The weather played along for the most part, just the very last bit had some wind and rain. We neglected to check out the elevation profile though… We thought we were biking upwards to the gullies, and then downwards on the way back. In actuality, we sort of climbed over a “mountain” to get there, and of course, had to climb over it on the way back.
My brother’s bike battery died when about 10% remained of the trip, meaning the bike got super heavy to bike, so he got to test the guide’s tether for the last little bit as we rode against the wind and the rain. My battery ran out as we turned back into the parking lot. Range anxiety on e-bikes is a real thing!
We arrived back in town just in time for me to make it to my long-since-bought-tickets for Emiliana Torrini and the Colorist Orchestra at Harpa Concert Hall. They were so much fun!! (70-ish images total)
Sunday 19 June 2022
Photo from Remundargil, such a gorgeous place!
The route to Vík.
We arrived at Hótel Katla around 10:30, and they kindly let me charge the car using a regular wall socket.
The car parked by the maintenance shed, on the far left.
The group getting ready to go. One couple had actually already biked DOWN from Þakgil, where they had camped overnight!
The actual hotel buildings. We were about to ride into the hills behind it.
The Strava recording. This was about 40 km total. Notice the “duplicated mountain” on either end? Not knowing the elevation layout makes for bad battery management! Click for a larger version.
Our trusty guides. The man in orange is Guðmundur, the owner and main guide of Fjallafjör, and the woman in blue is Auður. Guðmundur was one of the guides during the previous day’s hike up Glymur, so I could only whine so much. His bike is significantly more powerful than mine though 🙂
Enjoying the view. There is not a lot of stopping on e-bike rides.
I landed unhappily on a rock, and busted my tire on my city-bike. Happily I had an extra tube, and it turned out there were highly experienced bike-fixers in the group that quickly got the tire into good shape again. I decided this was not a good moment to assert my independence and fix it myself, as I have a lousy track record in fixing tires without busting a tube or two while I’m at it.
Looking at the windswept landscape while the bike was getting fixed.
Interesting geological features everywhere.
Returning to the group.
Only 9 km to Þakgil.
Info-signs for the Katla geo-park. I should mention that Katla is a volcano.
Cheerful bikers with black sands in the background.
Close to noon we’d made it over the mountain. The landscape was quite something to behold.
We biked onwards, until we hit a fork. To the right was Remundargil, and to the left was Þakgil.
We took a right turn. Here we are entering Remundargil. The earth pattern on the side of the hill was interesting.
So pretty that I had to keep stopping to take photos.
Windswept rock formations.
The road devolved into a hiking/sheep path.
We parked the bikes, and voted to walk all the way to the waterfall at the bottom/end of the gully.
On foot we went.
Cool colors!
Wide angle lens image of the waterfall, which of course falls straight down.
The group up by the waterfall.
Brother with waterfall behind him.
Yours truly power-posing. Not a bad showing for an overweight, middle-aged, mother-of-three!
On the way back to the bikes.
It was tempting to just sit down and enjoy the view.
Back on the bikes we went, and biked out of the gully. We biked straight over to Þakgil, and I totally forgot to take any photos of the approach, which was along a river.
At Þakgil, which contains a campsite. The wide angle lens flattens the peaks.
We had our snack in this cave. This was at 1:30 pm.
Arty cave photo.
After refueling our bodies, we had a bathroom break in an actual bathroom, and then also hiked up to the waterfall at the bottom/end of this gully.
Bathroom donations accepted. Sadly I had no money.
Starting our second little walk.
More pretty rock formations.
Upwards we went.
Not as big a waterfall as on the other side, but a very pretty pool, and look at that rock overhead!
The pool in question.
Yours truly, and the campsite in the background.
Back down we went.
Interesting place to park a big machine.
Gorgeous!
Then we started biking back. This was after the first big hill up on the “mountain”.
Trees? Who needs trees?
Rest-stop! I will admit that the way back almost defeated me. Every time I thought I’d cleared the last hill, another one appeared, even longer it seemed! I dearly wished for a more powerful bike (mine is a measly 40 Nm), but it all worked out in the end.
As we approached the sea, the weather turned muggy, and a bit windy.
Raindrops!
We made it! Phew!
The slow electrical trickle did its job, this was the status at 3:30 pm, up from 133 km. We would however need closer to 200 or 220 km for me to finish the day’s ambitious schedule.
We lucked out, as the speed charger in Vík was available, and free! This called for an ice-cream break!
The very famous Reynisdrangar rock formations out in the sea by the deadly Reynisfjara.
I dropped my brother off at his place in the west end of town, quickly changed clothes, then drove over to the harbor area to eat a quick dinner.
This was cutting it a bit close. My food was ready at 7:42 pm, and I needed to be at the Harpa concert hall before 8 pm for a concert! The food was super good, but I had to speed-eat it. Felt a bit rude.
I wonder which government official has the car numbered “2”?
Harpa is such an interesting building.
I was happy to find the car and the bike as I left them.
I was home at 10 pm, with 21 km left on the battery (we’d also made a quick charging stop when we entered the capital area, to avoid turtle mode). What a weekend!!!
