GRABOK, HRAUNFOSSAR, KRYSUVIK (Day 10)

Today was our last full day. We had a lot to see still!

Grabok is the largest of three craters situated along a fissure that formed less than 3,000 years ago and runs for about a third of a mile in the Ljosufjoll volcanic system. Stairs led up the hill through the old lava. It was basically a crater within a crater. Due to the super strong winds at top, we opted to not walk around the rim.

We drove through some towns, but most things were already closed for the winter and the public bathrooms were locked.

Fortunately nature was still open. At Hraunfossar (meaning lava waterfalls), the water flowed directly out of a lava rock cliff into the Hvita River. It was breathtaking... both from the scenery and also from the severe winds!

We had a very windy, stormy walk up the narrow canyon stream with its stunning glowing blue water.

We swung by the boiling hot spring of Deildartunguhver, Europe's largest hot spring. Steaming water bubbled up out of the ground and everything smelled quite sulfury!

We continued on.

Krysuvik is a geothermal area on the Reykjanes peninsula. It consists of several geothermal fields, including Seltun. An wooden boardwalk led us safely around some fantastic sulfur fields, past a giant steam vent (the largest of its kind in the world) and over sizzling, bubbling ground and splattering mudpools. In the past, the sulfur deposits were used to make gunpowder.

We stopped briefly at the glowing blue waters of the Blaa Lonidth (or Blue Lagoon).

We drove up to Keflaviík and set up our tent one last time. It was exceedingly windy and cold out. These were two things I was definitely NOT going to miss!

After an EXTREMELY stormy night that almost ripped the tent up off the ground, we got up at 4 am, packed up, drove the last couple of miles to the airport, dropped off the rental car, and hopped on our plane home.

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