Day Six: Geothermal sites

Today was a fairly long day, driving from Egilsstöðum to Mývatn. We got back at midnight from puffin watching so we were tired. I have to say, after a week together, everyone is getting a little cranky. Note to self: next time, plan a one week family vacation. Or maybe drink more. We haven't successfully tried to implement that one yet.

We started at Krafla, which is the name of a volcanic area where we wandered the Leirhnjúkur lava fields that date from 1975 to 1984 when the Krafla volcano last erupted. Then we made our way to the viti (which means hell) crater lake.

Then we headed to Hervir, which was a mini-Yellowstone with mud pots and steaming vents.

My sister, two nephews, and I did the circular hike that Lonely Planet said would take a half hour. It was a longer hike than that, but the views did not disappoint. On one side the steaming pots and on the other, Mývatn Lake.

Iceland is a particularly interesting to travel in because there is so much diversity in the scenery and it changes so fast. One day forest, in the afternoon a glacier, the next morning coastal cliffs, the next afternoon volcanoes. It's possible to drive the whole ring road in 16 hours, so it boggles the mind how many different landscapes one could see in such a short time.

We checked in our summer house, home for the next three nights, and discovered that Mývatn means "midge lake," midge referring to the swarms of flies that inhabit the area. As I speak, a woman who works here is trying to vacuum them away, a futile task I predict. All I can say is that I would take a midge over mosquitoes any day!