VITI, MYVATN, GODTHAFOSS, HUSAVIK (Day 8)

It was raining but the wind was down, so we decided to try Viti (aka 'hell') again. On the way, we passed a creek that was steaming!

This time we were able to walk down into the crater and touch the waters of 'hell.' We even noticed small bugs swimming in the water. We promptly identified them as 'denizens of hell'. When we finally decided to leave, we said 'ah, hell with it' then drove like 'bats outta hell'... tempted to warn people that 'if you take this road, you'll go straight to hell!' Suffice to say we had endless fun with it!

We stopped by Grotjagja again for a quick visit. The place was just so peaceful and still... and warm!

We then drove around the large Myvatn lake. While it looks quite impressive, it's only an average of 8 feet deep. It was formed some 3,500 years ago. In spite of there being no wind, which led to impressive glass reflections from the lake, our bug friends remained at 'barely tolerable' levels.

We headed back up north.

Godthafoss means Waterfall of the Gods. This impressive 40-foot expansive falls was the site where the Icelandic leader, Porgeir (leader of Althing, the first Icelandic parliament), chose to accept Christianity for the people of Iceland 1,000 years ago and threw statues of his former god, Odin, into the roaring waters.

A nearby bridge gave us a view over Skjalfondafljot, the country's fourth largest river.

Once again we drove up to Husavik. Even though the weather didn't seem all that different from yesterday, the whale watching tour was running. We had some time before it left so we enjoyed the whale center with its many skeletons and information.

It was a rough ride on the Nattfari (a converted fishing boat) over large swells to a bay where we saw only one Minke whale who surfaced several times while feeding. All the others had apparently already migrated this late in the year. We came within a mere 30 nautical miles from the polar circle. On the way back, we were served some cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate.

We then drove to Akureyri, the second biggest city in Iceland, in the pouring rain. There was fresh snow on the nearby mountains. Once the rain and the wind died down a bit, we set up the tent. But shortly later, it was pouring again.

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