Canada, Eh?: Lost in Space Season 2-Iceland is really Green!!! By: Maxwell Jenkins

Iceland is really Green!!!

By: Maxwell Jenkins

The pit in my stomach of missing my home, and my family grew every mile that we soared over the Atlantic ocean. The Icelandair 757 was the loudest plane I had ever been aboard. The constant drone that echoed through the planed deafened any sound that could have been made and lulled me into a restless sleep. Finally, the metal bird descended from the clouds and skidded along the runway. They opened the cabin doors and a rush of wind smacked me in the face. I thought, “This will be the worst trip ever!.” But boy was I wrong!

We exited the plane down the narrow steps onto the runway outside of Keflavik Airport. The sky was gray and moody with low hanging clouds. I strained to see the sun trying in vain to make its way through the thick cotton puffs in the air. The wind was bitter as it nearly blew our hats off our heads. The cold ripped through our clothing and woke us up after the 5 ½ hour flight. This was September in Reykjavik.

We were ushered into a line for customs. It was so early in the morning, the customs officials were not even at their posts yet. We waited in the line without saying a word. I looked around at the people waiting along side of us. They came in all shapes, races, and sizes. They spoke different languages. The different words began to blur together into a strange incoherent chant. I was tired! We finally made it through the border and exited the customs area. There was a man a few feet from the exit. He carried a sign that read, “Lost in Space”. I knew that was for me, not just because I was there to film “Lost in Space.”, but also because I truly felt lost.

The man looked like a real viking… or at least how I imagined a modern day viking would look. He wore a thick sweater made of Icelandic wool. (Obviously) He had a hat on his head with two braids hanging down his shoulders, and he sported a full beard which he rubbed thoughtfully as he looked at us. HIs name was Rayner. He showed us to the car and we began the drive to Reykjavik. He was very dry, not rude, but rather matter of fact as he explained that the sun never shines in Iceland. His accent was musical as he rolled his Rs and pronounced the words of each town we were passing through. I mentioned that I was interested in learning more about Norse gods, and his eyes lit up and he began to speak in a more animated way. Little did I know that Rayner was an expert on Norse mythology and made decks of cards to teach people about the Gods. We spent the rest of the trip talking about the family tree of the Gods and different stories. He explained that Iceland was a land of Fairies and of Trolls… and he really believed it. After seeing the landscape we were driving through, I began to believe as well. Due to the fact that Iceland has so many active volcanoes, the landscape to Reykjavik was barren and covered in charred black lava fields with a thick blanket of moss strewn on top. It was an interesting sight to behold as it was common to find cracks running deep into the earth. By the time Rayner and I had finished talking we had made it to Reykjavik. The capital of Iceland!

Within twenty minutes of arriving we had to go immediately to a wardrobe fitting to try on my new spacesuit. We ran into Taylor (my space sister, “Judy”) there and at once we all knew that we could not let opportunity pass us by, we had to explore this incredible country while we had the time! We instantly rented a car and set out driving through the foreign and mysterious land.

Once in the car, I felt a sense of freedom like I hadn’t felt before. We were in Iceland!! We decided to explore the famous “Golden Circle”. The Golden Circle is a series of destinations around Iceland. It is a must see when visiting the country. It’s about an 8 hour journey to make the full circle. Even though we were piled under mountains of jetlag we decided to go anyway. We got in the car and made our way to our first stop - Þingvellir.

Þingvellir is an amazing location where the North American tectonic plate juts up out of the ocean and meets the Eurasian plate. It’s the only place in the world where this happens and you can stand in three continents at once! You have to walk down a deep cavern. It felt like we were walking into the center of the earth as we finally got to the bottom and looked up at the jagged rocks surrounding us. As if it could not get any stranger, the craziest thing happened. We hear voices saying, “Max? Julie?!” We turn around to find our neighbors and friends from Chicago, The Prendaviles, staring at us in disbelief! Yasmine, the oldest daughter, Screams to her mom, “ Mom it’s the Jenkins!” Mrs. Prendeville turned and hugged my Mom. We had a brief hello and conversation until we both had to be on our way. After we had seen the spectacular views at Þingvellir, we made our way back to the car smiling. I thought to myself, “WOW!! I guess that I’ve lived a pretty full life if I can find my friends halfway around the world!”

After we departed from three continental plates at once we made our way to the GOLDEN FALLS or Gulfoss in Icelandic. Gullfoss is an enormous waterfall that is on the Golden Circle. It is so big and powerful that from the cliff overlooking the bottom you can feel the mist shooting up. The spray from the fall caught the light and hundreds upon thousands of rainbows glittered and lit up the air with magnificent color. The birds sliced the rainbows like a knife cutting a cake. It was the most magnificent sight I have ever seen.The crashing of piles of water drowned out any other noise. The wind grazed over me making a cool brisk blanket.. We could have stayed there for ages but, Taylor was not feeling so well so we decided leave this wonderful haven and make our way back to the hotel.

