Ring Road to Seydisfjordur, Iceland
So, it’s time for a bit about the roads in Iceland. The Ring Road, circles the island. It was completed in 1974. Thing is, the road has a tough time surviving the volcanic pressures, glacial bursts, gravel landslides, ocean waves, and freezing temperatures. The roads really keep you guessing. There are one lane bridges, “Blind Heads”, sandstorm and volcanic eruption warnings…and some signs simply say “!” There are RED and YELLOW roads on the map. Red roads are generally paved or metal. Yellow roads are like a surprise…you don’t really know what you’ll get…unpaved, gravel, washed-out, AND/OR intense fog.
Many times we would wait on the road as a truck “repaired” the road ahead of us by flattening the rock and dirt that had tumbled there. When given the ok to pass, we passed slowly, often scraping the bottom of the car. By the end of our journey around this Ring Road, our rear view mirror had cracked and there were numerous dings around the car from flying gravel.
The other thing about the road is that Iceland has some beliefs about elves and fairies who live in the rocks and fields. Road projects have been canceled so as “not to disturb the fairy-folk”. This from a country who elected the first woman president of any nation.
So, we experienced these just about every kind of road Iceland has to offer as we headed into Seydisfjordur. The day was to be a full one of driving. We stopped at several stacked cairns of rocks…placing 3 in the pile meant good luck for the traveler. After the luck we’ve had, of course we stopped to add rocks!
We saw white picket-fenced graveyards, fish-drying racks, shy sheep, churches seemingly in the middle of nowhere, empty roads, scenic look-out areas, and some amazing scenery along the fjords as we headed up the East coast of Iceland. We stopped outside a cute little town called Faskrydsfjordur to finish our lunch of pepperoni and shredded cheese on Ritz crackers. We sat alongside a fjord or lake, skimming stones and enjoying the sunshine.
As we headed up into the fjords, we started seeing more trees…birch forests. The trees are bent, twisted and short. They have to try really hard to grow in such harsh conditions. We also got into some THICK, dense fog as we twisted and turned up the narrow cliff-side roads…YELLOW roads I should add. Bumpy, graveled, washed out, fog so thick you can’t see beyond 5 feet in front of you and the cliff edge just to the right of the road. Harrowing. Yeah…it was an intense few hours of driving.
We arrived in Seydisfjordur around 5 p.m…hands tight from gripping the steering wheel. We checked into the Hotel Snaefell (room #15) and had a few drinks. Tapered candles stuck in a small bowl, fresh flowers, lace curtains, soft music, Icelandic fishermen everywhere, whale bones, ship bells, whistles and a wheel. As it got dark, a lighted sign came on on the side of the mountain…1999 Isolfur (the mountain’s name).
I had started reading Independent People by Halldor Laxness. I wondered if I’d lived this life in the past…knitting sweaters and watching the fog come and go in one of the tin-covered houses around the fjord. Again, it was overcast at 2 a.m. I saw eerily lit fog over the water. The mountain sign was turned off. At breakfast, we had salmon, cheese, ham pepperoni, toast and poached eggs. We were also offered pickled herring. Nice gesture, but it nearly put us over the top. 🙂