Trolls, Puffins and Whales

Icelander on his way to work

Day 7 (8/6/13)

The morning was supposed to start out with a whale watching excursion but because of wind the boat rescheduled us for the afternoon which was probably a really good thing because even with less wind the ocean was still pretty rough in the afternoon. At any rate we started our morning with a trip to Namafjal high temperature geothermal area. With its boiling mud pots and fumaroles, areas where steam containing sulfur hydroxide emerge through the surface, it makes for a powerful smell. The area around Namafjal is a wasteland do to the ground temperature. From there it is a quick drive to the Krafla geothermal power station where we took a tour of the facility and learned a little of how the geothermal energy is harvested to produce electricity. Krafla last erupted in 1984 and is a very active volcanic area but so far the electrical plant has managed to keep going since it was developed in 1977. Then it was off to Lake Myvatn “Midge Lake” area and Dimmuborgir “Dark Cities” for a hike through the natural land formations that conjure up visions of trolls and their surroundings. These formations were created by lava spouting up through a lava covered lake. After the water dissipated it left the lava towers, aches and caverns that remain. From the top of these formations you can see the beautiful midge lake with its pseudo craters in the distance. Next it was time to soak in the mineral waters Myvatn’s Nature Baths. No trip to Iceland would be complete without at least one visit to a hot spring Bath. After a soak and a quick lunch it was back on the bus to go back to Husavik for the whale watching excursion. This for me was one of the things that I had been most waiting for. By the time we got back the wind had died down a little and all looked good for a trip to sea. By the time Eileen and I got aboard the lower deck was crowded so we decided to be among the brave and go up to the upper observation deck right below the crow’s nest where the announcer sat. That was a great move because unlike the lower deck which could only see one direction we could see in all directions. Eileen capitalized on this and was one of the first to usually spot the whales. It was well worth the wind tossed ride and we spent the afternoon getting great views of Humpbacks, Dolphins, and one Minke Whale. We also had our first encounter with puffins which I had thought were much larger than they were. They were quite funny to watch but nearly impossible to photograph.  All good things must end so eventually we headed back to shore and our hotel for the evening meal and some well deserved sleep.   

Namafjal high temperature geothermal area

Mud Pot

Another mud Calderon

Fumarole

Rock Formation Arches

Eileen

Eileen in a Cave

Trolls that didn't make it home before the sun came up

Midge Lake

Myvatn’s Nature Baths 

Myvatn’s Nature Baths

Husavik from the Sea

Thar She Blows

Humpback

Eileen on Deck