Dearest Rachel –
So our second day in Iceland had us on an actual excursion. While I’d considered a horseback ride as a option, Daniel’s lack of enthusiasm for the possibility (to be fair, he hasn’t ridden a horse since we visited Disney World with Ellen some twenty-three years ago) caused me to decide against it. Instead, I booked us on what was billed as a “Super 4×4 Safari” through the southwestern portion of Iceland.
The thing is, the term “4×4” conjures up all sorts of possibilities, from single-occupant all-terrain vehicles (like the ones we rode across the sand dunes outside of Newcastle) to the open-air jeep-like rig I rode with a half-dozen others in Mo‘orea; neither of which seem suitable for the Icelandic terrain or climate. So I really had no idea what to expect from whatever we were about to travel across the countryside in.
However, when we came to the first hill (mountain? It seems slightly excessive to describe the topography as such, but it was unquestionably steep in areas, and we did ascend well above the city skyline), the vehicle certainly proved its mettle. There were parts where it was ascending inclines that seemed well in excess of the fifteen degrees I’m accustomed to on any given treadmill, and it did so without much in the way of complaint…
And it’s here where all the camera angles in the world won’t do the experience justice. While you have to assume that the driver is thoroughly experienced and more than capable of navigating the rocky road to the top of this peak and that, in the moment, as the bus leans from side to side, as well as the slow uphill progress being made, there’s a touch of doubt, and even slight fear, that it’s not going to make it; or worse, that it might tip over one way or another, sending us tumbling down however much of the ascent we’ve already made. That sensation simply can’t be captured with a flat photograph, or even a moving video.
Interestingly, once you reach the vantage point, and you’re looking over the vista, it slips your mind about the effort (and the concern in the midst of it) involved in ascent. The view is such – even in conditions like these, where the clouds are hanging so low in the air that you feel like you could reach up from the hill you’re standing on and grab a handful…
…that you forget what you just went through to get there. So I’ve got to put down these descriptions as they’re happening, or I’ll never remember having them in the first place.
***
At the same time, it’s also challenging to write while in a moving vehicle, so I’m probably not going to be able to complete my thoughts as we drive along. Then again, the rains started up midway through our circuit through the southwestern coast of Iceland, which interfered with the return trip a bit. As a result, this leg of the journey is less of a safari than a couple of washroom stops (which you would likely have been most grateful for, after being jostled around on those hills) and various shopportunities.
Although… even as the clouds drop down to envelop us along the road, our driver offers to take us down one more trail… “if I can find it.” We chuckle, thinking he’s joking around, but all at once, he turns to the right in the middle of the fog, and heads up yet another rocky side road. I don’t catch its name (and yes, of course it has one, even though there’s no sign to indicate it – at least, not one I could see, but take that for what it’s worth), but it apparently translates to the “trail of a thousand waters.” It runs alternately on one and then the other side of a swiftly running creek bed, and he plows through it numerous times, sending up huge plumes of water as he does so. He even offers to let some of us out to take pictures, although it doesn’t occur to me in the moment that we’re meant to take shots of him blasting through the creek (although I do get a bit of that footage even as I leave a little bit of you in the creek).
Despite being out for a much shorter time than yesterday (and ironically, getting a lot fewer steps in, despite being on land), it was still quite the adventure in its own right. Certainly, we saw a lot that we didn’t yesterday, and even a few things that we hadn’t during our previous visit. So I’d call this time and money well-spent.
Still, we’re looking forward to the coming day off; our schedule might serve as a topic to write you about separately at some point, once I finish putting together what information I can find about our upcoming stops. Until then, though, keep an eye on us, honey, and wish us luck; we’re going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 