After leaving Stuðlagil Canyon, we drove back to the Ring Road and headed west to our next location. Before we knew it, we had been transported to what looked like another planet. Fortunately, there was a large parking lot off the side of the road that allowed visitors to get out of their cars, drop their jaws, and gaze at the strange scenery in another stunning Iceland location. Welcome to the Odadahraun Desert, Iceland’s most extensive lava field and most desolate destination. The windswept brownish-orange field lay before us with the Route 1 curving back around from the left as it headed to a black mountain range with snow-covered peaks behind them. The photo here captures only part of what could be seen from the parking lot (pinned in Google Maps with the name of “White Chair Parking Lot” after a rough, wooden, white chair that used to grace the car park). Further to the left of this view was Herdubreid, a table mountain situated north of Vatnajökull (see below).
