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Burning Man Flipside

Burning Flipside is the Texas version of Burning Man. It’s considerably smaller with about 2,400 people attending versus 60,000 to 70,000 for the annual main Burning Man held in the Nevada desert. Sara and I have tried to get tickets before but none were available; this year however we were successful! We thought it would be a good opportunity to find out what Flipside was like and equally important take our RV on a test run to see if everything worked.

We thought preparing for this event would be significantly easier since the location is only three to four hours away, versus the three days we need to get to the Nevada desert. This event started on Thursday April 24th and ended on Sunday 27th, whereas the big Burning Man event is a full week. All of these Burning Man events require you to bring your own shelter, food, water and of course all your costumes. Turns out we still had a ton of work preparing all the provisions and the all important “Shade Structure”. No one would dare going to Burning Man without adequate shade structure!

Finally Thursday afternoon on April 24th we had the RV completely loaded and launched for Apache Pastures which is northeast of Austin. We left in a significant rainstorm that added two hours to our journey down to the event. We ended up arriving in the dark to a very wet muddy location. We checked in and after driving around trying to find a place to park the RV without getting it stuck in the mud we finally settled on a decent spot. After setting up our shade structure in the dark we decided that was enough activity for one day and staggered into the back of the RV and went to sleep.

Friday was a day we spent getting to know where everything was and figuring out how to get around. This event was very different to the main Burning Man because the location was all grasslands and trees with a few dirt roads to get around on. At the big event in Nevada the location is a huge flat desert playa where you can get on your bike and go anywhere any time of the day or night. The roads at Flipside were pretty narrow so using our bikes was more difficult and not a good idea at night. Turns out there were a lot of people driving golf carts around the event and you could flag them down for a ride. At first we were not super excited about the event I think because we were so used to the enormity of the Nevada event. As we started to realize getting rides was fairly easy we became more comfortable and we started to find some theme camps that we enjoyed.

Saturday we moved around the event and enjoyed chilling at the RV. The weather at night was fabulous and cool. The daytime temps were on the warm side and muggy but could have been a lot worse if the event was held on its traditional Memorial weekend. Saturday night was the Temple burn. When they start burning things people really get in the  spirit of Burning Man.

Sunday was our last day and we were starting to get a good feel for living in the RV and how everything worked. We realized that thirty gallons of fresh water doesn’t go a long way. We never could get the hot water heater to work which was not a big deal and the air conditioner stopped working that day.  When we got back home a quick call to the Leisure Travel Van customer service provided the easy tips to resolve all these issues. There is a lot to learn with an RV. The pro tip is don't leave cans of chocolate milk in wire pantry rack - they can get pierced and spray milk all over the place!

Sunday night was the main Burn.  This year they built a large three story wooden structure that resembled a Heart. They also had an excellent professional drone show before the burn. After the burn we decided to go to the Lava Lounge. We had fallen in love with the Lava Lounge Saturday night. It was big and not crowded with two DJs, a dance floor, and served several delicious drinks. 

We stayed up late, danced a little, and were honored with the remote that lit the fire at the top of the tent. We visited a number of different camps including one that showed old time movies. All in all, we ended up having a great time and were glad we gave Burning Flipside a go. Monday morning we packed up and had a leisurely drive back to Dallas.

Click here to see the photos and videos!

Vancouver - Parks and Bays

We sadly left the Yukon on Wednesday April 2nd, flying on our new favorite airline Air North. For even a two hour flight you get an excellent sandwich and a hot cookie! At the request of a friend we confirmed the DC3 airplane windsock still works at Whitehorse airport. 

We saw more cars and people in the first two hours in Vancouver than over 11 days in Yukon - it was quite an adjustment!

Our house was beautify decorated with a rich history of the Squamish Nation. We enjoyed reading about the owner's late father Chief Knot-La-Cha and loved the totem pole in the living room. 

