Night Owl's Garden

On our way out of Akureyri, we shot a picture of the Jón Gunnar Árnason’s metal sculpture titled “Sigling” (Sailing). Árnason’s metal sculptures have become synonymous with their locations. Another famous one in Reykjavík is called Sun Voyager.

We had a lot of ground to cover during this day in order to get to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Altogether this leg took about eight hours, and we expected to be in the camper van through the vast majority of it. I don’t know why I was so obsessed with getting to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. All the travel websites and books sang its praises so we prioritized it over seeing the sights along this portion of the road.

Along the way, we stopped at a gas station where I found more licorice. This variety featured a black cat and was named Katjes Poter. Honestly, the licorice looked like cat turds to me, but they were actually cat paws. The brand hails from Denmark. We didn’t purchase it as we still had tons of pirate-themed licorice. Later I found Katjes Poter at Home Goods right here in Central Kentucky!

We decided to make a brief detour to visit Kidka Wool Factory Shop in Hvammstangi. Kidka makes quality Icelandic wool products. Before our trip, we researched the best places to purchase sweaters, scarves, hats, etc. The dirty little secret is that many of big brands in Iceland like Icewear don’t even make the woolen goods in Iceland. In fact, Icewear manufactures their wool apparel in China, and the company does not even use Icelandic wool. Both Kidka and Álafoss (where we bought our sweaters) produce handmade knitted items with Icelandic wool. We picked up another woolen cap and some earbands (headbands).

After a very long day of driving, we stopped in the village of Búðardalur for the night. This small town offers a very neat and tidy campground near the fjord, Hvammsfjörður. By this point of our journey, the summer campgrounds had all closed by September 15th, and the fall/winter campgrounds remained. The changeover happened while we stayed in Akureyri, and we noticed fewer tourists on the road. A few other camper vans joined us at the campground.

We walked around the grounds and down to the fjord. We noticed a sign for things to do in Dalir, the name for the region. The quiet streets stretched out in front of us, and I wondered what people’s lives were like. We saw a school that looked nicely-appointed. We did not see anybody anywhere until we walked into a small market across the street. There I found “Sour Cream” Doritos. I also found “Pizza” Doritos, but I purchased the sour cream variety. Back at the camper van, I sampled the Doritos only to realize they are just “Cool Ranch” Doritos by another name. I was so disappointed! Oh well, they tasted good with a glass of box wine!

We made dinner in the camper van and turned in for the night. The next day we would begin exploring the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

We planned to have only one full day in Akureyri, and this day was it! I arrived with two priorities: the famous Christmas House store and the Forest Lagoon thermal spa. We booked our entrace at Forest Lagoon for 7 p.m. We decided we could go to Christmas House later in the afternoon. Before we could get going going with the day, we needed to start some laundry and eat breakfast.

Since we still had quite a lot of food from our camper van, we decided to make scrambled eggs with chopped pear and a rye cracker with cream cheese and lox. We picked up the rye bread with lox inspiration from our stay at Silica Hotel. We were still managing to eat food from our one trip to Bónus grocery store.

After breakfast, we hit the streets to see the city in daylight. Street art populates every nook and cranny in Akureyri. Between murals, fancy trash cans, statues, and giant trolls, we stumbled on interesting things at every turn.

We then wandered into a botanical garden. With it being September, Northern Iceland showed the beginnings of fall. In fact, the month of September pretty much is all of fall as snow starts falling in October. We enjoyed the beautiful gardens that included photos of how those gardens look in winter.

After the botanical garden, we headed out for a short drive to Hrafnagil to see the Christmas House. I am obsessed with Jólakötturinn (the Yule Cat), and I wanted to find Christmas ornaments featuring this giant cat who eats people who have not received new clothes before Christmas Eve. Jólakötturinn descends from Icelandic folklore and is supposed to be the pet cat of Grýla(an ogre) and the Yule Lads. For more details, you can visit the Wikipedia page.

The Christmas House looks like Santa’s home. The festive red building even has a clothesline behind it with Santa’s clothes drying. Like many Christmas stores, each room had a theme.

I was as excited as a small child when we entered the room with a stone structure coming out of the wall. Gnome and troll ornaments perched on the rocks. Then I saw the slit with the name “Grýla” written on a small sign.

I peered into the slit, and there she was…Grýla, complete with pointy teeth and scary eyes!

