August 6, 1999
Me and the Kiwis packed up early for the ride to Husavik. They would go whale watching and I would continue on northwards. Myvatn, except for the lava, is a lush grassy area. So it was a surprise to get to the top of a hill and see nothing but sand (right).A sign beside the road told how this had been an area of birch and grass until poor land use practices turned it into the desert some 200 years ago. A few minutes later we dropped into the coldest fog I've ever been in. I had to stop to add all of my warm clothes.
In Husavik (pop. 2500) the first stop was the bakery for coffee and pastries, what you might call lunch, I guess. Just as I was leaving we were leaving I ran into George and then lost Andy and Jo. So, I went back into the bakery with George and then the two of us went to Husavik's excellent folk museum (Lonely Planets has this all wrong). Then finally I was off to points North.
Husavik's church - Early 20th century of Norwegian Timber.
The Kiwis leading across an unexpected landscape
of man made desert.
This is a few miles north of Husavik on the Tjörnes Penninsula,
the only place in Iceland where fossils can be found.
The Tjörnes penninsula is an uplift of the ocean floor.
The color of the ocean is blue like I have never seen before.
