The Westfjords Way

RWGPS. For those in the know, this stands for “Ride with GPS.” It was created in 2007 by two cyclists in Portland, Oregon and has since become the go-to source for inspiring rides up and down the two wheeled spectrum. RWGPS gets you out on the short neighborhood jaunt around your local trails as easily as it inspires some epic (and sometimes painful) journeys across some of toughest terrain in the world. I found the Oregon Outback ride on this site and it damn near crushed me at times. But like all things outdoorsy, I tend to just remember the good bits and jump right back into planning another one as soon as the swelling goes down. I conveniently forget the 78 mile stretch of wilderness with no water and just remember that purple hued sunset at my campground along the river. It’s a curse and a blessing.

This is how I found out about The Westfjords Way. Scrolling through random RWGPS routes from the couch, I paused on this beauty of nearly 600 miles and more than 49,000 feet of climbing in the most remote part of Iceland. I was half joking when I sent it to my buddy John to see if he could join me. He called my bluff and after a few texts, we were buying plane tickets bound for Isafjordur, Iceland. Yeah, I had to look that one up too.

I met John at RAGBRAI. That hot, long and hilarious ride across Iowa during the last week of July. It can define misery during a hot year. Impossible to sleep in your hot tent at night but somehow rising each day to complete the six day journey through endless fields of corn and soybeans. If it wasn’t for the amazing people and fabulous carnival food along the way it wouldn’t be a thing. John and I hit it off right away. He tells the most outrageous stories and keeps me laughing with his dry wit. He is aware of his coastal privilege and pokes fun at his fellow urbanites in San Francisco like he wasn’t one himself. He is also a great listener and asks questions like a polished journalist. He gets you to talk about yourself and then makes connections. That makes for a terrific travel buddy.

John is also a detail oriented organization freak. I mean that in the best possible way. I sheepishly sent him my planning excel spreadsheet and he not only liked it but took it to the next level. He booked all of our hotels, helped coordinate flight times and put everything on a shared calendar. He even hired a local liaison on Iceland to help us in case we get stuck. I am usually the one in the drivers seat on trip planning but I gleefully let him have the reigns. You go John! Just let me know what I owe you. I flew into Reykjavik yesterday and met John at our sweet little inn downtown. We explored the city and had a great lunch at a fancy food hall. There are pride flags everywhere you turn and even a Price Center in the middle of town that has a coffee shop, clothing exchange and performance space. It’s such a welcoming and beautiful city. Impeccably clean and so easy to get around. I definitely want to spend more time here with Bryan.

After a great nights sleep, we are off on a short flight to Isafjordur to meet our cycling buddy Tyler. He is the liaison that helped craft our route and will be backup for us if anything goes sideways. I’m chomping at the bit to get my bike all set up and head out on those remote paths and roads. If the pictures do it any justice it is going to be the trip of a lifetime.