Travel Log | The Bronco Nation in Iceland

By Jordan Parker / images: Kaycee Landsaw

At Bronco Nation, we’ve set out to push the boundaries and redefine what it means to be an “enthusiast community.” The approach of meeting up in a parking lot, while an efficient solution, isn’t always what this vehicle is about. There is this urge to be provocative, change the narrative, and make it a community for everyone and anyone who wants to be involved. That was part of the idea behind this epic adventure to Iceland. To do something never done before, expand to farther places and reach more people, all while sharing in the love of Bronco. As Ásgeir, founder of Broncos of Iceland said, “It’s all about giving the old Broncos a continuing story with a new vehicle.” We set out to tell that story.

Why Iceland? Iceland was one of the first countries that Bronco was sold internationally back in 1966. It was the perfect vehicle for the harsh climate featuring the capability of a 4x4 vehicle while boasting the creature comforts of an enclosed, heated cabin; much needed for Iceland’s harsh winters. However, toward the later part of the century, Bronco ceased to be available for sale and hasn’t been available for sale (at least new at a dealer) since. So with that in mind, we set out to return the new Bronco to Iceland for the very first time.

Getting There

Mid-June 2022 we agreed as a Bronco Nation team we wanted to pursue this trip after months and months of discussion. Once we had the green light, it was full steam ahead. The first (and arguably largest) task was getting the Bronco to Iceland. After some research and scouring of the internet, we had landed on Eimskip as the best carrier to get the Bronco across the Atlantic. A myriad of email and inquiries later, we were able to secure a quote and a shipping date out of Portland, Maine. The process of exporting the vehicle was very simple and required just a few forms and a single declaration form for temporary importation to Iceland. With the help of a friend, Will Heidt, we got the Bronco dropped off at the port, and it was soon loaded onto the Vivienne Sheri D and began the 8-day voyage to Reykjavik.

Once both the Bronco and our crew arrived in Iceland it took about a day, two visits to the port, and four phone calls to customs to get the vehicle released. While it had cleared customs a few days before we arrived, someone in the customs office hadn’t “pushed the button” to let Eimskip know it was ready for delivery. That little snafu caused quite a bit of stress and anxiety among the team: At one point both parties (Eimskip and customs) were saying their counterparts were the hold up. A few persistent phone calls from myself got that cleared up in a matter of minutes, and then we were cruising down the streets of Reykjavik and headed south to the ferry over to the Vestmannaeyjar Islands.

Vestmannaeyjar

After an extremely low-visibility 90-minute drive south of Reykjavik, we reached our first ferry, the ferry to the Vestmannaeyjar islands. This small collection of volcanic islands is home to just a few thousand people at most, a whale and puffin sanctuary, and a vibrant fishing community, just a 45-minute ferry ride from the mainland. We were afforded some incredible views and terrain in which to capture content and interact with people. On the ferry ride over, we had dozens of questions from a host of fellow ferry-goers, mostly from the U.S. or Canada, about how we got a Bronco here and what we were doing. That was a theme that would continue throughout the trip. We stayed on the island for a few hours, had a great meal, and before we knew it had to head back to the ship to begin the trip back to the mainland. It’s worth knowing that more than one of our crew members don’t do well with boats and rough seas …

Once reaching the mainland again, we headed south again to our Basecamp for the night, a large glamping-style tent (Bronco Basecamp Iceland? wink-wink), and turned in for the night.

F-Roads

We got up bright and early the next morning to begin the most anticipated part of the trip, Iceland’s famous F-roads. The F-roads are a vast network of 4x4-only roads that snake through the interior of the island, allowing for unparalleled views of glaciers, mountains, and rivers that many visitors never get to see. I had spent dozens of hours researching and planning to ensure we had ample fuel, equipment, and endurance to cover as much ground as we could. With no gas stations or service centers, it was crucial that we considered range and MPG among other factors, being off-road and remote.

As you see in the images and documentary on YouTube, we were afforded breathtaking scenery hour after hour. We saw hundreds (yes, hundreds) of waterfalls, completed over 20 water crossings, saw horses, birds, and took in as much of the vast and untouched scenery as possible. This is something we would love to show a host of other Bronco owners in the near future. Toward the very end of the F-road section we did puncture our left rear tire on a piece of lava rock or something. It was a slow enough leak to where we were able to make it to a service station to have a better surface on which to change the tire. I there proved that I am not just a 20-something year-old who can’t change a tire, as one of our online superfans referred to me as ;). This is further proof that the factory Goodyear tires are just strikingly bad. They looked like they came out of Chernobyl with under 7k miles on them.

We had started our day in Vik, in the very southern part of the country, and ended our day in Dalvik, one of the northern most cities in the country situated right on the water. It was a grueling yet rewarding day, and we turned in for the night in anticipation of the next day when we would cross the Arctic Circle.

Arctic Circle

We began the morning bright and early with our now-routine stop by a local bakery to get coffee and a large quantity of pastries for breakfast and to snack on the rest of the day. Next stop was the harbor of Dalvik, a sleepy harbor with a few dozen boats mostly being fishing vessels, but interspersed with a few whale watching boats as well. Our boat for the day was Sæfari; it would be taking us 3.5 hours across the ocean to reach the island of Grimsey and our destination of the Arctic Circle. For the journey up, the Bronco shared the small deck of the boat with an early 2000s Toyota Sienna and a trailer with building supplies as well as a Ford Transit van that belonged to a painting company. Both were headed to the island for the week to perform construction on a new church and a home remodel. The two dozen passengers boarded promptly, and we left right on time to being the journey. It was a gorgeous morning on the water as we sailed up the fjord and out into the ocean. The only downside to this ride is that when I was coming down a ladder from an upper deck to the lower deck, in my haste I slipped and absolutely ate it, landing squarely on my back and a metal pole. I tried to sleep it off for the next hour.

