Iceland: Road Trip
Iceland: a land of stark contrasts. Active volcanos lying under thousands of feet of glacial ice. Hundreds of waterfalls, some the largest in Europe. Geothermal steam escapes through cracks in the earth as far as the eye can see. Deep black sand beaches. Icebergs rolling in the Atlantic surf.
These photographs are from the road portion of a 17-day trip by car around the island on the "Ring Road." The Ring Road is the only road that goes around the island, and it is a mixture of two lane paved highway, dirt, single lane bridges, and hairpin turns. 2/3 of the population of the island live in the capital of Reykjavik, so the countryside is very sparsely populated. Farms dot the landscape, and in the summer thousands of white ovals cover the fields as the farmers harvest hay and roll it into white plastic ovals the size of Volkswagons as they prepare to feed millions of sheep over the long winter.
The population is highly educated, technologically advanced, speaks English as taught from the 5th grade on, and very friendly to tourists. Icelanders worship the outdoors, and it is not unusual to see heavily laden bicycles hundreds of kilometers from even the smallest villages. Small cabins dot the countryside and Icelandic ponies are in many fields waiting to be ridden--and eaten. The climate is moderated by the Gulfstream and is quite moderate along the coasts--relatively speaking of course--even in winter. Summer nights are short--less than an hours of darkness--and winter days see some dusky light only at lunchtime.
Read MoreThese photographs are from the road portion of a 17-day trip by car around the island on the "Ring Road." The Ring Road is the only road that goes around the island, and it is a mixture of two lane paved highway, dirt, single lane bridges, and hairpin turns. 2/3 of the population of the island live in the capital of Reykjavik, so the countryside is very sparsely populated. Farms dot the landscape, and in the summer thousands of white ovals cover the fields as the farmers harvest hay and roll it into white plastic ovals the size of Volkswagons as they prepare to feed millions of sheep over the long winter.
The population is highly educated, technologically advanced, speaks English as taught from the 5th grade on, and very friendly to tourists. Icelanders worship the outdoors, and it is not unusual to see heavily laden bicycles hundreds of kilometers from even the smallest villages. Small cabins dot the countryside and Icelandic ponies are in many fields waiting to be ridden--and eaten. The climate is moderated by the Gulfstream and is quite moderate along the coasts--relatively speaking of course--even in winter. Summer nights are short--less than an hours of darkness--and winter days see some dusky light only at lunchtime.
