Two Sided Ladder

Iceland was denuded of trees a thousand years ago, and more than a hundred years afforestation has been difficult and of limited success. One problem is the sheep eat the trees, so all forests must be fenced in, and this cool conveyance allows hikers like myself to cross the barbed wire unscathed.

Two sided ladder
One problem with afforesting Iceland is that the sheep love to eat trees, so the sheep kill all the saplings. Fences such as these protect the trees, and this clever ladder conveys the humans across the divide.

Local Fishery

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The Fish Factory maintains a small connection to the local fishery, and here is the first catch of my visit.

The top image is the Atlantic Wolffish, which takes its name from its ferocious teeth. It also has a toothy plate on the roof of its mouth for crushing shellfish.

The lower photo are skate, which the fisherman showed me with enthusiasm. I did not understand his enthusiasm until he explained the fish were reserved for fermentation. They are put into plastic bags and set aside for six weeks to two months while they ferment. If I am lucky enough to be invited, I get a taste in a few weeks.

Atlantic wolffish

Skate for fermentation.
These skate are reserved for fermentation. Same principal as the famous Icelandic shark, but done with skate. The fisherman said it will be ready in 6 weeks. Looking forward to some trepidation.

“The Wind is Your Natural Enemy”

The wind blows last nights snow onto the road making for awfully hard going. Myvatn awaits, and we got there eventually, for a soak and a beer (together). The road closing behind us and block our way pushed us onto Reykjavik, and a flight for me back home to the residency in Stöðvarfjörður.

the road to Myvatn covered with snow.
The road to Myvatn was dreadfully slow going as the wind blew hard the road drifted over.

#StodvarCreativeCenter #FishFactory #ArtistResidency

Looking for Rocks in Stöðvarfjörður

Upon arrival in Stöðvarfjörður, I immediately set upon finding rocks to carve. There was one just east of town that they used to shatter for gravel. There was one out by the point, but that is the protected Harp Rock. I found a beautiful vein running from the road to the water, but I learned those beauties are on private property. We pitched the landowners, all 13 of them, but those rocks are probably non-starters.

So, Saturday, I set out again on the ‘land of many owners’ which is controlled by the municipality. The rock are not a big or smooth as the rocks of the 13 Owners, but they will do nicely. I hiked, photographed, and plotted on the map. The photos below are some of the options that I requested a permit from the Municipality. Fingers are crossed while I bide my time in idleness.

Petroglyph rock
HIking around looking for rocks.
Rock art
Saturday spent looking for potential sites for a petroglgyph
Petroglyph rock
Hiking around looking for rocks near Stöðvarfjörður
Petroglyph rock?
Hiking outside Stöðvarfjörður looking for rocks to carve

#RockArt #Hiking #Petroglyphs

A Flight to Egilsstaðir Pool

After the snow closed the road back to Egilsstaðir and my residency, I flew back from Reykjavik. It was a clear day, and the most beautiful flight ever. The view stretched from the Akureyri to Hofn, over the gate of hell, and past a tremendous dam.

From the airport I hiked across the fields into Egilsstaðir where I heard they had a lovely pool, and I was not disappointed. Iceland’s outdoor wintertime pools are the best. Egilsstaðir has a 25M lap pool, a 37-40 degree hot tub, a 39-42 hot tub, and a 37 degree shallow pool, and a 10 degree cold plunge in a wooden barrel. There was a sauna, but I did not explore it.

Natural mineral hot springs are a hobby of mine, but the civic pools of Iceland are a treasure, and they eclipse the wild pools of the New Mexico, California, and Colorado.

Rvk->Egil
The turbo prop which brought me home from Reykjavik. It was the most beautiful and exciting flight ever.

#Soaking #HotTubs #StodvarCreativeCenter

The Winter Cyclist

This cyclist ascending the freshly opened road between Reyðarfjörður and Egilsstaðir. We traversed it a few days before, and it was rough going. What this cyclist does not know is that the 8 foot drifts have left a kilometer of ice and slush that runs six inches thick.

Winter time bike riding
Man riding bike up snow covered mountain shortly after it was reopened after heavy snow.
Snow covered mountain
The snow is just beginning, but in 36 hours the road will be closed for a day, and it will reopen shortly before the cyclist makes his accent.

Heading back to the residency in Stöðvarfjörður

#Cycling #WinterCyclist #aLittleCrazy #MountainPass #StodvarCreativeCenter #ClosedRoad

Fish Drying Operation

Considerately, this place is more than a mile west of town, because it does smell sweet. What at first appeared to be drying eels, turned out to be Atlantic wolffish.

WorthYourSalt
Lightly salted fish hung to dry. Cool operation. #WorthYourSalt
Salted fish
Fish is soaked in sea water to ad salt then hung to dry.
Fish drying
I thought these were eels drying, but I learned that they are cut wolf fish (a.k.a. ‘cat fish’ and ‘devil fish’)

#WolfFish #WorthYourSalt #SaltedFish #StodvarCreativeCenter #StodvarCreativeCenter #OldSchool