On the way back we saw signs pointing to a Geysir. I had never in my lifetime seen a geysir. I have heard stories about the scalding hot water the bubbles from beneath the surface of the world spouting up and flying in the air making beautiful performances. We pulled up to where everyone was parking. As soon as we stepped out of the car it smelled like mother nature had just eaten a can of baked beans and was paying for it. We had to pull our scarves over our noses to hide the thick smell of the angry center of the earth. We managed to brave the smell and make our way to the huddle of people. I squeezed through countless tourists to see what all the fuss was about. Right when I stepped forward a gust of hot wind blew right into my face and a faucet of boiling water shot straight into the air. It must have reached sixty feet. It was a nice break from the freezing cold air. As soon as the water fell back to the earth the chill of the breeze set back in. Every 8 minutes the Strokkur, as they call it in Iceland, would shoot off. We watched it go off three times and then went back into the car.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the crisp Iceland air washing over my face. The sun shined brightly that morning. I was so excited because I knew I would be riding horses that day. I could not contain my excitement. Ever since I had started riding in Chicago, I had a craving to ride a horse. I researched Icelandic horses and they are so tiny and cute. Apparently they are the only breed of horse in Iceland. They can trace their origins back to before the Vikings. We got in the car and began the drive to Laxnes Horse Farm and Trail rides. During the trip we passed by hundreds of horses all of them cute and small Icelandic horses. My mom turned onto a narrow dirt road surrounded by tall trees. As the road winded up a hill I saw a sign that read, “Laxnes Horse Farm.” As we rounded the corner I saw so many pretty horses. I just wanted to go pet them but we had to check in first. We checked in and put our rain pants on just in case. The gentleman who runs the place asked me if I had any experience riding. I told him that I had rode a little and had been having fun. I walked out and was directed to this awesome all white horse. He looked like a pegasus from D&D. I guess it’s fitting his name was Væng or Wing. Wing was one of the most famous horses they had at Laxness. He carried the distinction of being in the hit show Game of Thrones.

We mounted up and took off in a walk. We passed beautiful rivers and crossed them to. About an hour in the guides stopped the group and asked, “Are there any experienced riders who would like to go a bit faster. Without thinking I shot my hand up. They told my mom that it would just be a trot which I had done countless times. Me and three others split off from the group with a guide. We crossed a road and then immediately broke off into a cantar (a fast run). I was freaking out. But Wing calmed me down with a look back at me. It’s crazy how horses can read you so easily. As we approached flat ground we broke into a full gallop I had never gone past a cantar. The wind shot straight through my hair. I looked to my left and saw gigantic mountains, I looked to my right and saw a valley with sheep grazing and drinking from a glacial river. It was amazing. The sun bounced off Wing’s snow white hair and glittered. We stopped at the top of a hill. I saw in the distance a glacier. Below me were horses grazing. I was surrounded by natural beauty. Before I was ready to leave the others had mounted back up and. We made our way back to the stables.

We arrived well before the rest of our group so we took the saddles and the bit off and let them free in the yard. Wing didn't even walk away. He stood there for a moment, and then started rolling in the dirt. Then I started hearing clip-clop-clip-clop off in the distance. A pack of horses emerged. I saw my mom riding in on her horse. She looked a lot more comfortable on her horse now than before we seperated. I helped her take off the saddle. I said one last goodbye to Wing and then made my way to the car.

After several days of touristing, it was time to go to work. My mom woke up early in the morning suited up and made are way to the lobby. We would be driving to Vik. Vik is a small town on the southern coast of Iceland. We would be filming on the black sand beaches there. It is about a three hour drive to the town. Luckily our driver was Rayner and our travel buddy Taylor would be joining us. The trip was long but we made it there, and of course when we arrived we were filled with incredible stories told to us by Rayner about the history of Iceland. He showed us unique land structures jutting out of the sea which he claimed were Trolls that stayed in the sunlight to long. He also brought us by a red lava field where we explored the alien terrain. That night we sat down to dinner with the entire cast and crew. It was like one gigantic family. Little did we know that every meal we would have in Vik would have something to do with Cod- Cod flakes, cod mashed potatoes, and salted cod. Anything cod you could think of, they had it.

Day one of Season 2 of Lost in Space filming started early the next morning. I was picked up from the hotel, and transported about 25 minutes away to an old barn with different rusty trucks. Old duck boats, school busses and semi trucks littered like garbage around the barn. Inside the main common room were different cubicles containing each characters space suit and lots of layers to keep warm under the space suit. I got in my space suit, walked through a backdoor into the hair and makeup trailer, and began to evolve into Will Robinson. When we were finished prepping, we were ushered into vehicles and driven another 10 minutes to the beach.

