[This post is part of a series documenting my last trip to Iceland in October 2017. The previous post is here and the next post is here.]

I planned my detour into the Westfjords to see  Dynjandi and so that was my destination on the second day. This was also the day I learned that I had asked probably the stupidest question imaginable of the hotel staff the previous evening. But we’ll get to that.

I started my morning with more left-over Sandholt bread (still fresh), augmented from my supplies with almond butter, a protein drink, and a few snacks. If you are vegan and traveling to the Westfjords, I’d recommend you assume you will only be eating from your supplies. You may find some place to eat (I didn’t), but I wouldn’t depend on it — at least in the area I visited.

Rather than heading directly to Dynjandi I decided to stop on the advice of the innkeeper at a nearby farm with three waterfalls. As I traveled along my first fjord on Rt 690, past Ólafsdalur, I came across two men with a 4×4 and enormous binoculars — sheep spotters, by what they said. When I asked whether it was possible to get closer to the waterfall I could see in the distance, they told me to drive up to the farm and then walk. I’m familiar with the concept of freedom to roam, but this was the first time I had taken advantage of it to walk on what was clearly private land (I realize that some (many?) of the tourist attractions in Iceland are on private land as well, but this felt different since it was clearly not a tourist attraction) and I felt a bit uncomfortable. I drove up the driveway, parked in an open area at the top and then walked over a field to cross what I’d call an upland meadow, crisscrossed with hidden streams from three waterfalls. I hope I acted appropriately and didn’t break any rules — legal or cultural — in how I accessed this land.

The meadow was beautiful with fall colors in the low plants — grasses, moss, and lichen of various types. I visited the largest (by volume) waterfall and enjoyed the scenic view from the top of the meadow overlooking the farm and fjord. Some photos below.

I spent several hours in this beautiful spot and then continued towards Dynjandi, stopping to take photos where it was safe to pull over. I learned a few important things on this first Westfjords drive. First, forget looking at a map to understand time and distance. The roads by necessity almost always follow the ins and outs of each fjord, which means it takes a deceptively long time to drive in this area. Second — and a mitigating factor  on the first issue — the roads are in excellent shape. They are a mix of paved road and gravel, but both are extremely well-maintained and the driving was enjoyable. I do recommend paying attention to the speed limit signs. Unlike the posted speed limits on smaller roads in the US, which almost always seem to be unreasonably low, these posted limits offer very good guidance on safe driving speeds. Ignore them at your peril, especially on steeply descending, curvy stretches.

Here are some additional shots taken on the way to Dynjandi. The weather was perfect for photography — a mix of partly sun, clouds, mist, and rain. As a card-carrying member of the Cloud Appreciation Society, I abhor a sunny, cloudless day. So boring.

When I finally arrived at Dynjandi, it was late in the day with only a few cars in the parking lot. Shortly after I arrived, I was the only remaining car and so I don’t have anyone in my photos to show the scale of the waterfall, which totals about 300m in height.

Honestly, while Dynjandi was pretty and impressive, the real beauty revealed itself when I turned around and saw this scene as the sun was setting:

Which brings me back to my stupid question of the previous evening. I had asked the innkeeper to recommend some scenic spots in the Westfjords. So dumb. From what I could see on this short detour, everything in the Westfjords is scenic and I look forward to exploring it more completely on a future trip.

Because I had spent so long at the farm in the morning, most of my drive back to the hotel was in darkness with glimpses of scenic vistas as the light departed.

I had another salad at the hotel that evening and then awoke the next morning to return to the ring road and continue northward to Akureyri and beyond.

Proceed to Day Three.