Fun fact, when you spend two weeks riding with fully loaded panniers, the second you take them off your bike will feel so twitchy and lightweight that you’ll struggle to keep of going in a straight line. Today my plan was to do a big loop around the lake, seeing the sights and maybe getting some wildlife photography in.
My first stop was Hverfjall, the gigantic black volcanic crater. It is truly vast, and I opted out of hiking to the top in favour of gawking at it from the base.
Moving on, I took a short walk around the Dimmuborgir, an area of interesting rock formations carved out by lava.
Finally, I cycled down to the south most point of the lake to Skutustadagigar, a series of grassy craters caused by lava floes hitting the lake.
I visited a few other small attractions here and there, and with the wind and rain picking up again I completed the loop and cycled back to camp. I had been planning to spent a few days in Myvatn, but the overcast weather had ruined any chances of a good photo, and as the day drew on I was drawn to the single spec of sun on the horizon.
I decided to chase the possibility of a nice sunset in the north rather than hang around miserable Myvatn.
I packed my things and at 9pm I set out towards the sunset, shining bright like a beacon through a small gap between the mountains. The destination was going to be Husavik, but being so latecI was only planning to do maybe 30km before wild camping.
I set out and as I crossed over the first big hill I found something I had no idea existed on Iceland; a desert. As far as I could see were rolling desert hills, completely barren save for patches of lupins. This was a shock, and I wondered if I had made a huge mistake. I couldn’t camp out here, and there was no water. I pressed on regardless, determined to keep going until I reach some form of civilization.
The desert hills rolled on and on for many kilometres, and after an hour of riding I spied in the distance a magical sight. Far to the north the sunset was illuminating a large rain shower over the fjord, the resulting effect being a giant shimmering wall of golden light stretching from the sea to the clouds. A car stopped near me to capture the moment, so I parked my bike next to them and tried to capture the scene with my long lens. It didn’t quite do the job, but it left me with the determination to keep chasing the sunset, of only to get closer to the stunning scene.
It was past midnight now, but with no wind and few hills, the riding was great. No obstructions, no traffic, just beautiful scenery unveiling itself on front of me. This was the kind of ride I had dreamed of when planning my trip. The kilometres melted away as the sunset slowly vanished behind the clouds and the desert gave way to the familiar steep hills, running brooks and farmland found in the fjord lands. Having made it through the desert I began scouting a suitable campsite. It was not easy due to the many fences lining the road, but eventually I found a small lake sheltered from the road by trees and made camp.
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