Reykjavik, Iceland

Day twenty we arrived in Reykjavik.  Since leaving the Faroe Islands, the weather had not been favorable; rough seas and rain the entire way.  It looked like we would be facing more of the same as we prepared for our day's 8-hour excursion. 

We were headed for Iceland's 2nd largest glacier. In 50 degree temperature, which felt much colder because of the 35 MPH wind and rain, we boarded our "Super Truck" and headed out.  The $250 thousand vehicle was luxurious inside yet designed to handle the most difficult terrain imaginable.

On our way to the glacier we stopped at the Deildartunguhver Hot Springs.  Hot boiling water at 212 degrees was erupting from the spring at the rate of 180 liters per second.  This is the highest discharge of any hot spring in the world.  

Some of the hot, mineral-rich water is used by a nearby spa resort.

At this same geothermal location, two bore holes produce large quantities of hot water used to heat homes up to 40 miles away. The water is transported via insulated transmission pipes and provides the equivalent of 62 megawatts of energy.

A large greenhouse facility takes advantage of the "free" source of heat.

Just before lunch we stopped at a vista overlooking the the Hraunfossar waterfalls in Borgarfjordur. Miraculously, the sun appeared and created a rainbow over this exceptionally beautiful and unusual natural phenomena. 

The water seemed to magically appear from the lava but is actually a clear cold spring that surges through the ground forming hundreds of rapids falling into the Hvita River.

The series of waterfalls is formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 meters.

In the distance we could see Iceland's second largest glacier, Langjokull (meaning "Long Glacier").

After traveling 40 minutes across lava beds bare of any vegetation, we reached one of the glacier's many tongues.  As big and strong as our "Super Truck" was, the going was difficult and slow.  We were facing 40 MPH winds and heavy rain which made the glacier slippery and pitted with big, slushy potholes.

Walking around the glacier was an unforgettable experience.  Imagine trying to maintain an upright stance while walking on an uneven icy surface covered with water into a gale force wind driving rain in your face! It only took me a minute to realize the "Super Truck" was a better place and I retreated back inside.

Descending from the glacier we visited Thingvellir National Park where we viewed the rift created by the separation of the American and Euro-Asian tectonic plates.  Above is the ridge of the American plate, due to weather we could not see the Euro-Asian plate on the far side of the rift.  The plates continue separating at a rate of about 1-1/2 inches per year. 

At 6:00 PM we departed Reykjavik.  The weather was beginning to improve and we could see the skyline of the city with its 125,000 residents.