Ring Road Day 5: Mythic Lands

When I awoke I drove around Seyðisfjörður to see the spectacularly situated town in which I'd spent the night. It sits at the edge of a fjord, surrounded by steep mountains drizzled with frozen waterfalls. 

Near the harbor is a monument remembering the destruction of an avalanche constructed from girders twisted by the force of the avalanche itself. 

Driving out of the fjord's canyon I was amazed I was so successful driving it in the dark.

If you look closely you can see the little town by the water: 

Being a sucker for mythical creatures I of course had to visit  Lagarfljót, the river/lake home of the Lagarfljótsormurinn (Lagarfljót serpent). 

The main reason I went was to see some of Iceland's tallest waterfalls in the cliffs above the lake. The path quickly gave way to footprints in the snow, which I followed up to the first falls that cut through an impressive basalt embankment. 

The stream along the path had frozen over and then frozen over again when the water level was lower. The result was miniature cathedral-like ice caves full of pillars of ice that brought a grin to my face.

After quite a trek upward the 'path' leveled off and I walked along a cairn strewn overlook of the valley.

The second falls were the third highest in Iceland, and it is a testament to the cliffs of the country that these falls rate so low.

A slippery  hike back down later and I continued to a church whose doors are the replicas of an amazing 13th century wooden church door found there, which is now in the national museum (as I mentioned before). Obviously the church is new too.

This day was full of some of the best scenery I have ever driven through anywhere. The road winds along fjords and through naturally terraced mountains.

A local woman collected various jems and bright rocks from the region over the course of her life resulting in an impressive collection. The museum was of course closed for the season, but a portion was outside.

The exposed rocks broke open in colors I had never before seen produced by geology, while others were covered up by sheets of plastic (which were weighted in place by whale vertebrae).

Some of the collection was put together into odd alien and troll statues.

The drive onward continued to be spectacular as I wound along the coast beneath moss and ice covered gargantuan stone ziggurats.

I stopped for the night in Höfn, the tiny town that is the largest population center of the region. It also boasts a grand view of the glacier across the bay.

After using the library's internet, as well as outlets to charge my camera and computer, I declined to stay in a moderately priced guest house run by a person who answered the phone at the hostel, which was--you guessed it-- closed for the season. Instead I drove out towards a lighthouse outside of town and simply parked on the side of the road. It was cold.