Flight over volcanoes and northern lights, Portland to Reykjavík, Iceland Air, Nov 2023

Flying back from Portland to Reykjavik on Iceland Air was an experience.  Having a window seat on a clear day provided uninterrupted coverage of the Pacific Northwest landscape.  As the pilot turned the plane north eastwards, we were able to view the snow-capped peaks of Mount St Helens, Rainier and Adams.  We were on the wrong side of the plane for Mount Hood but caught glances of the mountain.  The highlight of the flypast was crossing over Mount Adams with Rainier in the background. The light was clear and bright.  It is possible to distinguish the features in the mountain and where previous lava flows had occurred.  All three are active volcanoes with Mount St Helens erupting in 1980.  

Flight over volcanoes and northern lights, Portland to Reykjavík, Iceland Air, Nov 2023
Flying over Mount Adams.

Eventually the night came and we entered Canadian air space.  There was one more exciting view to see on our flight.  As we crossed over the North West Territories we saw the Northern Lights flickering above the clouds.  Taking pictures of the Lights is interesting as to the naked eye there is a faint glow.  I then pressed my iPhone15 against the window to remove reflections.  Fortunately the cabin lights were dimmed.  The long exposure coupled with the sensitivity of the iPhone reveals the green colours of the lights as shown in the pictures.  The lights lasted for about 10 minutes and then slowly faded.  This was a memorable flight for sightseeing.

Flight over volcanoes and northern lights, Portland to Reykjavík, Iceland Air, Nov 2023
The Northern lights seen out of the window.
Flight over volcanoes and northern lights, Portland to Reykjavík, Iceland Air, Nov 2023
More Northern Lights.

My photograph of the winter lights festival in Reykjavik that was taken on my visit to Iceland has featured in the Rove.me travel web site. Although I did not get to see the Northern lights, the Winter lights festival more than made up for it. Enjoy my picture and visit in person to photograph the experience. Thank you to Rove.me for the feature. Here are a few more of my travel photographs from Iceland for you to enjoy.

The Sun Voyager – an ode to the sun – Reykjavik
Gullfoss – A spectacular waterfall on the Golden Circle in Iceland
The Blue Lagoon is an experience and the water is so warm especially on a very very cold day. This picture reminds of the “where’s Wally” series. Sandy is posing for the camera

A night shot from Ryekjavik and their Winter Lights Festival to counter the long winter days of darkness.