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Campervan Adventures in Iceland: Day 25 - Stóra-Viti, Leirhnjúkur, Skútustaðir, Vindbelgjarfjall

Day 25 we woke up to VERY foggy conditions. So many low clouds you couldn't see anything so we had a relaxing morning getting ready trying to see if the clouds would clear up some. We didn't leave camp until 9, which for us was really late. 

Our first stop was Stóra-Viti, a crater with a lake which was still really foggy when we got there so we just had a quick look and moved on (you can walk along the rim, but since it was so foggy we didn't want to try)

Then we went just down the road to Leirhnjúkur which was also really foggy, but we wanted to see what we could see and walk around a bit

Lots of snow to walk through







Fun geothermal area!



Then on to do a loop through the lava fields

I loved all the spooky fog! Really it made the walk a lot of fun!









The lava was super cool - lots of different colors and types




The fog started to clear up a little bit so we could see this small crater





This little crater was pretty cool







The fog cleared up so my that by the time we got back to the geothermal area we could see the small crater and the one we stopped at first! Plus the parking lot for this area which wasn't very far away! Everything was so close, but with the fog I thought we had gone much farther!






When we got back to the car we went to spy on Stóra-Viti again and it was so much clearer! The lake color was beautiful!! Still fog, but not as much as earlier

We thought about walking around the rim, but the path was super slippery muddy and we decided against it. 

Then down to the Krafla Power Plant viewing area which had cleared up as well, but right after we took this photo the clouds started rolling in again and a minute later you couldn't see anything. We had perfect timing! Really I thought that all morning as I loved the spooky clouds and then it clearing up enough to see everything. 


Next up was Skútustaðir an area with lots of pseudo-craters






We ate lunch at a small beach area where we could watch all the fancy ducks! Though it was so freezing cold it was crazy! I don't know why as it wasn't raining, it wasn't windy, and the same temp as the day before, but so much colder. I figured it must be more humid to make it feel so much colder!


Our last stop of the day was Mt Vindbelgjarfjall. This was a pretty flat walk from the parking lot to the mountain and then a very steep straight up the side trail. 

I had bundled up for the hike since it had been so cold earlier, but it was so much warmer over here!




We had the top to ourseleves

And the views were amazing!






Heading back down



This moss color doesn't show up very well, but it was bright neon color! So fun to wander through.

We decided to drive back down the road a bit to Lifsmotun Camping for the night since we had plenty of time instead of staying in Mývatn again. Our plan was to hike Aldeyjarfoss the next day so driving to this camp cut our morning drive down. Plus there was supposed to be a pool in the town and we could go swimming! Only it was closed for repairs when we got there...This campsite was pretty nice though. You got your own large grassy camping area with hedges on the sides, though you do have to drive down a dirt road to get there. The dirt road was perfectly fine and the best non-paved road we went down so it was nice. Originally we had planned on camping at the campground by the pool in town, but that was just a gravel lot by the track so we went to check this one out instead. A nice area and the people working there were very friendly. 

Total walked today 16.2km

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