DAY 11

We set out on the longest drive of the trip early, setting our sites on the quite-pronouncable town of Vik.  Early
in the day, we came to a fork which offered a narrow mountain pass (usually closed) to save us 100 km or so.  We 
took the pass, and although it boasted some 17% grade and blind turns, we made it over and got some great pictures.

Driving along some beautiful oceanside views, a flock of whooping swans matched our trajectory at a good 100 km/hr, 
and one of them promptly crapped all over my windshield.  Majestic.  Other than that, it was a scenic oceanside 
drive to Hofn, our midpoint, that specialized in lobster (The Norwegian species) and indeed we had a fine lunch of 
lobster there.  

Beyond Hofn we passed some extremely rocky mountains that seemed to have launched rocks that had breached the rock
barriers.  We came to another place named "Blue Lagoon" this one a lagoon filled with iceburgs from a glacier, the
point in Iceland where the glaciers came closest to the sea.  We took a ride on a amphibious vehicle to see them up
close and had a bit of one to eat from the guide.

After that, we came to a broad valley, which seemed scarcely inhabited, in contrast to other valleys we
had encountered.  Also, a strange haze obscured viewing across the valley, which was strange in the generally 
crystal-clear Iceland.  

A general sense of unease filled the party as we came across the previous bridge, which they had made into a
roadside attraction after a volcano-induced flood had smashed it.  We then entered a dust storm of biblical
proportions, with gusts shoving the car across the road and visibility at times dropping to near nothing.  This
went on for nearly an hour and 100 km.  We later learned the red digital 20 on the road sign indicated unsafed
sustained windspeed, and that we probably shouldn't have entered it, although we encountered many other vehicles
inside the storm.

Vik was mercifully mostly dust-free, and we retired for the night after a delicious meal there that was probably
the best of the trip.