June 29: What a Blast!
What a blast! The Vesturland Peninsula in Western Iceland is chock full of natural wonders – multi-tiered waterfalls cascading down jagged rocky cliffs, black sand beaches framed by rippling white and grey waves, glacier-covered mountains towering above little villages, and even the remnants of a volcano that exploded several thousand years ago.
Waking up this morning underneath a delightfully warm down comforter, I had hoped to see sunshine poking through the leaky wooden frames of my guest house – originally built in 1914. Alas, my weather app indicated there would be fog all day with temperatures remaining below 50 degrees.
Determined to explore the peninsula regardless, I ate a hearty breakfast, donned my electric gear, and headed west. Shortly after the town of Grundarfjordur, I pulled over at the Kirkjufellsfoss Waterfalls, nestled below the Helgrindur mountain range and facing the Breidafjordur Fjord.
It was hard to think of the drizzle and fog when staring at the magnificent views from the top of the waterfall looking out to the sea as well as from the bottom of the waterfall gazing up at three different rocky ledges all with multiple streams of water cascading down to the stream below. The bright white froth of the falls stood in marked contrast to the deep green grass surrounding it as well as the large craggy snow-capped mountains above it.
Continuing around the western end of the peninsula, I passed the little town of Hellissander and turned off at the Saxholl Crater, formed by the outward explosion of rocks from a volcano several thousand years ago. The stark crater is formed by dark brown and black volcanic bits of rock and is largely devoid of vegetation. After climbing almost 400 steps to the top, I stopped to enjoy as much of the view as I could with fog still covering most of the area.
Heading east now along the southern edge of the peninsula, I was able to see black sandy beaches, rippling waves topped with white foam, the Heidinha mountain range north of me, and green fields with grazing sheep off in the distance.
The last segment of today’s ride required my full attention as I battled strong crosswinds, mile upon mile of thick gravel patches in the road, chip seal, and poor visibility. At one point traffic was stopped because a car had lost control and gone into a ditch. Today was rather symbolic as I finished a complete loop around the island after leaving the same city a week ago. What an adventure!