Our first day we drove north to Whistler stopping along the way at Brandywine falls park for a picnic lunch and a short hike, enjoying the scenery, the falls and the forest. We visited the 2010 Olympic Park venue to see the ski jump and biathlon areas, it was fun to be back on snow again. The day was finished with a stop at a local bar the Watershed in Squamish. We stuffed ourselves with delicious fish and chips and Canadian beer. We continued to be amazed by the friendly Canadians we met.

Friday April 4th we decided to explore a few of the 250 local parks in Vancouver. This time of the year the cherry blossom trees were blooming, along with daffodils and other spring flowers. We started with Stanley park, which is on the northwestern peninsula of Vancouver city.  At around 1,000 acres the park has a lot to offer, with trails, forest, gardens, beaches, a long seawall and marina for boats and float planes. We spent quite a bit of time in the area with First Nations Totem poles representing a number of indigenous nations and drove around the parameter of the park.

Our second stop was Queen Elizabeth park, in the center of the city. It had beautiful cherry blossom trees and spring flowers and we enjoyed a peaceful few hours in the early evening sun. We had planned to drive home for dinner, but it was rush hour and the traffic was terrible, so we stopped to eat instead. We started driving again once the congestion had died down and the bridges to north Vancouver had cleared. John was interested in ice cream, and we found a store on the route home. The ice cream was incredible and was made in the store by the owners who are originally from Mexico! Sometimes it is good to see where the day takes you. As we were heading home we decided explore for night views of Vancouver from the north shore and found a great spot at a place called the Shipyards. We were worn out when we got home, but it had been a great day. We were lucky our whole time in Vancouver to have such sunny days. 

On our last day in Vancouver we went to Capilano Park which is in a rainforest and has a long suspension bridge crossing a river. The park has several suspended walkways through the forest. It was a lovely few hours in peaceful nature after the city congestion the previous day. For our last lunch of the trip we had a great meal at the Olive and Anchor in Horseshoe Bay. We enjoyed the late afternoon hours in Whytecliff park experiencing fabulous views of the bay on a lovely sunny day.  It was a wonderful end to the trip.

We're back home now and getting ready for the Texas Burning Man event in Austin at the end of the month. Our trip to Canada was very memorable and we look forward to returning to Canada in our RV this summer.

Click here to see the photos!

Yukon - Eagles, Wild Rivers & Dog Sledding

Thursday March 27th we stayed close to home, exploring Fox Lake as a potential northern lights location. As we were leaving the lake campground we saw an eagle fly by and land in a nearby tree. There was so little traffic on the road we were able to half pull off the road and get close enough to use our car as a blind and John was able to get a photo when the eagle flew away. There are a ton of lakes and rivers in the Yukon so there is a good population of eagles. 

We met the owner of our cabin that afternoon, Yvonne was wonderful to chat to and very kindly gave us a large piece of salmon she had caught in Alaska. We thoroughly enjoyed a dinner of salmon and also used it for some great lunch sandwiches!

Saturday the 29th we took a 445km roundtrip drive west to Haines Junction. It was a gorgeous day and our views for the drive were the spectacular snowcapped mountains of the Kluane National Park. Following a tip Yvonne gave us, we took a side road to Kusawa Lake about 100km from the cabin. The snow-covered road meandered through forests, past small lakes and eventually followed the Takhini river. We stopped for lunch and enjoyed amazing views of the river and mountains in complete solitude. 

We drove on to Haines junction and explored a little up the Alaska Highway and the road to Haines. John was enthralled with the views and every time Sara turned around she found him in the middle of the road with his tripod. Good thing there was hardly any traffic! We had looked into taking an aerial flight over the park and glaciers, but the pilot for the only company flying wasn't available. We did stop at the small airport though and got some great views of the mountains. 

We were pretty tired when we got home, but John's Aurora monitoring apps indicated the Bz was south which means the aurora would come down to low latitudes and our location was in the Aurora Oval. All indicating conditions were favorable for more lights to be out. Sure enough we were lucky to get one more night of great Aurora. One of John's cameras has been modified for astro photography and with the hydrogen alpha filter is able to record more red wave lengths. 

