The Last Push

I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but it is suddenly August!  That also means I have only 12 days for research, then my family is joining me to tour around Iceland for 10 days, then back to Madison!  As fun as this summer has been, I'm really excited to be a tourist and to get back to Madison.

Half the group is leaving around the same time I am, so there is a big push to get everything done in the next week and a half.  That means final rounds of routine sampling, taking down experiments, setting up new ones for next year, and of course finishing up all of the counting that still needs to be done.  Yesterday, we went on what we thought was going to be the last transect collecting run, but there were so many midges out that we decided to leave them up for another week - there's a second, smaller midge emergence in late summer, just in time for my family to arrive! (Sorry guys).

Bug collecting station!

We get to see a lot of beautiful places while collecting transects

Midge column!

We also went to Akureyri to run some errands.  We didn't have time for any sight-seeing, but we did stop for hot dogs at the most scenic gas station I've ever been at.

European Fanta is better than American Fanta

French fry thief

I don't think I've waxed poetic on Icelandic hot dogs yet.  Hot dogs are pretty much Iceland's unofficial national food and can be bought freshly grilled from most gas stations.  They are made primarily of lamb, which makes them taste better than American hot dogs, in my opinion, and the toppings are ketchup, a mustard/mayo mix, fresh onions, and fried onions.  In Northern Iceland, the toppings go underneath the hot dog; in Southern Iceland, they go on the top like we usually do hot dogs in the States.  They are delicious and are a great, cheap dinner on the go!