As fall descends upon Portland, and as the nights last longer and the sun sets sooner, imagine dipping your feet into the soothing hot springs of Iceland, rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit.

This will soon be a direct possibility. Starting May 20, 2015, Icelandair will begin seasonal non-stop service from Portland, Oregon to Reykjavik, Iceland.

But you don’t have to stop there. Icelandair offers more than 20 connecting flights to Scandinavia, the UK and continental Europe. But even if you continue on, Icelandair lets passengers stay in Iceland for up to 7 nights at no additional airfare.

These 7 nights give you­­—coincidentally—all the time you need to drive the Ring Road, the circular loop around the breathtaking edges of Iceland. The Ring Road is the major highway in Iceland and connects many of the towns and cities together. Intermixed along the way are thousands of incredible sights and views. On the approximately 830-mile drive you will be immersed in scenery: majestic icebergs, erupting geysers, gushing waterfalls. Lakes, plateaus and fields surround the two-lane road as it weaves its way around Iceland. Best of all, during the summer, some adventures forgo their rental cars and opt to cycle around the Ring Road.

However you choose to travel the ring, the hashed white lines of the road await you, beckoning you, calling you, guiding you towards the white-tipped mountains of Iceland, its comforting blue lakes, and the green hues of the Northern Lights.