Saturday-Sunday, 23-24 July 2022

I have been looking forward to the Iceland trip for quite a long time. It had initially been scheduled for the Summer of 2021, but Covid concerns derailed that. The trip is under the auspices of ILSG –The Institute of Lake Superior Geology – which is a regional association of geologists, both professional and academic. I became acquainted with the group via the Geological Society of Minnesota, and went on an ILSG field trip to the big island of Hawai’i in the winter of 2020, just prior to the advent of Covid. It was a great trip, 11 days with about a dozen folks, and toured the five extant volcanoes of the island, including a helicopter trip to the suburb once known as”Royal Gardens,” now better known as a lava field of black basalt. It was a great trip, and although I am introverted, I very much enjoyed the trip and the people. That the people who led the Hawaii trip were also leading the longer and rougher Iceland trip, was a significant inducement.

I packed well in advance. This is not a normal type of trip for me, so I put a lot of effort into organizing it. I am traveling and living with a group, changing accommodations every night or two, some of which will require sleeping bags, and need to make sure that all my gear is in waterproof, I can get by with minimal unpacking. The organizers also requested that we use duffles rather than suitcases, and again made a point of mentioning the desirability of luggage being water proof. Apparently, particularly in central Iceland, rain (or sleet or snow) can materialize in out of a temperate (for Iceland) day in a few minutes.

A yellow duffle bag, pristine a few hours before, now dirty and looking as though it has been through dozens of 'baggage handling' episodes. — My brand new bright yellow duffel, after its first trip

Fortunately, Delta was there for me. By the time I picked up bag in Reykavik, my bag would lead any observer to conclude that I was a seasoned traveler. Delta was, perhaps, aided by the fact that we had two change aircraft two or three times, in sync with cascading delays in our departure – 8:20 turned to 10:15, then 10:40 and so on culminating in a post mid-night departure – so the baggage probably got several trips worth of handling.

The air travel passed uneventfully. I arrived too late to connect with Peter and Al at the airport, and so used a bus/hotel shuttle to get to my lodgings at Sunna Gueshouse; there I stashed my luggage and walked around until I was able to check in at 3:30. (I omit a mediocre picture of the iconic Hallgrimskrikja and a pretty if undistinguished park.) A shower, a bit more walking, and dinner at a sidewalk cafe featuring pizza and beer completed my day.

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