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Every adventurer, both armchair and real, dreams of exploring the island wilderness of Iceland: a country formed by volcanoes and hardened by near-Arctic winds. There’s nothing like paying for gravel insurance, getting the keys, being forbidden to ford rivers and setting out on your self-made Viking adventure. But travelers be warned: Iceland is a harsh, unforgiving landscape with rough roads, harrowingly steep climbs, and manual transmissions. While the casual tourist can certainly see and enjoy the best of the island, only the most intrepid get to experience the hard-earned thrill of freedom on Iceland’s open roads.
Iceland is heart-breakingly gorgeous. Looking back through my pictures I feel a sharp tug, a yearning to return. Everyone who Iceland touches and tortures with her icy fingers leaves something behind with them. And thinking of that forgone lover brings pain and longing. I spent eight unwashed days and nights in a small car on the side of roads of various levels of paving. Wrapped in a wool blanket I tried to get as much sleep as possible during the three hour not-quite-night and awoke with aching bones to cruel but beautiful sunrises. Could I have just bitten the bullet and paid for a hotel? Sure. But that wasn’t the adventure Iceland had in mind for me and I wouldn’t have gotten to experience this:
Or this:
Sunshine is a rare treat on Iceland. Usually the world is clouded in a haunting mist. A fickle beauty like Iceland never keeps it weather the same for long meaning rainbows are not an uncommon sight.
Iceland is a land of extremes. From the hot geothermal pools of Geysir and Namafjall…
…to the literally glacial lakes of Jokulsarlon and Fjallsarlon.
Even Iceland’s fauna range wildly. Húsavik on Skjálfandi Bay is the best place on Iceland to hop on a whale ship and catch a frigid glimpse of the gentle giants.
Don’t forget its famous domestic horses, a particular breed adapted to the harsh near-arctic country. At many places along the Ring Road you can stop and greet these hardy and friendly beasts.
The entire country is filled with the calls of various seabirds. None more famous than the hilariously cute puffin. Unfortunately, their season in Iceland is short, only in the summer for roosting before they head south for the colder months. 
But the real masters of the island are the sheep. They roam their pastures and the cliffs with impunity. While exploring along the road, be careful, you’re in their territory.
You can never really know what to expect on the fickle beauty of Iceland. Every few minutes along its roads you will be greeted by magical vistas, nearly to the point of ruining every other destinations. But through your memory and camera you can take a little part of Iceland’s adventure with you in exchange for a little bit of yourself. There simply isn’t enough space here to describe it. Go find it yourself!
