Ice Cave and Waterfalls
At the crack of dawn…wait, we were at the bus stop at 8:00 AM in the dark. Sunrise was an hour away. Our bus took us and about eight other people out of Reykjavik, towards Vik, about three hours away. There was supposed to be snow two days ago, but it stayed on the horizon. We headed into the snow. Road signs posted the temperature: -6, -7, -9. These are Celsius, and they offered remedial classes for people from the US. The road conditions varied from clear to snowy to icy. Cars generally had studded tires. The speeds varied from 60 to 90 (35-55 mph), and our driver, an older woman, eagerly looked for places to pass. We passed a snowplow along the way. We only saw one vehicle off the road. Many drives were just two tire paths.
Post 5 Driving to Vik
At Vik, we stopped at a local shopping center, small but with nice stores. There was a unisex bathroom (a warning for those who are afraid of such things). Actually, our tour guide back at the Blue Lagoon said he had some conservative Americans on the bus and told them that Rainbow Street in Reykjavik was only for gay people. He wasn’t sure they thought that was funny.
At Vik, we transferred to a heavy vehicle with oversized tires. We were headed cross-country to the ice cave. It was an exciting ride. A few miles on the highway, then off the road, changed to Four Wheel Drive, and deflated the tires to improve traction (note in the picture, the air hoses to each wheel). We changed drivers, younger and even more enthusiastic. She let out a ‘yahoo’ every time we hit a bump, dropped into a hole, or left the track to hit fresh snow. Sally asked what we would do if we met an oncoming vehicle, and that worry was quickly answered as we headed into the powder. 
The landscape was otherworldly enough to be used for filming Star Wars and Game of Thrones. We parked with similar vehicles, put on helmets and crampons, and hiked up the glacier to the ice cave. Eileen had a bit of an accident and fell. Her crampons were tangled. The ice was layered with volcanic ash, grey to black, depending on the level of volcanic activity. In some cases, there was a distinct ash layer, not just tinting, but stones. 
It wasn’t too difficult, but a person slipped and fell. Inside the cave, there were ropes on inclines, but the crampons did the job. 
After the cave, we headed back down the mountain, unloaded our equipment, took Mr. Toad’s ride back to Vik, and then our bus. On the way back to Reykjavik, we stopped at two waterfalls,
Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. It was getting late, and we didn’t dally. At Skógafoss, we had time to walk to the fall and then, if we wanted, walk up the stairs to a viewing platform. Sally and Eileen did that and had barely enough time to get back to the bus. Plenty of people were wearing raincoats and walking very close to the falls. Our driver made two young boys clean off their clothes before getting on the bus.
At Seljalandsfoss, we could have walked behind the fall in the summer. It was again very dramatic.
The sun set, and we drove through the darkness, hoping to see the Northern Lights. We had yet to see them. Back in Reykjavik, Sally and Eileen took us out to supper at Rok for a very good meal. Following that, we wandered down closer to the water and had a beer at the Dubliner, yes, an Irish bar. A good day.
This featured blog entry was written by Deuxenvacances from the blog Fire and Ice.
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