After reaching Grimsey, we had just 2.5 hours to explore and get back on the boat. This task would prove to be easy: The island is just a few miles in length. We stumbled upon a colony of puffins, one of the world’s largest, exceeding 100,000 at some points during the year. Seeing as our crew was enamored with these beautiful little birds, we stopped, and I put my 200-600mm lens to work in an effort to capture a National Geographic-worthy shot of a puffin, which I’m proud to say was accomplished.

Once we had enough of the puffins, we continued on the muddy road to the northern tip of the island and the came to the south end of the island. After taking a brief break to enjoy the public trampoline situated right on the water, we headed back into the small village of Grimsey to grab a bite to eat. I opted for the café and another cup of coffee while I mailed a couple post cards from the Arctic Circle to family back in the U.S. Conveniently, the kind woman who ran the café also happened to be the postmaster that week. She graciously offered to process my mail. Kaycee opted for an “Arctic Hotdog” that he thoroughly enjoyed; Zach opted for frozen yogurt. We said our goodbyes to the townspeople and headed back to the boat that had brought us here. We were thrilled to find out that we would be the only vehicle on the way back allowing for a prime parking spot on the aft deck of the ship.

With that, we began our return journey to the mainland. Our ride back was beautifully sunny, and we watched as birds danced with the ship’s wake. As we drew closer to the island, we passed two cruise ships, and then to our delight, had multiple encounters with whales and dolphins. It was a magical ending to the trip. Once we disembarked, we made our way to the town of Akureyri where we enjoyed some incredible food and rode electric scooters around the town making absolute fools of ourselves. It was glorious.

Unrelated, but our Airbnb that night was amazing, and the hosts were the sweetest older Icelandic couple with an incredible property right on the water. Cute dogs, too.

Meetup

Once we completed our near circumnavigation of the country, we landed back in Reykjavik to bookend our unparalleled week with a meetup hosted by Ásgeir and Broncos of Iceland. Full disclosure, I had zero expectations going into this. I had seen photos on Instagram of some Broncos in Iceland, but that was it. I had been chatting with Ásgeir for a few weeks on IG leading up to the trip, and we had agreed that a meetup would be fun on our last day there. We also had a surprising number of BN followers and members visiting Iceland at the time we were there, which was funny but awesome.

Nothing could have prepared me for what we showed up to on Sunday a little before noon. Not gonna lie: I did well up a bit when I pulled in. This was the most amazing collection of early Broncos I may have ever seen. Pristine, low mileage, all-original Early Broncos. We were blown away. It was hosted at the Krúser club, a local collector car club that has a beautiful collection of automobilia and classic American cars. For what it’s worth, we are now members :). They only accept dues by cash and in-person, which means I will make the trek back to Iceland around this time next year to renew my membership and pay the ~$70USD membership fee.

We spent the next few hours chatting with hundreds of local Bronco owners and enthusiasts who had come out to the largest Bronco meetup in Iceland’s history. Kids, parents, and grandparents all came out to share in their love of this vehicle; it was beyond touching. To me it was a very emblematic day that was a physical manifestation of what this community represents. I say it in the video, but I want to re-emphasize it here. No matter what race, religion, language, orientation, or other label you may assign to yourself, at the end of the day, we’re all humans who come together in every corner of the world to share our common love for something. Everything else is left at the door when we all gather to exchange stories, photos, and memories surrounding Bronco. This get-together showed that like no other event I’ve attended. This meetup will stay with me forever, and I cannot thank Ásgeir, the Broncos of Iceland community, and the Krúser club enough for their warmth, hospitality, and time of fellowship.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Zach, Kaycee, and Tayden boarded their flight the next morning, and I hung back as I needed to get the Bronco exported and loaded on to the ship. After the insanely easy ––borderline illegally easy –– process, the Bronco began her voyage back to the U.S., and so did I, just on a plane, not a cargo vessel.

Conclusion

A few things to wrap this novel of an article up: Firstly, thank you. Thank you to each and every member of this community who has supported us, joined, came to an event, or just been along for the ride for any amount of time. Without a shadow of a doubt, this trip would not have been possible without you. For that, I and the entire Bronco Nation team are grateful. It brings us great joy to share this experience with you, because of you.

Secondly, I want to thank our incredible team. Zach, Kaycee, and Tayden are world-class teammates and friends, and I’m proud to have taken this trip with them. They put up with my stress and antics and were true team players on this unpredictable and crazy trip. This would just not be possible without each of your support and crazy talent to bring this trip to life in photo and film.

Lastly but certainly not least, I want to thank the Bronco Nation team. Ben, Dusty, Matt, Laura, and London, thank you for being supportive, encouraging, and for entrusting us on this adventure. You are world-class people, and I’m honored to work alongside you.

With that being said, it’s safe to say The Legend has indeed returned … and it will return again ;)

If you have made it this far into the article and still haven’t watched the full video, I’d encourage you to head over to head over to YouTube to see this article brought to life on screen. That does it for me here. Signing off.