Timing is everything, and we nailed it today. After a great breakfast at the hotel, we were excited to see what was billed as ‘the tallest tree in Iceland’, a Russian larch tree planted in 1938, some more waterfalls, another church, and puffins!
First stop, the church at Vallanes, located on one of Iceland’s largest organic farms. Buried near the church is Stefán Ólafsson (ca. 1619–88), a great 17th century poet.
(ca. 1619–88)
From there it was off to Hallormsstaðarskógur, the largest forest in Iceland (about 4,500 acres), where, in the Guttormslundur grove, there is supposed to be the tallest tree in Iceland. Funny thing though; when the GPS said we had arrived, all we found was an old small plaque in the woods, with no one tree standing above any of the others.
What we did find, however, was a 9-hole disk golf course tucked into the trees 😂
Pretty much a big disappointment. Not much chance of that happening at our next stop though. We headed off to the “Hanging Falls”.
Hengifoss, is one of the highest waterfalls in Iceland at 128 meters (420ft). It’s easy to see from the road, but getting there takes a hike. Like straight up! There’s another smaller falls (Litlanesfoss) along the way set in a basalt cavern bordered by great basalt columns.
The weather was blustery, but we were seeing patches of blue sky, so off we went. It was certainly worth it.
(photo by Lori & Greg)
Our timing was perfect. We had some beautiful skies for our photos, but they didn’t last long. By the time we were all back at the car, the whole top of the falls was lost in the clouds, wind and rain.
Our good fortune followed us North to Borgarfjarðarhöfn (don’t try saying that with a mouthful 😂), and the Hafnarhólmi marina where we were hoping to spot some puffins.
The road took us up through some beautiful valleys where at times we were swallowed by clouds and fog as the weather continued to get ever more harsh the further North we went. There was still snow in several places along the road!
When we arrived at the marina, it was only a short walk out to the point and up a flight of stairs that went right out onto the grounds where the puffins have dug their burrows. By now the wind was howling and coming in right out of the North off the sea.
But, there were puffins everywhere! We must have taken close to 100 pictures in about ten minutes before we retreated to the visitor center for some warmth and hot chocolate :).
Refortified, we headed back to the point in hopes of getting more pictures of those adorable little birds, but it was like they had all gone somewhere else. We spotted only a couple in the next ten minutes. We felt sorry for the groups that had arrived after us. It just wasn’t the same, and the weather wasn’t getting any better. Oh well, some times you’re just lucky. These are just a few of the ones we took.
From there it was back to the hotel for some card games before a great dinner at the hotel. Hopefully, we’ll see some better weather tomorrow, don’t want to push our luck too hard!
