From Oklahoma to the Land of the Midnight Sun

Back In Tulsa

2008-08-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, the excursion is over and I arrived back home late last night. The travel home was what you could expect of airport travel these days - especially considering I was traveling in between two separate continents.

I hope everyone enjoyed the updates from Iceland. Come by my classroom to see more pictures and even a few samples I brought back!

Thanks for reading!

The city of Reykjavik

2008-08-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

Our final day was spent in the capital city of Iceland, Reykjavik, which means "Smokey Bay". We did a morning tour and most of the city does not open until at least 10 to 12 am. But locals do sty out the night before until 4 to 5 am. I guess they must sleep some time. It is a small city, but 70 % of the population of Iceland is located here. Even at that, it is still roughly the size of Tulsa. This is a statue of Lieff Ericsson, the explorer credited with the discovery of Iceland.

This house has an interesting past. It was the house where Reagan and Gorbachev had their famous summit that began the end of the Cold War era. It was almost torn down, but some small groups fought to preserve it.

This was the fmous hot dog stand shown in the Food Channel show by Andrew Zimmer. We did have a lamb hot dog there.

The last science lesson for the trip. This is one of several posts erectd by geologist, Alfred Wegener in the 1930's. I'm sure all of my former students remember who he was. As a refresher, he was credited with proving the theory of plate tectonics. Most of the proof of this theory came from research in Iceland.

A Few Words

2008-08-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

As I was looking over my posts and responses, I figured that I had a few thoughts and questions about my trip that may not have been addressed. First off, it has been an amazing experience. I am traveling with twelve teachers from across the United States. We have one representative from the Geological Society of America and a local tour guide, Helgi. Let me start with him, he is a hoot. A former teacher and a guide for about 20 years, he is the ultimate Icelander. Our group is so fascinated with him that we are composing a list of “Helgisms” - words to live by in Iceland. Of course, he is full of information of the country as well.

Our hotels have been nice, but definitely not American. We are comfortable but cramped. Breakfast in Iceland consists of fresh breads and cold cuts - yes, salami in the morning. Lunches have been on the road and vary quite a bit. Dinners have been fabulous. No shark - I really think that is a delicacy found rarely throughout fishing communities. We have had cod, trout, salmon, lamb, duck and chicken. Usually our desert consists of some type of skyr, their high end equivalent of yogurt.

Sleeping in Iceland has been quite the challenge. I knew I would have difficulties, but it has been harder than expected. Let me first say that I am spoiled when it comes to sleep - I require my air conditioning, ceiling fan, white noise, darkness, and a king size bed. In Iceland, air conditioning is an open window and what is a ceiling fan? With an open window, comes the outside noises including, but not limited to the largest collection of different species of birds in the world. We have a twin bed with sheets and darkness is non-existent. Between constant light and utterly no white noise, a good night sleep is near impossible for me. Eye masks are helpful, but barely!

The sights have been amazing. It has been truly amazing to realize how much the science of the earth has come to shape an entire country and its people. Through out time, Icelanders have battled glaciers and Ice Ages, melting and flooding, volcanic eruptions and toxic gases. It is not surprising the country is so sparsely populated.

The people here are also great fun. They do seem to have a casual attitude about life. I guess the fact that they are living on top of a huge hot spot in the earth that can go at anytime may influence that attitude. Everyone here speaks English and are quite friendly and trusting. They have a unique prospective on the environment here. Their ability to put a pipe in the ground and supply their country with clean energy makes it easy for them. They have discovered that this cheap and easy energy will attract European factories and plants. They are quickly finding themselves struggling with the issue of selling their energy for foreign use in their country. This leads to outside companies possibly harming their pristine country.

Today, we will tour the capital city of Reykjavik. We have spent most of our time in the countryside, so I am looking forward to seeing the urban part of the country. Then tomorrow, I will head back to the states. Thanks for the longer read!

The Ice Bar

2008-08-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

We are ending our trip with a visit to Reykjavik. Several of us visted the Ice Bar in the city center. It is a small room, cooled to -8 degrees Celsius. You obviously do not spend alot of time there, but it was a fun stop.

The Blue Lagoon

2008-08-01T17:35:00.000-07:00

As a group, we took a quick dip in the Blue Lagoon. This is a naturally geothermally heated lagoon where people sit and enjoy. Tomorrow, after I leave the group, I will enjoy a treatment in the lagoon.

The South Shore

2008-08-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

We were at the shore today. And I thought that Oklahoma had some winds! This makes us look like a slight breeze. It was cold and fierce. According to Helgi, if you went straight south from here - the next continent you would hit would be Antartica.

Puffins Everywhere

2008-08-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the south sea shore and the home of the puffins. We got up close and personal with a breeding area. They were amazing.

