Riding to Egilsstaðir
It rained at night (but we still slept great) and we woke to the most beautiful sunny blue skies! Our tent even dried out before we had to pack it! That rarely happens in Iceland, at least in our 8 days of experience. We biked along the Atlantic up and down hills, stopping once for the biggest order of fries we’ve ever had (to go with our canned peaches).
We left behind the zig-zag fjord roads and began to head inland and a little northwest.
The sun gave way to rain and the terrain changed as we approached and entered the mountains. Literally. We drove through a 4-mile tunnel. Bikes are allowed! But not horses or pedestrians. Or semi-trucks (although a few must have missed that memo today…). It was kinda nerve-wracking but also pretty awesome. Also a way to avoid the rain for a while!
Next we rode up up up for 5 to 10 miles (in the rain) over a beautiful steep mountain pass. (Why no tunnel there?) Coming down was less effort but much much colder. Much. We were soooo chilled and wet by the time we reached the bottom, even with our excellent rain gear.
We are in a town called Egilsstaðir. We quickly bought a few groceries, then found our guesthouse. (Pete was able to find a last minute opening.) Soooo nice to take a long hot shower and dry out. Pete opted for the community center pool and hot tub. We cooked our simple dinner in the cozy guesthouse kitchen and got to visit with fellow travelers from Dallas, France, and Korea! I honestly can’t believe how much French I have been able to speak here! And Pete got to speak Korean.
It was a good day with a few tough parts. The traffic was a little busier again today, but still not as bad as along the southern coast. It still is stressful at times. But we gratefully have had some very courteous drivers. The winds weren’t a huge factor today, but the rain definitely was. The sunshine during the first part was delightful. Having a roof over our heads tonight after getting so wet and cold cold cold is delightful.
A little under 60 miles today, with a little under 3000 feet vertical gain. This is a great adventure!