30 July - 2 August, 2010
Verslumannahelgi, the long weekend at the beginning of August is the traditional, "let's all go camping" weekend in Iceland. Traditionally, it's also a let's all get absolutely shitfaced while camping weekend, but it doesn't have to be. Especially not if you're the sort of person who actually goes camping more than once a year.
For reasons that I no longer remember, I didn't have anything particular planned for the weekend this year, so when Logi called late in the week, proposing a rather ambition jeep trip, going up Kjölur, down Askja to Sprengisandur, and including a stop in Siglufjörður, I think I said, "You're dreaming!" followed by, "I'm in!"
I'd wanted to go to Askja for years, but never managed to arrange a jeep or a ride or something, and hell, last time I drove Kjölur, it was in the micra, solo, in bad weather. Things could only get better!
We took of relatively early, with only a short delay to pick up a spare 20L fuel tank, "just in case", and headed up Kjölur, stopping first for an obligatory few minutes at Gullfoss, before hitting Kjölur proper, and our first stop, somewhere new! Visiting the Hvítárnes hut. A fairly scenic locale, with a good view across the lake to the glacier, but I bet it's fairly windy, and the whole place was littered with goose shit.
We continued up road for a relaxing afternoon interlude soaking in the hot pot at Hveravellir. Ahh....
But, onwards ever onwards! We were planning on staying in Siglufjörður for the night, with Már, a friend of Logi and Tatja's, so we headed on up the road, stopping only to admire the water races coming out of Blöndulón, before driving into the fog to get to Siglo.
Which was on day 6 of a 10 day herring festival bender. They love their herring! We were hosted wonderfully by Már and his wife and family, and cooked ourselves a delicious dinner of minke steaks, by chance the same menu as Már and family had cooked just earlier! We had a short stroll around the shows and bands of the evening, but retired early, with many many kilometers in front of us!
