As the wind stayed in my favour and there was only few rainy moment, decided to try my luck instead of resting in the tent. My goal was to cross the two creek across the rivers…
It was really nice and fun to cycle with the wind in ones favour. Arriving at the first creek, I was lucky that a car just arrived. So i could check the deepness of the water. It was ok: only half a car tire. So I first brought my dry shoes to the other side. Then my “to be keep dry belongings” and the third time the bike with trailer and the bags. Everything went well.
On the second creek, thinks were different: no car to see were was the best way. So I first walked without any thing as a test. I must say: To protect myself I had bike sandals and neoprene socks. As I know that the creeks were very close each to another, I cycled with the wet sandals which was no issues thanks to the click system.
When I arrived to push the bike with trailer and bags over the 2nd creek, I’ve learnt something what afterwards looks obvious: when there is no weight on the front wheel and the stream (speed of water) is high enough it can lift/move your front wheel. That has a big impact on your loaded bike… To make the story short: I landed half into the water and was wet from the belly to my feet.
The next mistake: as it was starting to rain, I wanted to be fast back on the bike. So I barely dried my feet and did not change my wet trousers. With results that the water from the clothes ran into my at that time dry shoes. After few minutes, my feet were drawn, water had accumulated into the shoes.
I had two solutions: stop and have a resting day or two until every thing would dried or continuous to the camping ground at Askja, 55km far away.
As the wind was in my favour, I decided to try it: the stuff would dry more easily.
The landscape was really beautiful and the clouds/sun giving a very particular light.
Som rain started to slow me down and the later and higher I was getting, the colder it became. Starting at around 10C, the temperature fall first to around five.
Then i saw that the bottle below the frame was loosing water (either because of a stone or when the bike felt into the water) so I stopped a car and asked them if they had a spare empty bottle to share. The two Germans were kind: they gave me a full bottle and wanted offer me a beer on top of it. It was very kind and I was very pleased -beside that I really do not like the taste of beer if there is no lemon.
The journey continued in very nice landscape and over two bridges over the same river that gives the Selfoss and Dettifoss. Very impressive of strong the water was!
Later on, a ranger was stopping people to warn us about the possibility of some volcano activity, which were possible. Something common in Iceland, but they have to inform: if I would have to stop before reaching the camping, then far away from the river and on a higher place because a flood would be possible.
So I continued to fight against myself and against the weather. Wind came now from the side/head which was slowing me down and taking motivation. And the trmperature was still falling. When it reached 2C, the wet feet started to hurt a bit. So I moved them in the shoe to keep them warm.
The problem with click pedals: they work as a heat sink and cool the feet ( and warm up the bicycle).
Because of the wind and the cold feed, I started to walk to keep the feed warmer.
At 22h, I finally arrived at the camping, hoping for a room in canine with own shower. They were all booked, and they had no own shower. And there were nothing to eat to buy…
I started to build up my tent with frozen fingers. Fortunately, I found quickly some spare, dry, long summer cycling gloves which helped a lot with the cold metal rode of the tent. Inside the house, people were watching what the alien with a cycling helmet was doing. And Abba came out asking if I need some help. She, her husband, two friends with their grandson were doing some short vacation to Askja. She invited me to warm myself inside and have something to eat. I felt like in heaven: in that moment, the last thing I wanted was to start cooking in my tent while being frozen.
Finally I could go back to my tent, with a full stomach. 5 minutes after I was in my warm sleeping back, I could hear fine snow flacks hitting my tent. Not long… As I had had a short night before, I was more than ready for sleeping…
What a beautiful but very hard day…
PS: pictures when I have a better net…
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