Iceland

To completely read the Iceland Blog, click on Read More.  We traveled to Iceland with Don Lyon of “Close Up Expeditions”.  This was my second trip with Don and I can recommend him as one of the best trip leaders.  He works hard, plans well and is an enthusiastic photographer who never competes with anyone in the group.  Just has a good time and shows us the possibilities and gives help wherever it is needed or wanted.  But, he doesn’t run to the best image and make you stand behind him, as some do.  He tells you where it is and shows you the way.  If  you are interested in learning more about "CUE", here is the web link: www.cuephoto.com  Don also fixes “flats” and makes breakfast, lunch and dinner if that is required (it was in Iceland since there are not many restaurants) and carries luggage (with a few groans).  

There are about 317,000 people who live in Iceland and over 116,000 live in Reykjavik, the most northerly capital in the world.  That leaves 201,000 people living in the rest of the country.  There are reported to be at least 200,000 Iceland horses and, I think we saw about 50 percent of them.  They are much revered as a special breed of horse and are a little smaller than we are accustomed to seeing and covered with a long lush mane and are extremely friendly.  And, in the summer, we never saw “night”.  It got almost there around 2AM, but, not quite and then it passed and was daylight again.  Great long photography days.

Iceland has about 200 volcanoes  (some are still active) and very few trees as well as ice fields, snow and glaciers. You will find many varieites of birds and ducks and puffins.  Millions, of birds…..but, many of them are nesting on the outside edge of cliffs so, I missed a few of them.  

Some of the best scenery I’ve seen in years.  Lava flows covered with green and yellow moss and zillions of little tiny pink or purple or white flowers.  All is a sign of  Nature doing its best to make a comeback.  Fjords and cliffs and gorgeous views of farm houses snuggled in the side of a mountain.  Almost all of the farm houses have red roofs and the committee that made that decision deserves the photographers applause.  

Incidentally, the interior is largely without roads.  There is a “ring” highway which goes around the country.  We traveled on that a lot and also on unpaved roads, gravel roads. and, once, on a three hour ferry trip to the Northern peninsula in our search for Puffins.  Ask anyone you meet in Iceland if they live on the Coast and the answer will undoubtedly be “well, yes”.  The villages are small and some are charming and some are simply  a gathering of homes and a grocery store; a Vinbúð (liquor) store and maybe a pharmacy or a restaurant or a bakery or, all three.

And, waterfalls are everywhere.  The glaciers and snow and ice are melting in the Spring and Summer and you can see water falling just about everywhere you go.  Some of the waterfalls are mere trickles and some take curious paths and some are the most gorgeous, rugged masses of water you’ll see anywhere.  Simply beautiful.

I’ll be working on an Iceland show and hope to have it available for public viewing in the near future.