(Jo) 

Overnight we had a ferocious windstorm – so strong that we all woke up to a rocking van. We had parked the van pointed into the wind when we arrived, but the wind directed shifted overnight, so we felt it a lot. Eden was sleeping outside in her tent but decided to pack up in the wind and come inside rather than risk having something get damaged. 

Our plan was to drive slightly east to Snafellsnes Peninsula and spend two days there, but since a huge rain system is sitting on the peninsula today, we instead opted to drive southeast to the Silver Circle, a series of attractions and sites in West Iceland. We lazed a bit, had breakfast, and then did the usual campervan flush out and fill up before hitting the road. Our drive took us past the creamery and into the gorgeous lush Scottish Highlands like valley we saw yesterday. The landscape continues to amaze us all – every corner presents another topographical feast for the eyes.

We first headed to Grabrokargigum, a series of three volcano craters. We hiked to the top of one (way too many stairs to count) and circled the top, being careful to not get blown over the edge by the strong winds. Some of us stopped by the lava-walled sheep pens on the way back down—Old Brekka Corral. Lin flew his drone for a bit.

A short drive took us to Glannifoss. The trail was lined with greenery including oodles of blueberries that distracted Eden and me. Yum! Glannifoss was on the smaller side but we all agreed it was lovely and we’d all enjoy playing in the little pools at the bottom of the various levels of the falls on a hot day! 

Then it was on to Staldrid where there are crazy hot springs (Deildartunguhver), which bubble and spray but are too hot to even touch. We picked up some lunch at the food truck—the infamous Icelandic hotdogs (loaded with raw and fried onions, and various sauces), tomato soup, and a couple of overpriced panini sandwiches, which we ate in the tomato greenhouses that also had impressive lemon cucumber vines. 

We stopped by a nearby horse farm (Sturlureykir) that gives tours of their stables and bakes bread with the geothermal heat. We debated but opted out of the tour after a busload of people showed up. The horses were lovely, though.

After Lin realized that the rest of the Silver Circle was on gravel roads, we opted to cut that tour short. We drove south and through Borganes (where Eden and I had been in 2024) and headed for the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The weather turned sour as we entered the rain system – very low cloud cover and foggy. We knew there were sights to see, but we couldn’t see them! We stopped by the ocean at Ytri Tunga to check out about a dozen seals lounging on the rocks and seaweed. Then it was yet another waterfall hike–Bjarnafoss. It was misty and pretty foggy so we couldn’t see the top of the waterfall as we climbed. It got pretty precarious with the mud and rocks so only Lin, Eden, and Harrison ventured near the top. They basically had the place to themselves, and enjoyed the challenge of the steep rocky and muddy scramble. 

We then drove to Búðakirkja, the black church—extra atmospheric in the mist and then made a last-minute decision to stop at Raudfeldar Canyon. How could we resist the incredible mossy green cliff face and small gorge opening that was visible from the road through the mist? It was a fairly short walk up to the opening of the slot canyon, which was in moss-covered cliffs that are reminiscent of Easter Island statues. We had to rock jump to get into the canyon via the small stream. It opened up a bit inside and then narrowed again. Eden, Harrison, and Jo continued back the extremely narrow canyon with the kids making it pretty far, even with Harrison wearing his sandals since his hiking boots had gotten damp inside! All in all a very cool stop just minutes from our campground at Arnarstapi.

The Arnastapi campsite was super muddy but mostly empty, so we found a spot with electricity and settled in for dinner, showers, etc. Once again, it felt like a super diverse, fun, and full day, with very different weather systems and activities.