Courtenay Katherine

TORRES DEL PAINE – RIO GRANDE

Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /

Nov. 14, Torres Del Paine to Rio Grande

We were on the road around 9:15, in 3 degrees, rain and sleetand with very little visibility  (we lucked out having seen the towers; today there are many tourists who will see only fog and rain and sleet and snow, and no view). We climbed back up the mountain past Lago del Toro to our left, tracking back away from Torres del Paine, and we had at least 1.5 hours of sleet and snow that finally let up as we pulled into Puerto Natales for gas.

We continued southeast on Route 9. with more rain and sleet and intermittent sun. The prairie was very flat with very short trees resembling mesquite (will explain more about these later). Soon, we drove up in altitude to bare, high plains again with more sheep and cows scattered in every direction (I thought I had seen a lot of sheep before this, but no!)

Around 1:30, we turned north on Route 255 to follow the Straight of Magellan and its tributaries to Punto Delgada to take the short ferry across the straight south onto Tierra Del Fuego. As the common knowledge professes, and I will confirm, YES, it is VERY windy. Hard-to-open and close-the-car-door, windy. WEATHER is the story again! And the VASTNESS of the LAND! We kept on, and saw literally nothing except prairie until the Straights of Magellan appeared, and we came upon shipwrecks on the beach in the abandoned town of San Gregoria. We waited an hour for the ferry, which turned out to be large but not a double-decker, with lots of commercial trucks aboard and maybe 5 passenger cars. It was a 30-minute crossing with a partially cloudy sky.
 
We drove off of the ferry to…Tierra del Fuego, the weather clear, sunny, and very windy, 11 degrees. Again, there is nothing much to see, but, oddly, it is breathtaking! It is flat. Patagonian horses, more sheep and guanacos dominate the view from the Amarok..and, then there is the sky. There is so much sky, above a ranch or two here and there. With 3 hours to go to Rio Grande.
 
The plains go on forever and ever… it’s an enormous scale impossible to describe and even harder to photograph (although, I tried!), with no mountains in the distance, only clouds of all shapes on the horizon.  We drove through more weather and at one point, we followed a half-arc rainbow for 15 minutes, and I  was able to get a few shots.
 
By 6pm, the temperature was falling fast, down to 5 degrees. We finally reached the border  (to enter Argentina again) with more variable weather.  We had an easy crossing and then more of the same, but now we were seeing many very large estancias (ranches) with literally thousands of sheep and even a few oil pumps. Clouds on the horizon all around could be mistaken for snow-covered mountains for a time, and then we turned south along the Atlantic coast, and rows of colorful houses along the shore and seaside cliffs appeared in the distance just outside Rio Grande.
 
We didn’t have high expectations for the city of Rio Grande (a necessary stop on the way to Ushuaia) but it was impressive. It is an industrial town with warehouses, manufacturing, construction, computers, auto, and logistics buildings, all glistening with light from the water at sunset. With a population of around 100,00 people or more, Rio Grande consists of the industry mentioned, and lots of split-level homes and apartments in the center of town.
 
PHOTO LINK FOR TORRES DEL PAINE TO RIO GRANDE LEG IS HERE:
 
Himmel Blau Rentals: We stayed at an Airbnb-like apartment, where everything was automated. A beautiful 2 bedroom apartment in a lovely neighborhood with cafes and shops; we entered the building and the apartment with the codes given to us via WhatsApp, and that was it for the night. Quiet, clean and very efficient!
 

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ELCALEFATE – TORRES DEL PAINE

2 Comments / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /

Nov 12, El Calefate to Torres del Paine

Around 10 a.m., after filling up with no problems and no line, we headed out of town to the east with Lake Argentina to our north (on the left), and again, we had more barren, brown terrain with white-capped peaks in the distance. We drove 20 kilometers to meet up with Route 40 and turned south. Then we began to climb out of the valley of Lake Argentina into snowy hills with the temperature dropping more steadily but with spectacular views from above the valley looking north. At the top of the hill, we reached high, desolate, windswept, snowy plains which we followed for several hours. As we turned south, the temperature 6 degrees, with mountain ranges far to the east came into view.

