Lago Laca & Mont Tronador

The last two weeks

At the time of this entry we are in San Martin de Los Andes, a beautiful mountain village situated at the east end of Lago Lacar.  Along the lake shore sailboats bob quietly on their moorings and people play in the crystal clear waters wrapped by sandy beaches while only a short distance above the lake a ski area of some prominence waits for winter.   The town is filled with fabulous eateries, shopping, hotels and of course tourists. It has been compared to JH by the Moon Handbooks travel guide.  I find it more like Ketchum, Idaho in the early 70's but regardless it is a sweet place that hasn't been overrun with money and Intercontinental Hotels.  A great deal of European influence is obvious in the architecture.

We both find it hard to believe that our time in Argentina is coming to a close.  Each day has been filled with the beauty of the country and memorable encounters with its people.  The longer we stay the less foreign we find this faraway place.  The language barrier is no barrier at all because when we reach out to these people they respond with a kindness and an interest that transcends  languages.  Toni's Spanish is progressing daily and she always finds the words that make the connections complete. 

We have also seen a number of JH folks along the way which shouldn't be a surprise but considering the vastness of the country it does boggle the mind a bit.   Thanks Wes, our dinner with you in Mendoza was a perfect welcoming and introduction to the culture of Argentina.  Thanks to Al and Susan for the chance to get better acquainted and share some fabulous Argentine food.  Then of course we had the very random encounter with Morgan Fredrick and his mom Peggy in San Martin de Los Andes, daughter Allison is also along for the trip.   We will meet them tonight for dinner.

During our travels we have taken a rather free form poll  regarding American politics. Those we have spoken with have been of all walks, not only from Argentina but many countries scattered around the globe.  Our findings thus far indicate that Obama's election has electrified the masses and changed, in a positive way, much of the perception the world held of the U. S. during the "reign of error."  I borrowed that from Robin Williams. People everywhere pay close attention as our leaders set policies because those policies impact the lives of nearly all the world.  

We watched the inauguration start to finish.  We heard and saw a completely different message from past leaders. We, like many people of our planet are hopeful.   

I apologize in advance for the lack of photos for this entry.  There is plenty of subject matter but I have been a little less involved in the blog and more involved in the moment. 

The pictures of Mont Tronador can't begin to capture the drama of the area.  The wind howls as it blows up the mountain while the waterfalls crash against the cliff faces on their descent.   Many of the waterfalls only find their way down as rain having been scattered by the force of the wind.  Everywhere one looks more cascades appear,  fed by the constant melt of immense glaciers lying thousands of feet above.  Tronador means thunder and it is befitting of one of mother natures true wonders.  I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever been. 

WOW

This morning we hiked to the top of a mountain that hovers above our casita to see what we could see. Expecting to find that the peak of our ambition had an exotic name fitting of the terrain we were somewhat deflated when a young Brit fellow along the trail told us we were headed for Cerro El Tourista.  Oh well, we'll take it anyway. The hike itself took serious concentration and effort as it rose, quite vertically,  from 2,800' to the top of a very precipitous mountain where we found ourselves at 6,750'.  Surprising that at these elevations the glaciers and alpine terrain exist, but as you see that is very much the case.

Perhaps 1,500' of the vertical rise is up through chimney formations and over cliff faces made up of rose quartz and basalt which at times had us questioning our age, mental faculties and purpose.  

Anyway once at the summit we realized we were looking across the border to Chile and some of the wildest mountain terrain on earth.  Most of the peaks in the distance are of volcanic origin and several are in the active region that has been in the news over the past year.  I will let the pictures do the rest and say adios mis amigos.

Pictures of Bariloche

San Carlos de Bariloche

Tonight, while I'm writing this, the crescent moon is visible out the window of the casita that Toni and I have rented until the 21st of January.  Casita del Sol sits on a peninsula that is surrounded by the waters of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the peaks of Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi.  We want to say one thing about this spot on the earth, "WOW!"  I try not to let expectations get in the way of experiences but I  couldn't help anticipating  our trip to this part of Argentina and it has left me completely speechless with its stunning beauty.  Today we did a famous drive and our rental car suffered for it, but that is what rental cars do right?  A great deal of the road is poorly maintained gravel.  Circuito Grande is also know as Siete Lagos or Seven Lakes Road and passes along the shores of lakes that seem more like oceans.   Canyons lined by peaks and rain forest cradle these crystal clear waters that disappear into valleys resembling fiords.  

Again we feel welcomed by all those we meet and are fortunate to have the opportunity to engage in conversations of broken English/Spanish with families, waiters, shop owners and so on.   During our drive around the lakes we spoke with an Argentine family here on vacation.  Their 20 something son spoke English and we talked about his school, his aging father's loss of hair, family travel and the view where we stood as we conversed. 

Our casita is owned by an American family and they are full time residents in a home just up the hill from us.  They have taken us in like family and we will share a dinner with them this week.  We will also see Al and Susan Read who spend time here when they aren't in Jackson Hole.