Dettifoss

You can hear the roar of the water as you approach before you actually catch a glimpse of the Dettifoss waterfall.  It is truly massive -- more than 300 feet wide and falling in a single sheer face for about 150 feet.  After it comes into view, for the first few moments you can only stare in awe at Mother Nature's raw display of power.

It's really hard to give it a sense of scale in a photo -- those little figures are people down there.

Dettifoss was only about a forty-five minute drive from our guesthouse.  We got here early and were able to avoid most of the tour bus crowds.  We almost (but not quite) had some of the viewpoints all to ourselves.

And, as if one enormous waterfall wasn't enough, Mother Nature gave the river a second "bonus" waterfall -- Selfoss -- just a short hike upstream.

We have really enjoyed our two nights here in the Myvatn area.  We've been staying at the Vogafjos guesthouse, which is also a working sheep and dairy farm.  They have an excellent restaurant on site, where they serve house-made cheese and milk products.  The farm's forty or so cows are milked twice a day in a shed adjacent to the restaurant, providing entertainment for the people eating breakfast or dinner.