TMC Iceland Meetup 2020!

[KarenRei]

BTW, here's what you're missing by choosing summer instead of winter This is our current wind map, in meters per second (multiply by 2,24 for mph, 3,6 for kph). Sustained wind speeds, not gusts.

Summer is usually calm and sunny. Well, by our standards at least. June especially.

 

[gcmak]

So, in celebration of Tesla's recent success, it looks like we're going to be having a TMC meetup this summer(-ish) in Iceland! Moving the conversation from private chat to this thread. The last open question was - when works best for people?

Start of July (Q2 deliveries), late July (hopefully Q2 ER), or some other time? Any time particularly good for you? Any time particularly bad?

Some general notes:

• Maximal "midnight sun": late June
• Warmest summer temperatures (what most people would consider "spring / fall weather"): late July
• Lupine blooming season: roughly June-July
• Bilberry season: mid July-early fall (crowberries extend to winter)
• Mushroom season: late summer to late fall
• Bird nesting season: late spring to early summer
• Roads deep into the highlands least likely to be closed: late summer to early fall
• Large festivals:
  • Independence Day (parades and the like): 17 June
  • Verslunarmannahelgi (our equivalent of Labour Day - misc concerts, festivals, etc) - 1-3 August
  • LGBT Pride (yes, it's one of our biggest annual family festivals, over a quarter of the country shows up): 7 August
  • Menningarnótt (Culture Night, probably the biggest festival - tons of clubs / artists / bands / etc open their doors / put on performances / etc, homes open up and give out waffles / coffee, fireworks in the evening): 22 August
  • Countryside music festivals: Randomly, all throughout the summer

I might re-visit your beautiful country in August of this year - would be neat if times and paths crossed!

 

[KarenRei]

I might re-visit your beautiful country in August of this year - would be neat if times and paths crossed!

Any clue when in August?

 

[Bunky]

I love photographing your beautiful country. This would be a great excuse to come back and thank everyone for their contributions in person. Will look into it

 

[HG Wells]

Planes to and from Europe to Iceland are super cheap.

Look for bargain fares USA to Europe here, when we know dates.
Cheap Flights & Error Fares from the US | USA Flight Deals - Secret Flying

Three years ago I did iceland to england for $50 one way.
London to Rome $48.
Rome to Switzerland $56.
Then Switzerland back to Iceland $65.

Use a backpack (small) to avoid ridiculous baggage fees.
Do laundry once week.

Bus to Reykjavik is more than one day car rental.
Be sure to reserve car well in advance. Not many automatics available.

 

[FrankSG]

Also, the topic of the Blue Lagoon came up. Blue Lagoon can definitely be a "go"! Although I can take you to less touristed hot geothermal waters as well. Even our "public pools" are really more like spas, and there's everything from "non-Blue lagoon formal spas" to hot springs and hot rivers in the middle of nowhere (and everything in-between).

Some examples, ranging from the formal and touristed to "middle of nowhere":

Blue Lagoon:

Jarðböðin (Earth Baths) at Mývatn:

Laugardalslaug "pool" - the biggest in Reykjavík. All "pools" are geothermally heated to swimming temperature and have hot tubs, steam rooms, etc along with them. The waters aren't blue (they lack the clay), but I actually prefer that (the blue waters make your hair unmanageable for a couple washings afterwards). You still get the sulfur smell. The blue waters at the more formal places are a nice aesthetic, though

Examples of smaller countryside "pools".

Then you get down to the things that are like little hot tubs built into the ground out in random places:

View attachment 499682


Then you get into things that are just rocks placed across a hot spring, or natural pools, or places where someone ran a hose from a hot water source into a basin:

Then there's the "unusual", like hot cave springs:

Or volcanic calderas:

View attachment 499683

I'm sold! I would love to join if the timing works.

 

[Intl Professor]

May I suggest a date in moderation of the equinox (or some such lameapun): Fiftieth Earth Day, April 22, 2020?

Earth Day 2020 | Earth Day

We probably couldn't make it to Iceland as my wife will be in school then.

What about another idea, on the same day at Iceland, Alaska, Fremont plant, Sparks plant, Buffalo plant, Lathrop, GF5, Tilburg, and other sites connected by a Google or Skype connection for a group chant of "All we are saying, is...give Earth a chance?" to the tune of the song about peace? And, of course, there to celebrate employees and investors.

We can make it to Fremont.

Make it so, cap'n Karen or surrogate(s).

 

[Yuri_G]

BTW, here's what you're missing by choosing summer instead of winter This is our current wind map, in meters per second (multiply by 2,24 for mph, 3,6 for kph). Sustained wind speeds, not gusts.