Finally, we turned southwest onto a “very bad dirt road” in Knox’s estimation; it was surrounded by low, dark green scrub brush, and we braved the 60-kilometer shortcut to meet up again with route 40 that goes on to cross the Chilean border. We came over a ridge and dropped down to our first, breathtaking, distant view of Torres del Paine. Dozens of mama sheep with babies scurried from the road as we passed, with no fencing in sight, and we saw many, many wildfowl, including flamingos. Nearly, untouched wilderness. A right turn revealed more high plains ringed by jagged peaks and another, never-ending, brown prairie. The border crossing was easy on the Argentina side, and we crossed into Chile onto beautiful paved, marked roads, green rolling hills and farmland, the landscape much less arid. After a small wait at the Chile immigration “hut,” we continued through more rolling hills and peaks and climbed up the long, winding road to Parque National de Torres del Paine. Just past the entrance to the park, we dipped down from the high ridge, descending onto a rural road encircled by imposing peaks, lots more sheep, cattle, and mountain lakes leading to our large hotel and spa, Rio Serrano Hotel and Spa.

Our king-sized room looked directly at Torres del Paine (as do the majority of the rooms in the hotel) and the views our first afternoon and evening were more stunning than any we have had previously (if you can believe it).

On our second day at Rio Serrano, unfortunately, we awoke to rain, which later turned to sleet and snow, so our planned horseback riding excursion was canceled. However, we welcomed the rest and lounged by the fire, took advantage of the spa, and watched the snow fall through the enormous, picture windows of the hotel.

THE PHOTO DUMP FOR THE EL CALAFATE  to TORRES DEL PAINE LEG IS HERE:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TtCMxN2g2XWYGZhW6

Serrano Hotel and Spa: A beautiful, luxury lodge (luxury for Patagonia) with comfy common areas and a bar situated around fireplaces, and large, generous rooms with great beds plus the spa.  Excellent staff! 

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EL CHALTEN – EL CALEFATE

4 Comments / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov 10, El Chalten to El Calefate

We left the wooded cabin at about 9:30 a.m. in extremely windy conditions (people bracing against the wind walking in town) but not cold—16 degrees and sunny with fast-moving clouds. We tracked back SE along Lake Viedma, along route 23 away from Fitz Roy. The cloud cover only increased as we drove.

As we turned onto 40 south, we had about 90 additional kilometers of tremendous views of the mountains and glaciers in front of us and Fitz Roy to the north. Then as we rounded the tip of Lake Viedma heading south, the more desolate terrain returned including enormous mesas and the muted maroon and brown, barren brown hills with stubby grass all around. The temperature began rising to 20 degrees, quite balmy for the glaciers! Finally, we started downhill until the enormous Lake Argentino appeared on the horizon, and then we had  3.5 hours with views of dozens of white mountain peaks on the far side of the lake.

After finding our small, modern bed and breakfast, Casa Chica, we dropped our bags around 1:00 p.m. and headed for the Glacier National Park. With a boat tour of five glaciers  (including Perito Moreno) scheduled for the following day and a forecast of pouring rain, we determined that our chance to see Perito Moreno Glacier in decent weather was now. After a 90-minute drive to and through the wooded park, we arrived with more clouds than blue sky, but no rain.

There are no words to describe it, Perito Moreno. You have to see it! 

After our afternoon excursion walking the catwalks and viewing the glacier, we went into town (5 minutes by car) to look around and find a place to eat. We found a traditional place called La Cocina with homemade pasta. Returned to the Airbnb to find that they were setting up for what appeared to be a rodeo across the street! Had a good night’s sleep and woke up really early for our scheduled Glacier Boat Tour.

Nov. 11, Glacier Boar Tour

We had rain and sleet, with 30 mph winds and 5 degrees Celsius. The boat tour of the glaciers was scheduled to leave anyway at 8:30 as we received the meeting point location via WhatsApp, a 40-minute drive to the port, where a few of the numerous catamarans conduct tours constantly. We found a seat in front on the top deck, comfortable but not much to see due to the weather (horrible for views during the rain but turned out to be perfect later).  We sailed for a few hours to the first glacier, Spegazzini, and on the way stopped for a photo-op with an enormous iceberg, at least as big as several city busses in the middle of a lake. Startling how blue, and solid, and permanent-seeming islands these icebergs are (although not so, because they continue to drift down Lake Argentino and shrink in size). Then, a bit later, the crew ‘fished’ a huge chunk of  glacier-ice for people to take photos. We declined but later had a drink with ice cubes of the same ice!

By 11a.m., the rain had stopped, and the skies began to open somewhat as we approached the first glacier. The rest of the day we sailed to several more as well as numerous, gigantic, crystal blue icebergs. Again, I refer you to the photos. It is an experience one cannot describe. By 12:30, we had sun and as they served lunch and we approached Perito Moreno, the glacier we had visited on the catwalks the day before, the clearing continued with low puffy clouds hiding the peaks and the water turning a deeper turquoise. 

