Day 5: Ólafsvík - Akureyri

May 29 - Today is our longest drive day, five hours direct between towns. With a few detours, it turns into a 12-hour day.

Early in the day, when it is still sunny, pass Kirkjufell Mountain, by the town of Grundarfjörður.

Go east on Highway 54, which turns into a potholed gravel road for about an hour. Beautiful scenery along the way, stop at an overlook of Brokey Island and a collection of small islands around it. One has the wreck of a ship on its shore, noted in Googlemaps only as ‘Bootswrack’.

Scenery along the north side of the Snӕfellsnes Peninsula.

Get back on the paved road and head south on Highway 60 to intersect Highway 1 (the ‘ring road’). First detour south, almost to the town of Bifrost, to the well-preserved cinder cone of Grábrók. This cone, and its two nearby companions, are examples of recent volcanics (about 3000 years old) of the Snӕfellsnes volcanic zone. This is not part of the continental rift zone, but a western flanking area of mostly alkali olivine basalts that are related to everything we’ve been looking at for the last few days.

Grábrók Crater.

After a brief scramble to find somewhere open with a bathroom for Odette, and a place where we can eat a pre-prepared lunch, we set off to the north and east again.

A mushroom soup Debbie ordered at Hraunsnef Restaurant, along Highway 1.

After a few hours, turn north at Varmahlíð on Highway 75 to visit the Glaumbær Farm and Museum. This is a collection of buildings and artifacts from late 19th C to early 20th C Iceland.

This historic house has been dismantled a moved to new locations many times in the last 100 years. The moving was normally done during the winter, when the pieces could be slid across the snow and ice.

The main attraction of the museum are the turf houses, which are full of historical household items. The walls and roofs are covered in thick turf, to insulate during the winter.

Turf house kitchen.

Sleeping cubbies. Each has a carved wooden panel in front. This was used as a table for eating meals by setting it across the knees, since there was no dining room. Often, more than one person (up to three if they were smaller children) shared these beds for warmth.

Hallway between room in the largest turf house.

Caretaker of the turf house museum.

Windows in the side of the badstofa or main bed/living room in the turf house.

The caretaker was on hand to answer questions about life in late 19th-century Iceland. It was tough times! The house was a sanctuary against constant cold. Everyone had chores to keep them eternally busy, as things like clothing and rope were made by hand.

There were always people who would stop by to visit, who did not have a permanent home in such lodgings. These wanderers, who one might imagine were a burden to a family already fully occupied with surviving, were welcomed and fed. Turns out that these wandering guests were the best source of information about other families and clans, and were pried for any tales they could tell.

Scene of the nearby Áshús Café.

From here, continue north along the eastern shore of the Skagafjörður to Hofsós. Here is the Staðarbjörg Basalt Columns, an exposure of vertical columnar basalts on the shore. There is also a local swimming pool at the top of the cliffs.

Staðarbjörg.

Almost the Giant’s Causeway.

Last push through the mountains to Akureyri, the fourth largest city in the country and on the west bank of the Eyjafjörður. A large town grew here due to the inlet being ice-free in winter.

Downtown Akureyri.

It is already 8 pm when we get into the apartment, so hunt for food on the tourist street. Still a few places open for dinner.