A whole lotta fosses goin' on

So, it is the morning of day 2. Or 3. I'm not sure. Time is weird here. There are no limitations on us as it never gets dark and we're traveling with our bed and a kitchen. It's all fluid. Yesterday, we awoke at 8 am and kept going until midnight. That is, walking, hiking, standing in awe...a little driving but not a ton.

Mercy, are there a lot of waterfalls in this country! You can't swing a cat without hitting a foss! We're severely struggling with the language. We do know that foss means waterfall. And, we can even pronounce it! Icelandic is its own beast, for sure. It sounds like nothing else. No cognates. No English words mixed in. Now, everyone here speaks English as well, so there is never a problem communicating.

Ok, so here's my problem. I can't keep up with time at all. It is now one night later and I can't begin to remember what happened on which day. We've been waking up around 8 am and going all day until around midnight. There is just so much awesomeness all the time.

Let me try to catch up some.

Day 1 -- picked up by the lovely folks at Happy Camper and taken to their office in Reykjavik. We got all loaded up and learned how everything in the camper worked. Rather than spending anytime at all in the capital city (the northern most capital in the world!) we cruised right on out of town. I started out driving. With the exception of one 15 minute drive last summer, I haven't drive in a stick in...hmmm...20 years? But nevermind that, off we went!

We headed for Gullfoss and were pretty much just speechless with everything encountered along the drive. We stopped for lunch in a little town. Found a cafe and had sandwiches. We are driving counter clock wise on the Ring Road, which is highway 1.

Along the way to Gulfoss, we stopped off at a volcanic canyon. It was gorgeous. Cost us $3USD to enter. Didn't seem odd at the time, but does now since we haven't paid a penny to go anywhere else!

Something totally cool about Iceland is that things are very well marked. Most towns of any size, even tiny ones, and many turn outs off the roads are marked with a "i" sign indicating there are information boards to explain where you are, what there is to see, etc. Here is an example for Kerid.

Gulfoss was VERY crowded. The most crowded place we've been to yet. Large tour buses were there. We spent some time there and then left for a bit, got the RV organized, took a nap, and then went back when the shop and restaurant closed at 6 because we figured most people would clear out by then...and they did! YAY!.

Next, we drove back into Geyser. This tiny little spot had been crazy crowded earlier in the day but wasn't bad at all now that it was around 8:30 PM. We got to see lots of cool geysers, including the largest one right now, Strokkur, erupt multiple times.

He falls over taking a picture of Strokkur.

First sign, literally, that Icelanders are a hoot. Read the rules:)

 you can hear the water boiling!

After all that, somehow we still had some energy left despite not much sleep and going alllll day. We drove into Seljaland and parked in front of Seljalandfoss. It was breathtaking, even after being at Gullfoss. Something we're noticing is that there

is no end to the gorgeous sites nor is there an end to us appreciating them! After parking, we realized we could just spend the night there in front of the waterfall -- and we did! AMAZING! Great place to stay -- bathrooms, scenery, even a little coffee shop that opens first thing in the morning.

Bedtime around midnight. So tired from having so much fun!

The first 24

We're here! Holy smokes! It's been quite a day. Or day and a half. Whatever day this is.

We left Kenosha at 10am after saying goodbye to sweet nephew and SIL. We were driven to O'Hare by Joseph, friend of Dave, silent deliverer of Scotch, and former Japanese arsonist. We got to our gate and were happily waiting when we heard there would be an hour delay because the pilots we needed were late coming in. Ok, no problem. That gave us time for lunch and we had a long lay over in Toronto anyway.

Ended up being more like 1.5 hours late. The pilots were a hoot -- from the moment the first one spoke, I think I said, "Is he drunk?" Then he said, "Sorry we were late -- we were coming from Las Vegas...and...you know..."

Later, he announced we couldn't land because there was a storm over the Toronto airport. He told us to look out the window so we could see it. Then he said, 'Well, we've only got 30 minutes of fuel left so hopefully we'll be able to land before then or we'll have to do the alternate."

When we were cleared to land, he said, "The seat belt sign is back on so plan your activities accordingly."

Hilarious. Once we got over that, we had a grand time at the Toronto airport, which is awesome. Bars where all seats get an iPad and free wifi. You can order food and drinks or just sit and surf.

Our flight to Reykjavik was great. Icelandair is really nice. Was so happy they gave us bottled of Icelandic water when we boarded, and really warm blankets and pillows! Dave and I lucked out and got an emergency exit row -- tons of leg room and no one else sat in our row:) Woohoo!

The flight was only about 4.5 hours. We both slept some -- maybe 2 hours at most, I'd bet. About 1.5 hours before landing, Dave opened the window shade. We all had them closed because we were flying into sunlight-- only a little bit of darkness here right now.Anyway -- we were right over Greenland! It was snowy and icy and amazing!