The history of Perito Moreno is that Moreno was an explorer and an expert in frontier, and boundary drawing, and he planted a flag on what is now called Point Flag, or Punta Bandera, the spot from where we embarked; it was a location behind a peninsula out of the site of the glacier completely. He did not name the glacier; it was named for him because he was later a central figure in helping to resolve the border issue with Chile at the time, in the late 1800s. “Perito” means expert, and so, he was the “Expert Moreno.” The limits/borders were a problem in the south between these two nations, and so the English Crown mediated with the experts from both sides, importantly, including Moreno. Ultimately, it was decided, that if a river or tributary was flowing west, it indicated Chilean property; if it was flowing east, it was Argentine terrain. Ultimately, the Argentines ended up with less land but, they recognized, tremendous sites and now a parkland and glacier named for him.

Other important facts that may be of interest: Glaciers travel about 2 meters per day, which ensures that you are likely to see calving at some point when viewing a glacier such as Perito Moreno. We see around 30% of Perito Moreno above water (only 50-70 meters or so), and the other 70% of the ice is below the surface all the way to the bottom of the lake. And with icebergs, only 10% is above water as they float.  Also, Perito Moreno is the size of Buenos Aires, Spagezzini is twice as tall as Perito Moreno, and Upsala three times as wide. The more famous glacier, Perito Moreno, is more stable and “in balance” than others, and it has stayed the same for a long time, meaning it is actually not losing ice, although the rangers said they are watching to see how things progress. Also, Perito Moreno remains the most accessible in the world and is known for its process of glaciation, which is complicated and fascinating, but too long to go into here. Suffice it to say, of the glaciers we saw, two, Spegezzini and Perito Moreno are considered somewhat “in equilibrium” but the others, including Upsala, are much less stable.

We arrived at the hotel,… to the rodeo! It appeared to be a local qualification round of bronco riding with a continuous narration; it was non-stop…the announcer was calling the rides, singing, telling jokes, etc. We heard it all, loud and clear while showering before dinner, but they had wrapped up by the time we were ready to go to bed.

FOR THE PHOTO/VIDEO DUMP OF EL CHALTEN TO EL CALEFATE, CLICK HERE:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TqkZrZc7DMgRMczs6

Casa Chica: adequate, small rooms, but very clean and moderately comfortable. Proprietess is lovely. Includes a basic breakfast even very early in the morning.

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Las Horquetes – EL CHALTEN

Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov 9, Estancia La Angostura to El Chalten

We were up, dressed and at breakfast by 8:30, a beautiful morning: cold but not terribly so, and very windy. After a quick meal, and  after being greeted enthusiastically by the numerous dogs who call the estancia home, we decided to take a walk to stretch our legs along the marsh lining the road entering the property. In the distance were cattle and sheep accompanied by flocks and flocks of birds of all sorts, most of which we have never seen and are unique to South America. Closer to us on the road, flamingoes and a plethora of fowl were nesting, bathing and enjoying the bright morning.

We were on the road by 9:30, again a very long drive to go (5+ hours) on gravel roads (Knox said they were “good, wide, generous, gravel roads), with more occasional buttes and mesas, tons of sky, many ñandus and lots of guanacos, now in herds. The terrain continued to be incredibly vast and quite dry, with no vegetation except scrub, kilometer after kilometer. Eventually, we began descending the high Patagonian plains to the brilliantly green-turquoise glacier-fed lakes. Then, finally, we began seeing glimpses of the glaciers, Fitz Roy and El Chalten far off in the distance. Sadly, much of this land was taken over by ranchers in the 80s and is now fenced everywhere, and the guanacos cannot see the fences and so get caught and tragically die…many of them, dozens and dozens can be seen dead, dying or many years passed.

We were glad to reach the national park, Parque National de Glaciares, and then couldn’t help but focus on the looming Fitz Roy, first in the distance and then moving closer and closer as we approached El Chalten, a small town sitting literally under the shadow of the monument. We came into the center looking for the gas station, eventually realizing we had missed it back on route 23 as we came into town; it’s a YPF gas station but with no frills, just one attendant and one pump, and barely a sign. But, they had diesel!