Although I expected to find lots of Jólakötturinn paraphernalia, I only found a resin statue, a wooden cut-out ornament, and a deck of cards featuring the Yule Lads. Of course, I bought all the things, but I was disappointed that they didn’t have more.

Outside of the Christmas House, you could purchase mulled wine and cider, buy caramel apples, and play games. The hillside featured several stools made from logs with homemade game boards.

Before returning to our apartment, we decided we’d dine on hot dogs before heading over to Forest Lagoon. The hot dog stand Pylsuvagninn á Akureyri down the street offered a dazzling array of Icelandic hot dogs with all sorts of toppings and buns. The volcanic dog contained all things spicy on a black bun. We ate our hot dogs at our apartment and spent a little time relaxing. That’s when I managed to take a few photos inside our apartment. Then we packed our day packs to go to Forest Lagoon, which is right across the Fjord from Akureyri.

As with our other themal bathing experiences, we did not get any pictures except for a couple of photos after we got dressed and sat on the deck. Forest Lagoon opened earlier in the year, and as the name implies, the clear thermal pools are surrounded by forest. It is GORGEOUS, especially at night. Graham realized he forgot to pack his bathing suit after he got into the dressing room, but he was able to rent a bathing suit for the night (I’m glad they offer that!). We floated around the pools and used our wristbands to charge our drinks at the swim-up bars. We relaxed in the dry sauna and hopped in the cold plunge pool. Mostly we just soaked up the warm water and watched other people. In Iceland, you go for a soak (and a drink) after work. I would love to have this option in our country. Absolutely awesome!

With our third thermal bathing experience, I noticed that my modesty about nudity finally dropped. In Iceland, you have to shower before putting on your bathing suit and entering the water. The shower rooms are open showers with a few private shower areas, probably because of Americans. At the Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa, we had our own luxurious private shower/bathroom/dressing room. At Mývatn Nature Baths, I jumped into one of the few single shower stalls. At Forest Lagoon, I let it all hang out. I walked into the shower room in my full naked glory and enjoyed the deliciously hot shower. Women of all shapes, sizes, and ages showered all around me, and it felt natural. After soaking in the thermal baths, I returned to the shower room where I was greated by a very tall, gray-haired, naked German woman who pointed at my bathing suit saying something that I think was complimentary (you can tell a lot by body language). I smiled and thanked her, stripped off my bathing suit, and showered off. It was one of the most freeing experiences of my life. Americans have a lot of hangups about nudity. Europeans are much more relaxed about nudity, and I prefer their acceptance of the human body.

After we returned to the city, we went for a walk and got more lakris ice cream! Lots of other people strolled around the city at night as well, and we watched kids skateboarding up and down the streets. We saw more decorated trash bins. This time we captured a photo of a knitted troll.

We repacked our suitcase and backpacks with fresh, clean laundry and turned in for the night. We snuggled down for another great night of sleep. The next day we would start our journey to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, an optional side-trip on the Ring Road, that is supposed to capture the essence of Iceland in miniature.

After departing the wonderful and magical Möðrudalur campground, we made our way toward Iceland’s second largest city and the capital of northern Iceland, Akureyri. We looked forward to spending the next two nights in an Airbnb apartment in the “big city” complete with laundry facilities. Of course, we had to make several stops along the way as Iceland’s Ring Road offers something new every few miles.

Of course, waterfalls aren’t really anything new. In fact, we suffered from waterfall fatigue to a degree. Still, we pulled off the road to check out another major waterfall, Dettifoss, and once again, we we were amazed, but there was more! Selfoss could be viewed as well along the trail from Dettifoss.

We hopped back on the road and decided to visit Grjótagjá Cave. Whether or not this small lava cave deserves all the hype is up for debate, but as Game of Thrones fans, we figured we would check it out. For those of you who are not GoT fans, Jon Snow and Ygritte consummated their love in this thermal spring cave. Only a few tourists milled around the location. There isn’t much to do except peer into the cave and take pictures.

Now that we had our GoT fix, we drove over to Mývatn Nature Baths. I regret not taking any pictures as we approached the facility. These thermal baths contain silica and have that same milky blue hue as the Blue Lagoon but without the hefty price tag and massive amounts of tourists. We ate lunch in the cafe, changed into our bathing suits, and wandered outside for a dip. The weather cooperated with sunny blue skies. We lounged around in the waters for a couple of hours, enjoying cocktails and people-watching. We just reached the mid-point of our trip, and nothing could feel better than relaxing in the late afternoon sun. We drifted around the hot pools, seeking the warmest areas and soaking up the atmosphere.

