Nature – Page 9 – Geeky Girl Engineer

Hverir

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

While exploring the Mývatn area of Iceland, we also visited Hverir. Hverir is a small area at the base of a mountain with steaming fumaroles and boiling mudpools and is totally cool. I am sure I have already described Iceland as cool, but this area is just so cool and fun to look at. Steam hisses out of fumaroles and mudpools just bubble up in front of you. In one of the mudpools, there was a less dense fluid on top of the bubbling mud, and it formed really interesting patterns as the liquid moved. There is caked mud and bubbling mud. There are sulfur and other mineral deposits on the ground. There is hissing steam. It is awesome.

Hverir landscape

Hverir mud pool

Hverir mud deposits

Hverir cracked dried mud

Hverir mud

Hverir mineral deposits

Hverir mud pool

Hverir mud patterns

Hverir fumarole

Mývatn

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geek

Day 8 in Iceland had us exploring the Mývatn region of northern Iceland. It is a rather geologically active region, even relative to the fact that it is in Iceland, which is essentially an island of geological activity. Mývatn is located close to the Krafla volcano and besides being pretty and interesting, also has birds in abundance due to the huge lake. If you are ever in Mývatn, I highly recommend lunch at Vogafjos, which has incredibly delicious food, including geysir bread, which is cooked underground using geothermal heat, and insanely fresh cheese due to the cows which sleep in the same building in which you eat. They are very friendly cows too. If you are there, go pet them.

Myvatn

View of Krafla

Myvatn

Quiet inlet of Myvatn

Crystal clear water of Myvatn

Golden Plover

Scaups

View of the Vogafjos farm, from the dining room

A friendly Vogafjos cow

Dettifoss

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

While traveling the Ring Road north, we stopped at Dettifoss. Dettifoss is another waterfall in Iceland, but it has the distinction of being the largest waterfall in Europe by volume of water. It is pretty of course and flows through a dramatic canyon. One of the things I found most interesting about it was the patterns in the snow of the other side of the canyon from it. I am not actually sure how the patterns formed, but I assume it has to do with the topography of side and the time difference in which the snow fell.

Dettifoss

Valley into which Dettifoss flows

Dettifoss

Patterns in snow

Rainbow formed from Dettifoss

River that flows into Dettifoss

Ring Road East

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

Day 7 in Iceland had us mainly traveling the Ring Road from the east to the north. The Ring Road takes your through the highlands then finally to the fjords and the coast. Much of the highlands were still covered with meters of snow.

Ring Road crossing mountain top in south

Lagarfljót

near Fljótsdalshérað

view of Herðubreið

Herðubreið

River in the highlands

Ring Road South

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geek

Day 6 in Iceland had us traveling the Ring Road from the center south area to the east. Iceland is a country of dramatic landscapes, and I just can’t get over the beauty of the land. We traveled over lava fields, along rocky coasts, and along fjords into the mountains. Below are a few photos of what we saw traveling the Ring Road.

view of Vestmannaeyjar islands

Eldhraun lava fields

Another waterfall

Rocky coast

Fjord

Looking down the glacier valley right before crossing the mountain top

Reindeer

Jökulsárlón, Glacier Lagoon

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geek

Day 6 in Iceland, we traveled from the south to the east via the Ring Road. We made the obligatory stop at Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon. It is a major tourist attraction for good reason. It is beautiful. The lagoon is at the end of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, and the glacier breaks off pieces to form icebergs in the lagoon. Icebergs just slowly float through the lagoon before entering the sea. Many types of birds can be found in the lagoon, as well as seals. We spotted at least 15 seals playing in the water, and I managed to get a few photos of some of them.

Jökulsárlón

Birds on Icebergs

Iceberg

Iceberg on beach

Close up of an iceberg on the beach

Seal

Harlequin Ducks

Eider

Svartifoss

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geek

Day 5 in Iceland, after hiking up a glacier, we decided we needed more hiking, so we hiked to Svartifoss, yet another waterfall in Iceland. Svartifoss is particularly neat because it flows over basalt columns. Also there are of course more waterfalls on the way to Svartifoss, including Hundefoss.

Svartifoss

Svartifoss closeup with basalt columns

Basalt Columns

Basalt Columns morphed

Basalt Columns pieces

Hundafoss

Stream from Hundafoss

Puffins

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geek

While at Reynisfjall, we hit the puffin jackpot. There were puffins flying around, presumably out to the water to catch fish. Some of them landed on the cliffs near us, and I got some great photos.

Puffin

Puffins

Three puffins

Five puffins

Puffin

Reynisfjall and Reynisdrangur

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geek

While traveling east along the Ring Road on Day 4 in Iceland, we stopped to the west of Vik at Reynisfjall and Reynisdrangur. These are two spots right on the coast that offer spectacular views. The waves were crashing, a rainbow formed, and the view was gorgeous even without that drama. Also there are basalt columns which are just amazing.

Reynisdrangur basalt columns

Reynisdrangur beach

view of Reynisfjall from Reynisdrangur

view of Reynisdrangur from Reynisfjall

Reynisfjall beach

Reynisfjall view of rock outcrops

Reynisfjall view of bay

Rainbow to Reynisdrangur

Wave crashing at Reynisfjall

Frozen Potomac

Posted on February 4, 2014 by geek

Last Sunday I went for a walk across the Potomac River and around the Tidal Basin. I had never seen the water there frozen before, and it was really neat to see. The ice made for some nice and interesting photos.