A Solar Eclipse

2008-08-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

There was a solar eclipse up here today. Unfortunately, we had cloud cover during most of it. I snuck this picture in between the clouds.

The Midnight Sun - Really

2008-08-01T17:16:00.001-07:00

I have been telling Gabe that it has been difficult to sleep here. Just to give you an idea of why that is so. If you can tell from the pictures, that is PM on the ipod.

The Search is OVER!

2008-07-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have found a troll!! During our canyon hike, I came upon him. According to Icelandic troll legend, if a "little person"/troll/fairy stays out past sunrise, they are made into pillars of rock. Trolls in Iceland are of the naughty and tricky in nature and love to haunt people and play jokes. But they must come inside once the sun rises. The good Iceland fairy will turn those bad trolls into rocks. How about these trolls! Can you see them? With these rock formations, I can really see how these people can be spooked into seeing gnomes!

The hills are alive!

2008-07-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

Helgi, our guide, took us to a canyon that many tourist do not know of. We ventured to the cliffside and the views were astonishing. The moss covered ledges were very unpredictable, so you definitely had to watch your step at all times!

Into the middle of a volcano

2008-07-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

We were able to hike down into one of the craters. Thankfully, there was no seismic activity, unfortunately, that meant no lava flow. However, it is not often that you can actually view the hole that lava once flowed out of.

Swimming Anyone?

2008-07-31T13:52:00.001-07:00

One of the craters that we visited today contained a crater lake. We were able to hike down to the lake itself. It had to contain the coldest water that I have ever felt. We stuck our feet in for a picture and they literally were numb from the cold. It was a beautiful hike.

Laki Craters

2008-07-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

The main part of today was spent at the Laki craters. In this area of the Icelandic interior, a large fissure broke open in 1783, and flooded Iceland with the largest lava flow ever recorded. As the story goes, after eight days of lava flow, a local priest gave a sermon condemning Icelanders for causing this disaster. God was paying Iceland back for their vile behavior. As the flow approached his village - it miracously stopped. His speech is known as the "Sermon of Fire".

In this area, there ar over 30 lava craters that spewed lava two hundred years ago.

This is a picture of the molten lava fields in the area. The lava rocks are now moss covered.

How Many Waterfalls does Iceland have?

2008-07-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering the answer to that question, I believe it is infinity. Every day, Helgi, our guide, takes us to new waterfalls that are simply beautiful. This first waterfall can be seen from our hotel room.

The Iceberg Lagoon

2008-07-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

The highlight of the day was a trip to the Iceberg Lagoon. Here, all the glaciers break apart and fall into the ocean. We took a trip out in the lagoon to drive among the icebergs. It was beautiful. Blake, great location for casino - no sod roofs, may leak during wet periods.

The ICE in ICEland

2008-07-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

We finally found the ice. We went out east and hit the glaciers. Approximately 10 % of Iceland is covered by Glaciers. They are currently shrinking. But, that is normal. It seems that Iceland has had 37 periods of known glaciation. They shrink and swell. This particular area has been very active. In 1996, a volcano below the glacier erupted violently, causing massive melting and flooding.

Our Friend, the Seal

2008-07-30T14:50:00.001-07:00

While touring the icebergs, we were able to spot a few artic seals sunning themselves.

The Black Falls

2008-07-30T14:38:00.001-07:00

Today, we visited the "Black Falls". This was a waterfall over black basaltic formations.

Legend has it

2008-07-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

Today, we had a lettle gnome/fairy/"little people" lesson. We visited the dwarf cliffs - where dwarfs supposedly live.

According to Helgi, our guide, this is THE FAIRY CHURCH. Can't you tell?

Down on the Icelandic Farm

2008-07-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

One of our first stops today was at an Icelandic farmhouse. It was a fifth generation farm.

The farm housed their own chapel. After going inside, it very well could have housed gnomes at one time.

This was Farmer Johannsson. He was thrilled that we were there.

The Gateway to Hell

2008-07-29T15:21:00.001-07:00

Today, we did a little volcanic site seeing. We drove to the highlands of the Volcano Helki. This volcano is the most explosive, the most feared, and the most active in Iceland. It erupted last in 2000 and has erupted every ten years for the last fifty years. It is so violent when it erupts that the locals have referred to it as the "Gateway to Hell". In fact, there are no roads to the top and no hikers have dared to climb it until the last 25 years or so.
These pictures are of a crater lake formed in the caldera of a shield volcano that erupt about 500 years ago.

Emily, notice this small shield volcano? It has a small candera at the top.

Hot Springs Spas

2008-07-29T15:15:00.001-07:00

We visited a village where there were little hot springs that people got into swimsuits and soaked in. We bashful Americans decided not to strip down in public and change into our suits. We left that to the Europeans - they seemed not to care. We opted for the up to our knees soak in the hot waters.

