Hengifoss and Hallormsstaðir

August 1,  1999 It looked really grim weather wise this morning.  So, Jo, Andy and I decided to try the bus and get a lift up to Egilsstaðir, where we hoped the weather would be better.  Of course, as soon as we topped the first big hill, 10 km out of Höfn, the weather was perfect.  I know the sad faces on Jo and Andy were mirror images of mine.  I felt caged in the bus, but decided to sit out the 4 hour ride (3 days worth of cycling) and put time savings to good use later in the trip.  Then this obnoxious-old-drunk ðisco king Icelandic guy got on the bus. There's something you don't see every day. The bus put us down in Egilsstaðir early in the afternoon.  Egilsstaðir is a town of about 1500, I think. We stocked up at the big grocery store and ate lunch.  Then Jo and Andy rode north up Highway 1 and I turned to ride around Lagarfljót, a 20 km long lake west of town.  I wanted to see Hengifoss (below).  Hengifoss is actually the upper falls (120 m), but Litlanesfoss, the lower falls is more spectacular.

I continued on up the hilly road (note for readers of Lonely Planets guide to Iceland - really hilly) passing by Siðurklauster, the house of Gunnar Gunnerson, one of Iceland's favorite authors (deceased).  As I descended the next hill the road became large loose gravel.  I made a couple of sphincter tightening corrections and saved it just inches from the ditch. Then I continued until I found a nice spot on the edge of a woods to camp for the night.  Tortellini, coffee and tea for dinner.  In the morning I broke camp and soon was in Hallormsstaðir, the largest forest in Iceland.  I took a nice walk through the arboretum.  Trees were labeled and it looked like they grew at 1/2 to 1/3 of the rate in the northern U.S.  The big ones were about 12 meters high.  Next stop, Egilsstaðir.

Copyright © Scott Schuldt, 2000
Last updated; January 2000