We started for the lodge, called Laguna del Condor de la Montana, another hour’s drive; we continued on route 23 around Mount FitzRoy to the east into a wooded area with lovely glacier-fed streams, shallow, with rapid currents, and the north face of Fitz Roy towering above us. Finally, we entered the property of 8 cabins with a central lodge, and, once again found we were the only guests for the night. We were met by the manager,  unloaded, and headed off for an hour-long hike, with no one in sight except for a large bull, and several calves and cows, whom we startled into a stampede (no, a trot) away from us. We were pleasantly surprised by the woody terrain, again not unlike the US American West, with lots of trees and streams and mountains (including FitzRoy) above. Clearly, near the glaciers, there is water enough to feed these green ecosystems in the middle of the barren, windswept landscape of most of Patagonia. We retired for a nap and then went back to the main lodge for a wood-fired hot tub with wine with perfect views of the changing light on Fitz Roy. Later, we had the main lodge to ourselves for dinner and went to sleep in complete silence, except for the wind, in our cabin in the middle of the woods.

CHECK OUT THE GOOGLE DUMP OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS of the ESTANCIA LA ANGOSTURA to EL CHALTEN HERE:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8ifRgc7r6VLFA5oM6

Laguna del Condor de la Montana: the staff is just incredible as they literally meet your every request, including explanations of the flora and fauna in detail. The cabins themselves are very small, but no matter; the bed was beyond comfortable (I think I slept better there than I have in years)! Yes, expensive for a cabin in the woods, but if you throw in sleeping under Mount Fitz Roy in the middle of nowhere, excellent food, a wood-fired hot tub and excellent service, worth it!

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Coyhaique – LAS HORQUETES

2 Comments / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov. 8, Coyhaique to Las Horquetes

Knox woke up early to have the left, front tire looked at and changed because of an “almost imperceptible bubble in the side wall.”  We figured we were headed into one of the least populated places in the world, so, just in case, let’s have it checked. Knox found a tire place five minutes from the lodge that opened early. He was back with a brand new tire on the Amarok by 9:30, we packed up and were out by 10 a.m., but we ran into a gas line (in Chile!) due to the rush of tourists going south. Finally, we were on the road by 10:30 with a long day ahead; 8+ hours plus a border crossing.

At first, the landscape had a European feel (think rural France and northern Spain) with rolling plains, pastures and even more farms, and more cows and even more sheep. But we started climbing and entered Parque National Cerro Castillo, and, soon, we were driving up Mount Castillo with a steep change in altitude and terrain very much like Colorado and other parts of U. S. American west, very arid, heavily wooded with pines and high mountain lakes, rocky peaks towering above, and bubbling brooks along the road. There were hiking trailheads everywhere, and the temperature dropped dramatically as we climbed, from 16 degrees Celsius to 5 in less than an half-hour and then we saw snow on the ground along the road for the first time.

As we descended and began navigating the switchbacks on the other side of Mount Castillo, an impressive view of the Andes range appeared. 

Then, continuing along route 45 down into the valley of the Rio Ibanez, the pavement turned rough with lots of potholes to avoid, as, apparently, it was no longer maintained once no longer in the park. The road continued winding around large escarpments and rock formations of all shapes and sizes.

Finally, we reached Puerto Ibanez…a port on the Chilean side of Lake Buenos Aires (which is the Argentine name; it is known as Lake General Carrera on the Chilean side.) During the high summer season, many ferries cross daily, but today no one was in sight, including the customs officer at what appeared to be the customs office. But the gate was open, and so we kept going. The plan was to drive along the north side of the lake to reach the border and then continue on to route 40 to head further south in Argentina. 

The road, really a path, along the lake, was otherworldly with more escarpments, rolling hills, low, green desert flora, more cows, lots of goats (in the road), a few small farms, salt flats, swampland plus sweeping views of the Andes beyond the enormous, sprawling lake. After about a half hour of winding pathway and exceptional views, halfway along the lake we dropped down again and came to what Google told us was the Chilean-Argentine border. There was a sign and an open gate, but nothing else…no Aduana (customs), nothing, and so we continued on.

Five minutes more on our narrow, gravel, path, and we arrived at the Argentine customs house and it’s loan officer, who tells us that we cannot pass into Argentina. Why? Because we must first exit Chiile officially, which we had not done at the (seemingly closed) Chilean customs office back at Puerto Ibáñez! Apparently, if no one is there at the Puerto Ibáñez office (and no one was) you must wait. And the reason they keep the border open with no gate to stop unwitting tourists like us from passing through, is because of the farmers who need to come and go. I asked if this was a recurring problem, and the officer assured me it was. So, we turned around and back we went. At least the scenery was spectacular and the weather perfect.