After such a busy day we took it easy on Sunday and Monday. We drove into Whitehorse and had a great dinner at the Dirty Northern Bastard with Cora & Matteo. They really had given us some great tips and it was fun to chat to them about living in Whitehorse. We rode the fat tire bikes on the lake the next day and enjoyed lunch and Smores by the outside fire. Sara always enjoys an opportunity to create a fire!  Of course we also enjoyed multiple soaks in the hot tub.

We had looked into dog sledding the previous week and couldn't find an option that would work. We were chatting to our wonderful host Yvonne and she recommended talking to Jeninne Cathers and her dad Ned who lived on the other side of the lake. They have a wilderness adventure business taking people dog sledding, canoeing, and wilderness exploring and camping. We were really excited when Jeninne said yes they could take us out on the lake and would pick us up on the side of the lake five minutes from our cabin. 

We had the most wonderful afternoon! The Cathers family have been living off grid on the lake shore for forty years. Ned has run the Yukon Quest dog sled race ten times and Jeninne has run it six times; at the age of eighteen she was the youngest person ever to complete the race. The Yukon Quest is considered the toughest dog sled race in the world. It's about the same distance as the Iditarod but runs in February which is colder, with tough trails and only six rest stops. They are great people and we loved chatting to them.

Sara drove the sled and was given great instruction from both Jeninne and Ned on techniques. It was really exciting when the dogs listened to her commands and actually changed direction. We stopped midway for hot maple beans and sausages that Jeninne cooked on a fire she made on the snow. It was an absolutely fabulous way to end our time in the Yukon!

Click here to see the photos

Yukon 2025 - Aurora and Mountains

To start the celebration of Sara's retirement we planned a trip to Whitehorse in the Yukon, Canada for two weeks of northern lights and nature. We arrived Friday 21st March and spent our first night in the Airport Chalet whose historic bar used to be a hangout for local bush pilots after WW2.

The next day we had the pleasure of meeting Matteo and Cora originally from Italy and now living in Whitehorse. They are friends of our fellow world traveler Jim Bennett and gave us excellent tips on what to do around Whitehorse. After picking up what seemed like enough groceries for a month we drove 45 minutes north to Lake Laberge and our cabin for the next 12 days. The cabin was remote, warm and comfortable and surrounded by peaceful nature. Plus it had a hot tub which we used almost every day - It was a very romantic way to celebrate retirement.

The Yukon, a territory in northwest Canada, is wild, mountainous and sparsely populated with around 45,750 residents, 75% living in or around the capital of Whitehorse. It has stunning natural beauty, the Klondike Gold Rush history and unique cultural heritage of the First Nations. At 60 degrees north latitude it also has the potential for stunning Aurora displays!

At 10:30pm we bundled up in our warm gear and heavy boots and drove 5 minutes down the road to an access point to the lake. We spent three wonderful hours standing on the frozen lake enjoying and photographing an incredible Aurora display. The temperatures dropped to around 10F, which is much warmer than our time in Yellowknife a few years ago. It was an excellent start to the trip.

Sunday, March 23rd we took a trip to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, just 30 minutes south of our cabin. The Preserve has 750 acres and is home to 11 different Yukon species. It is a lovely place with wonderful people, and we enjoyed a 2 hour tour learning about the different animals. We saw wood bison, thinhorn sheep, mule deer, woodland caribou, mountain goats, muskox and the foot of a sleeping lynx! The moose, and red and arctic foxes were hiding. That evening it was mostly cloudy, we went to the lake around midnight and lay on the frozen surface looking at the sky and letting the snowflakes hit our faces. It was very romantic, but no good for Aurora. At the cabin, as we were removing our warm gear we looked out the door of our cabin and saw a cute little red fox looking in through the lower glass pane. She stayed on the cabin deck for about 30 minutes while we quietly took pictures.

The next few days settled into a pattern of exploring the beautiful area during the day and looking for Aurora by night. We typically packed a sandwiches and a thermos of hot tea and would find a place with a magnificent view for lunch. 

