We stayed a few nights in Myvatn, it was nice to have a home base for a little while. One thing I loved about the area was its use of the geothermal energy for various purposes. The hot water in the hotel clearly came right from the ground. It smelled a little funny, but still made a lovely bath. The area was home to a geothermal energy plant. Our guide explained they drill deep boreholes and use the steam pressure from within to power the turbines. (Or something like that, it’s been awhile since I heard the story.). He took us to a spot where there was an old bore hole, usually when they no longer have enough pressure to be useful they are capped off. Some local prankster had gone back and installed a working shower and sink. There was still enough pressure for a hot shower…if one wants in the middle of a snowy field.
During the few days there, we also visited a lava field. It had a really interesting phenomenon where the lava would pour over the wetlands, and the steam would build up under the hardening rock and burst through. It created pseudo craters, they look like small volcanic cones but with no actual ejection tubes below it. There were also towers and arches of lava left, where the softer dirt had eroded away.
We also stopped at another grass turved farms, this one had belonged to a local priest and had been turned over to the country for a museum. It was in a lot better condition that the first one, but not quite as picturesque. It had a beautiful row of buildings and a small church off to the side. Before modern transportation made getting around easier, most properties would have their own small church, and the priests would make rounds of visiting the more isolated areas every month or so for services.
We also visited the Godafoss waterfall. Named for the gods, legend has it when Iceland was forced to convert to Christianity, the statues of the old gods were thrown in to the base of the falls. Our guide took us up the right side of the falls, the road there isn’t maintained in the winter. But with our awesome vehicle he was able to drive through the deep snow. We got to see the falls from a much less crowded, if snowy, vantage point. Unfortunately we did have a slight delay when he lost the edge of the road and we went down a slight embankment. The truck was skillfully maneuvered back up to the road, and after a slight delay we were on the way again!
Our time in Myvatn was drawing to an end, it was almost time to continue west across the top of Iceland along the Ring Road.
No comments:
Post a Comment