To Iceland and Back

Upon returning from Iceland last Sunday, one of the first things that struck me was the sound of crickets. Crickets are ubiquitous in Minnesota in late September. They chirped all night through our open bedroom windows. And I realized that I didn’t hear a single cricket in Iceland. What I did hear in Iceland was a quiet that doesn’t exist in Minnesota.

We – my partner Mick, our friends Ned and Susan, and myself – arrived in Iceland from Minnesota the morning of September 18. The very first thing I noticed was the wind – bracing, cold, nonstop. I noticed that wind every single day of our trip, learned that pulling a knitted hat over my head was the best way to keep my hair from permanently tangling. I was grateful that I brought lots of moisturizer to slather on my face as a shield against that wind. And I learned that the wind could hit the side of our rental car hard enough to force me to slow down way below the speed limit to maintain control, which mattered a great deal on narrow roads through mountains and along the coastline. Horse manes and sheep fleece flew in the gales, and the very few trees around Iceland were tilted in the general direction of the prevailing winds.

The second thing I noticed was that no one spoke in a loud voice. Everywhere we went, people spoke quietly. There was so much quiet everywhere that loud voices were jolting. Sure, the wind could howl and the waves from the sea could crash, but loud voices were unnecessary. There was something very soothing about all those soft-spoken people.

The third thing I noticed was the lack of trees. There are very few trees in Iceland. For someone from Minnesota, that makes for quite an alien landscape. Somehow, I didn’t miss trees until very near the end of our 10-day drive along the Ring Road (Hringvegur in Icelandic) because I was so taken with the beauty of the volcanic landscape.

And it was indeed beautiful. Everywhere was light, sky, waterfalls, black beaches, sheep, horses, open spaces without developments and billboards and other human scars. Lava flows and glaciers and crater lakes and craggy cliffs. Unpaved roads and scrubby vegetation and millions of stars in the night sky.

I haven’t yet had a chance to go through all my photos and figure out what it is about Iceland that will stay with me going forward. But I can share a few highlights that delighted me as we explored this nation that is the second-largest island in Europe (after Great Britain) and is about the size of Kentucky.

Iceland was on my list of places I wanted to visit for years. Specifically, I wanted to drive the Ring Road and see that volcanic landscape, experience the light that I imagined was unique to Iceland. I wanted to see northern lights. That I got to do all those things is a little miracle.

There is, of course, much more to Iceland than what I’ve shown here. Once I sort through the 1800 or so photos I took and think a little more about what we experienced, I’ll write more. But, for now, this little taste of Iceland might be just the invitation for someone out there to pack their own bags.

All photos by kcmickelson 2025, except as noted.