Here you can browse through my blog posts prior to February 2022. Currently I'm sharing my travel experiences, candid opinions, and what's on my mind solely on my Facebook page. — Rick
Driving on a smooth-but-narrow paved road through a vast, moss-covered, lava-flow landscape, our guide explained, “This lava flow is 1,000 years old. We call it the Lava of Christianity because it hit the same year we became Christian.” Living on an island of live volcanos in the middle of the ocean is not always easy. Iceland has weathered an eruption every four or five years for at least a thousand years. With the eruption of 1783—one of the biggest lava flows in recorded history—the population dropped from 50,000 to 38,000. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 stopped air travel across Europe, inconveniencing a lot of travelers. But the 1783 Laki eruption had a bigger impact and literally helped change history. Its volcanic dust impacted weather and crops in Europe for several summers, causing widespread hunger. Some historians say those conditions contributed to the economic unrest that led to the French Revolution at the end of that decade.
Geothermal power plants tap into the heat spilling out from deep in the earth. Across Iceland, you’ll see an infrastructure of pipes and power plants tapping into that natural source of energy. And ever since the advent of thermal-powered greenhouses—which you’ll see glowing in the mist around Iceland—local boys no longer have an excuse not to buy their girlfriends fresh flowers.It seems nearly every visitor who can afford the steep entry fee decides to kick off or cap a visit to Iceland with a luxurious soak in the famous Blue Lagoon. This giant spa complex is just 15 minutes from the airport. With so much geothermal energy, Iceland is a culture of swimming pools and hot tubs. Locals say soaking in a warm and cozy tub loosens people up and gossip flows freely. Floating around, I eavesdropped on lots of conversations…but don’t understand a word of Icelandic.
“Meet in the Middle!” That’s Iceland’s slogan for promoting conventions. Geologically, it literally is the meeting point for Europe and North America — as this is where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates do the bump. Reykjavik is technically part of America, the eastern half of the island is the edge of Europe, and the line down the middle is a fault with plenty of geological indigestion.
Tourists in Iceland are famously jet lagged. You can’t fly in here without having to deal with it. Europeans and Americans face several hours of jet lag, both coming and going. Flying from St. Petersburg to Iceland to Seattle, I was being dealt 4 or 5 hours of jet lag twice. While splitting it seemed like a clever idea, I think I’d rather have nine hours’ worth to adjust to once.
Most farming on Iceland is about raising animals, because grass is about all you can grow on the thin and poor soil. Icelanders are proud of their lamb, fish, dairy products, and horses. There are about 100,000 horses on the island — one for every three people. The Icelandic horse, which has been raised here for a thousand years without mixing with other breeds, is considered the oldest purebred horse anywhere. They’re exported for riding. Once one leaves the island, it’s not allowed to come back.Iceland is encircled by the 850-mile-long Ring Road — also known as Route 1 — which was completed in 1974. Ninety-five percent of Icelanders live along this road and the coast. Iceland has peaks rising about 6,500 feet above sea level, and around 10 percent of the land is covered in glaciers.Nature rages powerfully in Iceland.
Adventure tourism is a big deal in Iceland. I spent a day exploring sparse volcano country in a rugged “Super Jeep” with our guide Arnar. While the weather was terrible, it was still a glorious day as we ventured up a long lava-flow valley in the shadow of “E15”–the famous volcano only Icelanders can call by name (Eyjafjallajökull). Foreigners are invited to refer to by its first letter and the number of letters that follow. With Arnar at the wheel, we climbed crumbly hills and eventually parked at the foot of a mighty glacier for a picnic.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
I’d like to take a short break from my reports in Iceland to discuss tomorrow’s launch of Obamacare.
The last wealthy nation in the First World without some kind of national health care is about to get a watered down version of what other nations just assume is the mark of a successful and developed society. And the vested interests — big medicine, insurance companies, and the politicians they employ — are screaming like mad and spending a fortune to stop it. Ads and campaigns of confusion are not directed at my state, but at poorer and less educated states where affordable health care is needed most and people are easiest to frighten and manipulate. (In my state, libraries can direct people to information to understand the new law. In many states, librarians are actually forbidden to provide this service.)
It’s amazing to me that in our great nation, about a fifth of the citizens are unable to afford health insurance, need to go to the emergency room for routine medical needs, and are terrorized by the specter of one serious accident or sickness wiping out their family financially. And, just as amazing, half of our country thinks that’s OK and is fighting mad about the possibility of change. Even more perplexing, many of the people who think this is the best America can afford are the very people who need help the most.
Someone recently asked me, “As a businessman and an employer, what do you think of Obamacare?” My response was that, as a businessman, I don’t think of it at all. I employ 80 people. I imagine my health-care costs might go up a bit. But this is a community issue. My response to Obamacare is as an American who wants to be proud of my country. It is an embarrassment that so many Americans are brutalized by health-care costs. Europeans and Canadians — who spend far less per person on health care, like their care, and have options for rich people to get all the private VIP service they like — marvel at how so much of America is hell-bent on maintaining our status quo.
We’re living through a tsunami of desperate media and political action to help us avoid relatively modest progress in national health care. Think of the toll Presidents Clinton took back in the 1990s and Obama is taking today by standing up to the torrent of media and political flack. Think of the patrons and allegiances of the politicians who fight against affordable health care. Follow the money. What motivates the talking heads, the commercial news services, and the politicians who are working overtime to convince us this is a bad thing? They are captives of the industries (who advertise and donate) that will take a hit when poor and struggling Americans have access to affordable health care.
Those opposed to Obamacare have a powerful and well-funded voice. I believe it’s the slickest marketing initiative money can buy. Those who need the Affordable Care Act don’t have these special interests speaking out in their favor. Study the issue carefully. Ask yourself what motivates the loudest voices pulling out all the stops to shape your opinion: compassion or greed?
