July 26th – Aug 3rd
A VERY SHORT two days after we got back from NYC, Walter (Master D) and Walter Jr. (TT) got on another plane headed for their memorable brother bonding Icelandic adventure. I wish they would have brought at least a penny board and acted out the skateboard scene (safely) ….but Master D’s unbelievably cool new drone got the kind of footage you only see in movies….how very appropriate don’t you think?
Guest Blogger: Master D
Yes. TT and I went to Iceland this summer. Saying that the more recent Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller did not play a large part in the decision would be an unequivocal lie. And truthfully, my next bucket-list destination is Norway. Made, in part, because of the movies Troll Hunter (2010) and The Wave (2015). But this post is not about that. It is about Iceland! And oh, what a dreamscape that island is. 
The other part of our decision to travel to Iceland came from a conversation I had with my friend, Evan. We wanted a glorious adventure after hearing of the ability to scuba dive in a fissure between the Eurasian and North-American tectonic plates. 300+ feet of visibility in 36 degree water. We got ourselves dry-suit certified in Utah before heading out. Poor TT was two months too young to scuba, but had fun snorkeling instead.
Day 1: Arrive at 9:00 AM after a red-eye flight. Waited 1 1/2 hours for our pre-booked rental car. We had to upgrade to a larger vehicle. Europe does things smaller. Drove to our Airbnb in Reykjavik. Got lunch at Taco Bell, discovering the astronomical expenses of eating out on the island. $15 for a crunch-wrap supreme. Drove to the Blue Lagoon. Fun geothermal springs/spa with mud masks
and drinks. Very tired.
We toured downtown Reykjavik, checking out the church Hallgrimskirkja. It was, as TT put it, his favorite church he’s visited–and he’s been to Rome. 
Day. 2. Leave Airbnb at 6:30 AM for Silfra, our scuba adventure. We are there until about 3 in the afternoon. Evan and I dive twice, 36 minutes and then 39. TT goes through once and then hangs out with the very accommodating Chelcee (Evan’s wife). The dive was extraordinary. I only wish I was slightly more used to dry-suit diving so I wasn’t so nervous in some parts of the dive.
Day 3. On the road North. Drove through a 6km long tunnel underneath a fjord. Visited Hvitserkur, a weird rock arch just off the coast. Drove through incredibly dense fog. Flew my drone a bit. Got to our Airbnb just north of Akureyri in Grenevik.
Day 4. We booked deep-sea fishing and whale watching. We were six minutes late and rebooked for 4:00PM, three hours later. That ended up being just fine because we enjoyed delicious fish soup in the small port town of Dalvik. Whale watching was fun, seeing several Hump-back whales.
But the fishing took the cake. TT and I both caught large Icelandic Cod. It was gutted and grilled there for us and was absolutely delicious. 
That night we visited the waterfall Godafoss. This was my personal favorite of the trip, as it was far less crowded and we were able to walk right up near it.
Day 5. Drive south. We had some trouble finding our Airbnb. It ended up being a cute little cabin. We then went to hike to Glymur falls. Had to take our shoes off and wade a river to get to it. Ended up being rained out. TT and I ran back after the rain stopped and got some great footage, though.
Day 6. Drive farther south. Got to our last Airbnb. We were surprised to find that it didn’t have a shower. So we all became rather smelly. Our easiest day. We saw some geysers and a crater lake. Bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner (as eating out is so bloody damn expensive).
Day 7. Our last day. Drove the entirity of the south coast to Glacier Lagoon. Made our way back slowly, stopping at several waterfalls along the way. Again, I liked Godafoss the most but Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, and Svartifoss were all pretty cool, too.
created by dji camera
TT wasn’t originally a part of the travel plans but was added in later. There was some worry that going with me and my married friends would be uncomfortable but he ended up fitting right in. What an adventure this was. I’m grateful to have had the ability to do it.
All I can say is “WOW” ! What a wonderful experience, among the many you have had! Thanks for the vicarious trip !