Did I mention how expensive Iceland is? It's not to the point where it has any really negative impact on your enjoyment of the country but it does keep you moving quickly so as not to run the metre too high. That's the way it was as we did a long drive through the very eastern part of Iceland along the ring road. Given the amazing landscape it would have been nice to linger a bit but we were on a tight schedule. There aren't any big must-see stops but it might have been our best day of driving- a big part of that was the weather which, in the morning, was as warm and sunny as any we had experienced here.  

For some reason, Dave B always ends up as our designated driver while I jump into the navigator role but only when the GPS unit starts directing us over a sheer cliff (after many years with Deb B, Dave has an alarming tendency to follow barked orders without question). The ladies sit in the back often times reliving childhood memories (apparently DH was something of a champion in a game that involved swinging around a ball inside a nylon stocking?), resolving unresolved and unresolveable family issues, and, on this trip in particular, comparing health issues. They were also assigned reindeer spotting duties and that paid off about halfway through the trip- Rudolph and his friends weren't too eager to be photographed but I think we actually chased them out of some isolated Icelandic farmers field (we saw a number of these incredibly isolated homes but we didn't see any people- do Vikings hibernate?).

We found where the road paving budget ran out and we had a somewhat scary dirt-road climb over the mountains. The weather changed dramatically as well- it got very cold, foggy, and windy- but we were starting to get used to the idea of seeing all four seasons in a single day in Iceland. 

At the end of Dave's driving adventure, we ended up at Myvatn and with plentiful hot showers being one thing you could count on in Iceland, Dave started tuning out any and all suggestions for any more scenic stops as he headed straight for the guesthouse- the water has a distinct sulphur smell but Dave is claiming that it's making his hair silky smooth and easy to comb. Icelanders have figured one thing out: they know how to live in harmony with their environment. They've transformed a volatile chunk of ice-covered volcanic rock into a geothermal paradise, fueled by the ice on its surface and the water and fire beneath it. The area around Myvatn is a microcosm of the entire country. They've harnessed the bubbling lava beneath them (the area includes the site of a major volcanic eruption known as the Krafla Fires of 1975-1984 and some areas of lavafields are still steaming, and there are solfataras and various lava formations everywhere) to provide home heat, warm their greenhouses, power their lights and provide Dave's hot water.

Hot water is also commonly used to sooth muscles at various spas including the Mývatn Nature Baths. After a full day of touring steaming sulphur fields, circling crater tops, and wandering lava fields we were just about ready for a dip. In order to make sure we were completely sore and deserving of a spa bath we also signed up for an Icelandic Horse ride around the lake area. And it was the one with the possible torn groin, DH, that was most vocal about going for a ride on these very unique animals. Icelandic horses are small, at times pony-sized, and are long-lived and hardy, but it's the long hippy-like manes and distinctive gait that are the most memorable traits- the gait makes for a very smooth and quick ride but you still don't do it with a groin injury!! 

After sliding off our horses, we did make our well-earned trip to the Myvatn Baths- the waters of this spa/bath are heated by the lava- the water has a temperature of about 130°C when it arrives at the lagoon but the baths themselves contain around 3.5 million litres of water with a temperature of 36 – 40°C. It was a nice way to end the day.