Our second go-around at the Sandholt Bakery was just as good as the first and we were collected at 9 AM for a 2-day “Super Jeep” safari with Jon from PTI exploring the hinterlands and some of the nature for which Iceland is so famous. We donned down coats and extra layers and climbed up into our snazzy vehicle – an SUV that has been specially modified for Icelandic “off-road conditions” with a higher suspension, wide tundra tires and a myriad of special equipment…talk about feeling like the “King of the Road!” We drove about 2 hours out of the city through every kind of weather imaginable and our destination was Landmannalaugar, in the uninhabited uplands. Our first stop was a beautiful waterfall, Hjálparfoss and funnily enough, Leigh, who was wearing a Frontiers hat, was stopped by a fishing guide on his way up from the river who‘d guided colleagues of ours earlier in the summer. Trust me, this is the last place you‘d imagine running into someone! Small world!
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Brown trout and Arctic char fishing in Iceland is an experience like no other. This country is often referred to as the “land of fire and ice,” featuring some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes for fishermen of all experience levels.
Join Barry and Cathy Beck for world-class fishing on Lake Thingvallavatn where the brown trout grow large and landing the ‘fish of a lifetime’ is possible. Then head over to the Highlands – part moonscape and part middle earth—where the rivers and lakes are lightly fished in this sparsely populated area.
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The trip began with one of those random acts of kindness that makes a profound impression upon a jaded traveler like me. I arrived at the airport feeling very proud of myself that for once, I’d packed my belongings for the 4-day trip to Iceland into just one piece of checked luggage (standard operating procedure for me is two checked pieces and sometimes three, regardless of the duration of the trip).
Imagine my chagrin when I was told that the bag weighed 57 pounds. The JetBlue ticket agent, Ted Baker, and I hemmed and hawed. He was desperate not to charge me the $125 overweight fee and yet we had to get 7 pounds out of there. I began stuffing shoes and jeans into my carryon, but to no avail. We could not get to the magical 50 pounds. The Station Manager, Steve Baldwin, overheard our plaintive exchange and he volunteered one of the “stock bags” into which I could pack the extra 7 pounds and check the second piece on a complimentary basis. He personally ran downstairs to the Baggage Claim level and brought me up a small black suitcase into which I stashed my extra stuff, all of this free of charge.
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