When we pulled onto the vast black sand beach, the roaring of gigantic waves were pummeling the thick black diamond sand into the earth. The sea looked angry and black as it rose over the trolls sticking out along the coastline. When not filming, we rested on the beach in a makeshift tent. It was not unlike the tents they set up for military hospitals. I was in awe as I watched the Icelandic crew work tirelessly to haul equipment over the black earth. It was a long day of filming before we had to capture a sched with me and Toby who plays “John Robinson”. The scene was to take place at sunrise, so we needed to wait until sunset to secure the right time of lighting. At last the sun began to set. It was like watching a pink light bulb shine through cotton candy and glitter over a sea sea of maple syrup. I had never seen such beauty in my life. Day one of Lost in Space, Season 2 was “in the can” and it was spectacular. When we got back to the hotel we quickly ate our cod buffet and hit the hay.

Iceland is famous for it’s hot springs. Everywhere you turn you can see steam shooting from the earth. In fact, almost all of Iceland is powered by geothermal energy. It also means that almost all of Iceland smells like sulfur. One of the most famous hot springs in Iceland is called The Blue Lagoon. Taylor, Toby, Mom, and I decided to all go together as we were not filming on the second day. We were greeted in the lobby of our hotel by a driver named David. David had come to visit Iceland 15 years ago, and never left. I understand why! We piled into the car, and began the three hour journey to The Blue Lagoon. When we arrived, we were shuttled into a line of people who were checking in. We were given cool wristbands that could open doors remotely. These were our tickets and our currency while we were in the lagoon. I felt like I was in outer space in the future!. We changed into our swimsuits, and met up outside of the building at the lagoon. It was huge. Water stretched everywhere. There was steam coming off the blue hued water as people relaxed and soaked. It was a bit chilly so I was the first one to rush into the water. Ahhhhh, did it feel wonderful. It felt like being in a hot tub! Throughout the area were kiosks with drinks or face masks that you could enjoy while you soaked. We made our way to a face mask kiosk. I had seen pictures of people with the masks. The bone white color of them made people look like skeletons. We became skeletons too as we relaxed in the mineral infused water. After that, I lost track of time. We must have been there for hours as the sun was starting to set as we left. We met David back in the car. He brought us to an incredible pizza place in a tiny town along the route back to Vik. Who knew pizza was popular in Iceland. I was so tired I think I sleep-ate my pizza. Next thing I knew we were back in the hotel room and I drifted into a deep sleep.

The next day was another day off, so Rayner decided we needed to see another magical place in Iceland. He took us to the Glacier Lagoon! It was breathtakingly beautiful. We drove 2 hours through lava fields where the only thing there seemed to be “Trolles” popping out of the earth. We passed more waterfalls with rainbows popping off of them. At last we crossed a bridge and saw the most amazing site. Giant pieces of glacier were floating in a lagoon. Seals swam through the crowded lagoon as if they were on their morning commute to the sea. It was so quiet there. The only sound we could hear was the occasional crack as another iceberg chunk would break free and float in the lagoon. I imagined what it must have been like to be on the Titanic and to hit one of the giant jagged structures. It sent a chill through me. We decided to try and take a dip in the chilly water. I got as far as my ankles before I couldn’t feel my feet! It seemed fitting that we explored this icey place while visiting Iceland!

My final day in Iceland was a filming day. I had to return to the black beaches. I wanted time to stop or at least slow down. I knew that once the day was over, I would have to get in Rayner’s car and begin the long journey to the airport and away from Iceland. I was sad. I didn’t want to leave this beautiful island. It had become one of my favorite places on earth. But time didn't stop or even slow down. It sped along until at last I was “wrapped” in Iceland. I changed out of my space suit and said goodbye to the incredible Icelandic crew. I got into Rayner’s car. We sped along the barren lava fields, we passed the horses and the sheep lying lazily and chomping on grass, we zipped by Trolls and Elves until we reached Keflavik International Airport. We got out of the car, in the same place we met Rayner a short week before. It was hard to say goodbye to the viking-looking man who had become my friend. It was even harder to say goodbye to Iceland. I had made so many friends here. I had seen so many things that others might never see in their lifetime. My sadness quickly gave way to gratitude.

Filming a television show comes with a lot of hard work and sacrifice. You don’t get to see your family and friends, you don’t have freedom with your time to play video games or hang out, and you sometimes have to work very long hours with little rest. But then, every once in awhile you get to travel to distant lands and really get to immerse yourself in a foreign culture. You get the access to see things that no one else has ever seen, like the tops of glaciers, and shrines made thousands of years ago for an ancient Emperor. You get to see gigantic metal cities made in the middle of deserts. Heck, you can even find dinosaur bones. The sights that you see when filming are amazing. What kid wouldn’t want to play pretend surrounded by lava sand and cute puffins? I am truly grateful for the incredible experiences I have had.