Thanksgiving on the Farm

We spent Thanksgiving weekend on the farm where I grew up--and where my sister Sandy now lives. She hosted us (Susan, Abigail, and me), our sister Cathy, and our dad on Thanksgiving day. Dad went back to his house in Tioga each day while the rest of us stayed at Sandy's throughout the weekend--so we had a Moberg sibling slumber party in our childhood home.

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back row: Susan, I, Abigail, and Cathy

front row: Dad and Sandy

This is a post-turkey pic ... so forgive any tryptophan-related drowsiness on our faces.

On Saturday we went to Dad's and put up his Christmas decorations, including these banners on his garage doors.

On Sunday we joined Sandy for church in McGregor. She is the organist at Zion Lutheran Church, the church we all attended while growing up. After church we stayed for "Souper Bowl Sunday," a potluck meal of homemade soups. Sandy's contribution was a delicious tomato tortellini soup.

The trees around the yard on the farm looked so beautiful from the frost and snow.

Iceland Vacation, Day 6

Today was our last full day in Iceland. We spent the morning sightseeing, the afternoon driving, and the evening packing for our return home tomorrow.

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Here are morning views where we stayed last night. In the bottom photo is our building with three units (one for each couple). The entrance doors are on the other side and open onto the terrace that Nate is sitting on in the top photo.

I wrote yesterday that we would be returning today to Breiðamerkursandur (a.k.a. Diamond Beach), where the Atlantic Ocean meets up with Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. After yesterday's 60-mile-per-hour winds there (that canceled our ice cave tour), we were grateful for a still day today. The top photo is a view of the icebergs in the lagoon, and the bottom photo shows Susan and me standing next to one of the icebergs that had washed up onto the beach.

Our reason for returning to Jökulsárlón today was to take a glacial lagoon boat cruise! We suited up and boarded a Zodiac boat (that held 10 passengers) to cross the lagoon and approach Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of Vatnajökull, Iceland's largest glacier. As we neared the glacier, we saw some seals hanging out on an ice chunk. At the glacier's edge, we saw and heard it "calving," the process in which chucks of ice break off from the end of a glacier and fall into the water, creating icebergs.

It was about a six-hour drive from there back to Keflavík, where we're staying tonight (at the beautiful Hotel Berg) because we have to be at the airport here at 5:30 A.M. to go home tomorrow. We had seafood for dinner at a roadside stop off the highway; and we had seafood again for supper at Kaffi Duus, a restaurant near our hotel. Susan and I have just repacked our suitcases and are ready for our last sleep in Iceland. What a fantastic trip with a terrific group of friends!

Iceland Vacation, Day 5

Our driving and sightseeing today took us around the southern side of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Iceland (it covers about 10% of the country!). From morning to evening, we saw both the westernmost and easternmost ends of the glacier--about 90 miles across. It is an impressive presence to have in the background at all times.

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Our first stop was for a hike through Múlagljúfur Canyon, the most rugged (least developed) site of all the nature spots we've been in Iceland. From the gravel parking lot, we were on our own to find the start of the hiking trail, which is a rocky path winding up and down hills and through streams to the top of the canyon. From there we could see the waterfall Hangandifoss across the canyon and, in the distance, the glacier.

Then we drove to Breiðamerkursandur, which tourists call Diamond Beach. It's a black volcanic sand beach next to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, and its "diamonds" are the large and small icebergs that wash up after breaking off from Breiðamerkurjökull, a glacial tongue of Vatnajökull. The icebergs float out of the lagoon and into the ocean during low tide and then are washed up on shore during high tide.

We ate our dinner from the food stands in the parking lot. From there, we were meant to board "super jeeps" (heavily modified four-wheel-drive vehicles for rugged terrain) to take us to the glacier to explore the Crystal Ice Cave. However, due to high winds (around 60 miles per hour!), the ice cave tours and other activities on the lagoon were canceled today. We will be back tomorrow, though, for another event here ... stay tuned!

Then it was back in the rental cars for a drive to Stokksnes Peninsula near Vestrahorn Mountain. There we explored a Viking village recreation. It is a film set built for a movie that was never finished, but now it is a popular tourist attraction. Its setting--with the mountain behind it and the black sand beach and Atlantic Ocean in front of it--made it easy to imagine Vikings settling here.

To end the day, we drove to Höfn, an Icelandic fishing town, and ate supper (cod) at Hafnarbúðin near the docks. Our accommodations for the night were just outside of town in Rey Stays, studio units built with north-facing terraces. The other two couples joined Susan and me in our unit, and we had drinks and snacks and visited before bed. And, of course, we saw more Northern Lights!