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

From Reykholt to Husavik

Day 6 (8/5/13)

A couple of Trolls we met on our trip

Day three starts with a hike to the top and around the rim of an extinct volcano. Although the wind had died down a little since yesterday it was still quite windy when we get to the top of the crater. There are three craters in the Grabrokargiger system, Stora (big) Grabrok, Litla (small) Grabrok and Grabrokarfell. We hiked around Stora Grabrok but were able to see over into Grabrokarfell. There is a moss that is one of the first plants to take hold on the lava. When it is dry it turns almost white but gets greener as it gets wetter. When we started our tour around Iceland it was rather white but with the rain it was getting greener by the time we were done. Iceland is very particular about respecting their surroundings and stress protection of the vegetation. Heavy fines are leveled against anybody offroading or even walking in undesignated areas. Even cairn building was forbidden in certain areas like the craters. The vegetation is very fragile because of the newness of the environment. It was a good thing that we started the day with a hike because much of the day was spent traveling. We had to make it from Reykholt on the western coast to Husavik on the northern coast before we stopped for the night. Along the way we traveled through many beautiful valleys and fjords until we got to Skagafjordur known as the “Valley of Horses”. Eventually we  stopped at Akureyri, Iceland’s third largest city, for a visit with some Trolls and some shopping. After that it was off to Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) one of Islands most beautiful waterfalls which is saying a lot when they have so many. Legend has it that the local chieftain threw all of his sculptures of pagan gods into the falls when he converted to Christianity. Finally we made it to Husavik where we are going to stay for the next couple of days without having to repack in the morning.

Eileen on edge of crater at Stora Grabrok

Crater of Stora Grabrok

Grabrokarfell from rim of Stora Grabrok

Some Moss on edge of Crater

Ruins of lamb cots

One of many beautiful valleys

Godafoss

Taking the shot at Godafoss

OK one more

Day 2 From Reykjavik to Reykholt

Barnafoss "Childrens Falls" Photo by Eileen

Day 5 (8/4/13)

Today is the start of our actual tour. At 9:00 we are getting picked up at the hotel and starting our adventure. We have already met two couples that are going to be on the tour with us and had breakfast with them. Dan and Karen are from Madison, WI and Dawn and Hilda from Oklahoma.  We are starting with a quick tour of Reykjavik and then heading north along the west coast of Iceland. Our first stop is at the church that Eileen and I had toured yesterday but we came in from a different direction and get further information on it. Then it was off to the Hofdi House, the location of the summit meeting between Regan and Gorbachev which eventually led to the end of the cold war. Designed and built in Norway as a kit it was then shipped to Iceland and assembled on location. It has been the home of many famous Icelandic people through the generations and was the residence of the British consul during World War II. It is now owned by the City of Reykjavik. We finished our tour of Reykjavik with a trip to the hot water containment facility " Perlan". Like most of Iceland Reykjavik’s hot water comes directly from the ground. At the facility they collect the water from hot springs and store it for hot water and to heat their buildings in the city. It has been remodeled to contain shops a restaurant and a museum not to mention another observation deck and view of the city. After that it was back on the bus and up the coast and under a fjord to the Settlement Center at Borgames. It was very busy when we got there and kind of hectic. By the time we finally got in our patience was a little frazzled and the iPods were giving us problems so we eventually just rushed through and spent our time outside building our first cairns in Iceland. In the afternoon we continued north until we got to Deildartunguhver hot springs, the largest hot springs in Europe. The valley that Deildartunguhver is in has other hot springs and you can see plumes of steam from hot springs all over Iceland. We got back on the bus and headed to the first of many waterfalls that we would visit. Hraunfossar “lava falls” is unlike any other falls I have ever seen. The crystal clear spring water emerges as from nowhere under the lava fields. It then falls down into the white glacial river and eventually mixes and flows on. A short walk upstream brings us to barnafoss “children falls” where according to legend two boys were killed while crossing a land bridge that used to exist there and was later destroyed by an earthquake. Finally we are off to Reykholt “the smoky hill” where we are to stay for the night. After getting settled in at the hotel we walked to the home of the 13^th century scholar/writer Snorri Sturluson who collected and wrote down the Icelandic Sagas. We then toured the old church and new church with a lecture from the minister on the history of Snorri and the Sagas.  