Whitehorse is surrounded by beautiful mountains, rivers and lakes and we quickly fell in love with the area. Our first day trip was to McIntyre creek overlook (where we saw eagles fishing), Fish Lake and Haeckel Hill which required a 20 minute drive up a narrow, twisty snow covered road. We were rewarded with great views of Whitehorse and the mountains. That night we were treated to more Aurora with great colors we hadn't seen the first night. The colors of the Aurora are dependent on the altitude of the oxygen or nitrogen content and are very vivid on the camera, and less so to the naked eye. Regardless of the color it's a magical experience that never gets boring!

Tuesday was a relaxing day, with a visit to the local hot springs and an exploration of the side roads looking for potential night time shots. We decided Burma Road could be a good option. We were secretly glad it was a cloudy night because we were exhausted and looking forward to an early night!

The next day was a beautiful blue sky morning and we drove 75 miles to the tiny town of Carcross (short for Caribou Crossing). The views were so incredible we stopped numerous times for photos, and a picnic lunch so it took 3 1/2 hours. We loved stopping to enjoy a view along a side rode and rarely saw other people. It was incredibly relaxing to be surrounded by such beautiful nature. The businesses in Carcross are primarily owned by First Nation Tlingit people. The stores were closed for the winter, and people were working on repairs to the buildings to be ready for summer. We enjoyed talking to a man doing wood work on his store who gave us some tips for photo locations. We found everyone in Canada to be incredibly friendly and helpful. That evening we returned to the location on Burma Road, on the side of the frozen Yukon river. It was another great night of lights, and when we got back to the cabin Sara sat in the hot tub and enjoyed watching the Aurora right over the cabin - what a wonderful day!

Click Here to see the Photos

Rafting the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River

Wow, this was a big time bucket list item. It all started late 2023 when my longtime friend Lee Hunnicutt called Sara and me and invited us to join he and his wife Susan on a commercial rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. He had a bunch of friends in Salida, Colorado who were putting this trip together and there were still a few slots available. Lee and I were college roommates at the Citadel after we had both returned from Viet Nam. That was fifty four years ago so our friendship is long and wonderful.

The only rafting experience we had was a two hour ride down the Arkansas river where Lee lives in Salida, CO.  We were in Lee’s fourteen foot raft which he oared; it was very mellow and had no major rapids at all. The Colorado river would be very different. It has some of the biggest whitewater in North America so needless to say we were a little reluctant and nervous about signing up for a seven day trip. 

We thought we would regret not joining this wonderful adventure, so we decided to say "Yes, we’re in!".  We were also able to invite our good friend Karen Bilder (known as KB to her friends) who is one of our skydiving buddies. 

The trip was hosted by Arizona River Runners which is the premier rafting company for the Grand Canyon. We had a group of twenty eight, mostly people from Salida and California who were family members or friends. We were on two commercial thirty five foot motorized inflatable rafts with a driver and one assistant on each raft. Our crew was phenomenal. The man in charge was Brian Dierker. Brian is a legend on the Colorado river and down in the Grand Canyon. He grew up in the area and was on the river when he was thirteen and has spent 50 years rafting in the Grand Canyon. Every single rafter we encountered on the river knew Brian. His assistant was Walt, who was equally experienced taking people down the Colorado. He had been guiding for twenty seven years and his geological knowledge of the canyon was endless. 

Our other boat was captained by Page. She was an awesome young lady with seven years of experience on the Colorado and two years driving the big commercial rafts. She is also a professional Ultimate Frisby player and plays on the Arizona Sidewinders. Her assistant was Phil. This was Phil’s first time down the Colorado on a big commercial raft. He was in his twenties and lives in Telluride, CO where he's a mountain guide, speed flyer, and paragliding pilot. He was a friend of Page’s and was considering a career in commercial rafting.

The rafts were huge, thirty five feet long and about twelve to fourteen feet wide with an outboard motor. In the middle of the boat was an aluminum frame with metal storage boxes and place to strap on all our gear. The rafts carried all our bags, tents, cots, chairs, food, water, drinks and snacks, including an extra motor and plenty of extra propellers. You are truly in wildness with no options to resupply or stop at a gear store, so you must take everything needed for the seven days. We covered one hundred and eighty seven miles on the river, easily doing do thirty to fifty miles a day.

