Iceland 2009

TURBULENCE FROM BELOW, THE SKY AND ALL AROUND
DAY 4 : WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12, 2009 (2/2)


Continuing with a day of water everywhere, we stopped by the ‘Geysers’. In this field of intense thermal activity, the two most famous geysers are Strokkur and Geysir (Geysir means gusher in Icelandic; now you know where the English word geyser comes from).

Strokkur (the Churn) is very active and erupts every 10 minutes or so, shooting boiling water 20-30 meters high.

Geysir was the granddaddy of all geysers but stopped erupting in 1916. It used to shoot every 1/3 of an hour and reach 60 to 80 meters in the air. It had an 18 m wide opening.

The area is also rich in mud pots, steam vents, and hot and cold springs. This includes some primitive life in the acidic boiling water, adding beautiful coloration.

As if the water shooting from the ground wasn’t enough, a very fast and narrow cold front whipped through the area, and we got to see a funnel cloud form and stick around for a while. Don’t think that these are very common in Iceland - no one seemed to know what to make of it. I was looking for a shelter, but that wasn’t available. So we just watched and took pictures until the funnel finally disappeared without touching ground.

Following the Hvita River, we went river rafting (and cliff jumping) where the river goes through a very deep cut in the rock before opening up into a slow and beautiful valley.

To finish off this very full day, a visit to the town of Selfoss introduced us to the public pool and hot pots (hot tubs without the bubbles). And then a pleasant Thai meal at the Menam restaurant.

Talk about enough activity for one day!

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