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Day 4
Another wet day, but thankfully it rained when I was sleeping. Woke up at 6:00AM and was out on the road by 7:45AM. I had to backtrack for a few miles, which meant head out the same way I drove into the town. The drive started of under a cloud of mist as you pass fishermen working at the docks. As you continue you are hit with a massive wall of a hill. It goes up so high and into the clouds that you never know where it ends. I apologize for being dramatic but anyway I thought it added a bit of mystery to the morning.
If you are one of those types who just enjoys driving like me, the next few hours were an absolute delight. The Westfjords is basically a large peninsula with a mountainous terrain and lots and lots of dirt roads with a population of less than 10,000. Most of the roads here are closed off during winter. You might feel the way I am describing it, it sounds like a terrible place to drive, but believe me it was the best time I had in Iceland - "here on the road".
The drive starts of by going through fields of jagged volcanic rocks lined with blankets of light green spongy moss. You don’t see a single tree during the first bit, but lots of moss and grass. You don't see a single soul anywhere in this region either, well actually in most parts of Iceland other than Reykjavik.
The dirt road twists and turns, climbs up and falls of the cliff (in a manner of speaking). A bit of a challenge if you don’t have the right car, but the landscape shifts from lava rocks to ocean views to wide open meadows. Even the hills have a different shape to them here. It’s like they are slanting down into the water and waiting to slip in any moment for a dip. And once in a while you see a lonely cottage which adds to the landscape. I pulled over a few time to just take in the vast open views and admire what we miss living in cities. The idea of buying land and settling down into a life of farming did cross my mind. I could easily have spent days hiking those hills. Even the bridges in these parts are made of sand, stone and gravel. No steel rods or metal bearings. Whether it was done intentionally or not, the design does fit into the landscape perfectly.
After a quick stop for gas, food and ‘kaffi’ I settled into the longest stretch of driving so far. But the hills, valleys, lakes and lagoons are there to keep you company all the way. You pass a couple of interesting photo ops along the way like a moored old steel ship rusting away to time and weather and a United States Navy plane with its propellers sitting separately by themselves. The last 20 miles were on dirt road, but it wasn’t in the best condition and felt pretty narrow while climbing up the hill. What made it even more of a challenge was that 2 cars would be a tight fit driving in opposite directions with no steel railings in most places. You cross a beach with clear blue water set against sand, gravel and grass on the way to the “Látrabjarg” cliffs
All of this trouble to see the puffins and the cliffs at “Látrabjarg”. It was a perfect day with the Sun shining bright. The “Látrabjarg” is the westernmost point in Iceland and home to thousands (maybe millions) of birds. The cliffs themselves were worth the drive and the puffins were extremely cute to look at. I must have spent a good 45 minutes lying face down on the grass at the edge of the cliffs to catch some shots of the birds. They are like little chunky penguins with bright colored beaks and legs.
Drove back on the same dirt road and then onward to “Dynjandi” waterfalls which means thundering noise. The waterfall has a different shape to it as it looks like its flowing down multiple steps. There are plenty of smaller waterfalls along the way as you ascend up to the largest one. Each one of them is different in their own way. Once you reach the top, make sure to turn around and I am absolutely sure you would be blown away by the sheer magnitude of the setting.
Checked into “Hótel Flókalundur” for the night a bit earlier than expected, so I had some time to actually sit down for a proper meal in 3 days. Took the time to walk around the hotel as it was set
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