The trip started on Monday May 6th when Sara, KB and myself flew to Las Vegas the night before our trip started. Early the next morning we met many of the trip participants and boarded the bus to the Boulder City airport. We flew in a Cessna Caravan to Marble Canyon enjoying a great view of the area from the sky. Here we met our crew and connected with Lee and Susan and the rest of our group who had driven from Salida, Colorado. We had time for breakfast, and a briefing of what to expect for the start of the trip. Then took a short shuttle ride to Lee’s Ferry which is just south of Glen Canyon Dam. Here we  packed our gear into a large water proof bag to be loaded into the middle of the boat and a small waterproof bag accessible during the day. We were ready to start our journey down the Colorado river!

Sara and I made the mistake of getting on the boat last which put us at the front of the boat. As we started going through rapids we got completely soaked even though we had our waterproof jackets well buttoned up. The temperature of the river water was 50 degrees and the wind was blowing that day. We were soaked and got really cold to the point of shaking. Of course we were thinking “ holy cow we have six more days of this”. Finally we got to our first campsite, changed into dry clothes and warmed up.  Everyone on the boat was very supportive and everyone rotated so we could sit at the very back of the boat the next day. 

The campsites were on the sandy shores of the Colorado river. They were all incredible, with amazing views of the canyons and river. We really enjoyed relaxing in camp, chatting to people over dinner, listening to the singing birds and watching the bats flying around at dusk. Everyone had a different strategy for finding a spot that met their needs, some chose close to the boats so they didn't have to carry their gear too far. Others opted for more seclusion which meant carrying gear bags, tents and cots further up the river side. Of the six nights we camped we put our tent up twice, mainly because it was so windy the sand was getting everywhere. It was wonderfully relaxing and fun to sleep under the stars. Being down in a deep canyon with no lights around meant the night sky and stars were out and bright. I was able to setup my camera right next to my cot so I could take night photos without getting up.

Each day started at 5:30 with a loud yell from Brian with a thunderous “Coffee, Coffeeeeee“. We climbed out of our sleeping bags and started the process of getting dressed for the day and stowing our sleeping bag in our big dry bag along with other personal stuff like our clothes and toilet articles. As we were breaking camp Brian and his staff were cooking a fabulous hot breakfast for all of us. It could be eggs, sausage, hash browns or oatmeal or pancakes. It was always plentiful and very tasty. Once breakfast was over we started the process of bringing all our bags, cots, chairs, and tents close to the boats where we formed a double line from the bags to the boats. That’s when we started the “duffle shuffle“ passing everything from the shore back on to the boats. This was not easy. Some of the bags could weigh fifty pounds or more. On top of that, all the kitchen equipment had to be passed onboard - chairs, tables, cooking stoves, pots, pans etc.

And then there was “the Groover“! Everybody knew before they signed up for the trip that all urine had to go in the river, not a drop on the land. Poop had to go in the Groover. The Groover was an aluminum box with two handles and a toilet seat. The box was replaced every day with a new one. The Groover was set up each night in a discreet place out of sight from everybody, typically with a nice view of the river. 

Everybody got very comfortable and nonchalant about peeing in the river. Usually the girls would go on one side of the boats and men on the other side. At night everyone had a small personal pee bucket to avoid stumbling around in the dark trying to find your way to the river. Before the trip I was a little nervous about the peeing and pooping situation. Turned out it was a non- issue. When they instructed us on how the Groover worked I asked how it got it’s name. Brian explained the original Groover was a 20mm military ammo can with no toilet seat so when you sat on it you got two groves on your butt, hence “the Groover”.

Each day after we got the boats loaded and everything strapped down and secured we would start our journey down the river. During our 187 miles trip down the Colorado we passed through about 100 rapids. The rapids on the Colorado river are rated on a 1-10 point system. 1 is very mellow and 10 is a serious violent rapid where you better be holding on with both hands. Each day we passed through rapids that were exciting and definitely got us wet. It wasn’t until the third day that we faced a 9 rated rapid. It was definitely more exciting and huge walls of water but was also a confidence builder since we had two more 9 rated rapids to get through.

