Iceland: Day 3

After Reykjavik, the next stop was the second biggest city, Akureyri, in the far north of the country. To get there, I took a different route than most would take. I took the Kjolur route through the barren interior highlands.

From Kjolur

It is the shortest route, but most people don't take it because it is a very rough dirt road. The first half or more of the route was much rougher than I had predicted; heavy washboard and pot holing forced me to slow way down to keep from rattling myself crazy. The interior passes a couple glaciers, lakes, and mountains, but is still a barren lava field for the most part. Along the way I made a couple of stops at Kerlingarfjoll and Hveravellir. Of the two, Kerlingarfjoll was by far the most spectacular. After a long drive to the base of the mountain,

From Kjolur

From Kjolur

you have to drive up a steep (I even got to use the low range!), rugged road up the mountain.

From Kjolur

At the end of the road there is a high mountain valley, with patches of snow and a stream. Vents of steam rise up from all over the valley and hillside. Wow. I wish I could have stayed there longer.

From Kjolur

Hveravellir was nice also for the number and color of its formations, but the location was not nearly as dramatic.

From Kjolur

From there, the road improved greatly and I was able to make it to Akureyri before it got too late.