After an additional hour of driving back and back again, past the farms and the goats on the winding path, and after getting our papers stamped on the Argentina side, we continued. It was scrub desert for at least 30km, and then we looked behind us to find that we were now firmly on the Argentine side of the Andes.

Unfortunately, we had yet another 60 km of dirt road to go before hitting route 40 –very desolate dusty, rocky, rutty, and flat, save a few rocky mounds of desert poking up like mole hills in a giant field. This, we remarked to one another, is what one thinks Patagonia should look like. It stayed at an even 12 to 15 degrees as we sped along the high moon-like terrain, and eventually there were glimpses of the glaciers gleaming in the far-off distance.

Then we reached Perito Moreno (the town, not the glacier) and route 40 south. After filling up with no line, we were in for additional endless high plains, dry prairie scrub (just enough for a few sheep to graze on) with occasional buttes and mesas, tons of sky, and many guanacos, usually just individual animals here and there, instead of herds. Still with 3+ hours to go, the winds began picking up and we stopped and ventured out of the truck to look at the horizon above the road.

Now the sky and clouds were the story once again, a show really, producing incredible formations that looked like grand, white, hovering, but unmoving tornados rising up out of the buttes dotting the landscape. The vastness of these high plains is unmatched by anything you can imagine.

Finally, around 7 p.m., amongst the dozens of birds of all kinds nesting in the fields all around us, we pulled into our destination for the night, Estancia La Angostura, a beautiful, hundred-year-old, large ranch tucked down in a valley below the plains, south of Las Horquetas. They have thousands of sheep and hundreds of head of cattle plus a few horses, and they board travelers during the high season because there is literally nowhere else to stop on route to El Chalten. We were shown to our small room off the main house, and then invited to sit down to a homemade meal with two other tourist couples from Germany and the Netherlands. Following dinner, the sound of the roaring wind put us to sleep in no time.

CHECK OUT THE GOOGLE DUMP OF PHOTOS AND VIDEOS of the COYHAIQUE TO ESTANCIA LA ANGOSTURA LEG HERE:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPYKA89saEArk87x5

Estancia Angostura:  It is a farm in the middle of nowhere, with dinner and breakfast included, it is the best you’ll do on the way to El Chalten, and it is a true Bed and Breakfast, with a proprietress who hosts dinner and breakfast and enjoys telling stories of the 100-year-old farm. Small, neat, and with comfortable beds, but very sparse lodgings in general. The farm is an oasis in El Alto Plano (the high plains).

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Futalfeufu – Coyhaique

2 Comments / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov 6, Futaleufú to Coyhaique

In pouring rain, we began heading south, and the rolling hills reminded me of Vermont with dozens of sheep, cows and horses who met us at every turn alongside and in the middle of the roads, except for the occasion glimpse of high mountains (rather than hills), their peaks painted white with snow,  Quickly the hills gave way to what appeared to be a canyon wall with steep rock cliffs rising up to the left of us and across the turquoise River Futaleufú to our right. We continued following the river along the winding gravel road and we couldn’t help pointing out each of the dozens of waterfalls cascading from at least 80 to 100 meters up. The river looked to Knox to be at least a rafting class III rapid, loudly roaring beside us as we drove on.  (I looked it up: in fact, these rapids “range in difficulty from Class II to Class V+ …and each section offers a unique spread of difficulty.”) As we turned north to meet up with the famously scenic Carretera Austral (route 7), just as dramatically as earlier, the landscape changed again and felt almost jungle-like with tall, looming Dr. Seuss trees, and the up-side down alpines called Araucarias, and brambles, vines and large-leafed green plants with red cone-like flowers lining the now paved surface. The hard rain continued with an abundance of heavy, gray fog shrouding the mountains above us, only a few of which were visible, as we climbed countless switchbacks up and descended the other side, hill after hill. With the rain finally subsiding, we reached a serene, crystalline Lago Yelcho, supposedly framed by snowcapped peaks we could not see due to the bank of clouds and mist lifting off the water. And that was just the first hour of driving.

According to Google, The Carretera Austral “is the name given to Chile’s Route 7. The highway runs south for about 1,240 kilometers from Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins, passing through rural Patagonia.” Our itinerary takes us along only part of the route, and as the guidebooks profess, it is phenomenal in scale, scenery, etc. Literally, even in inclement weather, which followed us most of the way, every corner held some new, spectacular, indescribable vista. So, I will not even begin to try to describe our impressions of the following 6 hours of driving on the way to Coyhaique, the largest city in the region with a population of around 50,000 tucked up in the foothills of Mount Mackay. We arrived around 5 p.m. at Cinco Rios Lodge to a pleasant surprise. Because the fishing season has not yet begun, and the Lodge is a well-known angler destination, we were informed that we are the only guests and have the place to ourselves for two nights.

