Day 6 - Fleming Fjord and Antarctic Havn

We did a couple of hikes in these fjords. The first was in very flat light and the second was clear and sunny with long views. The expedition staff awaited us on the beach with a BBQ grill and hot dogs. Here is the Daily Expedition Report and Care's Rizbee on the Road blog for Fleming Fjord and Antarctic Havn.

Day 7 - Kap Maechel and Alpefjord

We hiked in the morning looking for musk ox and did a very chilly zodiak ride along the face of the Sefström Glacier. Here is the Daily Expedition Report and Care's Rizbee on the Road blog for Kap Maechel and Alpefjord.

Day 8 - Kasjer Franz Joseph Fjord

We did a hike at Blomsterbugten and followed some big polar bear tracks. In the afternoon we went for another zodiak ride along the face of the Westerhausen Glacier. Here is the Daily Expedition Report and Care's Rizbee on the Road blog for Kasjer Franz Joseph Fjord.

Day 9 - Carlsberg Fjord

We did our final hike in a place neither the ship nor the expedition staff had been. As we left the coast of East Greenland and started heading east across the Denmark Strait, we encountered an ice pack that had drifted down from the North. We got an impressive demonstration of the Endurance's ability to smash through the ice. Here is the Daily Expedition Report and Care's Rizbee on the Road blog for Carlsberg Fjord.

Day 10 - At sea

Our final day was an unevenful day at sea as we prepared to arrive early the next morning in Reyjakvik for our follow-on tour of Iceland's vocanic region. Here is the Daily Expedition Report and Care's Rizbee on the Road blog for Carlsberg Fjord.

Akureyri, Mývatn, and Hverir

After an early morning disembarkation from the Endurance, we flew to Akureyri in Northern Iceland. Our first stop was the Goðafass waterfall. We visted a volcanic valley near Lake Mývatn and visited Dimmuborgir, the Dark Fortress, remains of a lava reservoir filled with otherworldy rock formations, We ascended the stunning black sand slope of the Hverfjall Crater and saw a great basin framed by Lake Mývatn. We then went to the Víti Crater, a remnent of the Krafla volcanic eruption, that now holds a turquoise lake. We went to Skútustaöagígar pseudo craters. We ventured into the volcanic wilderness of Hverir, a land of boiling mud pots, hot springs, and sulfurous fumaroies. We ended the day with a soak at the Mývatn Hot Springs.

Húsavík and Akureyri

From our hotel overlooking Lake Mývatn, we took a scenic drive to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Runoff from the Vatnajökull ice cap forms a 300 foot wide cascade, giving the roaring waters a milky hue. It was so cold that the spray from the waterfall created ice along the sides of the canyon. We continued north to Ásbyrgi, a basalt-lined canyon formed by glacial flooding, resulting from a volcanic eruption, and steeped in folklore. We stopped in the small coastal town of Húsavík with breathtaking views of the ocean in the Denmark Strait. We relaxed in a sleek salt-water hot spring on a cliff overlooking the water. We drove back to Akureyri for dinner and a night in a local hotel. The next morning we flew back to Reyjkavik and the home, thus ending our trip.

Marin County Open Space volunteer appreciation picnic

Back in the USA, in late October, the Marin County Open Space District, for which Jon is a volunteer, held its annual volunteer appreciation picnic. They did it a little differently this year combining with volunteers from the Marin Municipal Water disrict and One Tam. The picnic was held at Tiburon's Paradise Beach Park, a new venue right on San Francisco Bay. The weather was spectacular and the food good.