I knew a glacier hike was going to be part of our trip through Iceland, but knowing you’re going to do it and actually standing at the base of Sólheimajökull getting ready to strap crampons to your boots are two very different things.

After my cousin Joleen and I had seen just about everything on our Niagara Falls list, we found ourselves with a little extra time. We decided to visit the Butterfly Conservatory, and I’m glad we did. It was a nice change of pace from the crowds and activity around the falls.

My cousin, Kim, and I had one extra day in Iceland, and the day before, we told our local tour guide that we wanted to go horseback riding. He made a call to some friends, told them to take care of us, and just like that, we had plans for the next morning. Sometimes it pays to ask the local guy, “So...where can we ride horses?”