NAMAFJALL WASN'T ON OUR TOURIST MAP but the plumes of steam were visible from the Ring Road. There were enough cars in the lot to attract our attention but not enough to signal "crowd," so we pulled in. There would be little else of interest on the long drive today. Namafjall's steam vents, sulfur deposits, pools of boiling water and mud pots gave a hint of the forces of Nature that lay waiting just below the surface. We explored for half an hour before the sulfur fumes became too much.
Mudpot
Dettifoss was well signed but lay 25 kilometers off the Ring Road. The access road was recently paved but the kilometer-plus hike to the falls was anything but easy. Later in the season when the snow has melted the trail will be straight forward but today we had to detour around standing water across rugged basalt and through meter deep snow; 45-minutes of hiking for a five minute viewing of a waterfall.
Connie at Dettifoss waterfall
The rest of the drive was inland over high passes and steep inclines - slow going for sure. And when we finally arrived at the Egilsstadir Hotel it was closed. Seems the manager stepped out for a few minutes to pick up groceries for breakfast. We probably crossed paths at the grocery store.
