Words escape me

I'm not sure how to describe my Icelandic wilderness adventure.  I know that whatever I write can not do it justice.  It was three days of driving, hiking and living in incredibly beautiful, vast and varied landscapes.  We travelled with Hinrik, our guide, a native Icelander, and Sam, a young Swiss tourist.  Here is a photo of them with Amanda as we looked down at one of many beautiful landscapes.

  We drove this wild terrain in a Land Rover Defender, a huge off-road vehicle that scaled the steepest hills and plowed through rushing rivers with ease. We were in the front vehicle with Hinrik, while Sam followed in a second, slightly smaller truck.

  Amanda and I both learned to drive the Defender, even though it was a standard, which neither of us had ever driven.  Hinrik was a patient teacher (and quite the comedian), and he let each of us drive for hours every day.  There were a few dicey moments, many stalls -- including one in the middle of a river -- and lots of laughs.  I am pretty sure the vehicle needs a new clutch now!  Hindrik also showed us to adjust the tire pressure for varied road conditions, which is what I am doing here.

I can't really describe what we saw, but I'll try.  From vast lava fields covered in an almost neon green moss to massive mountains and volcanoes to an enormous glacier, the wonders were endless.  And I didn't mention the mountain valleys with the bluest lakes and a waterfall.

Below is the glacier we drove across.  We got stuck in the deep snow and It took Hinrik a while to get us going but he managed.

Below is a picture of me at a lake we visited on our first day.

I have much more to show and tell but we just got back to our hotel in Reykjavik, and I am pretty pooped.  I need a hot shower like nobody's business.  Conditions on the road were "rustic" to put it kindly, at least to this spoiled American woman!  So I will save the rest for another post.  

Tomato Soup for the Icelandic Soul

Who needs chicken soup for the soul when you can have freshly made tomato soup? Today I had the best and freshest tomato soup ever! The tomatoes are grown in greenhouse that uses geothermal energy to heat it and water for the tomatoes! The best part... Bees! The farmer has a colony of bees shipped every 6-8 weeks to pollinate the tomatoes! Basil anyone?

After my delicious cup of soup, Kristen and I visited the waterfall Gullfoss, hiked the geysers, and visited pingvellir. Yes! I made it up another one!!

The waterfall was beautiful and so powerful it send a wall of mist up to walk though! 

 Finally we headed to Pingvellir, the  first national park of Iceland. It is both a national treasure and a geologist's dream!! The first Viking parliament was held here. It is also the site where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet! It's quite unbelievable that you can actually see the place where the cracks are pulling apart and new earth is formed below! 

Geothermal energy is tasty and gorgeous too

Today we visited a huge greenhouse where the electricity for the lights and heat to warm the building are supplied via geothermal energy, allowing them to grow large amounts of tomatoes and cucumbers year round.  It's almost impossible to grow tomatoes and cucumbers (and most other produce) here because of the long, dark winters.  So geothermal indoor farming is really improving Icelanders' quality of life.  I can vouch for the product -- the tomatoes were delicious!

After the greenhouse we visited Geysir National Monument, a big area with several geysers that regularly shoot water into the air because of the pressure buildup from superheated steam underground. It was amazing to see the geysers as well as many steam vents in the ground.  

We went hiking in the nearby area and came upon a stream where water was bubbling up from underground and it was so hot it was actually boiling.  I shot a quick video because it was so amazing, but the file is too big to upload so here is a still picture.

We continued up the mountain and were rewarded with an amazing panoramic view.

Tomorrow we leave on a three-day, two-night wilderness tour where we will visit glaciers and volcanoes  and at night we will be camping.  I'm excited and a little nervous.  I don't think we will be able to get internet out there so we will probably post next on Tuesday night.

Pushing Limits and Heating up!

I knew when planning this trip that it would be adventurous, physically and psychologically challenging, and everyday would be a new adventure exploring the unknown. Today was all of that and more!! This morning Kristen and I set out with a tiny car and a large map in Icelandic no less to explore geothermal energy, hike up a volcano, and then swim in its murky blue waters! 

The geothermal plant and Hengill Volcano were unbelievably beautiful and awe inspiring. As you can see it was just beautiful!

It was also the hardest hike so far in my life! My legs were screaming, but I kept pushing on as far as we could go today. I think you can tell I was more than excited to be at the top!

For my efforts, I was rewarded with some amazing views!   You can even see the steam coming out of the ground. BTW, those little specks at the bottom..... Our car ;-) 

After that hike.....a trip to the blue lagoon to rest our weary legs! The blue lagoon is incredible, and if you can believe it...an accident. It is located at the base of a volcano next to another geothermal plant that takes Carbon Dioxide out of the air to make methanol. Originally there was a water spill that created a pool of milky bluish white water. When the residents found out how healing it was for skin conditions like psoriasis it became one of the most well known thermal spas in Iceland. It is also home to several species of algae unique only to the blue lagoon because of its harsh environment! I don't know about how the algae feel about it, but it was  heaven for me! 

Let's get dorky!

Today was awesome!  We learned about and experienced geothermal energy in several ways.  Our adventure began when we rented a tiny micro car and set off into the mountains east of Reykjavik.  I drove and Amanda navigated -- no mean feat given that our only map of the area was in Icelandic and lacked some important details.  We turned around a few times, but we got there.