After a nap, we headed to the dining room where we were treated to a truly fine dining experience prepared by the lodge chef, Ricardo. During dinner, after admiring the unmatched view of Mount Cuatro Puntas, the manager introduced us to the owner, Sebastian, who has had two fishing lodges in this valley for 20 years. He has repeat (generally all from the US) guests and he treats them all like family, personally arranging the fishing trips according to each guest’s requirements. He emphasized that although the lodge is comfortable (it is!), the service they provide with professional guides and tours to unknown rivers with unmatched private access in the region is really their trademark.

Nov 7, Coyhaique and Surrounding Valleys

Sebastian suggested we take a short drive south into the rural valleys and surrounding farmland, including part of the Simpson River National Reserve (over 80,000 acres of protested land including numerous pristine rivers popular for fishing and rafting) to get a feel for the area. The rain persisted but there were some breaks in the clouds as we set out on a 2-hour tour through remote backroads, past dozens of small family farms and more (yes, more!) sheep, cows and horses. We passed Lago Atravasado on the way to the highlight of the day: a waterfall we encountered during a downpour as you’ll see in the videos.

The evening of the 7th, we were joined by Sabastian for cocktails and part of dinner, and he regaled us with numerous stories, including the origin of the term Patagonia (namely that Magellan in the 1500s encountered very tall, large natives with big feet (the original Big Foot?)  who left larger than normal prints from wearing furs on their feet, thus making gigantic tracks; PATA -Gonia refers to the big feet. Sabastian also relayed his family history, of his Spanish grandparents settling in Coyhaique between the wars, among other stories and tales, a fascinating conversation! 

PHOTO/VIDEO DUMP OF FUTAFEULU TO COYHAIQUE LEG IS HERE:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/UbjCYZu8aw1qn3oc9

Cinco Rios Lodge: exceptional in all ways.  They treat you like family and literally accommodate your every need, plus excellent cuisine, and all meals are included. Spectacular views, and very comfortable beds. 

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El Bolson – Futaleufu

1 Comment / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov 5, El Bolson to Futaleufu

We packed up and left El Bolson by 10 a.m. in intermittent, pouring rain.  Within 30 minutes, we were headed out of the alpine forests and downhill into low scrub and brush, a much more arid landscape at lower altitude. And just as quickly it seemed, we began heading up again as the skies began to clear a bit, the main feature being more forest, now all manner of trees, not just alpine, and tons and tons of yellow bushes, obviously spring bloomers, lining every highway and road. We wended our way through several small Argentine border towns until we reached the border with Chile, at Futaleufu, the rain subsiding again somewhat, enough to allow us to get through immigration and customs easily with a cursory search of the truck (not in pouring rain).

As the rain steadily increased, we headed for our hotel, the Peuma Lodge Patagonia, located about an hour south of the border. The landscape reminded us of our trip to the border described earlier…lush, green countryside, a panorama of farmhouses and seemingly endless sheep, cows and horses. There were enough mountain peaks visible through the clouds and fog to know that had it been a clear day, the view would have been something altogether more spectacular. Puema Lodge is ensconced a kilometer off the main road (which really is not a main road at all) in the middle of roaring steams and a plethora of randomly sized small barns. Three big, friendly, shaggy dogs greeted us at the main gate as we let ourselves in and continued up the gravel road. It is impossible to park nearby to any of the several guest houses interspersed throughout the sprawling property, so after we settled on a spot under one of the covered barns, the flock of sheep from below came hurrying along to meet us before we went over the footbridge to the reception lodge. In late afternoon, we took advantage of the wood-fired sauna, located at the other end of the property and admired the wood-burning hot tub (except for the rain, we would have been in it for sure), and then enjoyed a very good dinner of fish and steak accompanied by an excellent Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon and turned in early.

Peuma Lodge Patagonia: Even in the rain, this is a property worth visiting. Run by a Dutch guy and his Chilean wife, the 5 separate cabins are rustically furnished with comfort and views in mind… the wood-burning stove being the only heating source, cozy bedding, plush towels, plus a view of the field and the sheep can’t really be beaten, even in the rain. And, toward the end of dinner at the main lodge, we were asked if we would like to have a staff member put a log on our cabin’s wood stove, so we would not be rushed to finish and still have a warm room when we returned (we declined, but, nice all the less!). 

