Húsavík

While most of the group was divided up and set off on field trips connected with biology, soil erosion, or geology, some of us set off in one of the vans shortly after lunch with a different objective. While much of our trip, including our visit to the Ytritunga fossil beds, would be related to geology, we were also setting out to enjoy the scenery and visit Húsavík to stock up on groceries and other supplies. We also wanted to enjoy the weather, which was warmer and sunnier than it had been for the past few days.

Our route led us to the west of Lake Mývatn, then north, following the course of the Laxá river. While the first stop was to examine a roadside gravel pit that had laid bare some of the area's geological history, our first real objective was Aðaldalur - more specifically the lava field Aðaldalshraun, which is interesting not only because of its geological features but because of its birch trees and underbrush, which are out of the ordinary for Iceland. After driving around for a while and stopping to examine various lava formations and take pictures, we returned to the main road and carried on towards Húsavík.

We soon made another detour, however, this time to see some of the Laxá River where it passes through Laxámýrar Farm. The fog that was gathering over Skjálfandi only served to make the scene more attractive, but considering the daily rate for salmon fishing at the falls, the view should be nice. After this brief detour, we piled back into the van and continued northwards. After passing through Húsavík the scenery began to open up as the road climbed and we began to parallel the western shore of the Tjörnes peninsula.

Our next stop was the Steingervingasafn fossil museum, which displays fossil finds from the Ytritunga fossil beds. The geologists and biologists were enthralled, but some of us chose to forego the admission charge and make friends with one of the local dogs instead. Thirsting after more fossils, the scientists soon chased us back into the van and we headed back towards Húsavík in order to visit the fossil deposit itself.

Access to the Ytritunga fossils seems a little unlikely. It's simply a dirt road through a farm which seems to lead over the edge of the cliff - which is the case. The fossil deposits are along the side of the road, which leads steeply down to the very small fishing port (actually more of a boat launching ramp than a port) of Tjörnes Höfn. All too soon, however, we had to leave the fossils and the beautiful little port in order to visit the supermarket in Húsavík. The views along the way, looking out over Skjálfandi from the road, went by too quickly, and we soon found ourselves in Húsavík. After parking near the supermarket, where we had an extensive list of supplies to pick up for the group, some of us made a few purchases for ourselves and headed out to quickly explore some of the town. This wasn't as mercenary as it seems, since without a good knowledge of Icelandic, shopping for anything other than the most basic and easily identified groceries can be well, challenging. Time limited us to the area around the church and the harbour, but Húsavík struck me as another of the places in Iceland that we wouldn't have the time to adequately experience - much to our loss.

Time was of the essence as we piled back into the van. We had to get to Reykjahlíð so that Guðmundur could catch his plane back to Reykjavík, so our route back to the Mývatn area was more direct. The road took us across some of the wastelands north of Mývatn, where there is literally nothing green to be seen. We made it to the Reykjahlíð airport in time, and were treated to a brief preview of some of the areas we would visit the next day during our trip to the Krafla caldera. With Guðmundur safely on his way, we got into the van one last time and drove the last leg of our trip back to Skútustaðir. Our cargo of groceries was much appreciated, and part of it was quickly put to use for that night's dinner.

Iceland Trip
Introduction · Itinerary · Background · Arriving in Iceland · Getting Around · Geysir · Gullfoss · Kjölur Route
Hólar · Akureyri · Goðafoss · Mývatn · Húsavík · Krafla · Ásbyrgi · Jökulsárgljúfur · Reykjavík
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Last updated 20 January 2006
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