Aug

Wed Aug 17 2011: Westfjords


Isafjordur (A) to Flokalundur (B) and back

Took a day ride south through the West Fjords, about 250km there and back, almost entirely on gravel. It was one of our best riding days ever! Weather cooperated and the scenery was beautiful! Hit up some great gravel roads and got to see some amazing scenery! It is true what they say: the scenery only gets good after the pavement ends!


This is the one of the few stretches of pavement before we turned off the main Ring Road

Triumph's 19" front wheel and street suspension did okay on gravel, but didn't handle
the potholes and washboard very well. Good thing I have 2 kidneys...

Breathtaking!

The sky reflected in the glacial spring was a rich, almost indigo colour. The volcanic sediment acts as a natural water purifier, making Icelandic spring water one of the cleanest sources of drinking water in the world.


All smiles. Great ride today!

Am I doing this right, Charley?

Hard to keep your eyes on the twisty mountain paths when the scenery unfolds around you like this. Terrifying drop to our left though

Neda's favorite view: low hanging clouds hug the peaks of the mountains ahead

think this is my favorite shot of the day. Love the reflections of the clouds in the water

Biking Viking meets Icelandic Horse

Horse & Tiger Show

Icelandic horses are unique because they have 5 different gaits vs the 3 normally displayed by other breeds. My Tiger has 6 speeds, so I'm totally kicking his ass.


Dynjandi waterfall. For an idea of scale, those dots on the rocks under the waterfall are people

Dynjandi waterfall is the largest waterfall in the West Fjords, but it actually compromises of 6 different waterfalls (they are all qute large) which litter the side of the road, the result of melting glacial waters. We could see the waterfalls in the distance for over an hour; that's how massive they are! There was a picnic area just at the bottom of the waterfalls where several hikers were taking a break. We did too.


Neda stops for a drink. Icelandic spring water is among the cleanest and tastiest in the world

Dynjandi from a distance

You can see Neda's electrics in this shot. It got warm enough during the day (10C) that we actually had them off for a few hours. Nice to ride around without being all wired up like Borg.


Terrific views just off the side of the road!

Statue at the pass above Flokalundur. Doesn't look very Norse to me...

We didn't get too far today, too many scenic breaks, but it was all worth it, as you could see! We were going to go to the edge of the western peninsula to view puffins, but the waiter at restaurant in Flokalundur where we stopped told us we were a couple of weeks too late, and the puffins had all migrated already. So we decided to turn back and enjoy the scenic West Fjords all over again!


Neda's backlit superhero shot

Natural GS terrain

Wish you were here!

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