a pastime in Iceland – a good way for both men and women and even children to spend the long winter nights. People have knitted here for hundreds of years, but the lopapeysa gained popularity in the mid-20th century, possibly as a symbol of Icelandic identity after it gained its independence from Denmark in 1944.

Even Jesus is depicted wearing one on an altarpiece in a Christian church on Flatey Island…

Getting back to the after-effects of deforestation, one bit of flora you see all over Iceland is …..

LUPINE (pronounced loop-en in English)

After World War II, Iceland decided to try to reinvigorate the vegetation which had been destroyed in the past by finding new plants and trees that could establish quickly and hold and nourish the soil. Its Forest Service director went to Alaska and brought back several species, most notably the Alaskan lupine, which was introduced in 1945.

A pretty flower – not unlike the Texas bluebonnet on steroids – it has spread all over the country. And although it has been wildly successful in enriching the soil, there are Icelanders who consider it an invasive species and are dedicated to eradicating it from many areas. Love it or hate it, lupine has become a distinctive part of the landscape.

Another part of the scenery….

TURF HOUSES

With a lack of lumber following deforestation, Icelanders began using turf in building (the above dating to the 12th century). Turf provides good insulation in a cold environment, and was abundant in inhabited areas.

More from the road later!

(Just a reminder – if you receive the e-mail version of the blog, be sure to click on it to open it in your browser so you can see the videos!)

Puffins are without doubt the biggest wildlife draw in Iceland. They are completely adorable. Click on this photo to see a brief example…..

What is the appeal? Maybe because they have an unusual appearance – the clown eyes, duck-like feet, short wings. Unlike penguins, they can fly, but are pretty clumsy-looking when they do (which is very endearing). Or they just seem to have something to express – flapping their wings, twisting their heads around to check out the surroundings, bumping beaks, hopping around. Our tendency is to give human attributes to these behaviors, when instead they are all simply part of being a puffin. But the cute doesn’t stop there; baby puffins are called…….pufflings! Just adorable.

Many places in Iceland claim to be the best or biggest puffin colony, but this one at Borgarfjördur Eystri gives the easiest access to them, as well as several other types of birds.

There is even a blind where you can watch them comfortably for as long as you like….

It’s easy to laugh at their less-than-elegant flying, but they are also quite accomplished swimmers and divers, and have a unique beak that allows them to spear multiple fish at one time….

Puffins are so popular that most souvenir shops feature extensive puffin-inspired merchandise.

….. so prevalent that souvenir stands here are called “puffin shops”.

More about this later, but we would give a huge second place in the animal popularity contest to the Icelandic horse.

Striking creatures – with compact, sturdy bodies and long manes, they are also very friendly and fun-loving!

We just had to go for a ride….

Most horses have three gaits – walk, trot and canter/gallop. Icelandic horses have at least four (sometimes five), which always include a faster-than-a-walk but smoother-than-a-trot gait called “tölt””

Our companions on the horse outing were excited to receive special polished rocks from Henry’s collection! (One is from the Netherlands, the other from Spain….. seems like no one here in the tourist industry is local….)

Catching up on the blog postings….. more to come in the next few days!

A survey showed that more than 50 percent of Icelanders believe to some extent in elves! There are many theories as to why – which we will not delve into here – but you can see evidence of this in …..

ELF HOUSES

Sometimes you see representatives of the inhabitants, but one characteristic of elves is that you cannot see them… unless they want to be seen.

Kind of creepy…. In the aforementioned Will Ferrell movie, elves possibly played a pivotal and gruesome role in the direction of the plot!

The “fire” part of the Land of Fire and Ice has to do with geothermal activity, including notably…..

VOLCANOES

The most historically active volcano in Iceland is Hekla – here is its last big eruption in 2000.

And now (not quite so visually exciting)…..

A couple of other inactive volcanos today….

All of this geothermal activity gives rise to hot springs with fumaroles and mud pots….

which Icelanders love to corral into pools and soaking tubs they call….

HOT POTS

Often you see this sign at the side of the road.

