PATAGONIA, CHILE
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A recon mission to Patagonia turned into a 4,500 mile road trip, 10% of those miles on gravel where our progress sometimes slowed to a crawl. Our goal was to ID spots to visit again (and avoid) during our stay here. This post features classic southern views of glaciers, soaring granite peaks, and turquoise blue waters. But since Patagonia covers the bottom third of two countries, and yawns from the Pacific to the Atlantic, this is not all the area offers. As we bounced our way from sea to shining sea, we hardly saw it all, but we saw a lot. Other posts about the area are under the “Argentina” category. Enjoy!
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One’s first view of Torres del Paine en route from Punta Arenas
As the view gets better, the road gets worse
Park view from the old highway
My current computer wallpaper!
The iconic towers at Torres del Paine
A hotel served by a foot bridge in the park
Our picnic spot in the park. Notice the annoying crowds
Beginning of our trek to the first camp below Torres del Paine
First glimpse of the monstrous glacier at Calafate
The sight of the glacier was amazing, but so were the sounds. Cracks forming miles away boomed like thunder and echoed in the canyons. Terrifyingly beautiful.
The glacier at Calafate spans about a 1/4 mile
An iceberg(let) is born!
Sadly, as near as we would be to FitzRoy on this trip
And the road goes on forever . . . and ever.
The Patagonian road crew are prone to exaggeration. But the road was steep.
Maybe not quite as steep as these humorous vandals make it seem
Brisk air, searing sun, and water blue as the sea
Dawn in the Andes
Andean sunset
A stunning view from the highway. The Andes just don’t quit.
Unnamed waterfall under another sky blue glacier
One is never far from the sea in Chilean Patagonia, as the average width of the country is just 100 miles. Nowhere is this more true than in the south, where the landscape is a fractured mosaic. Lots of salmon here in addition to the stout rainbow and brown trout.
Another OMG moment around another turn in the road
Typical Andean river. Strong, swift, otherworldly.
I don’t know what these beauties are, but they were everywhere
Our trusty steed, “Red Dwarf” prior to me literally driving the wheel you see right off of it on the jarring rock
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Beautiful photos
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Stunning
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WOW !
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