"There" was the Hellenshoi geothermal plant.  That's where our dorky science teacher selves really came out.  We spent two hours learning about the history of geothermal energy in Iceland, the engineering of the plant, and the amazing number of uses of geothermal heat that we never would have thought of, like preserving food and making paper.  The most impressive and amazing thing I learned was that carbon dioxide emissions in Reykjavik have plummeted since the 1960's (check out the picture below!).  That's when large-scale geothermal energy production in Iceland began.  Meanwhile, carbon dioxide emissions in the US have risen dramatically over the same time period.

After exploring the plant we went hinking I the mountains nearby, toward the Hengill volcano. We saw many steam vents and natural hot streams like the one behind me in this picture.

Our day of geothermal energy didn't end there -- but I'll leave the rest of the story to Amanda. 

Fund for Teachers Fellows take over Iceland!

Today was our first day in Iceland! What do Boston teachers do in Iceland? Well, find other Boston teachers of course!! One of the highlights of our first day was hanging out with a fellow science teacher and discussing our plans! Alex is here as well on a fellowship funded by Fund for Teachers studying different ways of producing energy in Iceland and around the world at the School of Energy. Kristen and I had a wonderful time discussing how electrical energy is being produced from Ocean waves, as well as how we can help bring all of these new ideas back home to our students! Hopefully we will meet him again on our last day here! 

First impressions: light, cold, and swimming pools

We arrived very early (5:30 am) to find the sun high in the sky and a bright eerie daylight.  The shuttle bus ride from the airport was an hour's drive through vast lava fields with mountains in the background.  Once in the city we walked to the outskirts to a large public geothermal pool, Laugar Spa.  It was quite chilly and we passed through a vast green valley.

After a refreshing swim in the outdoor pools, we took a tour of the facility and learned that pools are a big part of the culture here, a social gathering place akin to a pub in England.  Going to the pool involves a complex etiquette that kind locals explained to us.  We also learned that almost all of the many public pools are heated through geothermal energy (naturally occurring heat coming from the ground) and require no electrical energy.  Which is pretty amazing because one of the hot tubs was 42C (about 108F) and it's only 55F outside today! 

So WHY are you going to Iceland?

I’ve heard this question a lot over the last couple of weeks.  It might seem like a random place to go, this little island in the northern Atlantic Ocean. 

But Iceland really isn’t a weird destination for science teachers like Amanda and I, who are concerned about the impact of climate change.  Because Iceland, you see, produces over 99% of its energy by geothermal processes and hydropower (more on what those are later), and that means that Icelanders produce very little carbon dioxide, the gas that is the main cause of global warming.  They are the world’s leaders in preventing climate change! 

By contrast, here in the US, we make about 81% of our energy by burning fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal), which produces enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. 

We want to find out how Iceland manages to produce energy so responsibly, and learn about how Icelanders think about energy, the environment and climate change.  And then we want to share what we learn with our students, colleagues, and others.  Maybe we can start a conversation about how we here in Boston could produce more of our energy in ways that don’t make carbon dioxide.  I hope so.

You trust me, right?

The adventure has already begun and we haven't left Boston yet!  Last night we took a three-hour intro to rock climbing class to prepare us for our Iceland travels. 

Neither of us had ever done any climbing.  With the help of Rob, our incredibly patient instructor, after about 45 minutes of buckling, clipping, knot tying, and lots of tugging we were all geared up (and slightly frustrated). 

But that was the easy part.  Then we actually had to scale these three-story-high walls by climbing up these impossibly tiny, irregularly shaped little plastic knobs stuck in them.  ARE YOU SERIOUS?  But we did it.  Both of us.  Several times each. There I am on the wall in the pic below.

That's where the trust piece came in big-time.  Because while I was climbing up that wall, Amanda was my "belay" --  she was holding taut the other end of the rope that was tied to my harness.  She was all that was preventing me from death if I slipped.  So now I know that I really do trust her! 

Final preparations for our Arctic adventure!

I am so excited to go to Iceland.  I am looking forward to many things…

…seeing glaciers and volcanoes as I drive a huge 4X4 Land Rover across the wilderness,

...learning about how Icelanders use hot springs to produce electricity,

…eating wacky fish dishes (like rotten shark, an infamous local delicacy!),

...swimming in the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa,

…experiencing over 20 straight hours of daylight – it’s only dark for a little while each night. (I think I better bring an eye shade!)

Amanda and I are sitting here at Panera in Porter Square hatching plans.  We have a big shopping trip to buy hiking gear and a rock-climbing lesson scheduled for Monday, and we leave Wednesday for Reykjavik.  Check back soon for updates!

7 DAYS AND COUNTING!!!!

One week to go!!!  I can't wait to head to the land of FIRE and ICE, ICELAND!! There will be so many firsts..... hiking on a volcano and glacier, eating rotten shark....wait... taking pictures of KRISTEN eating rotten shark ;-)..., rock climbing, and of course learning how Icelanders are stepping up to the plate with Climate Change...

But before we go... A rock climbing class!!

Stay tuned...

Welcome to Dr. Cacciatore's and Ms. Dillingham's blog about their Iceland adventure!  We take off for Reykjavik on July 30, so check back in a few weeks to learn about our plans.