So we drove seven hours northeast of Reykjavik to Jokulsargljufur National Park where we rented a farmhouse for three nights. The drive took us through amazingly varied landscapes: deserts, volcanic fields, alpine-like meadows, arctic vistas. It was truly lovely. The farmhoue itself looked a lot like the one I recalled seeing in that neat little movie, "In Cold Blood". It seemed as if it was made out of tarpaper, balsam, and linoleum. But the kitchen worked and the sun never set and the place was nearly clean. My wife pitched the kids: "It's an experience," which they didn't buy, not at all, but who asked them, anyway? Not me, certainly not me.
The main thing, in fact, was that where we were was exquisitely beautiful. Each day we took long, easy hikes on volcanic terrain where we saw spectacular canyons, deserts, an Dettifoss, a powerful, terrifying waterfall. When we weren't hiking, we rode Icelandic horses, which are the size of ponies, first brought as a breed to the island 1100 years ago by Norse settlers and their Celtic slaves. Gentle and curious, they provided an ideal perspective for viewing the landscape.
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