Month January 2021

Short day

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Looks like the day is only about 6 hours ‘light’ in Stadur, Iceland where I presently stayed the virtuual night last night along the Ring Road Challenge. I am 110 miles along the road; at 13% of the journey.

-2°C (28°F)

Northeast 14 (m/s)

Wed Jan 27th, 12:00pm

Sunrise: 10:34:19 AM Sunset: 4:50:17 PM

Stadur, was once a church and parso­nage, with a wooden church that was built 1864. one of the first churches­ in Iceland to be painted, not tarred, it is decorated with wooden carvings. The land surrounding Stadur is fertile, and the area is home to colonies of eider ducks.

Eider ducks are the largest duck, live in rocky areas along cold water oceans and are known for the warmth of their down. The practice of killing the ducks for their down has largely reformed to eider duck farming, where the down can be collected without killing the ducks.

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My real ride was partly on Round Mountain gravel roads, and then quick loop at DuPont, where I wish I would have snapped a photo of the beautiful sunset. Learn! And a meme craze featuring Bernie, with his now famous Vermont-made mittens is rocking online, so I put him at a trail head at Dupont. One problem: he forgot his bike!!!

Borganes, Ring Road Challenge

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To the beautiful Borganes area of Iceland. I earned my first “post card’ which is a virtual postcard from me, and tells about the region. Rather than copy this put or research the info into my own words, these photos depict that postcard and the information included (credit goes to the Conqueror app).

a glittering winter city

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The frost tightened it’s grip as evening fell, whipped up from the chill Arctic wind in from the sea and south over the desolate winter landscape. It plunged down from Mount Skardsheidi, past Mount Esja and ravaged it’s way over the lowlands, where settlement spread out , a glittering winter city, on the northernmost shores of the world.


Arctic Chill: An Inspector Erlendur Novel
By Arnaldur Indridason

Made it to Mount Skardsheidi, 42.1 miles into my journey. I did get a real ride in today, including some singletrack riding in at Paris Mountain in South Carolina. See the photo of the very cool rock building at the park. My real ride was at 41 degrees, a sunny Sunday; my virtual ride at 17 degrees.
I like this description above that includes a mention of Mount Skardsheidi, and gives an imdication of what it can feel like there in winter. The  mountain is part of an extinguished volcano known as Skardsheidi is about 4 million years old.

view of Mount Skardsheidi, Iceland
The Bath House (1930s), Paris Mountain State Park, Greenville

Hofn, Iceland

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As my virtual journey continues, I am 35.5 miles in, actually seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but not too far from the small fishing village of Hofn, famous for a Europe’s largest glacier, called Vatnajokull. Don’t ask me how to pronounce any of the names. There is also a Lobster Festival there in July.

Grundartangi

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Here I am tonight, as I continue my Ring Road journey across Iceland. Maybe I should buy some aluminum. This is an industrial area – looks like some computer chip sort of businesses and aluminum. Not that interested, and so tired after all the stressful insurrectional and terroristic attacks in Washington yesterday. Gonna hole up at an air bnb and move on…..oooooh, maybe not tomorrow, as we are under a snow warming. Maybe won’t get too far tomorrow.

I did find this place to stay. If I hole up here for a day or two, I have a gorgeous view.

My real activity today was a visit with my daughter-in-law and my two precious grandkids, as we walked some trails and visited goats, horses and donkeys at the Biltmore village today. We mostly meandered, ut I walked some trails after they left for a total of 4.5 miles of walking.

Tonight, Havlfjorour

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Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord), is a quiet fjord, with shores lined by canyons and waterfalls. Glymur, the highest waterfall of Iceland (198 m) is in Hvalfjordur.

Until the late 1990s, travel necessitated a detour of 62 km around the fjord in order to get from the city of Reykjavik to the town of Borgarnes. As of 1998, the tunnel Hvalfjardargongin, which shortens the trip considerably, was opened to public traffic. The tunnel is approximately 5,762 m in length, and cuts travel by car around the fjord by about an hour. The tunnel runs to a depth of 165 m below sea level.

At the innermost part of Hvalfjordur lie two valleys – Brynjudalur valley and Botnsdalur valley. High above Botnsdalur valley rises the mountain Hvalfell (852 m over sea level) and behind it lies the mountain lake Hvalvatn which is the fourth deepest in Iceland.

The area has a history of whaling. This movie, Whale Valley is set in Hvalfjordur.

and of course,

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Anyone who knows me knows there is more than one project on the needles. I did just finish these two adorable little owls, gifted to my grandkids with some books about owls. Love Owls were designed by Madison, Wisconsin artist Susan B. Anderson, who specializes in hand knit animals, toys and figures. I think mine came out showing a bit of attitude – I’m ok with that!

Also in progress, a squishy warm sweater, Glenbarrow, by Irish designer Carol Feller. I’m working this in a scrumptious teal blue (a bit greener than shown in the photo, but when it is finished, I will try to take a better picture.)

And, a pair of socks, always! These will be Powerscourt Waterfall Socks by KnittyMelissa on Ravelry.

Are there ore? Yes! But that’s all for now.

Peace Tower, this is the best!

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My virtual ride across Iceland brings me tonight to the gift of finding The Imagine Peace tower. Wow. Talk about ending up in the right place at the right time. I find myself another 7 miles along the Ring Road in Grundarhferfi, just across from the island of Viðey Island, Iceland, still on the outskirts of Reykjavík. Yoko Ono dedicated this tower of imagining peace in 2007, on John Lennon’s birthday. As we face a president who refuses to bow gracefully (or otherwise) to defeat, and instead is riling up violence and racism in the US, I am so happy to be (virtually) somewhere else right now.

Today, my virtual ride would have been ridden in 0 degrees F., whereas my real ride was at Pleasant Ridge County Park, at 55 degrees.
Tonight I will stay in a 100 year old cottage by the sea, which the photo of which would not let me copy, but this will be the view:

Good night, cheers and Peace. Above all, Peace.

What’s on the needles?

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There’s always something – actually more than one or two or sometimes even three somethings. Today I will focus on the new shawl I began last week called Winter Lights, by super knit-wear designer Stephen West of Amsterdam. I am knitting with one of my favorite yarns, Yummy 2-Ply by Miss Babs in four colors: peppercorn, dark parchment, adobe and a dark blue. I am knitting along with a group on Ravelry as a Hibernation KAL (knit along).

Winter Lights in progress

Iceland

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I just joined the Ring Road 828 mile virtual challenge, starting out from Reykjvik. DAY 1. 10 miles in, made it to Mosfellsbaer.
Imagine my surprise, as an everyday knitter, I find out that Mosfellsbær was once one of the main production centers of Iceland’s wool industry.  A wool factory, founded in 1896, is still in operation today. Today some of the old buildings around the factory are used for other commercial ventures. Icelndic wool is a knitter’s dream! Here is the link to the factory: https://alafoss.is/pages/about-alafoss

Alafos
Here’s where I spend the (virtual) nignt

Real ride was Cove Creek at Pisgah.it has been wet, and today was the first day we ventured off just gravel. 49 degrees at ride time, sunny.