We would stop somewhere on the river for lunch, usually a place of geological interest or a good location for a hiking excursion. Lunch was simple and easy to fix like sandwiches but always tasty. We all quickly got into the routine of each day, and became a team that helped each other out when needed. A number of people had been river guides and others had rafted extensively which meant they knew what to expect on a 7 day trip. Brian jokingly told us the second night that we were all much better in person than we looked on paper. We think he looked at the list before the trip started, noticed the overall age of the group and thought "oh goodness this could be a rough trip"! 

We would motor on down the river and stop around 5pm in the afternoon to set up camp and have dinner. The meals were incredible, great fish or meat, fresh vegetables/salad, with rice or potatoes and always a desert. It was amazing what the crew could cook on the side of the river, we were particularly impressed by the lasagna made from scratch and a birthday cake! We all quickly got into the habit of washing our hands, and then washing all our plates and cutlery in each of the four water basins. The final rinse included a mild chlorine solution; it was critical with 32 people in the middle of wilderness that we all stayed healthy. 

After dinner we would gather and put our chairs in a circle for music provided by several of our group. On most nights Brian would bring a couple of tiki lights and give us an interesting little lecture on some of the history, folklore, or wildlife of the Grand Canyon. As we traveled down the river all of our guides explained the geology of the canyon. I distinctly remember sitting in the boat one day looking at a very tall canyon wall and hearing one of the guides tell us we were looking at rock formations that were 1.7 billon years old. It was truly amazing.

We rode with Brian and Walt on the first three days and then finished the last days on Page and Phil’s boat. On the fourth or fifth day we went through our second 9 rated rapid - Crystal rapid. They never told us too much about what to expect but on this rapid Brian and Page pulled our boats to the shore. They walked over to the rapid to scout and discuss their route and strategy. It was pretty violent with walls of water falling on us but not too terrifying. When we got through the rapid we heard Page say “ABC“.  Somebody asked Page what that meant and she said "Alive Below Crystal". Apparently Crystal has more boats turn over and accidents then any other rapid on the Colorado river. 

Here's a video of our trip, it's about 11 minutes long and is best viewed in full screen mode: Click here to view the video.  

Our final day there was great anticipation for our last big rapid. The mother of them all - Lava Falls. When we got to this one Page stopped the boat in the middle of the river and walked around the boat and inspected all our hand holds. That day Sara and I had ended up sitting on the front right of the boat, mainly because there were no other volunteers. Sara was in the front right position and had been getting soaked all day. When Page got to us she tightened the straps and told us that our position was going to get it, Big Time!! I was next to Sara in the number two position. The girl sitting next to me had been through Lava Falls before and told me it was terrifying - thanks Nicole!  

So we got our grips and entered the rapid. It was violent and we could only see a wall of water that encapsulated us. Several seconds into the rapid I thought to myself, this isn’t too bad. Then the boat heaved and I lost one of my grips and I thought oh shit this is very serious. We made it through and everybody was laughing, yelling, and very happy to survive Lava Falls. Phil stood up and announced we had just gone through the biggest, most bad ass rapid in North America. Finally that day we made it to our last campsite called Whitmore Wash. Brian wanted to get us there because the next morning a helicopter was going to come and take us to the Bar Ten ranch where we would fly back to Las Vegas.

Our last night was joyous for everybody. We had all bonded on this extraordinary adventure and gained many new wonderful friends. It was our last meal and they saved the best for last with a delicious steak dinner cooked on a big charcoal fire. What a trip. The memories of being down in the Grand Canyon looking up at thousands of feet of rock walls some of which were unbelievably old will never leave our minds. Big time bucket list. When we got home it took awhile to come down from the wonder of this fabulous trip.

Click here to see the photos!

