Day Four started with close encounters of the cow kind. A large herd of the critters gathered behind a fence to watch as we prepared to leave for the day's activities. James Kennerly was the first to spot them, and in no time they had lined up behind him as if he was their paramount leader, (cows will follow anyone!). Rebecca went lips-to-nose with one of the gentle beasts, followed by Jackson Watson who was eye-to-eye with another.
The conversational, if not controversial, cows of Iceland
Don't mess with James Kennerly, the cows have his back!
Rebecca Kennerly, the cow whisperer
Jackson Watson and his close cow encounter
A personal point of view of an Icelandic cow
After the cow confab we embarked on a "super jeep" expedition, (meaning a vehicle built high above the ground in order to go through streams and navigate the really rocky roads), to a remote area near the active Katla Volcano in the Thorsmork Valley. The valley is protected from the elements by the surrounding glaciers and mountains, and has a warmer climate where flowers, mosses, and ferns grow. The area is crisscrossed by glacial streams, and we had to get over them with plenty of help from our Icelandic guides, who also drove the big vehicles.
In a "super jeep" getting ready to head into the Icelandic backcountry
Crossing a glacial stream
To avoid getting wet the group was helped across by our Icelandic friends, who did get wet...
Backroads leader Eva was given a hand, but the guides had some fun with her, and pretended they were going to pull her into the stream--they didn't.
We entered a steep green canyon that was breathtaking. The locals refer to it as the "Lord of the Rings" canyon, but as long as we're throwing around movie analogies, to me it looked like "Jurassic Park."
Some of our group looking for dinosaurs in Thorsmork Canyon
A rock wedged at the top of a crevasse that we passed under on our way to a waterfall inside a cave in the cliff.
As long as I'm going with movie and television references about what I was seeing, this definitely looks like a scene from "Lost."
Allison Watson puts a different spin on the ALS ice bucket challenge by taking a freezing shower in the ice-cold glacial waterfall.
Allison's "Rocky" moment after getting the equivalent of a few hundred gallons of ice water dumped on her all at once.
Tom Garvey also took the icy challenge, but it didn't throw cold water on a good time!
I'd rather shoot the water than go in it! (Photo by Tom Garvey).
Our three Backroads leaders Jill, Eva, and Zuzana after we conquered the canyon
Even the big trucks sometimes have a hard time making it across the glacial rivers, and need a little help. Our number two vehicle got stuck, and had to be pulled out. The river rose almost a foot from when we crossed it the first time to a few hours later when we came back. The almost bad news was that my computer bag was in the back of the black truck. It got wet, but fortunately my computer survived.
This super jeep wasn't so super, and had to be extracted from the roaring river.
Tom Garvey celebrates after his close call with the "The River Wild" (yet another movie reference . . .).
Last stop of the day on the way back to the Hotel Ranga was this really beautiful waterfall. We could use some of these here in Southern California!
The next blog coming soon: Iceland -- Day 5