Our intention was to get up early, but being on vacation and our own schedule allowed us to start late. Breakfast at 9:00 at the Cowshed. A wonderful plate glass window between the restaurant and the milking and feeding area gives a great view and none of the smells.

Hverfell volcano was our stop after a ten minute drive . We saw this volcano from over thirty km away on our entry into the Lake Myvatn area. It looks like a huge striated black mound shaped like a dog-bowl. With the recent snowfall, the strait ions were unmistakably beautiful. It was formed between 2500 and 2900 years ago when rising magma met with ground water forcing a massive explosion of steam, ash, and rock. The rim is 1 km in diameter and the crater is 140 meters deep with a round nub in the middle. We hiked up the 25 minute ascent to the rim and walked part of the rim. While there we had a hangout call on our iPhone from Danielle and Jacob. Through modern technology we gave them a tour of the crater and the surrounding sights of the lake.

Grjotagja fissure was our next amazing sight. Here the plates of the earth moved apart causing a lava flow. Visually it looks like the earth opened up by someone ripping the earth apart. It was most impressive. We then gassed up the car and purchased provisions for a picnic lunch a la Toyota Auris . We headed east leaving the Lake Myvatn area.

Dettifoss waterfall was about 50 km east, in the Jokulsargljufur Canyon, but we were told that the bad snowstorm caused the road to be closed. We tried to go and were successful as the snow on the roadway melted opening a small path. After a one km hike through a snowy rocky plain we reached to waterfall. It is the largest and most powerful waterfall in Europe. Two hundred cubic meters of milky glacial water falls each second down the 44 meter drop, headed down the river to the ocean many km away. All this crashing falling water made for enough mist to have a beautiful rainbow. The day was overcast and foggy but we were blessed as the skies cleared in time for our hike and viewing.

Eglisstadir was our destination, and we got there before dark. We had dinner in our hotel, the Iceland Air Hotel Herad. The food was wonderful, again. Happy hour drinks got us ready for an Iceland delights appetizer of salad, reindeer pate with caramelized onions and Cumberland sauce and smoked goose with horseradish sauce. Minna's main was an amazing beef tenderloin, while Howard feasted on reindeer steak that was as tender as meat could be. This is the restaurant's signature dish as this is reindeer country.

After dinner we watched from our hotel window for the aurora borealis as the internet reports showed a moderate chance for it tonight. It has been very cloudy every night so far.