Wooden signpost hammered into a crack in the rock marks the jump off point for day hikes in the hills above Landmannalaugar.

Icelandic horses nuzzle for warmth. The horses may be rented for day rides into the mountains surrounding Landmannalaugar.

The Landmannalaugar area displays a number of unusual geological elements, like multicolored rhyolite mountains and expansive lava fields.

The mountains in the surrounding area display a wide spectrum of colors including pink, brown, green, yellow, blue, purple, black, and white.

We ate our lunch beside this little stream. First time that I have ever rested beside a stream that was literally boiling.

These stone cairns mark the trail above the snow line between Landmannalaugar and Hrafntinnusker.

They seem close together, but the day after this photo was taken, we were forced to navigate in dense fog by moving from one marker to the next.

One of these cairns has a plaque on it commemorating a young hiker who died in a blizzard near here on June 27, 2004 - hardly the middle of winter.

Between Hrafntinnusker and Álftavatn.

Rocky Valley between Hrafntinnusker and Álftavatn

Álftavatn (Swan Lake) between rain showers.

Legend has it that a hungry farmer road into the lake to catch a swan, fell off his horse and drowned in the frigid water.

Swans are a common wild bird in Iceland.

On the trail between Álftavatn and Emstrur.

On the trail between Álftavatn and Emstrur.

A 4 wheel drive track crosses the trail. This day promised an end to the rain that had plagued us earlier in the trek and a return to excellent weather.

Flowers sprout from a crack in the rock - in the black alpine desert between Álftavatn and Emstrur.

One of Iceland's most dangerous volcanoes is Katla (4 eruptions since 1947). When Katla erupts, the resulting jökulhlaup starts here - at Emstrur.

The Emstrur huts are located at the mouth of an amazing gorge carved by many centuries of jokulhaups.

When volcanic activity is detected at Katla, the wardens begin shooting off flares and sounding alarms (sirens and flash-bangs). When you hear those alarms, you get to high ground as fast as you can - no delay.

Carved by jökulhlaups. To get an idea of the scale of this gorge, see if you can find the SUV parked at the top of the gorge - left side.

Rob Will and Steve Deering (right) - tired and happy on the final day of the trek. Taken between Emstrur and Þórsmörk.

Near Emstrur.

Located at the end of the trail at Þórsmörk, Eyjafjallajökull is the volcano that disrupted European air traffic so badly in 2010.

Þórsmörk was supposedly the very best place from which to watch the eruption.

Back in Reykjavik after the trek, looking across Tjörnin towards green roofed Frikirkjan and the Icelandic Museum of Modern Art.

Our hotel, the Castle House Luxury Apartments is behind Frikirkjan.

Corner store in Reykjavik.

Multicolored Houses – Reykjavik

This photo shows part of the collection of 5275 pipes that supply the voice for the pipe organ in Reykjavik's ultra modern Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral.

They surely do love to knit in Reykjavik as these photos show.

The walls and alleys of Reykjavik are filled with colorful graffiti.

Some of it is very elaborate and features sparking glaciers and shimmering lava running down the sides of buildings.

Sólfar (the Sun Voyager) represents a Viking ship looking north across Reykjavik's harbor.

The sculpture is by Jón Gunnar Árnason and was installed in 1986.