Good Bye Argentina

Our southernmost point, on the Beagle Channel in the Tierra del Fuego National Park. El Fin del Mundo!

Am starting this note on the bus from Ushuaia, Argentina to Punta Arenas, Chile on Christmas Eve. We have been incredibly lucky with the weather also here in southernmost Patagonia - the sky is blue with little white clouds, and we have had sun since we arrived 2 days ago. The first day it rained some, while the sun shone, and the same happened briefly this morning. When it rains more, you just go to a different window and you see sun!
It’s early summer, and it has been warmer than the average yearly temperature of 10C (50F). But when not warmed by the sun, I needed my gloves and even wore my wool hat for awhile. Somewhere I read one should be prepared to experience the 4 seasons all in a day.. am not so sure it only pertained to hiking in the mountains here. The wind gusts are very impressive and I wouldn’t have wanted to be somewhere high and exposed.

Link to last few Bariloche, and then Ushuaia pic’s

Bariloche

It’s not only the mountains that make you feel small 

Refugio Lopez

It has become too challenging to transfer my pictures from the camera to the iPad. My link, below, includes the first 2-3 days. Craig is confident we can fix this problem at home, so for now I am guarding my old SD card with my life, and hope a new card will help.

The ‘beauty’ of bus travel - no prepaid reservations. We had booked a week at a little house here in Bariloche, in the Lake District of Argentina. Our week is turning into 2.5 weeks because we like it so much here. Instead of continuing to Chile by bus as planned, we’ll fly to southern Patagonia directly from here.

Bariloche is in the northern part of Patagonia, and spring had arrived in this part of the Andes. We were assured most of the snow on the hiking trails we would go on, would have melted, and that they were dealing with strong winds instead.
We rented a car, and driving into town from the airport, we were in awe of the beautiful landscape. Lots of colorful wildflowers lined the road, and Bariloche sits on the shore of Lake Nahuel Huapi [from a local language meaning the island of the jaguar (puma)]. The lake is in a National Park by the same name, and we are at an elevation of 770 m (2500’).

Link to Bariloche picture - incomplete

Uruguay 2

Huge parrots’ nests

We have spent 2 weeks in Uruguay, and think we have a fairly good idea of what the country looks like. Some of the inland country side reminded Craig of the Midwest. Except for the palms and the flat topped hills that look like volcanic craters, but are not. The weather has continued very pleasant - have had only one totally rainy day. I doubt I have heard thunder for hours on end before that day, though.

Link to Uruguay 2 pictures