We returned to our camper van so relaxed and ready to finish our drive to Akureyri. We knew we’d be hitting rush hour, but we didn’t mind making an additional stop for yet another waterfall. Yes, another waterfall! This time it was Goðafoss.

Although we neared Akureyri around 6 p.m., we didn’t encounter much traffic. In fact, we found the traffic very light. I knew the majority of people lived in Reykjavík, but I somehow expected Akureyri to be bigger. What I found was a town quite similar in size to my own hometown, which has around 20,000 people.

We found our Airbnb apartment just a few steps from the main street. The hostels next door and across the street bustled with activity. We parked our camper van across the street and threw all our dirty clothes in the big suitcase.

Grateful to be spending an evening outside of the camper van, we made dinner at the apartment that night. We had so much food that we needed to eat! We made pasta with vodka sauce, snacked on assorted cheeses, and drank wine. Our dining room table even had a little hygge candle display so we lit the candles and enjoyed our dinner.

After dinner, we stretched our legs with a walk around the city. The cathedral can be seen throughout the town, and it was magnificent! We noticed the steps painted in rainbow colors near the church. We also got a glimpse of local art with knitted-wool trash bin covers. We stopped and got lakris (licorice) ice cream, and we were immediately addicted! Iceland loves its lakris, and they do it up right!

We returned to our apartment eager to explore the city in daylight and ready for a comfortable night of sleep. Our bedroom included different weights of down comforters so that we could each pick one we liked best. We stayed up later than expected mostly because folks in the city like to party! We listened to people wandering around in the streets laughing and talking as we nodded off to sleep.

After all the excitement of seeing the northern lights from our campground in Höfn, we slept well and took off on our long drive north. We had not decided on our next campground for that night, and we didn’t really have a plan for the day. We did go ahead and book an Airbnb for two nights in Akureyri starting the following night so we knew we’d only have one more night on the road before having access to a washer/dryer, real bathroom, bed, and kitchen.

When you travel north, you can elect to drive straight on the Ring Road, which is mostly in-land, or you can choose to drive up and down the Eastfjords along the ocean. We chose the Eastfjords so that we could take in more of the country and get a feel for each region. We were not in a hurry, and we let the day unfold as it would.

The drive consisted of gorgeous views from our camper van, a few stops to admire the scenery, and a short hike here and there. We traveled through Djúpivogur, Breiðdalsvík, Fáskrúðsfjörður, Reyðarfjörður, Seydisfjordur, and Egilsstaðir. These are all very small towns nestled along the ocean.

A lot of travel stories about Iceland feature the southern part of the country where all the tourist sights are packed closer together and tourist buses shuttle in and out of Reykjavík. As you drive north, you unravel from the hustle and bustle of the south and get a glimpse of everyday life. The largest concentration of Iceland’s population lives in Reykjavík. The convenience of a larger city and all its amenities appeals to residents, especially when winter sets in and travel between cities becomes much more difficult.

The sleepy small towns of the Eastfjords each have their own personality. Most of them are small fishing villages, and they do not take long to visit and walk through. Getting to them takes some time, but the views are well worth it.

We parked our camper van in Reyðarfjörður, opened the door, and ate lunch by the sea. It is one of the larger villages with a population of 1,300 to 1,400. The blue sky almost perfectly matched the blue water. We had some of the best weather for our trip!

Our longest drive between villages occurred between Reyðarfjörður and Seydisfjordur. We had gorgeous bright blue skies for most of our drive, but as we climbed the mountain going toward Seydisfjordur a light rain settled upon us. It did not sprinkle for long. The lunar landscape of this road surpassed anything we had seen so far. We even wondered if we were going in the right direction! The rock structures surrounded us, and since we were in the camper van, I failed to take pictures! I’m kicking myself about that one!

During that portion of the drive, Graham started getting a migraine so once we reached Seydisfjordur, he took his migraine medication. With the barometric pressure changes and altitude changes along with running and going and eating and sleeping differently, he was bound to get a headache at some point. We elected to take a short hike to a waterfall in Seydisfjordur and continue our journey north.

We still had not chosen our campground destination. We planned to stop in Egilsstaðir and regroup. Egilsstaðir is the big city of the Eastfjords with a population between 2,000 and 2,500. Fortunately for us, after we fueled up in Egilsstaðir, we discovered a cute diner called Skalinn Diner. While writing this post, I discovered that it is permanently closed! What a heartbreaker! That place was tasty! We both picked more typical ice cream flavors and loved every bite. We watched teenagers congregating at the diner after school, and except for their attire, it could have been a scene out of the 1950s.