Here's some shots from our first experiences with Iceland today! We hit the ground running and are still going.

The first coffee after deplaning.

"It's called Vividality."

"It's called Vividality," I told her. I'd called my bank and credit card companies to tell them I'd be traveling abroad. They can make a note in my account with my travel dates so that, hopefully, when charges come through from Iceland they don't block them thinking it is fraud. "If it happens anyway," she said, "Just call us and tell us again." Well, great. Cause I'm not planning to have cell service over there. Which is why I'm telling you now. Whatevs.

When you tell someone you are going to Iceland, I find you get a reaction. The reaction is never, "cool." It is always, "Really?!?! How interesting! Why??" 

Not everyone gets to hear the whole story that I shared in the last blog post. The abridged version is more along the lines of -- my brother is a landscape photographer and we're going to take pictures. Everyone relates to wanting to take or have beautiful pictures. Most people think they take good pictures:) Shoot, I think my iPhone does a pretty bang up job most of the time!

Yesterday, the banker I was chatting with was intrigued enough to ask several questions. 

"So, your brother is a photographer?"
"Yes!"
"Like, for a living?"
"Well, yes and no. He's also teaches at a college. But, he does own a small photography business."
"Oh! Wow. So will he sell his pictures of Iceland?"
"That sure would be awesome."
"What's the company?"
"It's called Vividality."
"I'm going to look that up in a couple of weeks!"
"Awesome!"

And then at the end of the conversation -- there was this:

"I sure wish I had a sister who would give me a present like that -- a trip anywhere in the world. What a lucky brother you have!"

I get that a lot. My response is always the same.

"I'm the lucky one."

The reason you get a gift like that is because you've been AWESOME. Right? If my brother had been a jerk face to me. If we hadn't been close. If he was just someone I talked to once a year. If all those things were my truth, we wouldn't be going on this trip. The truth is, he's AWESOME. And always has been. We haven't lived in the same state in 20 years. Doesn't matter. He's been the big brother every little sister would want pretty much our whole lives. 

Oh sure, there was that time he dragged me down the stairs by my ankles when I was running to tell on him. There was the time he suddenly imposed the "strike zone" on me when I'd never heard of it before and was sure he invented it right then when I stepped up to bat. There were those times.

But there were also late night talks down in the basement where he told me I didn't need to worry about pleasing other people -- just needed to focus on doing what I thought was right. Where he told me a guy I liked was a jerk and I needed to find another one. Where he hooked me up with his own friends:) Where we cruised around looking for the engagement ring with which he'd propose to his soon-to-be bride. Where he stood up for me and demanded that I stand up for myself -- and reminded me that I deserve so much more.

He's that guy.

I'm the lucky one.

Let's Back Up....Why Are You Going to Iceland?

My brother turned 40 this year. Oh, yes he did:) While contemplating how old he was going to be, I realized, man...we're getting old. This is a big deal -- turning 40. It's an occasion! I thought about the last year -- hands down the worst year of my life. I thought about one of the few highlights in an otherwise disaster of an existence -- a trip my brother and I took down the coast of California. From Santa Cruz to Morro Bay through Big Sur and back up through Paso Robles. We laughed and laughed and laughed. We ate ridiculously tasty, local, fresh food -- even the night we stayed in the Big Sur lodge and went to a little diner across highway 1...the food was amazing. He took pictures and I stumbled along behind him, happy to be away from my crumbling life. 

Once we got to Paso Robles, we enjoyed a lot of great wines. There was a moment that is now locked in my memory and forever memorialized in a couple of pictures he took at the exact same time -- we were in the vineyards at Opolo, one of my favorite wineries. He was setting up to take pictures. I was meandering up a winding road through the vines. It was a sunny day with blue skies with white puffy clouds. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with JOY. I was just happy. I'd been in this ugly, dark, sad place and seemingly just-like-that...I was happy. I skipped down the road with my arms spread open wide. I was laughing and singing like a little girl. For no reason and for every reason. 

I took these pics at that time:

My brother, on the other hand, took amazing photos of this same place. You can see them here and here. Feel free to view the other Paso photos while you're looking -- they are superb.

Anyway, back to the story. So, I'm remembering this glimmer of joy and hope in an otherwise horrid year and I think to myself -- what a gift that was. And then I think -- we should do that again. And then -- well, that's it then. A gift worthy of a 40th birthday -- a photography trip with me, anywhere of his choosing. An attempt to repay the joy that was given to me. 

So, I had this thought months before his birthday. And it was KILLING ME. I was crazy to find out where he'd pick. I figured New Zealand or Australia. It began a game among those who knew -- where would he pick? It became a study on human nature that continues to fascinate me long afterward. Try this for  yourself and ask those around you. Report back -- because I'd like to know. Something interesting happened when he was presented with the gift. Of course, he was thrilled. 

But then, he had to choose. 

One place. 

