Day two started quickly, having to be on the bus by 8:15 as we headed to our first stop of the day to see waterfalls flowing down volcanic rock. Having been in Iceland for only two days now, one of the most interesting things for me so far has been the random-looking formations of volcanic rock. Driving past volcanic rock fields, it looks like clumps of rock were just randomly placed without any thought. Today, at our first stop, it was similar to that, except for the waterfalls flowing, which are fed by a glacier a few kilometers away.
After stopping at the waterfalls, we got back on the bus and made our way toward Snæfellsnes Peninsula. As we made it further toward the tip of the peninsula, we suddenly found ourselves driving right between the mountains and the ocean. The mountains were on our right, and the ocean was on our left. Again, the mountains and rocks were like nothing I’ve ever seen before, as they were all formed from volcanic eruptions. Having traveled to Alaska before, where there are massive mountains, the mountains in Iceland looked completely different. The mountains in Alaska seem like they were more “neatly” formed, whereas the ones in Iceland are very bumpy and random. It’s amazing to think about how these mountains formed millions of years ago through volcanic eruptions that made their way through the ice.
We ended up making a few different stops along the ocean, and one thing that was common at all of them was the strength of the wind and the fierce nature of the surrounding ocean. If I remember correctly, the winds were up to 60 miles per hour at one point, and the current and waves looked like they could kill you in an instant. The wind was so strong it almost swept me off my feet a couple of times, which is something I’ve never experienced before. The aggressiveness of the ocean was also way different than anything I’ve seen, and it makes me wonder how people used to get in small wooden boats and spend the day fishing for food. It amazes me that they were even able to get past the initial waves, let alone spend their whole day out there.
Being able to experience such a unique natural environment today is definitely something I’ll never forget. I loved being able to hike around and truly experience how harsh this weather can be, as it gave me a much different perspective on the people who live here and the natives who lived here thousands of years ago. Day two was awesome, and I’m really excited to experience more things like what we did today.
Swanson School of Engineering 