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Jean McConochie | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Iceland: All the Photos tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Iceland: All the Photos

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Or, for a long but fascinating slideshow, click in upper right.
Photography by Jean McConochie
Editing by Dave Werner
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The Oxara river, crossing the Thingvellir Valley, marks the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The world’s oldest democratic parliament, the Althingi, met here annually from 930 to 1800. Prime Minister’s summer home at Thingvellir. Ducks on Lake Thingvallavatn, the largest lake (30 sq. miles) in Iceland. Geysir has given its name to hot springs around the world.
This small geothermal area is part of the “Golden Circle.” Geysers erupt when they reach a temperature higher than 100 degrees C. Strokker (‘the churn”) erupts every three to five minutes. Strokker reaches a height of 20 meters. Many parts of Iceland are geothermically active.
Guilfoss completes the “Golden Circle.” Guilfoss, the golden waterfall. Guilfoss, the golden waterfall. In the 1920s, foreign investors nearly managed to sacrifice the waterfall to a hydroelectric plant. Guilfoss, the golden waterfall.
Reconstruction, begun in 1974, of a medieval Viking farm. Reconstruction, begun in 1974, of a medieval Viking farm. Reconstructed medieval farmhouse A farmer who built a chapel could function as a priest and collect tithes. Hydroponically grown tomatoes, inspected by the farmer’s son.
The town of Fludir is noted for its greenhouses. Hydroponically grown strawberries. Fludir strawberries are prized throughout Iceland. Strawberry farmer Eírikur Homefield with bales of hay in the lowlands, the flat area of Iceland.
One can walk behind this waterfall, Sejalandsfoss, in Njal’s Saga country. One can walk behind this waterfall, Sejalandsfoss, in Njal’s Saga country. Wildflowers – creeping spearwort and tufted vetch. Sejalandsfoss with creeping spearwort. Once the edge of the sea, these cliffs reflect the upheavals of the earth.
The entrance to the Mines of Moria is behind this small waterfall on the lowland cliffs. Bales of hay and spiffy tractors at Nyibaer Farm (“New Farm”), bought by the present owners in 2000. Icelandic cows come in many colors. “Don’t lick the lens, Danny!” g4/30/33230/3/64187906.gyhbf6pP.jpg
Farmer Olafur with daughter Kolfinna. Early settlers from Norway and their long-house. Portur Tomasson, creator of the Skogar Folk Museum (1959), carding wool. Restored sod smithy A combination of sod buildings from different farms in the area. Skogar Folk Museum.
Wall of restored toolshed A bed board kept people from falling out of a double bed. Farmhouse lived in up to the 1940s. Wall of restored farm house. Skogar Museum Church
Islands magazine has rated Reynishverfi among the world’s ten best beaches... Cliff face of Dryholaey, a protected nature area. Beachfront condos for fulmars, puffins, and other cliff birds. Dryholaey Lighthouse on the south coast. Barn on Dryholaey plateau.
Barn on Dryholaey plateau. It’s SuperPuffin! Puffins nest in holes on the cliff top. Iceland has more puffins (3 million pairs) than people (300,000). Below the Dryholaey plateau tower the 66-m Reynisdrangur.
Columnar basalt, familiar to Viking and Celtic settlers in Iceland. Basalt columns and, legend says, trolls petrified by the rising sun. Basalt columns and, legend says, troll petrified by the rising sun. The Reynisdrangur. Extruded basalt lava flows.
Sunlight on the sea at Reynishverfi. Sea sandwort, common on sandy beaches in Iceland. A few hundred meters from the coast, the vegetation becomes lush. Sheep from a farm in the Reynishverfi area. Good-luck cairn
Beyond the cairns, the sandy desert of Myrdalssandur. Lava from an eruption in the year 894 remains. The Lakagigur (Laki) eruption of 1783-84 left this lava field, now moss-covered. As a result of Laki’s 1783-84 eruption, one-third of the population died and nearly as many left the country. A mile to the west of Kirkjubaejarklaustur...
The once-powerful River Fjadra carved this canyon in three days as it plunged from a large inland lake to the ocean. Looking southeast, toward the ocean, from the top of the Fjadra Canyon. The River Fjadra, looking from a bridge that spans its southeast end. The River Fjadra, looking from a bridge that spans its southeast end. Electricity came to southeastern Iceland only in 1974.
The highest mountain in Iceland, Oraefajokull (2119 m). The glacial moraine behind the Hotel Skaftafell at 7 in the evening. Tip of the next glacial peak east of Oraefajokull. All of these glaciers are fingers of the Vatnajokull icecap. Remains of Bridge Harebell.