Turn around - Don't drown

2008-07-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

While driving through the volcanic highlands, roads were even worst than Oklahoma roads. And our bridges were non-existent. In fact, without 4 wheel drive, you were not moving anywhere. We easily were driving through 3 foot streams. I did try to explain to Helgi, our driver, that in Oklahoma we "turn around, don't drown". YA, he told me. We made it threw several times. Did have some brake issues once - but they were quickly corrected.

In the footsteps of the Nordic

2008-07-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

We made a stop today at a Nordic farmhouse - sod roof and all! For beeing big fellows, the house was extremely tiny.

Chasing Waterfalls

2008-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day in Iceland. The sun was finally out and we had blue skies all day. The temps were near 70 degrees. We say the most wonderfall waterfall today - complete with rainbows! It was a post card view!

More Little People News

2008-07-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

No matter where you go, Icelanders really do believe (or say the do) in gnomes, trolls, or "little people". Legend says that when many Icelanders left to inhabit the New World, the "little people" were left behind and were not happy about it. They became "little tricksters" and set out to make the others miserable. In fact, when we were at the hot spots, a local told us of a "mean, angry, little troll" who live one of them. I am on a mission to catch one with my camera!

May not be the gnome church , but beautiful anyway.

Some random events.

2008-07-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

Driving around the countryside today, we happened across a herd of horses being gathered up. It was truly beautiful.
You would be amazed at how many fresh flowers are around ICEland. We visited a greenhouse today that grew flowers that will be cut and sent to Reykjavik florists. The entire green house is heated and powered by the hot geothermal waters below.

Stacy, I thought of you with these today!!

Hot spots everywhere

2008-07-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

This place was amazing. In case you haven't figure it out yet, iceland is one great big hot spot witing to explode. These places were in some one's backyard and were not there two months ago. When the latest earthquake hit this past May, these spot suddenly started spewing steam and water from the earth's mantle. It is not uncommon for this to happen throughout Iceland.

This was really neat. The local will put eggs in the nets, hold them over the hot spots and make hard boiled eggs.

Waterfalls and Geysers

2008-07-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Today, we spent the day with water. We visited two separate waterfalls. The largest one was called Gullfoss. The power of the waters was amazing!

The geysers were great fun. In theory, they were suppose to go off every 6 minutes. In reality, they were so surprising that you would get soaked if you were not careful!

The Search For Gnomes

2008-07-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Well, it begins - the search for gnomes and faries. Throughout Pingvellir National Park, there were numerous crevices and caves. They have to be hiding somewhere here! Could that be the elusive gnome church?

A Little Science Lesson from Iceland

2008-07-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

Pingvellir National Park lies in a belt of volcanic activity and fissures that is known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Here, the North American and Eurasian Continental tectonic plates meet at the rift valley. Over the past 10,000 years, the earth's crust has been sinking and spreading apart here. Pingvellir Park is Iceland's largest lake and was formed by springs beneath the ridge.

Here I am actually standing on both plates at the same time.

A Surprise Encounter

2008-07-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

We did encounter a familiar face while in Pingvellir National Park. At least his was to us. I don't think he knew who we were. Eavesdropping of the conversation led us to believe he is scoping out sites to film a movie.

I'm Here!

2008-07-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Iceland about 6:30 am (1:30 am - Tulsa time!) And we have been on the go ever since. We have had an hour around lunch time on our own, so I thought that I would quickly post. I haven't slept since yesterday morning and we still have activities planned for the day.

Here are a couple of shot of the countryside. We have made our way from the airport to a rift valley between two shield volcanoes. The weather is a little overcast, but not too bad.

I did pick up a few volcanic rocks along the way. We are on our way to a geothermal power plant for a tour. You can see this plant in the pictures. This plant pumps hot water (200 degrees) to Reykjavik about 40 miles away. They say the water temperature only drops about 2 degrees during the trip. This water heats all the homes in Reykjavik.

Getting Prepared

2008-07-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

The clock is ticking down and final preparations are underway. Since I am new to blogging, I figured that I better give this a test run before I hit the road! Hopefully, that road will bring me internet access!

I leave for Iceland on Saturday morning with at 9:30 am flight out of Tulsa. With a stop in Chicago, a 5 hour layover in New York, a five hour flight to Reykjavik, and a five hour change in time zones, I will arrive in Iceland at 6:20 am on Sunday morning. We have a full day of activities planned on Sunday, so I definitely will be tired on Sunday night. I am figuring that this exhaustion will help acclimate me to the 3 hours of darkness that is Iceland nights!

Weather reports for Iceland forcast highs in the 60's. Sorry about that Tulsa - have fun with that Heat Advisory! I am hoping for clear enough skies and enough darkness to see the Northern Lights. That is doubtful for this time of year though.

Well the bags are getting packed (and I seem to have a small stow-away!). Hopefully the next post will be from Iceland!