The morning was clear, so we planned to spend the day exploring Vik, mostly the black sand beach. We also needed to charge the car.
After we pulled ourselves together, we got some breakfast and headed for Vik.
We found the charging station in Vik, and were able to begin charging without too much trouble. It was also free!
The black sand beach was within walking distance of the charging station, so we left the car to charge and headed out for a hike.
There was a stone pile pier that we decided to walk out on for a better view
The further out we got, the more painful the prospect of walking back became, to the point that Jackson decided to just cross the river barefoot. Wally and I deliberated about following, and ultimately decided to do so.
It was incredibly cold, but walking along the beach barefoot was kind of fun, minus the small rocks which were only painful. After the cold water, it didn't even feel that cold anymore.
After putting our shoes back on, we found a little grotto to hang out at.
I found a pile of rocks that someone had tried to use to make a kairn, and repaired it.
We began making our way back to the car and to find a place to have a late lunch.
After wandering around Vik for a bit, We found a burger place / brewery for lunch. It had the atmosphere of a trendy downtown cafe.
We headed back to the car. We also take a short cut through a school, and small swamp to get to back to the coastal path.
On the walk back, there was a great view of the glacier covered mountain to the north, as well as a couple odd statues
We decided to head back to the hotel and take a nap, with the intention of going out later that night to try and catch the northern lights.
For dinner, we had booked a spot at the Volcano hotel restaurant. It ended up being a lot fancier than we were expecting.
After full darkness, we headed out to find a spot to watch the sky. The night was clear, despite forecasts and though it was faint, we were able to see the Northern Lights.
There was also a really bright star, that we were trying to figure out what it was. I thought it was Jupiter, but we don't know for sure.
We tried using it for a test to dual in our long exposure settings, with mixed results
At first, we thought that the northern lights weren't going to make an appearance, but after awhile, a slight discoloration on the horizon resolved into a slowly undulating band of dim green light. They were not nearly as vivid as they appear in pictures, but definitely distinct enough to be easily visible.
The lights, combined with the glow from the distant road and the screaming of various bird, made for a magical experience.