Which of the 365 is this? IMG_0564 - Version 2.jpg A “sliding glacier,” covered in volcanic debris, within walking distance of the Visitors’ Center at Skaftafell National Park. Volcanic fires beneath this glacier melt the ice; as pressure builds up, the glacier moves. A small waterfall greets visitors who follow the path to the sliding glacier.
g4/30/33230/3/64937046.SivF2erT.jpg A tiny footbridge crosses this quiet stream. g4/30/33230/3/64194102.flxWeyBF.jpg The dramatic crevasses in this glacier make it dangerous to walk on. A sliding glacier collects debris.
IMG_0598 - Version 2.jpg A lone flower in the midst of volcanic devastation. IMG_0604 - Version 2.jpg IMG_0611 - Version 2.jpg IMG_0619 - Version 2.jpg
Intriguing pattern. Hillside scooped out by force of volcanic eruption in 1996. The tip of the tongue of “Batman” glacier. Pat from Sacramento at the “Batman Glacier.” “Batman,” a “dirty glacier,” up close.
Guide/driver Matthildur Unnur Thorsteinsdottir of the farm Hofsnes. A 10-km drive leads to Ingolfshofdi. The way seems to lead across water. Bill from Wilmingon, halfway up the 76-m-high cliff. This farm wagon and tractor make the sightseeing trip several times a day in the summer.
How to catch a puffin. Looking down from Ingolfshofdi. Many an unlucky ship mistook the black sands for open water. At the edge of the cliff, an Arctic skua. Some 300,000 puffins live in this colony. Aside from skuas, there are no predators, so the puffins are fearless.
Puffins dig their burrows 1.5 meters deep on the cliff edge and return to the same one each year. Puffin pastorale. Arctic skuas ferociously protect their young. Ingolfshofdi Lighthouse. Ingolfshofdi Lighthouse.
Lighthouse on Ingolfshofdi headland. Arctic skua parent and chicks. Weary hikers returning to the farm wagon. In Jokulsarlon lagoon, icebergs calved from the southern edge of Vatnajokull icecap. Amphibious vehicle – LARC – used for “sailing” the lagoon.
Zodiac patrol on the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. Icebergs on the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. Icebergs on the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon. Lagoon guide Helga gave us all a taste of ancient water. Djupivogur, the oldest trading center (16th century) in the Eastfjords.
New homes, hotel and cell tower in Djupivogur. Owner of a long-cabin-like knit-wear shop in the center of town. Beginning of a day-long ride across the highlands. The two-lane highway through this uninhabitable area is open only in summer. Typical homes of Icelandic elves in the highlands
Power lines. A very thin layer of soil covers volcanic outcroppings. Thin coating of moss on lava ridges. Got lamb? Gummy bears! This is the setting for Halldor Laxness’s fine novel “Independent People.”
In the highlands, in snow and fog, yellow poles mark the road. This north central region is the most volcanically active in Iceland. Carol from Washington lights up an area of desolation. Ford from Washington, Pat from Sacramento, and Carol from Washington. Riders squint into evening sun after an hour on Icelandic horses at Lake Myvatn.
Stable, with the owner’s daughter-in-law and grandson. Madeleine from Seattle on her mount. Icelandic horses, American rider with penguin zipper-pull talisman. George from Istanbul after the ride. The stable owner and horse-trainer.
Lake Myvatn (Midge Lake) in northeast Iceland Lake Myvatn is unusually shallow. Its average depth is 2 m; the deepest point is only 4.5 m. The lake’s position squarely on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge explains these lava pillars. Lake Myvatn supports the world’s largest population of breeding ducks. Hair sedge (?)
Mountain Avens, a member of the rose family. Panoramic view from the Hverfell crater toward Lake Myvatn. Climbing the giant ash crater Hverfjall. Hverfell Crater, formed in an eruption 2,500 years ago. Hikers going down the tephra-covered slope.
More hikers headed down. The Krafla area is the heart of volcanic activity that began in the 1970s after 300 years of dormancy. Here the earth’s thin crust regularly rises and falls as magma builds up beneath the surface, escapes as steam, and subsides. A minature volcano, Krafla. National Geographic Society expedition group portrait at Krafla.
Driver Gudmundur and guide Petur, both from Reykajavik, as are nearly two-thirds of the inhabitants of Iceland. Steaming earth in the Krafla area. When the earth was first formed, it may have looked like Krafla. The Krafla mud pots hiss and steam. The mud pots of Krafla bubble and sometimes blow.
