Glacier Moreno

This is pretty cool! The southern Andes have 46 glaciers that, together, comprise the Southern Ice Field. These glaciers are low enough in elevation to see up close, but also to hike on! How cool is that?

Above is the glacier, Glacier Moreno, at the edge of Largo Argentina, the lake into which it "calves" off huge chunks of ice every fifteen minutes or so. You know there's been a calving because it sounds like thunder!

Closer up you can see the edge of the glacier. It's three miles wide, 150 feet tall and eight miles deep. This pic can't convey how big it is.

The ice is so dense that it refracts light in a deep blue color. Gorgeous.

Off we go, hiking on a glacier!

That's me with our expedition leader Kevin. So much fun!

Tomorrow we fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, where we will board the ship for our Antarctic adventure.

 

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Argentina

Today not much happened. We boarded a coach for an all-day drive from Chile to the town of El Calafate, Argentina. Chile and Argentina share a verrrrry long border (much like the US and Canada) but they don't really like each other much so there is immigration control at every road crossing, even when the road is unpaved. That's Debb standing at the border. Can you see the low-hanging chain? That seems to pass for border security. Pretty amusing to have your passport inspected here!

We arrive this evening at our five-star hotel (!?!) in El Calafate. In truth the town is very cute, with one Main Street lined with art shops, restaurants, trekking stores, and ice cream shops. It looks like Flagstaff to me. The weather here is about as warm as it gets, which is about 65 -- cool but sunny.

Tomorrow we drive west about two hours to the Magellan Peninsula which is where the Morena Glacier meets land. We will be outfitted with "clampons" on our shoes and get to hike a couple of miles on the glacier! Actually when I say "we" it's only 8 of our group of 28 -- it's dangerous and you can't go if you're over 65 (which rules out a lot). Debb's not hiking, but I am. I hope I get great pics and don't break anything! Stay tuned.

 

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Last Day in Torres del Paine

Another beautiful day of hiking in the park, but this post will focus on wildlife vs. mountains (beautiful though they are).

Today was the first day we had ever seen a guanaco (a cousin of the llama), and by the end of the day we'd seen hundreds of them. Big animals, about the size of a small horse. Funny expressions, not afraid of humans. Pretty goofy, really. They'll just stare you down if you get close.

Twins? At least sisters. Both of them would look at the same thing, their little heads in sync each time they turned to look at someone else. Seemed bemused by us.

Of course we saw plenty of evidence that their natural predator, the puma, roams the park too.

More rhea sightings.

And condors.

Some kind of ibis ...

... and ducks.

And the very strange Wind-Swept Deborahdactyl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Torres del Paine

This national park is famous for the abundant wildlife (more tomorrow) and for the mountains and glaciers at the southern end of the Andes. The mountains above are called the Massiff (it's a French term) and is best known for particular granite formations called the Horns and the Towers (Torres del Paine means Towers on the Paine river).

Here's a closer view of the Horns and Towers. It doesn't really matter which is which, it's just interesting that they are so sculpted by the glaciers into such vertical formations.

Icebergs in front, and a glacier in the back of this picture. It calves off icebergs into the lake. I've never seen a glacier before!

Pretty cool waterfall formed as one lake empties into another.

And this sign warning about the wind is to be taken SERIOUSLY. Seriously, the wind at this latitude is fierce. We estimated about 50mph. At one point it blew me off the trail. They say that since there are no other land masses on earth at the 50th latitude south, that the wind just whips around the globe and clobbers Patagonia. I don't know if that's the right answer, but I can testify about the ferocity of the wind. Debb & I won't forget it!

 

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On the way to Torres del Paine

An all day bus ride to Torres del Paine National Park, where we'll do 2 days of hiking, seeing wildlife and glaciers. On the drive, though, the driver stops many times for "sightings" of wildlife along the road. Above is Darwin's rhea, a relative of the ostrich. We were super excited to see the first one, but after awhile we got used to spotting them. Flightless birds, but can run 35 mph.

Chilean flamingos! Tiny compared to their Florida cousins.

And an Andean condor!

And of course the obligatory sheep. Reminds me of New Zealand. By the way, just want you to know we're further south than New Zealand. Officially, the farthest south we've ever been. Cool.

I have no idea what these flowers are but they make a good picture.

 

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Punta Arenas

OK, everyone, go right now to Google Maps and search for Punta Arenas, Chile. We're just about at the tip of South America! Now, it was 93 degrees in Santiago, but it's about 50 here and windy enough that you want a parka. We drive northward from here to Torres del Paine, a huge national park in the region called Patagonia, where we will hike for a couple of days looking for wildlife. I hope to post some good pics.

Here's a view of the town square in the foreground and the larger town, and the hills, in the background. There's a big bronze statue of Hernando de Magellan in the square -- the town is on the Strait of Magellan, named for the explorer who first found his way from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Part of the bronze statue is low enough that you can kiss the toes for good luck. These toes are highly polished!

A wharf jutting into the Strait of Magellan densely populated with cormorants.

 

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Santiago, Chile

We're in Santiago Chile for the weekend before flying south to Patagonia. Staying at the Ritz Carlton which has a *wonderful* club lounge. I think we've found our home away from home!

Taking the Metro to downtown Santiago to look around.

Found a really nice restaurant to have lunch ... accompanied by a musician playing the guitar and some kind of pipes!

Cerveza mas fina!

Yummy empanaditas!

Lots of street art. I think this one means "Kill all the people." Hmmmm.....

We ride a funicular to the top of San Cristobal mountain.

Breathtaking view!

And a shot from a smaller "mountain", Santa Lucia, also giving a nice view of Santiago.

And some really good gelato!

The Mercado Central, a really good fish market. Chile, with its long coastline, is well known for its seafood.

Debb questions how fresh these fish are!

Debb with our wonderful guide Peter, who is Polish! His wife is Chilean, and they met in Thailand. What a story.

 

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