For more videos, click here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KKoBsAgJX1y9j9GLA

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Chos Malal – El Bolson

2 Comments / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov. 3, Chos Malal to El Bolson

We pulled out of Hotel Terra Malal around 9:30 after a typical Argentine buffet breakfast— good, but standard; plenty of sustenance to get the car packed and on the road. The drive began unremarkably but soon the change in landscape was dramatic…it transformed gradually from high, arid desert as we dropped down into the lake district with its alpine forests, large rivers, and lots of pristine lakes. We have been to Bariloche several times before, either flown in, or arrived via route 40.  This time, in Chos Malal, the gas attendant advised (and Google agreed) we should skip the portion of 40 from San Martin de los Andes through to Bariloche. Instead, the roads would be faster and in better condition of we stayed east, arriving in Bariloche via routes 234 and 237.

The last time we drove route 40 between Bariloche and El Bolson was about 6 years ago when we still had to leave the country to renew our tourist visas. Normally, we would go to Chile for a day to do so, but one time, a friend suggested we visit him in Bariloche, make the drive a bit south to a dirt road that leads to the border, take a short hike to the customs cabin, and return. We followed his advice, in pouring rain up to our knees in mud and sheep shit…but that’s another story. The point being, this stint of 40 south of Bariloche was familiar, to a point.  Five years ago, it was foggy, and we could see almost nothing.  This time, thankfully, we were able to see the mountains and really appreciate the scenery. And the very last bit on the way into El Bolson was totally new, as we have never made it that far south. And the main story? —the forest!

Nov 3-4, El Bolson

El Bolson is a “mountain town “ in a microclimate valley, receiving virtually no snow, only rain, in the winter. The main town has become more of a city over the past 20-30 years; it is quite large and sprawling, with lots of thriving businesses and restaurants.  We had heard it was a hippy enclave back in the day, and it still has some of that vibe, but it is decidedly tamer now. From the main part of town, there are many heavily wooded dirt roads that go straight up into the foothills of the main mountain, Cerro Piltriquitron, where clearings of small farms with all sorts of livestock, grazing land and farming plots dot the countryside. Our cabana was located at the top of one of these, and we were glad to have the Amarok. All in all, we loved it and even decided we could see ourselves living here one day.

We had two nights in El Bolson, and so on our free day, we visited the Artisanal Fair in the center of town, which was rather banal. I bought a tie-dyed T-shirt because why not, and we talked with the locals, a ceramicist who wood-fires his very large kiln who had some lovely pieces, and a few others. We found that our Spanish, having improved considerably since our last trip, was quite helpful in understanding the history of the place, enabled at least a basic understanding of folks’ perspectives on the election (neither candidate), and it scored us a couple of recommendations. First, a visit to Las Golindrinas, a neighborhood 15 minutes south of El Bolson in the hills, where, the locals said, the hippy enclave had moved.  This, apparently, is what El Bolson used to be. So, we went to check it out—beautiful properties, many with farming plots nestled in wooded clearings and a whiff of the “hippie aesthetic” for sure; I’m pretty sure I saw some old vw busses and a peace sign or two– absolutely worth the drive!

We had lunch at Bogedon, a little family-run place, also recommended by the locals outside of town. No tourists, great meal, and the YPF gas station right next door (no lines). We spent the rest of the day back at the cabana, watching the Bocas Juniors -Fluminense Brasil Copa game (Bocas lost) and relaxing.

Altos del Sur Cabanas: A lovely property with 5 cabanas, ours very simply but comfortably furnished with a small kitchen and living area in addition to a bedroom.  It was very quiet, with lots of birds, amazing views and family dogs to keep us company. Especially comfortable bed.

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MENDOZA – CHOS MALAL

Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Nov. 2

We left Mendoza for Chos Malal around 9:30 a.m., and it was a beautiful day for a drive! By the time we reached Tunuyan, we realized the so-called gas shortage was probably not a thing.  No lines that we could see what-so-ever, ninety minutes south of our house! The same thing was true in Malargue; the gas attendant said they had seen no problems at all, and we had no line. Highlights of the drive: the clouds- just incredible as you’ll see from the photos and videos, and the schist, a metamorphic, lava-like rock composed of minerals. We had seen this before, the last time we drove south maybe 5 years ago, and it is stunning to see…as if you are at the bottom of the world or back in time, or at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. We arrived at Hotel Terra Malal around 6:30pm, cleaned up and walked a few blocks to a lovely restaurant for dinner. 

