We are aheadin' North

So the capital of Reyjkjvik is left behind

But first a few observations on Reyjkjvik. It seems to be a gentle city. Polite traffic, polite people, a big emphasis on the Arts, and just a nice spirit to it.

And so easy to get anywhere. I had to get a bolt replaced on my windscreen. I googled BMW motorbikes- Reyjkjvik. They were 800 metres from our hotel! I went in and saw Eythor Orlygsson on the front desk. In no time he went out the back, found the right BMW screw, fixed it in, checked the other screws but would not accept any payment. Then he gave me a lot of useful advice on heading North. It left me with a warm glow about Iceland hospitality and going the extra mile (or kilometre!) seems so typical here.

Anyway back to the road. We head North. It is foggy to start with but that is often the norm in the mornings here. We head out to the Snaefellsnes peninsular. Extinct volcanoes everywhere. And this is the land of Trolls, Elves and Goblins. We get to Olafsvik for the night. A fishing town with a big fish factory. Of course it has to be fish for dinner

Thus refreshed we start today by heading to the ( again ) fishing port of Stykkisholmur

And then on to a delightful gravel road for about 50km. Elizabeth who resideth in my GPS resists me mightily. I find out tonight she has been programmed to avoid gravel roads She is given a seen talking to and sorted out very quickly! And it is nice being in the back country again .

A lot of the farms seem to have their own little churches

And this is where we are heading

Quaint towns

And our cabin for the "night"

Note the use of the word "night " as a relative term. We are now about one degree south of theArctic circle. It is a week to the summer solstice. Therefore tonight the sunset is at 12.45 am and sunrise is at 1.50 am. . In the intervening period there is just a nice soft light - the " gloaming" as I think they say in Scotland

Tomorrow it is fjords galore as we go to the very Western tip of Iceland. And the weather forcast is for not a cloud in the sky ! Bring it on!

Comments

Margit said…

Very informative and nice comments

14 June 2016 at 04:25

The last post!

How do you summarise a motorbike trip around the world from Tokyo to Los Angeles?. With difficulty! Well we are not into record setting. But we believe we are the oldest couple in the world to ride a motorbike “ two up” ie with pillion passenger, right round the world on one season Let’s start off with the statistics for the little trip - Total mileage. 34,416 km * No of days travelling 165 No of countries visited 29 Max temp on bike 41 deg C Min temp on bike 0 deg.C No of punctures. One No of breakdowns. One

Chapters 1 and 2

WHY MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES ? I have always been interested in adventure. Over the years I have climbed mountains, parachuted, had my private pilots licence, dived, sailed and done various adventurous pursuits (with various degrees of success I might add!). Motorcycling has been one of the later activities. Why motorcycles? Firstly it is all a bit easier on the body as one gets a little bit older. This is of course on the assumption that one does not inadvertently part company suddenly with said machine! Secondly, it does also require a bit of brain power - intellect you might say if that does not sound snobby. There is also, to me, an element of "man and machine" about motorcycling. Then if that is not enough justification in itself there is the scenery and the absorption into the landscape you are passing through. On a bike you see much much more than in a car, bus or train. You are aware of nuances in the landscape, you smell the smells and you become more than just

And a volcano stopped us!

What a day. First thing this morning it was off to check the rear tyre of the bike. Oh the relief ! The tyre was rock solid and the same pressure as after fixing yesterday. So it is a pack up and first day on the road today. We get on the way with a just a little bit of nervous excitement. On to the Japanese motorway system we go. And what a delight. The traffic is orderly, calm not going to fast and not too thick. We track right in towards Tokyo itself before bearing West. Yes, there were lots of spaghetti junctions - It looks like The Los Angeles motorway system but it is so much easier (and slower). Japanese politeness really shows thru’. However there were lots of toll booths - we had chopped thru about NZ$50 in the first hour and a half Then we are on to the slow bit and off the motorways. It was about a four hour stop and start crawl thru the urban sprawl of greater Tokyo. However I did find time for some serious reflection - I also saw a hotel called - and I kid you not

Hubbard Motorcycle Adventures

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