We spent a week driving a rental car along the southern coast. We traveled on a highway that entirely encircles Iceland, though that trip takes about two weeks. In retrospect we wish we had done that.

Volcanic Black Sand Beaches

Birds don't get any cuter than Puffins. They nest on cliff sides.

Iceland is filled with amazing waterfalls. Hikers on the trail show how truely large the falls are.

A seagull is seen flying across the face of a waterfall.

Balanced and stacked stones and rock cairns are left by travelers as a tradition in Iceland.
Elves are purported to live in these rock piles.

Iceland is probably the only place in the world where the effects of two major tectonic plates drifting apart can easily be observed above sea level. This is the still spreading crevasse between the the continents of Europe-Asia from the Americas.

In southern Iceland, lava fields are often covered with mats of moss.

Can you pronounce this place name? The language is unique and it seems that only native Icelanders can pronounce the words.

A deep canyon has been cut in the landscape by water as it descends from melting glaciers.

Somehow Iceland is green and Greenland is icy. Wild flowers create an almost waterfall effect on the volcanic mountain sides.

Another beautiful cascading waterfall.

Icelandic horses, a breed of large sturdy ponies, and Icelandic sheep are seen nearly everywhere in beautiful settings.

On the road which turns to the right , crossing in front of the distant Vatnajökull glacier.

A tiny tip of Iceland's huge Vatnajökull glacier is seen descending from mountains in many places.

We approach the melting edge of one of many glaciers. Gaciers are receeding at an alarming rate. This one extended nearly a mile further about four years ago.

Look closely to see the hikers on this glacier in order to get some idea of their vast scale.

Flocks of Arctic Terns can be found where melting glaciers pour water into the North Atlantic. They are attracted by the thousands of small fish that congregate here.

Glaciers calve into icebergs that float out into the Northern Atlantic Ocean. Glacial ice, seen as parts float away, are snow covered and contain a beautiful interior crystalline blue.

Birds rest on floating icebergs calved from melting Artic glaciers. If all the ice in the Arctic melted, the global sea level would rise about 24 feet. If all the ice in the Antarctic melted, it would rise about 200 feet.

An Artic Tern is seen overhead.

One has caught a small fish it will have for lunch.

Calving glaciers create amazing shapes as the ice floats away either out to sea or inland glacial lakes.

The tops of mountains are often hidden by clouds created by glacial cold high above.

Among the many Icelandic birds we saw a colorful Oyster Catcher.

Small, almost doll size, houses are build by Icelanders as homes for Elves and Trolls.

Hallgrímskirkja Church and Viking statue in Reykjavík

Brown Trout grow to a very large size in the land locked lakes.

Catch and release of an over six pound brown trout I caught fly-fishing.

Iceland is actively volcanic and covered by thousands of years of lava rocks ejected from the depths of the earth during eruptions. Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted in 2010 caused airports across Europe to close as an ash cloud drifted towards the continent.

Areas with boiling hot springs and steaming vent holes abound.

The Great Geysir, is a geyser in southwestern Iceland. It was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans.The English word geyser (a spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa, "to gush", the verb from Old Norse. Geysir lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill, which is also the home to Strokkur geyser. This one erupts about every seven minutes.

This quiet volcanic crater is filled with beautiful blue tinged water. We were told that rock bands perform on a floating deck with the audience seated on the crater's side.

Mud Pots are formed as steam and hot water arise from the depths. The mud takes on the colors of a painter's palate. You can walk among them but be careful not to step in boiling water.

Experience created the need for this sign in a washroom by the Mud Pots.