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An Icelandic Saga

Iceland is like something out of a dream. You have to see it for yourself, but we will try our best to describe it and give you some tips along the way. Also, the language is difficult if you aren’t familiar, so please forgive if something is spelled wrong.

Note: the people are very friendly and helpful so if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.

Our first night was spent walking the streets of Reykjavík. A small (Iceland’s total population is only about 330,000), yet bustling downtown lends itself to shopping, delicious food (unless it’s fermented shark – give it a go, but we aren’t making promises), and a magical atmosphere especially when it’s snowing. You can even send a letter to Santa!

While we are proponents of exploring on your own, Iceland is a great place to hop on a guided tour. All of the tours we took were convenient, educational, and super fun. We met some great new friends too – shout out NYC and Liverpool!

Our first day we toured the south part of the island with #GreyLineIceland. They took us to visit Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls which we can’t begin to tell you the magnitude of. The black lava sand beach of Reynisfjara hardly looks real until you pick up the sand. This one was a major #bucketlist stop for us. We attempted to walk up to a glacier, but we almost got blown off of the mountain. Weather out of control!

On the way back from our day trip the bus driver informed us there was a good chance to see the Northern Lights so we were able to hop on another #GreyLineIceland bus to head out into the darkness. Our guide was absolutely amazing and hilarious having us do a Northern Lights dance on the way to the national park where we stopped to wait. We waited about 1 1/2 hours for the sky to open up in another #bucketlist moment. Green bands started dancing across the sky like nothing you can even describe and everyone was running and cheering with delight! More photos to come in the photo journal tab.img_1536

The second day we hopped on a small bus with Nice Tours to hit up the Golden Circle. Walking through the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates at the Thingvellir National Park was nothing short of awesome – one foot in North America one in Europe. Gulfoss waterfall is incredible with multiple levels and plummets off into the depths of the earth through a 32 meter crevice. Walking around the top of the 6,000 year old Kerid volcanic crater is surreal and is a once in a lifetime experience. Strokkur Geyser erupts every 5-10 minutes and if you’re lucky there will be Vikings to sing thanks to the earth. An extra stop at Faxi waterfall  and feeding Icelandic horses on the side of the road was a really nice treat. Thanks to our guide for these extras.

We finished our day at the Blue Lagoon – a must if you are in Iceland. It’s definitely a tourist mecca, but well worth it. Something about drinking a cold Icelandic beer in a natural hot spring brings so much joy. We suggest going in the middle of the day on a weekday to avoid massive crowds and better photo ops.

Only disappointment was not getting to go whale watching due to weather. Iceland reports the weather more than the news because it changes in a moments notice. Next time for sure!

Let us know if you want help booking a trip! We booked everything through our exclusive travel search engine and got great hotel and tour discounts – check out the Book Travel tab ⬆️!

Enjoy the ride,

Justin and Lindsay

P.S. Stay up to date on our travels by subscribing to our blog! Enter your email at the bottom of the page ⬇️!

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Madera Outdoor

Awesome news loyal followers – EndlessTravel365 has partnered with Madera Outdoor! 

Because it takes 2 trees to hang a hammock, Madera plants 2 trees for each hammock sold. Through partnering with Trees for the Future, they have planted over 10,255 trees and counting. They are improving the livelihoods of impoverished farmers by revitalizing degraded lands. Since 1989, with their partner’s (trees.org) experience in planting over 115 million trees all over the world, they have demonstrated the transformative power of trees in helping people break out of the poverty trap while also addressing the global environment. Their work in East and West Africa is helping to build a world where people can leave a legacy of opportunity through sustainable practices and productive lands for future generations.*

We feel strongly about this cause and are so excited to be a part of something we believe in! Not to mention their hammocks are badass too.

Click HERE to shop now!

*Source: Madera Outdoor

 

Enjoy the ride and your new hammock! 

Justin and Lindsay

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Watershed Two-Zero-One-Seven

Break out your America gear and your Budweiser – the Watershed music festival is one for the books!

A country music lovers dream, “Shedders” flock to the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington for a weekend of camping, boozing, music, friends, and fun! RV’s by the thousands roll into the campgrounds as early as Wednesday to set up shop – some of the most innovative camping we’ve seen. Slip ‘n’ slides, kiddie pools, tents, oversized camping chairs with 6 cup holders, super soakers, mannequins dressed up in their best plaid shirts mounted to the roof of an RV, karaoke machines, disco lights, and all the drinking games you can learn or handle!

The music ain’t half bad either. Big names like Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker, and Luke Bryan headlined this year’s festival. Quality entertainment for sure. Don’t forget the after party in the Next from Nashville tent with one of the best party DJ’s around! Or the after after party in the campground. 

If you’re one of the lucky ones (like us), you can watch the whole festival from the Budweiser VIP party deck, meet some of your favorite country stars, play games, eat free cheeseburgers, and cool off with the mister fans – but you have to get picked by the Budweiser crew to join that party. Best bet to get VIP is by having more fun than your neighbors in the campground AND recycling, but we can’t give away all the secrets.

We met some of the most amazing people, namely a group of about 30 Canadians who “shed” every year. They really did it up right. Can’t wait to go back again next year to hang!

Enjoy the Ride,

Justin and Lindsay

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Climbing a 14er

If you’re in Colorado, chances are you heard someone say “I’m going to climb a 14er today” or “How many 14ers have you climbed?” A 14er is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. In Colorado, we have 53 total 14ers. While the end goal is always to climb all 53, few have accomplished this task. In September 2016, Lindsay climbed her first 14er and it was Justin’s 2nd.

  • Side Note: Driving to the top of Mount Evans is not climbing a 14er, but it is a really cool drive if you’re in the area. The highest paved road in the USA! 

Mount Democrat sits on the Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains and is 14,148 ft. above sea level at the summit. Mount Democrat is a Class 2 out of 4 on the difficulty meter. It is the 29th highest peak in Colorado.

The trail begins with a slow ascent through fields of grass, wildflowers, and streams. A lovely beginning to a difficult end. Once you hit the base of the mountain things will change.  The trail narrows, some places are not marked, and you better believe you’ll be climbing over rocks to get to the top. Oh and oxygen is hard to come by once you pass 13,000 ft. We felt like we were breathing through a straw. Don’t let the false summit fool you. The real summit is a couple hundred yards farther and a couple hundred feet higher.

  • Side Note: It is possible to hit 4 peaks in one hike in this area (Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross), but you better leave yourself enough time before the afternoon weather rolls through – high winds, lightning, and possible rain can make a descent all the more challenging, plus you can’t outrun a storm at 14,000 ft. with boulders in your way.

Now, we understand that describing the experience sounds miserable in a way, but you can’t even begin to describe the sense of accomplishment and beauty that await you once you summit. It’s very surreal. You can see for miles and miles – a view that few see and many take for granted. It’s truly astonishing. All 14ers have a sign at the top that you can hold and take photos with – a must do!

We are now addicted and can’t wait to cross a few more summits off the list! If we can, you can too! Let us know if you want to join us on our next climb, we would love to have you!

Enjoy the Ride,

Justin and Lindsay

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