R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 100

Fun Photo Friday — Iceland; Akureyri Favorites 2

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Rusts, Greens, and Grays

Akureyri Area Favorites Part 2:

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Icelandic Farm

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Pillars in the Distance

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Tranquil Waters

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Just Venting

Transatlantic — Iceland; Dettifoss Part 2

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Vatnajökull National Park

There are other waterfalls here, both upstream and downstream, within a short distance of Dettifoss. The most impressive of these secondary attractions is the downstream Hafragilsfoss, to which we did not have time to hike. But just upstream is Selfoss which, while not as impressive as Dettifoss, is nevertheless a dynamic scene because of the sheer basalt cliffs from which the falls drop.

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Selfoss waterfall, upstream from Dettifoss

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Selfoss waterfall, upstream from Det...

Transatlantic — Iceland; Dettifoss Part 1

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Dettifoss (Falling Waterfall)

What happens when you cross the barren lava fields of Dimmuborgir with a waterfall even more spectacular than Goðafoss? You get the Vatnajökull National Park. And in Vatnajökull National Park you are treated to a microcosm of Iceland — glacial runoff forging mighty rivers, geothermal activity, lava fields with basalt pillars, and one of the most impressive waterfalls on Earth.

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Basalt field

Our tour stopped within Vatnajökull National Park some ways from the Detti...

Fun Photo Friday — Iceland; Akureyri Favorites 1

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Dettifoss Colors

Today’s Fun Photo Friday is Part 1 of a collection of Akureyri area favorites:

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Dimmuborgir Flora

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Geothermal Steam Vents

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Akureyri

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Vision of the Seas in Akureyri

Transatlantic — Iceland; Dimmuborgir

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Dimmuborgir (Dark Castles) lava field

Continuing southeast from Goðafoss we approached Mývatn, which translate to Midge (mý) Lake (vatn). And, while we didn’t encounter any midges on this excursion, the region surrounding Mývatn is notorious for them.

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Mývatn Lake

Mývatn was created some 2,300 years ago during the eruption of a volcanic fissure. And it is this same eruption that resulted in the creation of today’s topic, the Dimmunborgir (Dark Castles) lava fields lying along the eastern edge...

Transatlantic — Iceland; Goðafoss

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Goðafoss (Godafoss — Waterfall of the Gods)

After spending two days in Reykjavik it was time for Vision of the Seas to move on to our next Iceland destination. So, on the morning of August 30, 2017, Vision of the Seas sailed into Eyjafjörður (Anglicized as Eyjafjordur — “Island Fjord”) and docked at the fifth largest Icelandic municipality, Akureyri. From here we had another tour planned, and on this tour we would take this route:

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Tour route out of Akureyri, Iceland

This route would take us t...

Fun Photo Friday — Iceland; Golden Circle Favorites, Thingvellir

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Walking the Almannagjá

A last look at Thingvellir before we move on next week to Akureyri and travel into the Icelandic countryside:

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Rift Valley Clouds

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Nature’s Legos

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Almannagjá

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Sentinels

Transatlantic — Iceland Golden Circle; Thingvellir

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Ursula at Thingvellir

The geology here in Thingvellir National Park is simply amazing. Igneous rock is in evidence everywhere, as you would expect in the rift valley of an active volcanic region.

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Thingvellir igneous rock

But it’s the sheer cliffs lining the Almannagjá fault gorge which I found most fascinating.

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Almannagjá Fault Gorge

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Almannagjá Fault Gorge

This next image is of the nearby, very quaint Thingvellir Church:

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Thingvellir Church

But let’s return to looking at the Almannagjá fault a...

Transatlantic — Thingvellir; Where North America meets Europe

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Thingvellir

There is an area in Iceland known as Þingvellir National Park, which when anglicized comes out spelled Thingvellir. And, yes, we’re still doing the Golden Circle with GeoIceland Tours.

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Thingvellir

Thingvellir is a real geological oddity, as this is the heart of a rift valley with significance. It is here that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge protrudes above sea level, creating the island of Iceland. More specifically, this is where the North American tectonic plate collides dramatically wit...

Transatlantic — Iceland Golden Circle; Gullfoss (and Strokkur video)

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Gullfoss Falls

No Fun Photo Friday today. We have too much to cover. But I do have for you that promised video at the end of today’s article.

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Gullfoss Falls

Beyond the Geysir Hot Spring Area on the Golden Circle tour we stopped at a segment of Hvítá (White) River. It is at this point that the Hvítá cuts into the landscape, creating a deep canyon.

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The Hvítá (White) River canyon containing Gullfoss Falls

It is this canyon into which the river makes an impressive multi-step drop — 36 feet/11 met...