We left town close to noon and headed for Hengifoss. Today was a recovery day. We went shopping to buy binoculars, which we found in the supermarket. Then we dropped of our laundry at Bendi and they said it would be done by the end of the day. By the time we were done with our chores it was close to noon and we wanted to return by 4PM to visit the museum.
We crossed the bridge out of Egilstader into the town of Fellabaer. We turned south onto 931 and drove to Hengifoss.
We hiked up a very steep hill for about 3 hours (including rests) from 30m to 425 meters. The river was beautiful and by the time we returned to the car at 3:30 our knees were sore. We passed several electric fences, presumably for the sheep so we had to be careful when we opened the gates. The wind was blowing fairly strongly and at one point we saw a small waterfall blowing up the hill!!
We crossed the new bridge right near the entrance to Hengifoss and turned left. It was also called 931. We passed through a forested area which was lush with lupines and trees. There were many walking trails so Icelanders could be in a forest. The trees looked pretty healthy and they were being harvested in one area.
We arrived in town at 4PM and went to the 'East Iceland Heritage Museum' (Minjasafn Austurlands) and spent about an hour there. We saw the main exhibit, which we did understand since there were many english descriptions. There were many tools and a house that was moved from the early days of Iceland. There were horseshoes with spikes for the snow. There was a device for crunching manure so it is easier to spread on the fields. We saw spectacular woodworking tools. Many local famalies seem to have donated their heirlooms for posterity. This included the products of a photographer and the tools of a doctor. We also saw an exhibit in the basemant about paganism in Iceland. It was really hard to understand since it was totally in Icelandic! The third exhibit was about Icelandic immigrants to Canada. There were photos of their activities, which included horses, boxing, and chess.
We then picked up our laundry which looked wonderful and ended up costing a reasonable amount! We then decided to eat dinner at 'Cafe Nielson'. It was a charming house filled with small tables. The staff was friendly and we had an excellent meal. I had fish in cream sause with rice and salad. David had lamb in sause with the same sides. The desserts looked good but the meal was large so there was no room.
We returned to our hotel. We took a walk in the park across the street from our hotel. Finally we returned to our room and worked on our journal (paperwork). We managed to call Geeta Ben that evening. We got the update from Alaska, which is warm these days. We worked on paperwork until 11:30PM
A good close view of the Black tailed godwit. They were making lots of noise to keep us away from their nest.
Icelandic pony grazing on a sunny day along the lake.
View of Lagarfljot, the river-lake or slow river on which Egilstader is located.
The lower set of falls are called Litlanesfoss and are surrounded by spectacular basaltic columns. There was a lovely upper pool visible in the above photos. There was also a lower pool.
David enjoyed video-taping the various water falls.
Creeping Phlox growing in the meadow on the way up to Hengifoss.
Iron and manganese layers (we think) are visible in Hengifoss.
Hengifoss 'the hanging falls', is on the right and other unnamed waterfalls are on the left. Hengifloss is 120 meters high, making it the third highest falls in Iceland. It is located just south of Brekka on the west side of Lagarfljot.
David recultantly agreeing to be photographed.