Nic and I spent two weeks in Iceland in 2016. It was May, and we remember a mix of wind, sun, rain showers, and generally cool and comfortable weather. Aside from the strikingly beautiful landscape and powerful ocean, nothing stuck in our memories as particularly harsh or unforgiving.

This time, we’ve had a very different experience. While driving through crazy conditions yesterday, I asked Nic, “Which driving hazard would you choose out of what we’ve experienced in Iceland so far – piles of snow and icy roads, driving rain, or extreme winds?” (He chose the wind.) Said wind closed the only road to our next lodging for a few hours yesterday when gusts reached 80-90 mph. Park staff said the roads close frequently in winter and that closure from a few hours to a day or two was normal.

Fortunately, the wind and rain didn’t prevent us from reaching our guesthouse, a snug little apartment in a glacial valley, surrounded by waterfalls, mossy hills, and snowy mountain peaks. The vast Hoffellsjökull glacier dominates the view up the valley. We are at the edge of Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in the world after the polar ice caps. With an enormous glacier at the head of every valley in sight it’s not hard to believe that this big chunk of ice occupies 10% of Iceland’s square footage.

That’s some big stuff, but it’s the little things that matter to our family most: drinkable skyr, hot pots at our guesthouse (hot tubs fed by hot springs), cool rocks, a chance to get out and jog, a few moments of peace away from the kids. And we all finally slept well last night and feel accustomed to the time zone. Apparently this takes four whole days for this crew!