Hello again, Blogonauts! The average visitor to Iceland spends only 2-or-3 days in the country, hangs out mostly in Reykjavik (plus soaking in the Blue Lagoon hot spring), and if they take one day-trip outside the city, it is to visit Iceland's "Golden Circle." In contrast, my itinerary has been to spend more than 2 weeks in the country, to bypass the Blue Lagoon and see the Fagradalsfjall volcano instead, and then to devote 10 days to driving the ent...

Hello again, Blogonauts! On my last day traversing Iceland's Ring Road, the sights were dominated by Vatnajökull (VAHT-nah-YUR-kut) or the Lakes Glacier. This giant popsicle holds all sorts of superlatives. It covers more acreage than does the state of Delaware. It is the second largest glacier in Europe (surpassed only by a glacier on an obscure arctic Russian island). As recently as 1996, volcanoes beneath Vatnajökull have contributed to significant...

Hello again, Blogonauts! What can I say about Iceland's Eastfjords? Well honestly, I could say quite a bit. Today was about ogling scenery. And as the adage goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." By my reckoning, I saw enough natural beauty to empty the dictionary…at least the collegiate edition. I would love to share more actual images from today's leg of the journey, but unfortunately, my ooh-ing and ahh-ing occurred while both hands w...

Hello again, Blogonauts. Not much verbiage from me this time around. (Stop your cheering, you kumquats!) I encourage you, however, to check out photos and a video clickable in the tabs above. Today was largely devoted to driving further along on Iceland's Ring Road, essentially from Lake Mývatn to the Eastfjords. The scenery on this portion of the route had fewer jaw-dropping highlights, but some side trips more than made up for multi-square-miles of lav...

Hello again, Blogonauts! On Saturday my interests turned once again to the heat beneath our feet…in other words, moments when earth's internal smelter leaks out onto the surface. I am still in northern Iceland, but momentarily I've left the fjords and fishing fleets behind and am in the inland region around Lake Mývatn (MEE-vahtn). At 14 square miles, it's a sizable pond. The absence of motorized boats and the presence of nutrient-rich waters make...