Hotel Terra Malal:  The hotel is fantastic, given it’s location, literally in the middle of nowhere in Neuquen, Argentina.  We stayed here the last time we came through when they had just opened. They have expanded to 30 rooms, redone the reception and breakfast area, and added stylish common areas, a pool and a lovely garden. Very basic rooms but it’s really the only hotel in Chos Malal.

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Mendoza, Pre-Trip

1 Comment / Patagonia Trip Nov 2023 /
Mendoza, Oct 27-30

On Friday evening we attended a lovely dinner with friends at Cavas Wine Lodge, a beautiful hotel not far from our house. Later, when Knox went to retrieve the Amarok, he found we had a very flat front tire. Thankfully, the hotel staff changed the tire for the spare in no time and we were on our way home. Obviously, however, we needed to have the tire repaired and possibly purchase new tires, given the upcoming 6000+ kilometers of driving. But, we reasoned it was probably fortunate to have happened before the trip, instead of during the trip.

We woke up on Saturday to ZONDA weather in Mendoza. These highly windy events are relatively common here at the foot of the Andes Mountains, but in recent months they have begun to worsen. If you’re interested in learning more, Knox, of course, has a very detailed paper he found and will be happy to share with you if you ask him (lol). The wind started in earnest mid-afternoon and we were hearing of high winds elsewhere, but didn’t really experience anything serious at our house.  The power went out a few times, as is usual in these storms, came back on, and went off again, but we didn’t really think much about it.

By Sunday morning, in addition to the Zonda continuing to blow and the power outages becoming more frequent and sustained, we began to learn about the serious gas shortage in Argentina…stories of long lines, closed stations, high prices, and in much of Mendoza, no gas available anywhere, and no end in sight. After talking with friends and reading the news, I, for one, began panicking just a bit: how was it that after all these months of planning our big drive south, we would find ourselves stranded at home due to a lack of gas?? And so, being the planner I am,  an alternative route naturally came to mind:  Chile HAS gas.  If we could somehow find enough gas to get to Chile over the pass, west of Mendoza (probably just one tankful), we could head south in Chile instead of going with the original plan to drive south on the Argentine side. 

As the afternoon wore on and the power went out completely, I finished planning our contingency using mobile phone data (thankfully very cheap here). The weather was still pretty nasty with tons of branches down and horrible dust in the air. Not pleasant to be outside.  But I ventured out into the yard with the dogs at some point and realized I was not just seeing Zonda in the air. I was seeing smoke, and lots of it, filling the otherwise clear dusk sky and moving easterly over the house! Turns out, the Zonda had ignited several very bad fires in and around Mendoza, including one large one burning just 10 kilometers from us on the other side of the highway that runs west of our house. Needless to say, this was not really the turn of events we expected or wanted. Knox suggested we pack a “go-bag” just in case, and we monitored the situation via TV news until they cut the power completely and by cellphone after that.

By Monday morning, after very little sleep, thankfully most of the fires were contained, but several communities had been evacuated nearby, and further west, many folks lost everything. Knox went to have the tire repaired and in search of gas. The culprit was just a small nail and the repair took just a few minutes. But still no gas, and very few open stations all with queues so long Knox was not game to even contemplate waiting. And, to complicate matters further,  because of a long weekend in Chile, more than 20,000 Chileans had been visiting Mendoza as tourists when the storm struck, and they closed the mountain pass due to weather, so all of these Chileans were seeking fuel for their cars for their return trips and waiting for the pass to open also. Perfect! Just as we were thinking of going directly to Chile ourselves. Obviously, the prospect of waiting at the border with 20,000 extra people was far from ideal.

Mendoza, Oct 31

We awoke to a beautiful, clear Mendoza spring morning. The Zonda had passed. Knox left early on a mission to find gas for the Amarok. The government had apparently begun taking measures to resolve the situation, and although there were still lots of lines and closed stations, our confidence in the possibility of scoring the fuel we needed began to grow: just one tank to go via Chile and the equivalent of two tanks (we had purchased a number of gas containers to bring on the trip anyway) to go south as planned while waiting for the gas crisis to subside. Finally, success! Knox called me and said to follow in my car with the rest of the containers. The queues were long, and they were selling only 10,000 pesos per car (about a 1/3 tank), so we both went through the line at our nearby station several times and after a few hours, we knew for sure we would be leaving to go south via Argentine route 40.

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