Throwback // Travel // Iceland

It seems like lately everyone is traveling to Iceland. It could be that I have a skewed sampling since my sources are travel blogs and a colleague who is in fact Icelandic. It makes sense that if you love to travel you would travel to Iceland. And it makes even more sense that if you were Icelandic you would travel to your Icelandic home, but I feel like everywhere I turn more and more people are vacationing there. And I don't blame them.

Iceland was the most spectacular vacation EVER! Again my bias may be showing since it was the last vacation we took (almost three years ago!!!) and I would love to travel abroad again, but four kids under 8 make big travels more difficult. For now, I remain satisfied with our local/regional excursions and I really can't complain.

Iceland is surreally beautiful. Words (and photos) cannot do the island justice. We went in late July and the lighting was perfect the entire time, even at three in the morning. We spent three days, used Reykjavik as our base, and rented a car to tour the surrounding area including the Golden Circle which included the major waterfalls Skogafoss and Gullfoss, and Thingvellir where the Icelandic parliament was held. We also took a whale and puffin watching excursion. We were total tourists. I hope someday we can return and do a full island tour and visit places off the beaten path.

Wind Caves

A few weeks ago, when Spring began to show it's gorgeous head, we traveled into the canyon for a family hike. It was still sweatshirt weather and snow capped the tippy tops of the mountains, but it was deliriously wonderful to get outside and breathe the fresh air before the snow fell upon us again.

Wookie climbed almost the entire way up on her own. It was a 2 mile hike (one way), with an elevation gain of 980 feet, no small feet for toddler legs (or adult legs for that matter). Initially, the trail ran alongside the road with a spectacular drop off that set fear into my mother's heart, but shortly veered into the mountain creating multiple switchbacks, a few of which were slick with oozy mud shadowed by the mountain. Once we reached the caves we learned first hand how they received their name as the wind was enough to rock us just a bit. The beginning photo shows the twin caves. The views were amazing: the river snaked it's way through the canyon, carving a path between the mountains; the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy, and the breeze refreshed our spirits. 

When through the woods and forest glades I wander / I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; / When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze / Then sings my soul

- How Great Thou Art