Hofdi House

Perlan

View of Church from Perlan

Eileen on observation deck at Perlan 

Sculpture at Perlan 

Dragon Sculpture at Settlement Center

First Builds

First Build

Deildartunguhver hot springs

Deildartunguhver hot springs

Hraunfossar “lava falls”

Hraunfossar “lava falls”

Childrens Falls

Old Church

New Church

Return to Iceland

Day 4 (8/3/13)

It has been a while since I have posted anything. It has been one of those years. We have done stuff and some of it definitely blog worthy, it is just that when it has rained it has poured and I haven’t had time to write. I am now a grandfather and that in and of itself is a saga. He (Lil Wade) came two months early and had wanted to come a month earlier than that. His impatience forced his mom into spending five weeks in the hospital and Wade spending another month. The good news is that both mother and baby are doing well and are finally home and I am just about the proudest Grandpa ever. Now that everything has settled down hopefully I will have some time to blog.

 In 2007 my wife and I took our first out of country sojourn to Norway. We were scheduled to fly out of Minneapolis/St Paul airport have a short layover in Iceland and then fly on to Oslo. Unfortunately the plane had issues and we didn't get to fly out until the next morning. Subsequently we missed our connecting flight in Iceland and ended up spending o day there. Because of all our trouble the airline tried to accommodate us as much as possible. We found that we really liked Iceland and wanted to go back. So here we are. So far we have just walk toured Reykjavik but have found some interesting places. The first place of interest was a church not too far from our hotel. Hallgrimskirkja is a concrete marvel. Perched on the highest point of the city it makes for a great reference point anywhere in the city. It also has an elevator that for a nominal fee takes you up in the bell tower and gives you a breath taking view of the city. In front of the church is a sculpture of Leif Eriksson by Alexander Stirling Calder father of Alexander (Sandy) Calder father of the mobile. Iceland has a fierce pride in their artists and displays their work everywhere. Our final stop of the day was at the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur hot dog stand where we had to taste the fare of what has been described as the best hot dog stand in Europe, most famous restaurant in Iceland and has had many famous visitors including Bill Clinton and Andrew Zimmern. After that it was time to get a little shuteye since we have had little sleep since leaving the states.

Our first Hotel

Hallgrimskirkja

Pipe Organ in Church

View from Bell Tower

Another View from the Bell Tower

Leif Eriksson

World Famous Hot Dogs

Urness 1953-54

Day 3 (2/3/13)

As I continue to follow leads and send out e-mails I am slowly but surely finding new details of Al Urness’ trip south but I still have not found any more of his art. Somewhere there has to be a stash of his work, if nothing else his diary. I know that he displayed some of his miniature work at Eastern Montana College in 1955 but after that I haven’t been able to find anything. In the March 27^th Billings Gazette, I also found reference to Urness doing a mural in St Joseph, Missouri but again have found no examples of his work.  At any rate in this blog I am going to concentrate on his travels of 1953 and 54. He left Intake on July 1^st 1953 with outriggers and a new double paddle, and made it to the Missouri River on July 11^th. According to the July 14^th, 53 Bismarck Tribune “Urness took his first dunking of the year just north of Williston, Montana shortly after starting out for the year. Since he was wearing a life belt he claimed that no damage was done”. The next we hear of Urness is in November of 53 when he drifts into Chamberlain South Dakota. At Chamberlain he makes the second portage of his trip when the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers offer to give him and his boat a ride to Pickstown S.D. so he can avoid the slow current of the reservoir. The 1953 portion of his trip concluded in Vermillion S.D. on Oct 20^th. In the spring Urness left Vermillion and headed again down the Missouri River. Finally he reached the Mississippi River on November 21^st 1954. He continued on to Cairo, Illinois and arrived December 6^th. Here he spent the winter at the Tri State Boat Club on the Ohio River. By now he had become somewhat of a celebrity and at this point Urness said his kayak had been photographed over thirty times for various news papers and appeared on television programs at Sioux City, Iowa Omaha, Nebraska and St Josephs, Missouri not to mention radio shows. Over the last three years he had accumulated around 150 miniature paintings and pencil sketches with color notes and he expected to double that before the journeys end.

