Newspaper Page Text
(Eift Aiiuancg
The ADVANCE, October 5, 2022/Page 14A
Icelanders Breeze Through Toombs
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
A group of friends from
Iceland breezed through
Toombs County on Sep
tember 22 as they contin
ued their motorcycle trip
across the Southern United
States. Stopping over at
the historic Nine Columns
Bed and Breakfast in Lyons
where they were met by
their host Victor Wolfe, the
cyclists were nearing the
end of a journey that began
in Los Angeles on August
22 and ended the following
week at Orlando, Florida,
just ahead of Hurricane Ian.
How they got from
their home in Reykjavik,
Iceland, to South Georgia is
quite a story. The Icelanders
agreed that they were just
doing what anyone would
do if they had the chance —
leaving their cares behind,
enjoying the wind on their
faces, and relishing the ride.
After renting their mo
torcycles in LA, the group
headed up the California
coast to Monterey, visited
Yosemite National Park,
then turned northeast to
take in the sites in Wyo
ming, South Dakota, and
Utah. They visited Jackson
Hole, rode the famous Bear
Tooth Highway in Montana,
saw the Great Salt Lake,
and ventured into the town
made famous by the televi
sion series “Deadwood.”
At least one of the group’s
members had been to the
infamous town in a previous
trip and had become a fan.
Einar Ragnarsson, who sug
gested Deadwood as a stop,
had also been to Sturgess,
South Dakota, well known
for its annual motorcycle
rally that attracts thousands.
“When I turned 50, I
gave myself a birthday pres
ent and went to the rally in
Sturgess,” Ragnarsson said.
He owns about 15 motor
cycles, many of them vin
tage. “Some people collect
stamps. I collect motor
cycles.” Ragnarsson’s riding
partner is a full-size replica
of a skeleton that he dresses
up in gear he buys through
out the trip. In Lyons, his
riding partner sported a
new strand of pearls that
were a gift from Wolfe.
The Icelanders took in
the Bad Lands of South Da
kota where they stayed at a
ranch before traveling south
to ride through Kansas, Ne
braska, and Missouri. The
group stayed at a B&B in a
little town in Nebraska with
150 residents spread out
over 200,000 acres. Their
road trip took them to Hur
ricane Mills and Nashville
in Tennessee, where they
toured the famous down
town music scene — but
did not visit the Grand Ole
Opry because of time con
straints.
They rode through the
Great Smoky Mountains
and tackled some famously
treacherous trails like “Tail
of the Dragon” and “Hell
bender.” They exited Ten
nessee and rode into Geor
gia at Chattanooga, making
their way through the state
and stopping for the night
in Lyons. Their stay in
Toombs County included
going for pizza and ice
cream in downtown Lyons.
The travelers always
opt for the backroads where
they can absorb the scenery
at a slower pace and meet
interesting people along
the way. In fact, when asked
what was most memorable
about their trip, they agreed
unanimously that it was the
kind and helpful people
they met. All of the mem
bers of the group speakEng-
lish, albeit with charming
accents which sometimes
require the listener to ask a
question a second time.
The day they arrived in
Lyons, the early fall weather
felt more like high summer
with temperatures in the
upper 90s. Coming from a
country where hot weather
is 70 degrees F., the group
was eager to jump into the
pool at Nine Columns af
ter their road trip through
Georgia.
This was the second
trip across the United States
for most of the Icelanders.
They had toured the South
and Southwest about four
years ago. They hope to re
turn to the U.S. as soon they
can.
In Iceland, where re
tirement age is 67 to 70, the
workforce is granted a four
to six week vacation, allow
ing for extended holidays.
That is just one of the perks
of living in Iceland. Health
care is free, crime is low,
and it is a great place to raise
children. The country is
clean and energy-efficient;
the capital city runs on geo
thermal resources. While
sunlight is limited at certain
times of the year, Iceland is
renowned for its dramatic
landscape of glaciers and
geysers.
Of course, what the Ice
landic tourists have in com
mon is a love of travel, rid
ing motorcycles and a sense
of adventure; but their
backgrounds are varied.
Inga Gudmunsdottir is
a tailor and a cook — and
also an opera singer. Musi
cianship runs in the family.
She is the sister of interna
tionally-known musician
Bjork. Ragnar Ragnarsson
is a construction supervisor
and a carpenter. Svan Hiltur
is an office manager, and Jim
Fletcher, her companion
from the United Kingdom,
is a mechanic and owns a bi
cycle shop. They two met in
France where Fletcher was
“bumming round” and she
was in college. Einar Rag
narsson is an electrician and
a lineman for the national
power company in Iceland.
He is Ragnar’s brother. Jon
M. Sigurdsson repairs auto
matic machines. Elisa Gud
munsdottir (not related to
Inga) draws mechanical
plans for architects.
While the motorcy
clists enjoyed seeing the
U.S., and may come back
some day, they were eager
to get back home to see
their families. Like Doro
thy said in the Wizard of
Oz, “There’s no place like
home.”
Photo by Victor Wolfe
RIDING PARTNER — Einar Ragnarsson and his riding part
ner, a full-size replica of a skeleton, head out. Throughout
the trip, Ragnarsson purchases riding attire for his female
"friend." She picked up a strand of pearls in Lyons, a gift
from the B&B's proprietor Victor Wolfe,
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — J, D. Dickerson Primary School has announced the Septem
ber Students of the Month. (L to R): Top row: Antonio Singleton, Schannon Robinson,
Kristopher Lewis, Dru Brown, Mason Johnson, Brantley Dowd, Grace Storkamp, Durham
Roper, Bailey Brown, Brody Boston, Jeniyah Phillips, Travis Young, Sy'miere Mincey; First
Row: Kailey Wallace, Greyson Edwards, Calessi Poole, Ethan Joyner, Emerie Hendley,
Luis Portillo, Ryan Sasser, Jemima Ambrosio-Pedro, Sydney Smith, Khoral Brown, Kohen
Parrish, Kyleigh Harper, London Carter.
Photo by Deborah Clark
ON THE PORCH — Gathering for a group photo on the porch of Nine Columns B&B in
Lyons, are from left, Inga Gudmunsdottir, Ragnar Ragnarsson, Jon M, Sigurdsson, Einar
Ragnarsson, Elisa Gudmunsdottir, Jim Fletcher and Svan Hiltur.
Photo by Victor Wolfe
TAKING OFF — The motorcylists from Iceland depart Nine Columns B&B on September
23 and head for Florida, the last leg of their tour of the United States.
Welcome to the
2022 Real
Squeal Festival!
409 Dixon St., Vidalia, Georgia 30474
912-538-1888 • www.larkbuilders.com
THE STANDARD IN PORTABLE BUILDINGS