Day-4  (Vik to Laugarvatn)
 
On day four with the sun shining bright on us, after a lovely breakfast including Rye bread which is baked underground buried in a box next to a hot spring, we pull out of Vik and start our ride further westwards on highway 1 thru winding roads that cut through rugged mountains & vast tree less plains.

We arrive at Solheimahasandur, the famous site of the 1973 US Navy plane crash in Iceland where the plane ran out of fuel and the pilot managed to miraculously save all crew members safely by landing along the sandy beach. The plane was abandoned there as it was not worth the cost & effort to remove it from there. However, it actually sits on the private land of 2 farmers and recently they have barred entry of all vehicles to the site citing damage to nearby vegetation. Parking our bike on the main road, it’s an each way 4km walk making a total of 8 kms two-way.

Initially, you only know that’s the site, neither do you see the plane nor the beach for atleast the first 90% of your walk. There is just a rough trail in that direction with hard gravel for most part with some lose sand in between. Once there, the panoramic view of the white plane in the contrasting black sand and a little bit of the sea in the background is a photographer’s delight. Anyway, after a 8km walk to the crash site carrying our gear and a backpack it was exhausting but worth the visit.

From here we again hit the road west passing some more isolated villages and also stopping for a late lunch at a cozy place called the Eldsto Art Café in Hvolsvollur.

From there on we make our way towards the small & enticing fishing town and old harbor of Eyrarbakki. A little history about the place- For centuries, the harbour at Eyrarbakki was the main port in the south of the country, and Eyrarbakki was the trading centre for the whole of the southern region extending from Selvogur in the west to Lómagnúpur in the east. By about 1925, however, Eyrarbakki lost its importance as a trading centre. The latter part of the 19th century saw a great increase in the number of oared fishing boats. In fact, although trade and fishing were the main occupations in Eyrarbakki, the natural harbour conditions were not good, and after the bridging of the nearby River Olfusa, the harbour fell into disuse.

We take in the sights of the beautifully lined multi color houses & neat but deserted streets and after immersing ourselves in the beauty of the place, we back track some distance and finally settle into the town of Laugarvatn for the night.

Just before heading into bed close to midnight, I take a look thru the window and I am astonished to see the twilight on the horizon. It was simply mesmerizing, so I quickly grabbed my camera and clicked this pic at 12.00 midnight.

Good night!