This means there is a hot spring, pool or tub available for public use…. In this case, the village built these tubs overlooking the fjord.

A beautiful site for soaking away the aches of elderly limbs.

The abundance of water from glaciers and springs means that you see almost…..

NO PLASTIC BOTTLES

Delicious water for drinking comes straight from the tap. In a country like this where restaurant meals are quite expensive, the best bargain – which is absolutely free of charge – is…..

Icelanders are serious about caring for the planet…. A village grocery store has this center for filling reusable containers of soap, shampoo and cleaning products.

Enjoying our favorite informal meal – an order of fresh fish and chips….

Note that every service item is paper-based, and therefore compostable and renewable.

Not a speck of styrofoam in evidence!

Vegetable and fruit crops are hard to grow here due to the short growing season. Ambitious farmers are turning to….

HOTHOUSES

for growing seasonal produce. Móthir Jörth near Egilsstathir is an organic farm that has traditionally produced mostly barley …… now branching out into hothouse tomatoes….

The proprietors have lovely accommodations in a rare woodland setting, and also serve fabulous vegetarian meals with fresh food grown in their gardens.

Less healthful is the Icelanders’ affection for candy, generally called…

NAMMI

Over time, their taste in sweets has centered on licorice….. especially (and strangely to our palates) paired with chocolate.

In the name of adventure, we had to try a selection.

These candies are such a popular treat that they are often sold on Saturdays at a special discount in bulk…. And the kids go crazy.

More later!

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!

One last note about Iceland…. And an opportunity to share a favorite photo:

Downtown Reykjavik with the Harpa Cathedral in the distance…. The rainbow street is not just for Pride Month, but emblematic of Iceland as a year-round LGBTQ-friendly destination. Icelanders are independent and respectful of the rights of others to live as they see fit. Vive les differences!

Getting back to …… GREENLAND!

Their flag represents the midnight sun…. And the ice that covers more than 80 percent of its surface.

Greenland is the biggest island on the planet, a bit more than 3 times the area of Texas….. but the most sparsely-populated country, with fewer than 60,000 inhabitants. Since it is covered with ice and glaciers, people live along the coastline in small communities.

Although a member of the kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is geologically a part of North America, sharing space on the same tectonic plate…..

…. Which – much as we hate to admit – would provide some rationale to the idea of our former president that the US should buy the island as a logical extension of its sphere of influence (!)

Scandinavian Vikings (mostly from Norway) first established small settlements along the southern coast beginning in the 9th or 10th century – at approximately the same time, give or take, as Inuit people emigrated to the north from what is now Canada. The Inuit livelihood was already adapted to Arctic conditions, with primary food sources from seals and other marine life. The Norse settlers on the other hand brought with them livestock and crops that ultimately proved unsuited to the harsh environment. The Norse communities shrank and were ultimately abandoned in the 15th century. The last record of their presence was a wedding in 1408 at this church on Hvalsey Fjord:

The Inuit people survived here through the ages, and represent more than 85 percent of the population today.

This is an “expedition” cruise…. a small ship going to remote parts of the world, with programs and adventures that emphasize nature – flora, fauna, geology and ecosystems – as well as the local culture of the places visited. In this part of the world, glaciers and icebergs are part of the scenery.

The weather changes frequently and dramatically.

Trips in small Zodiac boats get us closer to the icebergs, glaciers, waterfalls, bird colonies… and an old wreck in one of the harbors.

Of course, our ship is much nicer……

Our journey has taken us to the capitol city, Nuuk (population about 20,000), as well as to the much smaller communities of Qaqortoq and Paamiut.

Interesting sculpture dotted the natural contours of Qaqortoq:

Apparently Greenlanders have problems with the invasion of the spiky flowering lupine as well…… this worker was diligently pulling up the plants, and Henry gave him a hand.

Henry did his bit to bolster the local economy with purchases from local rock hounds!

We’re always on the lookout for creative uses for shipping containers…..

But happy to return to the relative civility of shipboard life…..

Adverse weather resulted in cancellation of another community visit, and the ship is moving on to Nunavut province in Canada’s far north……