Jeeps, romance and the yearly bath

En route to Landmannalaugur

Last week I decided it was time for the yearly bath of my little Ssangyong Korando jeep, named "Koriander". It was time, I felt, since I could no longer see the colour of the car. I hope Óli´s Dad approves since he has diligently pointed out that my little jeep is not a Landrover and needs a little more care and attention, and doesn´t look so good all bashed up. Next comes a whole long list of small fixes that are needed and then .. I want a snorkel. Korandos are pretty fine off road; they have a short wheel base and, with 31" tyres, fine ground clearance, but they have air intakes in a ridiculous location, just behind the front bumper. Who wants a jeep in Iceland if you can´t drive through a river in it? Well .. you can.. .. with the aid of a plastic survival bag, some sticky tape and a heavy accelerator foot..

Post-wading picture of Kate, pre-wading picture of Koriander.
Picture taken by Claire Robertson, summer 2006.

.. but the engine- and nerve-destroying potential is too high. Anyone know of a good person to adapt a 4x4 in Iceland, someone that can take some odd bits of drainpipe and make a waterproof snorkel?

So, you may be thinking.. why is a girl interested in tyre sizes and snorkels. Well, firstly my enthusiasm for jeeps might come from my Dad .. see here, and here.. and here, below:

My Dad with his Landrover, Seipnir II, prior to big-wheel modifications.

I have always, I think, liked big cars, dating back to trips in tractors and lorry-spotting on long distance car trips. I always thought it would be cool to be a lorry driver but never quite made it. I was reminded again recently about how cool trucks are as I goggled at the beautiful lines of the North American trucks.

The knowledge about tyre sizes is infectious in this country. When asked about your car the second question is always what size tyres.. not about fuel efficiency. Men might ask the size of the engine or the make first, girls might ask about the colour.. now that I´ve washed it I should be able to check.

Many many people drive around Reykjavík in monster jeeps with 38" or more tyres that never leave town, a bit like a souped up version of the school run jeep. They are good on glaciers though and in snow but in town you NEVER need them. If a little car breaks down in the winter in front of you in town you might be able to drive around them but not over .. for that you need caterpillar tracks. And don´t get me started on studded tyres.. (road-chewing-up, dust-creating outmoded abominations..)

North of Mýrdalsjökull, November 2005, picture taken by Erik Sturkell

Flo the Landrover, coming out of Tröllagjá, north of Þórsmörk, Summer 2005.

However, Iceland´s roads are not that modern and if you want to go somewhere really beautiful or interesting it is often best to have a jeep to tackle the cobbles, boulders, steep inclines and rivers. I like Þórsmörk, but am not taking my little Korando across those rivers by the plastic bag method. Not even if I want to be romantic.. like a Swiss guy recently who proposed to his girlfriend in the river Krossá while they were trying to escape their flooded rental car. She agreed once rescued. Krossá in Þórsmörk, is a big river, fast flowing and not suitable for anything other than big jeeps. Please don´t try it. Take the foot bridge together and visit one of the caves in the hills between Húsadalur and Langidalur, walk hand in hand along one of the prettiest woodland paths in the country or try out the sauna or new hot tub at Húsadalur.

Well, so I washed the car .. and then we took a 15 hour day trip to Landmannalaugur and Hrafntinnasker.. to look at freakily coloured mountains and lava flows that sparkle in the sun. Some photos arriving shortly.