Urness On The Yellowstone

Al and Magic City at Billings

Day 2 (1/8/13)

At 9 o’clock Sunday July 27^th 1952 Al Urness set out from the east bridge on Harding road, Billings Montana to start his adventure up the Yellowstone and down the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. In the kayak named “Magic City” he plans on floating to the Gulf of Mexico and then sail on to Miami, Florida. He made his 8 ft craft out of salvaged aluminum with a width of 20 inches and a weight of just 40 to 90 pounds (depending on the article). It is equipped with two air tanks as flotation devises one mounted fore and one aft. Urness is depending on the kayak to also serve as a life preserver and has mounted ropes on the sides to hold on to in the event of capsizing. Again, depending on the article, he was either a good swimmer or couldn't swim at all. Apparently, he was able to try the buoyancy of his kayak on his trial run when he ran into a car body and a tree that forced him underwater but was saved by the built-in air tanks. Unfortunately, this wasn't the last time he was going to need the flotation devises. In the Billings Gazette from August 1 1952 he reported that he dumped the small craft 20 times on the rough Yellowstone River. The last one almost cost him his life.

 Urness wrote that Monday night about two miles below Pompey’s Pillar he and his craft were washed under a fallen tree. A rope around his waist and fastened to his paddle worked up around his neck, but he escaped with a "bad rope burn on my right forearm." Unable to hold the boat as he had done previously, Urness spent 24 hours about 15 inches above the whirlpool." Members of the Charles Althoff family heard his cries, investigated and Urness was rescued by Charles Althoff, who arrived in a motorboat "a feat of very good piloting, I assure you." Urness said he was too bruised, sore and tired to swim, the material in his pants wouldn't hold air to serve as a life preserver and the fork of the tree in which he was crouched had started splitting when help arrived. Althoff was helped by John Chappell, Jr., and a Mr. Grice, (winners in the June Laurel-Billings motorboat race), and Gene Crenshaw, all of Pompey’s Pillar, in fishing the upside-down kayak from the river a half mile below. All that was missing was a razor given Urness after he lost his first one in a spill just two miles from Billings.

After this event Al decided to follow the advice of some locals, who told him the river only got worse until Glendive, Montana, and shipped the boat on ahead to Glendive. Urness said that the “Magic City” was incredibly stable but wasn't built to sideswipe trees and boulders. From there he made his way slowly, about 15 to 20 miles a day, down the Yellowstone River. As he drifted he would draw sketches and make notes on the landscape which would later be used to make oil paintings. When he needed food or supplies he would stop and barter with his paint brush. He only carried a bedroll, a change of clothing and enough food to get him to the next stop. Eventually in September he made it to Intake, where the Yellowstone meets the Missouri, and decided to hole up for the winter. He spent the winter painting and doing repairs to “Magic City” which included some outriggers.

In search of Al Urness

Yellowstone and Missouri River Basin

Day 1 (1/1/13)

My first entry of the New Year is actually sort of a lost blog that I started in late 2012 but never got around to finishing.

 A couple weeks ago I got an e-mail from a lady who had seen a news paper article on an art show that my wife and I were having. She was wondering if I was any relation to a man who had created a painting she had bought at a thrift shop in California by an artist named Al Urness. She was hoping I could give her some information on the artist who did the painting. I explained to her that the Urness name came from a farm name in Norway and that without further information it would be hard to tell. My curiosity was peeked however so I did some internet searching for the artist Al Urness. Although, what I found was sketchy at best, his story is well worth telling. It seems that Urness was quite the adventurer and pioneer. In the earliest articles I can find, July 18^th 1952, he is about to embark on a kayak journey from Billings, Montana down the Yellowstone, Missouri and Mississippi rivers to the gulf. From there his plan is to rig a sail and sail to Miami. He plans to pay his way by painting landscapes and anything else people want along the way. He built his kayak from used aluminum that was donated to him by friends in Billings. Before dismissing Urness as a complete crackpot it is important to understand that by this time he had already spent time as an engineer in the military in France, traveled painting in 28 states and spent time sailing and kayaking in Iceland and France. I am guessing that the painting that the lady had bought was from one of those journeys. I will spend more time writing about the painting in a later blog. Over the next few blogs I will try to trace what I can find down river. 

First Mention of Urness in Newspaper.