And he struggled with it for a bit. I didn't anticipate the struggle. At one point, the struggle made me feel bad -- almost to the point I wanted to remove the weight of having to choose -- it was the idea of it being the "chance of a lifetime" that made it hard. Would he ever again be offered a free trip to anywhere in the world? Probably not. And that made the choice difficult. Should he choose a place he would never be able to afford? What about a place he wanted to go but Tracy didn't, so that wouldn't be a thing? What about a place where he's always wanted to go vs a place where there are a million sites for a photographer like himself to capture? 

So stop and ask  yourself, if it was you...and you had to pick one place in the world. Just one. For a free trip. Where would you choose? How would you choose? I asked a lot of people. Some struggled like my brother. Some said, "I have 5 places I've always wanted to go. All 5 would be great. So, it doesn't matter which one. Flip a coin, throw a dart, whatever." Some went with the place they knew they'd never be able to afford. It is truly interesting to see the thought that comes with this. I tried to answer it for myself and never could. 

He finally settled on Iceland. New Zealand was in the short list, but we needed to go during summer break when his wife would be carrying a lighter load (she's a college prof) and could wrangle their son by herself. For her part, by the way, she's a GEM. She's figuring out how to make due with his 2 week absence while working and raising their soon to be 3 year old. She's fantastic and I'm so thankful for her. Anyway, he decided he'd rather not visit NZ in their winter so he started considering other locations. We looked at Denmark, Norway, Sweden. We debated Greenland. Iceland won out. It's got everything we've ever wanted in an adventure and it's a landscape photographer's dream to boot.

No one predicted Iceland when we were trying to guess ahead of time. But after it was decided, it seemed like the only logical choice there ever was.

What Does One Bring to Iceland?

So, I'm off to Iceland in 10 days with my big brother. Iceland. Iceland. Just saying it is unreal. It's like a dream world -- I believe it exists but I have no ability to properly understand it. I mean, I understand it is a country and it is floating out there in a ton of very cold water. And it is beautiful. Far more beautiful than any place I've probably seen yet -- and I've seen some places!

Anyway, our adventure will be chronicled here. I'm in the "what does one bring to Iceland" stage of packing. To help you properly understand why this is an actual stage and not just a silly blog title, please note that we're spending 13 days in a rented RV together driving around the entire country in a counter clockwise circle. The final night, we'll stay in hotel in Reykjavik, the capitol city. I hear their hotels are simple and what we'd consider spartan. Yeah? Well after 13 nights in a van with my brother I think it'll seem like the Taj Mahal. Auto correct wanted that to read "Taj Macho". I'm not sure it'll seem like that, but stayed tuned.  

So, the packing began today. Take a look at what I'm bringing.

 

 

In the above photo, which I delicately titled "stuff" you can see the stuff I'm bringing. Ha! Ok, this is the various stuff beyond food and clothes we'll need. At the top left and moving across we've got a reusable coffee filter (amen!), dirty clothes bag, Nalgene bottle, thermos, assorted emergency supplies like hand warmers and a space blanket, travel plug converters, human waste bags/toilet kit, Dr. Bronner's soap (this stuff is the bomb diggity and we'll use it to wash everything from the dishes to ourselves), underwater camera, roll up keyboard and wireless mouse, passport, Kleenex, sun screen, baby wipes, garbage bags, sleep masks (24 hours of sunlight, baby) contacts, reading material, cough drops (darn this mono), aloe, Tide, Pete's Pack (a custom developed emergency kit made by my ex and named for my dog!), two lengths of para cord (clothes line to repelling down a cliff), inverter (the most important thing here -- without this we have no way of charging everything!)duct tape, ipod player, hand sanitizer, hydrocortisone cream, portable water jug, dry sack, laptop, tablet. Whew!

 

 

In this photo, you can see I'm not bringing a lot of clothing. We're expecting temps between 40-50 for the most part. I'm going work with layers. I'm bringing hiking boots, running shoes and flip flops (public showers and mineral baths). I have only 2 pairs of black pants and a pair of jeans. A pair of shorts for good measure. God forbid we have an unexpected hot day of 60 and I have to be all cramped in pants. I have one large all weather/rain jacket that can pull on over everything. One swimsuit and one towel. I do however, have a lot of socks. I'm worried about jungle rot. It's a real thing. Sure, I bet generally it applies in, say, the jungle, but I'm bringing a lot of socks, ok?

 

 

And, the last shot here is the food. It turns out I work on the same floor at PayPal HQ with Mr. Iceland. He tells me we'll have access to lots of food options so I'm not bringing the max (12.5 pounds between the two of us). We'll have snacks and things to pack our bags with for day hikes or overnight excursions on the Icelandic Pony. That's a real thing. Not a euphemism. We have plenty here if we go a day or two (or 5) without coming into a town. Seems unlikely that'll happen though, since the entire country is so small.