View attachment 499789

Summer is usually calm and sunny. Well, by our standards at least. June especially.

I visited with family in May 2018 and driving back from the North Coast, we got caught in a windstorm. That was a "holy sh*t" experience. Iceland left a permanent impression on me after that display of otherworldly power.

 

[NicoV]

My wife and I did an organized group photography trip to Iceland last februari, and will do another one in februari 2021 focusing on the north of Iceland. Iceland is such an addictive place for landscape photographers.
Ideally I’d love to do a long road trip during the summer, with our Model S. The biggest problem is finding 3 or 4 weeks of free time in our schedule. We’ll probably postpone this untill there is more supercharger coverage in Iceland (maybe summer 2021).
A short trip (long weekend) by plane during the summer should be possible, but I’d prefer the longer roadtrip, as it would provide more photographing opportunities.

I’d also like to do the road trip during winter, but then I’d have to find a place to rent studded winter tires, as my regular winter tires probably won’t be sufficient. We saw cars that had slid off the (ring) road every day on our first trip, I don’t want that to happen to us.

 

[KarenRei]

May I suggest a date in moderation of the equinox (or some such lameapun): Fiftieth Earth Day, April 22, 2020?

Earth Day 2020 | Earth Day

We probably couldn't make it to Iceland as my wife will be in school then.

What about another idea, on the same day at Iceland, Alaska, Fremont plant, Sparks plant, Buffalo plant, Lathrop, GF5, Tilburg, and other sites connected by a Google or Skype connection for a group chant of "All we are saying, is...give Earth a chance?" to the tune of the song about peace? And, of course, there to celebrate employees and investors.

We can make it to Fremont.

Make it so, cap'n Karen or surrogate(s).

As neat as Earth Day would be, overwhelmingly requests were for this to be in the summer, when the weather is best. Earth Day is AFAIK usually near or on what we call Sumardagurinn Fyrsti (First Day of Summer), where people usually do "non-winter" outdoor activities for the first time (even though it's still fairly cold (~6°C daily high in Reykjavík, vs. ~15°C in mid July) ... but things are usually starting to grow around then, and the waves of winter storms have usually died down). Another day of note in Iceland is Dagur Íslenskrar Náttúru (Day of Icelandic Nature, 16 September)

Another day of note: 28 June. Musk's birthday

I visited with family in May 2018 and driving back from the North Coast, we got caught in a windstorm. That was a "holy sh*t" experience. Iceland left a permanent impression on me after that display of otherworldly power.

I love the power of nature here Fire, Ice, Air, Earth, Water, all on display with tremendous might.

 

[KarenRei]

(Wind was insane last night. Woke up at one point to a gust that sounded like a bomb blast. Gusts elsewhere in the country were measured at 58m/s / 130mph / 209 kph)

 

[FrankSG]

(Wind was insane last night. Woke up at one point to a gust that sounded like a bomb blast. Gusts elsewhere in the country were measured at 58m/s / 130mph / 209 kph)

That sounds great to me! I love storms. Can roll yourself up under 2-3 layers of blankets. I miss winter living in SEA.

If I manage to attend this meetup and I like Iceland, good chance I'll return in winter one day.

You must have amazing hot springs to keep you warm during the winter?

 

[KarenRei]

That sounds great to me! I love storms. Can roll yourself up under 2-3 layers of blankets. I miss winter living in SEA.

If I manage to attend this meetup and I like Iceland, good chance I'll return in winter one day.

You must have amazing hot springs to keep you warm during the winter?

Yeah, there's nothing like settling into a 40°C+ geothermal hot tub while a storm is raging outside

 

[Nocturnal]

Following. It's on my bucket list and I'm sure I owe Karen a couple beers for all the info.

 

[Lessmog]

Who wants to share a G650 from NYC? :-D

Got a particular individual in mind?

 

[Lessmog]

I visited with family in May 2018 and driving back from the North Coast, we got caught in a windstorm. That was a "holy sh*t" experience. Iceland left a permanent impression on me after that display of otherworldly power.

Must have been a blast!
Speaking of, I understand that when renting a car it is wise to buy extra insurance for sand-blasting damage from storms. That can quickly ruin all glass on a car, which is expensive, as well as the paint.

 

[KarenRei]

Got a particular individual in mind?

I'm not saying that Iceland is a good place to have a birthday celebration, but...

 

[Lessmog]

I'm not saying that Iceland is a good place to have a birthday celebration, but...

That's another one of those days when Elon will be a square.

 

[Intl Professor]

That's another one of those days when Elon will be a square.

To match the rest of us.

 

[Lessmog]

To match the rest of us.

So you're only 81? Can't be 100 for sure!