Myke's Photo Gallery: Iceland Day 6: Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, Reynisfjara Beach, Kvernufoss, Skógafoss, Gljúfrafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Vík
September 10, 2021

Day List | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7


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Woke up and drove an hour to the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, where Justin Bieber apparently famously trampled some moss as he was shooting a music video and got in a lot of trouble with the locals. There was a short walk from the parking lot up to the top of the canyon where we got an amazing view. Took a handful of photos of the scenery and spent some time just admiring the view from the observation deck.

Similarily to the Stuðlagil Canyon, Harris and I found this mysterious grey box which turned out to be a people counter for the Iceland tourism board.

When we got back to the parking lot, we noticed that all of the other RVs traveling here had followed our lead by parking on the side of the road. There was quite the line-up. I guess renting an RV and driving around is really *the* thing to do here!

It wasn't on the agenda until the next day, but we noticed that we were driving past the black sand beach. We stopped at the nearby restaurant for lunch as Jillian searched for Skyr Cake. They had some there but it wasn't the same amazing recipe she remembered from her previous visit. Then we walked down to the beach and read the warnings about the "sneaker waves" which we had also heard about on the podcast. These surprise waves would sneak up on people and carry them out to sea and with the strong currents, several tourists had been killed. The water was fairly calm though and despite being on the lookout, we didn't see any sneaker waves. Instead, we saw these cool basalt columns that looked like they could have been in the Goonies movie.

Our next stop was a pair of waterfalls -- Kvernufoss and Skógafoss. To get to Kvernufoss, we parked in a museum parking lot and paid a small fee inside but then when I discovered a cool magnet, they gave us the parking for free. I wanted to check out the museum since it had all kinds of history about transportation in Iceland, but we were on a schedule, so I'll need to check it out next time. We took a short walk through a field and over a fence to see the Kvernufoss, which was one of my favorite waterfalls. This one was much less crowded than the others and had a dramatic approach as you rounded a bend to see it. It was also neat that you could walk up behind it to see... *the back side of water!* Jumped back in the RV and took a couple minute drive to the Skógafoss parking lot and campground. This one was definitely more crowded. There was a sign that the stairs to the top were 527 steps but Harris only counted about 427. There was a long hiking trail that you could take from here but we just went to the top for a few pictures and then walked back down. We had decided to do the top first which was a good decision because another trail took you to the base of the waterfall. Despite being a good distance away from the waterfall, we got *soaked* from the mist.

After changing clothes quickly, we set off for the next destination only to be stopped by a handful of sheep crossing the road. This time of year was the great sheep roundup where all of the farmers would go around to find the sheep who had been wandering all summer and then sort them by farmer. They used 4-wheelers to keep them on the road and chase them down the side of the mountain.

Another pair of waterfalls, we first stopped at the Gljúfrafoss and then walked on a short path to Seljalandsfoss which was also famous for being able to walk all the way around it. An hour drive from here back into the town of Vík where we managed to check into the campground before they closed! Had plenty of time for more games of Uno.

Field next to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, closed for flora protection
Field next to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, closed for flora protection
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon Pano
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon Pano
Looking down into Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Looking down into Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Field next to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon which reminded me of a Windows desktop wallpaper
Field next to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon which reminded me of a Windows desktop wallpaper
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon from the top
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon from the top
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon waterfalls
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon waterfalls
Looking down at the support structure for the observation deck
Looking down at the support structure for the observation deck
Myke and James at the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon observation deck
Myke and James at the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon observation deck
Artistic shot of the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Artistic shot of the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Harris inspecting the person counter at the parking lot
Harris inspecting the person counter at the parking lot
Street sign for road construction
Street sign for road construction
Jeremy started a trend with parking his RV on the side of the road and then me behind him then a bunch of others
Jeremy started a trend with parking his RV on the side of the road and then me behind him then a bunch of others
Hálsanefshellir Cave at the Reynisfjara Beach
Hálsanefshellir Cave at the Reynisfjara Beach
Paw prints on the Reynisfjara Beach
Paw prints on the Reynisfjara Beach
Reynisdrangar, basalt sea stacks at the Reynisfjara Beach
Reynisdrangar, basalt sea stacks at the Reynisfjara Beach
Reynisfjara Beach and Hálsanefshellir Cave
Reynisfjara Beach and Hálsanefshellir Cave
On the hike to Kvernufoss, James stops to take a photo
On the hike to Kvernufoss, James stops to take a photo
Kvernufoss
Kvernufoss
Approaching Kvernufoss
Approaching Kvernufoss
Kvernufoss from the side
Kvernufoss from the side
Ladies and gentlemen... the eighth wonder of the world... the back side of water!
Ladies and gentlemen... the eighth wonder of the world... the back side of water!
Video of the backside of water
Video of the backside of water
Short drive over to the Skógafoss parking lot and then hiking up supposedly 527 steps to the top (we counted like 427)
Short drive over to the Skógafoss parking lot and then hiking up supposedly 527 steps to the top (we counted like 427)
The top of the Skógafoss
The top of the Skógafoss
Myke on the Skógafoss observation deck
Myke on the Skógafoss observation deck
Side of the Skógafoss
Side of the Skógafoss
Skógá River, feeding the Skógafoss
Skógá River, feeding the Skógafoss
Walking back down the steps
Walking back down the steps
Video of Skógafoss
Video of Skógafoss
Myke and Harris getting soaked in front of the Skógafoss
Myke and Harris getting soaked in front of the Skógafoss
Herding sheep
Herding sheep
Gljúfrafoss
Gljúfrafoss
Walking from Gljúfrafoss to Seljalandsfoss
Walking from Gljúfrafoss to Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss from the side
Seljalandsfoss from the side
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss
Seljalandsfoss and the surrounding area
Seljalandsfoss and the surrounding area
At the Vík Campground with some questionable COVID-19 advice
At the Vík Campground with some questionable COVID-19 advice