There seems to be a variety of ways to experience Iceland.

Many folks take a cruise and stop in at various points along the coast. The ship then sails to Scotland or Ireland or England. These are smaller boats and tend to be wealthier travelers. There are lectures and fine food. Passengers sip bespoke cocktails and enjoy travel apart from the unwashed masses. In the airport at Keflavik they were all dressed the same and easy to spot. Many were fighting with their spouses about something inane. Travel is stressful.

Other folks do bus tours. This is where you sit on a bus and watch the landscape go by while someone lectures. Everything is preplanned – where you sleep, where you eat, what you do, what you enjoy – all for one low price. I am not a fan of group guided tours, mainly because I don’t like being told what to do. Also, you’re stuck with strangers in an enclosed space for long periods of time. That’s not vacation. It’s Hell.

Other people do what we’ve done, which is rent a car and strike out on their own. There are a myriad of websites which break down the sites and stops for 4, 6, or 10 day trips along Iceland’s famous Ring Road.

The Ring Road was completed in 1974 and is about 800 miles long. It encircles Iceland, and is about the distance from New York to Chicago. As infrastructure it serves a lot of important purposes; food, industry, transportation, and tourism. When sections are destroyed, towns can be isolated from the capital, which can have trying economic consequences across many sectors. I’m betting it gets repaired pretty quickly. It looks to be under constant maintenance, moving as much as the landscape does. It is an amazing feat of engineering and stubbornness, keeping a paved surface functioning in an extremely inhospitable land.

It is Iceland’s most important road, and likely part of every single tourist’s experience. The views are spectacular.