After looking at the campsite options on our Happy Campers map, I suggested that we try Möðrudalur, Iceland’s highest-altitude working farm that features campsites, a restaurant, a church, and guest houses, including turf homes. Guests can hike their trails, visit with their animals, and meet for tours to the Askja volcano and other sights in the area.

We didn’t know it then, but we were missing Studlagil Canyon outside of Egilsstaðir. Between the long drive and Graham’s headache, I doubt either one of us would have been up for it. We had been pushing hard since we arrived, and we were eager to reach our campsite and enjoy the evening. If we return to Iceland, we’ll definitely try to see Studlagil Canyon.

Along the Ring Road before our turn for Möðrudalur, we saw a beautiful waterfall, several sheep, and a small parking lot. In the spirit of adventure, we pulled over to check out the scene. It might be hard to believe, but you actually get numb to so many waterfalls, but the sheep sweetened the deal!

The road to Möðrudalur was ROUGH. A gravel road with lots of potholes worn smooth in areas but mostly one pothole after another. The entire camper van rocked and shuddered. We could hear our stuff in the back rattling and rolling. I wondered several times if we should even have the camper van on that road. We were not allowed to take it on F-Roads that require 4×4 vehicles, but I never imagined a gravel road could be so rough. I almost begged for us to turn back, but I was curious about this strange campground in the middle of nowhere.

As we drove into the campground, I could not believe my eyes. Were we in Middle Earth? Was this the Shire? That beaten-up road led to a place straight out of a fantasy book! Once again, Iceland showed us her wonders, and we were amazed!

We checked in at the main building where the restaurant is located. They told us that we could pay to eat a buffet breakfast the next morning. What an amazing perk! We walked through the grounds. With the little church, it felt like its own tiny village. We noticed a big truck with Montana license plates and an onX Offroad wrap and wondered what that was. A dog and goat ran around the parking lot greeting visitors. We selected a campsite looking out across a field and within a decent walk to the bathrooms and showers. The showers accepted coins for allotted amounts of time, and we took showers before getting ready for dinner. We wanted a restaurant meal for sure!

Fjallakaffi, the restaurant/cafe at Möðrudalur, features local dishes such as lamb soup, moss soup, lamb chops/fillet/etc, and arctic char in a cozy atmosphere. If you are lucky like we were, they’ll have reindeer hunted in the wild by the owner. It is illegal to farm reindeer in Iceland so any reindeer on a menu are wild. I knew that other countries were having issues with reindeer herds contracting wasting disease which is caused by prions (similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy/BSE/”mad cow” which is called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans). I did a quick search on Google and determined that the illness had not been identified in Icelandic reindeer. Graham ordered the reindeer. I ordered the arctic char, and I also got the moss soup. The moss soup consists of lichen in sweetened milk. It almost tasted like dessert! While I found the arctic char to be good, I envied Graham’s reindeer steak. As we usually do, we shared bites of each other’s meals. We didn’t know it then, but that tender, flavorful reindeer steak would go down as the best thing we would eat in Iceland and the best steak of any kind we’ve ever had.

The onX Offroad crew sat at a long table behind us. They brought with them camera equipment and so much excitement. We didn’t know if they were filming a documentary or what, but we later discovered that they make an application for offroading on trails for dirt bikes, ATVs, etc. We think they were either coming from or going to Askja. For a moment, I regretted booking our Airbnb in Akureyri in advance as we could have arranged for a tour of Askja ourselves, but I reminded myself that we cannot see everything in two weeks.

After dinner, we wandered around the grounds and marveled at how cute and cozy everything looked. Although hygge is a Danish term, all Scandinavian countries nail the concept of coziness. They are known for it. We took pictures under the bright moon and hoped for another opportunity to see the northern lights. We had gorgeous unobstructed sky all around us.

Of course, when I got up in the middle of the night, we were encased in thick fog with temperatures hovering around 30-degrees. It was my first time seeing frost in Iceland. We did not have a chance of seeing the northern lights. I could tell the short September autumn would soon be giving way to winter.

The next morning we packed up our things and headed back to the restaurant for the breakfast buffet. We got to sample all sorts pastries, eggs, bacon, sausage, cheeses, fruits, veggies, and more. Everybody talked to each other, and you could hear people mapping out their days. We saw the onX Offroad vehicle again and wondered what adventures they would be enjoying.