Iceland - Western Shores

On Tuesday, March 12th we woke to a snow covered campground. Temperature in the van was 28F, so we started as usual with Sara shuffling to the front of the van to turn on the heater. We stayed in our sleeping bags talking about the day's plans until the van heated up to a balmy 50F. The heater was excellent and kept us warm the whole trip. We had extravagantly brought a portable blender with us, and enjoyed a fresh fruit smoothie to start the day.

We were still in the north and were treated to beautiful views of snow capped mountains. Driving was tough at times with complete white out conditions on the passes, alternating with great sunny weather. We were amazed how quickly road conditions could change, Icelanders are used to checking the national road conditions before any trip as high winds and snow can quickly turn a road impassable. 

By the evening we were in Iceland's west region and our last few days. We enjoyed dinner at the local restaurant which included an excellent mushroom soup made with wild mushrooms the owner picked during the summer! The campground was one of our favorites, with the bathroom and cooking facilities inside a converted greenhouse. There were only three other camper vans which made it delightfully quiet. 

In the morning we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and then drove 20 minutes to a spectacular location with two very different waterfalls. The first, Hraunfossar is a wide series of trickling waterfalls, coming directly out of lava rock. A short walk up the trail is Barnafoss, a narrow, twisting waterfall hurtling out of a deep ravine. We spent several hours taking photos and then drove 160km to our final waterfall destination. Kirkjufell is a large free standing mountain with several waterfalls in the foreground. It is a popular location due to being used in Game of Thrones, much of which was filmed in Iceland. The weather was pretty atrocious, with a bitterly cold wind and there were a number of photo groups trying to take shots on the narrow slippery path. We both got a little cranky, but stopped at a lovely café for coffee, hot chocolate and cake which restored our spirits. 

It was a very windy drive to the camp ground and we arrived cold and worn out. We joined the rest of campers in the kitchen area and soon warmed up with a large dinner. We saw the Australians we'd met several days earlier, and also the couple from Vermont and enjoyed catching up with them all. We also had a fascinating geo political conversation with a couple from Germany. 

Thursday the 14th was our last full day of adventure. We stopped in the small town of Akranses to look at an old abandoned boat, and then drove into Reykjavik for lunch. We had an incredible meal at Old Icelandic Restaurant and then stopped in the Icewear store to buy some more clothes. Our final treat of the evening was a soak in the hot waters of Sky Lagoon a perfect end to our Iceland experiences.

Our campground for the evening was close to the airport and Happy Campers where we had to return the van in the morning. We arrived late after relaxing at Sky Lagoon and climbed into our sleeping bags for our last night in the van. In the morning we ate breakfast in the small camp kitchen and chatted to the couple from Vermont again, who we had also seen at the Old Icelandic Restaurant. We all laughed at how relative strangers kept meeting. After returning the van we spend a relaxing afternoon at a hotel before flying home the next day.

Here are John's final thoughts on Iceland. It’s a beautiful interesting country. It’s smaller than we realized, about the same size as the state of Kentucky so we were able to get from one destination to another quicker than we expected. The country's population is around 370,000, with about 1.7million tourists visiting mostly in the summer. Since it's an island situated in the North Atlantic ocean the weather is erratic and unpredictable which we knew that before we left America. Unfortunately, we never saw any Northern Lights because of overcast skies. When we were in the south it rained every day, which was hard for me because I don’t usually do photography in the rain.

Our camper van worked like a champ and was a fun little adventure driving it all the way around the country on the Ring road. The water falls were amazing and plentiful. Sara’s time at the horse farm was a great time for both of us, I’m so glad we pulled that off. A big highlight that was a bit of a surprise were the four hot thermal baths. The two famous ones, Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon are both near Reykjavik. Vox Baths was one of our favorites, it was on a lake just out of the town of Egilsstadir in eastern Iceland. It was beautiful and very enjoyable. Our other favorite was near Akureyri which is the biggest city in the north. It was called Forrest Lagoon and was up above the city next to a forest, it was really special and after a couple of beers pretty darn romantic.

All the people we met were very nice and all spoke English so communicating was easy. It was a great adventure and very memorable. One more bucket list item checked off.

All in all it was an incredible trip!

Click here to see the photos and videos