Gullfoss is a fantastic waterfall about an hour from Reykjavik. I'd love to see it in the dead of winter when ice coats the canyon walls and the river is essentially frozen solid. Reminds me of a scene in the recent movie, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." We visited it twice, once at the beginning of the trip, and once again at the end.

I confess, while in Iceland I discovered much to my wife's dismay, that I am a waterfall geek. It is a target-rich environment, of course, for waterfall geeks. And as a photographer, I am perfectly capable of spending a (ne willing to spend a) half day, a whole day even, taking hundreds of photos of even an obscure waterfall. For me, this was the mother load! And my wife, bless her heart, indulged me here, and at many other waterfalls we encountered.

This was our first encounter with an Icelandic National Park. I was born and raised 130 miles from Yellowstone National Park in the US. In the US, National Parks share a few characteristics ... stiff entrance fees, highly controlled access to park sites, and a heavy park ranger presence. Abandon all these notions before you enter here. National parks in Iceland are free, have essentially no access controls, and seem to be uninterested if (when) tourists decide to cleanse the gene pool by doing something terminally stupid ... like stepping too close to the edge. No barriers. No signs. No worries, man. I'm liking this place!

These photos were taken in August 2007 mostly with a Nikon D200.