After we ate, we walked around the grounds one last time. This time we got some photos in daylight.

Möðrudalur provided us with a night of magic and hygge after a long drive. We would have loved to have stayed, but we wanted to hit some more sights, including Mývatn Nature Baths, Grjotagja Cave (featured in Game of Thrones!), and yes, some more waterfalls.

After all the pizza and breadsticks the night prior, we slept very well at the Vík campground. We had to park close to the road where the non-electrical hookup vans parked, and we had a lot of road noise and lights throughout the night. Our van’s curtains helped shield the light, but we could still hear vehicles passing. We also had to walk forever to get to the bathrooms (really annoying in the middle of the night). Despite everything, we slept well and did not have pizza nightmares. In fact, we slept soundly most nights in the camper van.

We woke up somewhere between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. as we did most mornings. lying there with the light glowing through the curtains, we laughed as we recalled our unpleasant experience with the Witch of Vík. The whole scene was ridiculous! Then we looked at each other and decided that we just wanted to go! We hurried around, threw on our clothes for the day, packed away the bed, and drove to the bathrooms on our way out. We were just DONE with the place.

We pulled out of the campground, crossed the street, and purchased Starbucks coffee drinks at the N1. They even had an unsweetened caffe latte. I honestly don’t know why we hadn’t considered the convenience of canned coffee beverages.

Vatnajökull

Everything for our day’s itinerary focused on Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. We scheduled a glacier hike with Arctic Adventures for the afternoon. Our hiking tour would depart from Skaftafell Nature Preserve at the foot of Vatnajökull, so we decided to drive to Skaftafell and check out the scene.

As we drove from Vík, we started seeing white-capped mountains in the far distance. We drove and drove and drove, and for a while, it felt like it didn’t get closer. The glacier is just that big! Then we started getting close enough to see detail.

Skaftafell

We reached Skaftafell and got our bearings. There is a campsite at Skaftafell, and we initially thought we’d stay there overnight, but we wanted to leave our options open.

Outside of the visitor’s center, we looked at maps of the glacier and read facts about glaciers. We lucked into another sunny day, and it was warm by Icelandic standards.

After checking out the scene, we returned to our camper van for lunch. With our van door open to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight, we ate egg salad and spicy tuna salad sandwiches and snacked on chips. Our camper van’s cooler (refrigerator) kept everything at a safe temperature throughout our trip.

Glacier Hiking

After lunch, we decided on what layers to wear, stopped by the visitor’s center bathrooms, and headed over to the Arctic Adventures meeting point. Several people from all over the world gathered around the building. The largest group were from the Canary Islands, and one of their members provided Spanish translation for others who did not speak English.

Staff members checked our footwear to make sure we had enough ankle support. People whose shoes did not pass the test could rent hiking boots. Fortunately, our hiking boots passed the test! We’d had the same pairs of hiking boots for at least half of a decade, but we really put them through their paces on this trip, and at every turn, we were grateful for their comfort and features.

Once our shoes went through review, we lined up to get fitted for crampons. Groups of eight or so sat on benches in the building where Artic Adventures employees measured our boots and selected appropriate crampons. The crampons are adjustable (like old-school rollerskates that clamped on shoes), and the fitters locked down the right sizing before handing them off. We carried the crampons until they were needed.

After we got our crampons, the staff supplied us with the rest of our gear, including climbing harnesses, helmets, and ice axes. We were both so excited and ready for adventure!

We bundled up for our glacier adventure, but the staff told us that the temperatures on the glacier were quite mild that day. After a quick trip to the camper van to ditch our down jackets, we joined the others on the bus.

Getting to the glacier itself involved walking along a path from the parking lot and then hiking up a steep hill of gravel switchbacks.

Our guide Laris (I have no clue if I spelled his name correctly) came from Latvia to live and work in Iceland. He stopped along our journey to tell us facts about the glacier. As we made our way toward a tongue of Vatnajökull called Falljökull, Laris explained that within a decade or so this tongue would no longer be here. The glacier melts through the spring, summer, and fall, but it is not rebuilding enough ice in the winter to offset the loss.

After hiking up the steep black gravel switchbacks at the base of the glacier, we gathered along a flat area and applied our crampons. Now we were getting ready to walk on an actual glacier! Our guide instructed us on how to hike up and down the glacier using our crampons and ice axes for stability.