Art deco design in a Krafla mud pot. The desolate moors between Myvatn and Akureyri in northeast Iceland. Water in Viti, an explosion crater near Mount Krafla. Viti is the rim of a larger caldera that has been worn down. The volcano that formed it is thought to be inactive. Diana and Dow from Glen Ellyn at the edge of Viti.
Godafoss (“waterfall of the gods”). Waterfall of the Gods. Godafoss again with 21st century seekers of truth. Waterfall of the Gods. Dettifoss has the greatest volume of any waterfall in Europe’s largest waterfall, with a flow of 500 cubic meters per second.
The thunder of Dettifoss is heard long before it can be seen. The basalt canyon of Hljodaklettar looks ordinary as one enters. Soon the shapes of Hljodaklettar become surreal, like this giant tree stump. (Note: Humans at base.) The canyon walls at Hljodaklettar assume an air of mystery. The name Hljodaklettar means “echoing rocks.”
Madeleine from Seattle and Ford from Washington in Hljodaklettarcanyon. Mystery again, Hljokaklettar Canyon. Tiny green plants, Hljokalettar Canyon. Wildflowers on the trail from Hljokalettar Canyon. Cross-shaped church in Husavik, built in 1907 from Norwegian timber.
New organ in Husavik church. Beautifully carved pulpit. Brass door handle on Husavik church Blue house, blue roof in downtown Husavik. Skeleton of minke whale calf, Husavik Whale Centre.
Skeleton of killer whale, Husavik Whale Centre. Akureyri is dominated by its church, designed by Gudjon Samuelsson in 1940. The flight from Akureyri (pop. 15,139) to Grimsey (pop. 100) takes 30 minutes. The flight from Akureyri (pop. 15,139) to Grimsey (pop. 100) takes 30 minutes. The commuter plane to Grimsey seats 10 passengers.
This platform marks the Arctic Circle. Will, Madeleine, and Wiley from Seattle cross the Arctic Circle. Everybody wantsta get inta da act! - Durante Because of their serious stance, Icelandic puffins are nicknamed “Profastur” (“the Dean”). Grimsey’s puffins will leave in August and return around May 20.
Puffin (the national bird) stands guard. Three of thirty thousand on Grimsey. A Grimsey quartet. On a rare warm day in July, Reykjavik residents lounge on the Austurvollar... Parliament (new building being constructed behind).
Town Hall on the pond. IMG_1236 - Version 2.jpg A Chinese restaurant. Quite by chance, Petur ran into his children on the main street. Our guide, Petur, with his attractive children.
All roads, it seems, lead to the cathedral. The form of the Hallgrimskirkja was inspired by basalt columns like those at Renishverfi. The strikingly simple interior of Hallgrimskirkja. The Hallgrimskirkja organ was built in 1992 by the German organ builder Klais. The cathedral organ has 5275 pipes.
The main organ has four manuals, 102 ranks, and 72 registers, this can't be it... Statue of Jesus (?) by (?). House and sculpture garden of Einar Jonsson. Street scene in Reykjavik. The Icelandic National Library.
Formerly a prison, this is now the Prime Minister's office. Pressed iron succeeded sod as a building material. Old town, Reykjavik. Borg Hotel, Reykjavik. Resistance is futile... In Old Town
Theater, old town, Reykjavik. g4/30/33230/3/64776143.DZaqQrRh.jpg Reykjavik street planting (for Randy) “The pond,” Reykjavik Old town, Reykjavik
Frikirkjan-Reykjavik Hallgrimskirkja can be seen from most of Reykjavik. Old Town, Reykjavik Austurvollur [Ingolfur’s pasture] on a cool day. Entrance to pedestrian-only street, downtown Reykjavik.
John and Chris from Buffalo. Carol from Washington. Will and Rick from Seattle Rick, Madeleine, and Wiley from Seattle A little warm for Jean . . .
What are the odds?
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comment
Dave Techentin 29-Nov-2006 06:02
Jean,
Thanks for the photo-tour. We've never been to Iceland so seeing your photos was a treat.
All is going well out here on the left coast. We just got back from the Pacific northwest and are heading out tomorrow on an RV caravan. We'll have two foreign students till Christmas and then we head to Death Valley for a week or two.

Dave & Laura Techentin
Guest 13-Aug-2006 13:55
UP THE PUFFINS!!! UP THE COWS!!! This really looks NORTHERN. Thanks for taking pictures of ordinary things as well as extraordinary (that's all relative, isn't it!) Lise
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