ICELAND - A game of three halves

[Timolgra]

We eat drink and chill for a while, hmmm what to do now?

I know, rather than irritate her for fun (she still hadn't quite forgiven me for the difficult track this morning), I know where and when the sun will set so I'll head back down the coast with the intention of taking a picture of Kirkufell and the waterfalls but this time with a sunset.
A plan

Along the way I stop here just to look at the lovely bay in the evening light, there's a big stone wall and a gate leading to a track round the bay.

A local guy in a big truck pulls up next to me and we're chatting, after a while he looks at my bike and says, "I bet you'd like to ride that beach" he must have been a mind reader, it was his land and I can help myself.

I razz up and down the beach but no photos as the bike sank into the sand when I stopped and he did warn me of the tide.

So just couple of pics on the way down to the beach.

 

[Timolgra]

A little further on and I'm back at the waterfall, someone else is there too

I stay quite a while as it's such a lovely place.

Could have done with a tripod!

Around midnight I wander back down to the bike.
The fucker won't start, it's completely dead again

A check of my previous wiring bodge and that's ok, besides the symptoms are different now, I had lights before but now nothing.
Quick text to Ange to let her know where I am.

I whip the seat off and there it is, a broken connection, probably weakened during my fiddling a couple of days ago.
So an easy fix. Phew!

Another text to Ange and I look up to see Grunarfjordur in the last of the colored light.

 

[snelly]

I thought you once said , tripod was your middle name .

 

[bod]

I thought we were losing you to love and a bromance in part 2, but you seem to be getting back on track now - Good man!

 

[Timolgra]

I thought you once said , tripod was your middle name .

Nah, you must be mixing me up with someone else

I thought we were losing you to love and a bromance in part 2, but you seem to be getting back on track now - Good man!

Yes sorry about the nights in cabins and being nice to her, I'm over that now, besides I'm skint

 

[Micky]

I can clearly see that you've mastered the Fuji X-T1 Tim

Ol' Giles will be PM'ing as we speak for some hints'n tips

 

[Giles]

Ahh .... Hello ....

Haven't been on the forum for what seems like ages ! (Work work work and I've also got my teeth back into cycling and am pounding the miles when i get home ..!)

Looks great Mellors! I've got three trips on my to do list when I retire, one is Bilco's TAT tour, one is a good thrash around morocco and one is here in Iceland. So I'll be tapping you up for a place on one of your trips soon(ish)!

Photos are great too .. ! Keep up the good work ...

(secretly very jealous of your nomadic lifestyle - I'm locked into work for the next 4 and a half .. )

 

[Timolgra]

(secretly very jealous of your nomadic lifestyle - I'm locked into work for the next 4 and a half .. )

No one's locked into anything you daft, indoctrinated cock ....... oh and hello Giles

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

It does take ages, soon as we're camped up boots off and into the wind (if there was any) and standing upside down over night on the chair frame, socks drying under a bungy during next days ride.... it's what you do with no radiator and tumble dryer

So to set up camp early on a windy spot was bliss

I see, looks amazing

 

[bod]

I see, looks amazing

I wouldn't touch anything with a Gore-Tex liner if there is a chance of water going over the top!

Crossfires all day long for day in, day out soakings.

 

[Giles]

No one's locked into anything you daft, indoctrinated cock ....... oh and hello Giles

Ha ha ...

I would be absolutely bonkers to bail out now. I'll hang on in there and then the world will be my oyster ... (apart from the inevitable domestics centered around .. 'I'm going to Iceland for two weeks ... see you soon ... '

 

[Timolgra]

Last year we tried two routes close to the glacier covered mountain Snæfellsjökull, both were closed all year as the snow never cleared.

Now it's open and I have a sort of plan......

Snæfellsjökull is an extinct volcano made famous by Jules Verne in Journey to the Center of the Earth where three travellers set off into the bowels of the earth.

Not that sort of plan but let's see how close to the top we/I can get with the bikes

We don't take the main track from Olafsvik instead trying to complete much smaller one we were twarted on last year.

Getting quite close now but surely we can get even further.

And without resorting to a tourist truck which does go to the very top....that wasn't a guess btw, the sticker says summit

Looking down onto a snow filled gully, these peculiar black cones showed through the thawing snow.

She waits...

While I take a track which has no tyre marks, only those from the SnoCat.

Well that's it, I can go no further as the small track ends but I wonder how this will look in 50 years time.

Still a fair way off and I'm not walking it, the safe route is by no means direct to the top as I can see other hikers on the ridge to the left.

A bit trickier than it looks coming back down.

We descend a bit then head towards the main track, we're much further on than last year and can see there's a lot less snow.

On her own

Dropping down the south side of the peninsular and the light's beautiful just before a thick, cold bank of fog drifted in.

After riding along the coast we needed to get back to the north side of the peninsular so opted for the main gravel road which took us high up and into the freezing thick fog, we had to drop the speed right down as we rode through the murky gloom just hoping it would be better where the late evening sun may be.

It was.

 

[MilkMaid]

Ahh .... Hello ....

Haven't been on the forum for what seems like ages ! (Work work work and I've also got my teeth back into cycling and am pounding the miles when i get home ..!)

Looks great Mellors! I've got three trips on my to do list when I retire, one is Bilco's TAT tour, one is a good thrash around morocco and one is here in Iceland. So I'll be tapping you up for a place on one of your trips soon(ish)!

Photos are great too .. ! Keep up the good work ...

(secretly very jealous of your nomadic lifestyle - I'm locked into work for the next 4 and a half .. )

Giles you silly sausage, get a grip and get signed up for Iceland '17. My 1190 needs Kato to keep him/her/it company!


Sent from my iPhone whilst sitting in the loo.

 

[Timolgra]

(apart from the inevitable domestics centered around .. 'I'm going to Iceland for two weeks ... see you soon ... '

Well I started that one in my early twenties, telling my overly keen girlfriend 'I'm going to Antarctica for two and half years .... see you soon ...'

 

[(RIP) andrewgsadv]

Absolutely enthralled by your trip report Tim, the photos are magical and I know that what your eyes are seeing when you click the shutter will be even better. Enjoy the rest of your trip with the Mrs , special moments for you both. Awaiting your next instalment,,,, in your own time my good man

 

[Giles]

Giles you silly sausage, get a grip and get signed up for Iceland '17. My 1190 needs Kato to keep him/her/it company!


Sent from my iPhone whilst sitting in the loo.

I might have a Multistrada Enduro by then ....

 

[MilkMaid]

I might have a Multistrada Enduro by then ....

Don't be ridiculous!


Sent from my iPhone whilst sitting in the loo.

 

[Timolgra]

I might have a Multistrada Enduro by then ....

K'in fat lot of use that'll be

 

[Micky]

Don't be fucking ridiculous!


Sent from my iPhone whilst sitting in the loo.

Sorted

 

[gncpr67]

A great read Tim