We could fill our water bottles from the little running streams of meltwater on top of the glacier. I tasted the water, and it was divine like all the water in Iceland. If you visit Iceland, don’t buy bottled water. Iceland’s water is fresh glacier water right from the tap.

We noticed deep holes through the top of the glacier. Our guide explained that the glacier is always moving and changing, and as rocks roll down the glacier, they land in spots, heat up in the sun, and melt down through the ice. They create deep holes. Our guide warned us not to drop anything in the holes, but about fifteen minutes after he told us that, a man dropped his glasses in one of the holes. Our guide rolled up his sleeve and reached down through the icy water. He had his arm so far down into the hole that it reached his shoulder and he pivoted his body as he stretched for the glasses. He actually managed to retrieve them! The man was so grateful. As somebody who has worn glasses since middle school, I could feel the man’s panic when he dropped his glasses.

We also learned that glacier mice inhabit this area. They aren’t rodents, but they are wads of moss that clump together on the glacier. They move around almost imperceptively over time. NPR had a story about them in 2022. I am bummed we didn’t get a picture of one.

Our guide moved nimbly up the glacier like a goat. He hopped ahead and tested ice with his ice axe. Every day is a different adventure for him as the glacier changes. He adjusts where he takes his tours based on the safest path. Once he got as high as he could safely take us, he helped take pictures of all of us.

When I planned our trip to Iceland, I wanted a challenging adventure baked into our itinerary. I read about glacier hiking and decided that it was something I wanted to do even though it sounded a little bit daunting as I imagined slipping on the ice. Still, how many opportunities will I get to hike a glacier in a lifetime? I wasn’t getting any younger. Altogether, the tour we took felt safe. Our guide did a fantastic job of providing instruction as needed without overwhelming us. We left with a massive sense of accomplishment and magical memories.

Jökulsárlón (Glacier Lagoon)

After our glacier hike, we hopped in the camper van and traveled to our next stop, Jökulsárlón, a glacier lagoon nearby. From the parking lot, we took a brief hike to the lagoon where we could see icebergs floating their way to sea. The sign for safety rules tells you about all the horrible things that would happen if you engage with the water in any capacity.

Once we got to the glacier lagoon, we hiked around one side of it. The icebergs floated by at a nice clip on their way to the ocean. We watched seals playing in the water and pulling themselves onto the icebergs.

Diamond Beach

Across the road from Jökulsárlón is Diamond Beach. The black sand beach stands in contrast to all the broken icebergs that wash ashore. We watched icebergs drift from the lagoon only to be beaten by the waves and washed back to shore.

Höfn Camping Ground

After visiting Diamond Beach, we hopped on the Ring Road again to head to our final destination for the night, Höfn Camping Ground. Diamond Beach happened to be the last of the super popular destinations along the coast, and the traffic thinned as we drove to Höfn. Like many of the campgrounds, this one provided easy walking access to the town’s amenities as well as a decently-stocked campground store. We decided to cook in our camper van that night as we had lots of tagliatelle nests and pasta sauce that we did not want to waste.

Before we could fix dinner, we needed to go shopping at the camp store first. Our camper van did not have sufficient lighting for dining, so we located a lantern at the store. Of course, it cost $60 USD and wasn’t all that, but it served the purpose.

Graham set up the cooking station outside of the camper van and used a flashlight to see what he was doing. Inside the camper van, the lantern provided enough light to make our living space cozy and inviting.

Northern Lights!

After dinner, Mother Nature put on a show for us! We chose September for our trip because it was just beyond the busy season and at the start of the Northern Lights season. So far on our trip, the nights had been too cloudy and the solar activity too weak to see Northern Lights. We used a Northern Lights tracking website daily to figure out our chances, and so far, we had been disappointed.

Graham went out to clean up the dishes after dinner and came back to tell me the good news. I could hear people oohing and aahing. I jumped out of the camper van and looked up to see what appeared to be waving white clouds in the night sky with faint hints of green. Graham pointed to his photos on his phone and explained that if you take a picture in night mode you can see the green better. We both shot several pictures. We didn’t know it at the time, but this would be our one and only opportunity on this trip to see the Northern Lights, and we managed to see them by luck. I am forever grateful that we got to have this experience.

By the time I went to the campground’s bathroom before settling down to sleep, I could no longer see the Northern Lights. I slept well that night and looked forward to our drive up the east coast the next day.