At the beginning of our journey in Iceland, I was a bit nervous about spending a large amount of time in a van with people that I did not know well. I’m not much of a small-talk fan, and I’ve always struggled to find the right words when silence needs to be filled. However, this ended up not being as big of a problem as I thought it would have. Before the trip, Lance gave everyone in his van the opportunity to add songs to a master playlist that he would be playing during our long drives between points on the trip. This was a great icebreaker and led to us talking and all getting to know each other pretty quickly. You’d be surprised how much you can learn about someone based on what kind of music they listen to.
Though this is not the playlist that Lance made for our DIY car radio, here is a playlist that I made of songs that I listened to while we were in Iceland! Whenever I listen to ANY of these songs, I always think back on my time in Iceland 
After the first few days, everyone in the Lance van began to learn more about each other. Rather than having specific “unspoken-assigned seats” we all alternated and shifted around the van each day, so we all had our turn sitting up front with Lance. Naturally, when it was my turn to sit up front, I was excited but still nervous. Everyone else seemed to know exactly what to say to keep the conversations interesting, but I truly was just excited to finally have an unobstructed view of the road ahead. After the first few minutes of co-piloting the van, Lance asked me “So how long have you been taking photos?”
This singular question was all I needed to kick off a conversation that lasted hours.
Lance also had a strong interest in photography and told me about several of his other photography and travel experiences. We talked about various techniques, photographers we admired, and many other things related to photography. It had been quite some time since the last time I had such a fulfilling conversation about photography. I was pumped and I was so happy to know that I would be spending a lot of time with someone who understood and appreciated the intricacies of photography. Throughout the rest of the trip, I would frequently show Lance some photos that I was particularly proud of.
Lance was a man for the people. Despite being on a tight schedule and sticking to a packed itinerary, Lance still made sure to pull over and stop at scenic locations on the side of the road and gave us plenty of time to take in the beauty of Iceland in its entirety, not just at the bucket list “must-see” locations.
I loved all of the conversations that I had with Lance, and I learned a lot from him. One of my fondest memories was the day we hiked up a volcano after relaxing in the Myvatn Nature Baths. The hike was steep, horrifically windy, and nearly freezing. We all had to put on our cramp-ons to keep from sliding down the slope. By this point in the day, I was exhausted, sore, and cold. But I had FOMO… y’know how that goes. So I started my trek up the volcano, with Lance not far behind me. I stopped frequently for breaks, and Lance would stop with me while I caught my breath.
“I don’t mean for this to be a personal question, but what makes you angry?” Lance asked me.
I was caught off guard. I didn’t fully know how to answer. Why was he asking this? I’m not a very angry person so I responded, “I don’t know, honestly. There isn’t much that makes me genuinely angry.”
“Hmmm, well the reason I ask is because if you think of something that makes you angry, maybe it will motivate you to get to the top of the volcano.”
I laughed. What a calculated response. Simple, yet smart.
“If you don’t get angry, then maybe let the possibility of some amazing pictures motivate you to get to the top! You got this, keep going!”
This photo is of me at the top of the volcano.
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