The White Falcon - 19.11.1993, Qupperneq 5

Rocky Roaders vs Mother Nature
annual glacier adventure
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By 10a.m. Saturday morning, the winds had settled
slightly and the sun was making a whole-hearted
effort to peek through the cloud cover.
The tired travelers gathered and consulted maps to
determine their location. Using various bridges,
crossed the evening before as reference points, the
travelers maintained their optimism, figuring they
were only halfway to Hveravellir since leaving Gul-
foss. We called the lodge and were greeted by a
friendly voice that stated the weather was dismal to
:ay the least
Faced with this knowledge and an unknown num-
[er of drifts if they proceeded, the group decided to
cut their losses and backtrack to the base.
The weather took a turn for the better, bathing the
valley and snow-covered mountainsides with sun-
light. Our spirits lifted and we used the chance to
enjoy the crisp, clean air.
The return drive was noticeably easier with a
clearly-beaten trail to follow. Drift rescues became
less frequent as the trucks crawled along in low gear.
The strain of breaking the trail had taken its toll on
Bancroft’s Bronco. The big truck sheared one of its
universal joints as he guided it up a deeply-rutted hill.
Since they were within a few miles of Gulfoss, the
group decided to stop there and repair Bancroft’s
truck. A short while later we pulled into the welcome
center parking lot. Fifteen weary travelers piled,
jumped, fell and sprinted from the vehicles into the
geothermally heated structure. Meanwhile, the resi-
dent mechanics worked feverishly to replace the
mangled component.
The welcomed rest was evident by the comotose,
snow-suit clad travelers asleep on the floor.
Once on the road again, a call came in notifying us
of an overturned truck on the main highway between
Reykjavik and Keflavik. The Rocky Roaders worked
quickly to roll the base resident’s truck over.
We tied the flattened vehicle to Gonzales’ truck
made for Keflavik.
ssons were learned and spirits dampened, but
the Rocky Roaders vowed to return next year to enjoy
the hot tub at Hveravellir and its clean glacial air.
For anyone interested in joining the Rocky Roaders, the group meets at the
Community Center on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Ownership of afour-wheel-drive vehicle
is not required. For more information, call Mark Keltenhofen at ext. 6177.
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