1-18 through 1-24-10 Lago Puelo National Park

1-18-10: We drove to one of the lakes surrounding Bariloche (Lago Gutierrez) and stayed 2 nights at Lago Gutierrez Hosteria. It was right on the lake and you could even descend some stairs to a small rocky beach. The views were gorgeous although it remained rather windy. The lake water was still too chilly for most folks although I did see a few hardy kids braving its temperatures and playing in the water for an extended period despite the blowing wind!

1-20 through 1-22-10: We left for El Bolson 1-20 and decided to stay at the lovely campground at Lago Puelo National Park which was about 17 km outside of El Bolson. On 1-21, we rode a boat to the far side of the lake called El Turbio and went on a guided hike to a glacier-fed stream then through a forest particular to this area. The next day we hiked up to the mirador (overlook) to enjoy the stunning views of Lago Puelo and the Andes mountain range.

1-23-10: We left camp and headed for Trelew where we spent the night. We were planning to go south from there to Punta Tomba (the largest Magellan Penguin nesting place) but changed our minds since we were told that Peninsula Valdes to the north was not to be missed. Thus we headed to Puerto Madryn and made it our home base for 2 nights; Puerto Madryn is about 100 km southwest of the Peninsula Valdes Reserve where Magellan penguins could be seen in addition to sea lions, elephant seals, guanacos, rheas, a long-haired relative of the armadillo, and possibly even Orca whales!

1-11 through 1-17-10 Bariloche, Argentina (pics of Bariloche, last 3 taken from Cerro Otto overlooking Bariloche)

1-11 through 1-17-10: We finally left our cozy hostel in Mendoza on 1-13-09. We took the 8 p.m. bus out of the terminal and arrived in Bariloche at 2 p.m. on 1-14-09. We were in a double decker bus with semi-reclining seats which made the long ride fairly comfortable. We found lodging at the MiraLago; separate apartments overlooking Lago Nahuel Huapi. We stayed 3 nights and walked down to the lake’s edge a couple evenings. The water was glacier melt cold but the kids waded into it anyway. We secured a rental car on 1-16 (it was difficult to get one earlier due to it being high tourist season). Shortly before picking it up, we rode the teleferico (gondola) to the top of Cerro Otto. The views were beautiful; mountains and lakes all around. On 1-17, we rode to Llao Llao Park for a short hike then returned to the Bariloche outskirts to camp at a campground for the night. We were camped beside the Brazo Campanario which is an inlet of Lago Nahuel Huapi which is huge (560 sq km and a max depth of 454 m)!

1-7-10: Pictures of Cerro Plata climb

1-1 through 1-10-10 (pics of asado, various parks in Mendoza)

1-1-10: We flew out of Denver on an overnight flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina then caught a connecting flight to Mendoza the same day thus arriving in Mendoza 1-2-10. We stayed at the Cordon del Plata Hotel for 2 nights before switching to a lovely hostel on 1-4 called Quinta Rufina B & B/hostel. We were within 1 block of Aristides Villanueva Avenue which is a street famous for its eateries and hip bars. Our friend, Collin Hoffman, arrived from the U.S. on 1-3 since he and Mike were climbing 20,000 ft Cerro Plata (Cordon del Plata).

The following excerpt is Mike's account of their climb (1-4 to 1-7-10).

1-4-10: Oscar, the owner of our hostel drove Collin and me to Vallecitos, a ski area at about 9,700 ft. in the evening. We hiked up to about 10,500 feet and camped about 7:00 p.m. Our campsite was in a grassy meadow with some horses grazing nearby and a creek running through camp.

1-5-10 Collin and I hiked up to just over 14,000 feet to the top of a rocky prominence with just enough space for 8-10 tents. Since this spot is considered the base camp for Cerro Plata and several nearby 5,000 to 6,000 meter peaks, it was semi-crowded with several other climbing parties, mostly guided groups. There were Argentinian guides with several European groups and one Canadian group. My Spanish worked for most conversations but by the next evening French had taken over as the predominant language. We had no altitude or other health issues.

Collin wanted to go for the summit on the first good day; I thought a bit about acclimatizing but I felt so good that I also agreed to go for it in the a.m. if the weather looked good.

1-6-10: 5:00 a.m. found us awake, ready and rested thus we set off for the summit at about 5:15 a.m. A group of 7 or 8 guided climbers were right behind us. The sunrise found us at about 15,500 feet with the sun turning the high glaciers a pretty rose color (alpenglow). We slowly made our way up the mountain at about 1,000 feet an hour. At about 17,000 feet, we reached a ridge where we could see the other climbers way below us making their way up. The wind started to pick up at this elevation and Collin had a slight headache. He vomited once, then felt fine and we continued on. We felt great now and we both felt that the summit was a sure thing at this point. The next ridge we gained was about 17,500 feet; it seemed to connect Cerro Plato with Vallecitos and some other peaks. We could see the mighty Cerro Aconcagua (At 6,962 meters/22,841 feet, Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas, and the highest mountain outside Asia) and many other Andean peaks from here. However the wind coming across this ridge was incredible. We continued slowly on an upward trajectory in this constant wind. There was no point where we could get out of the wind for even a brief respite. We were wearing everything we had packed and still our hands and noses were suffering from the cold. The wind was even strong enough to blow me sideways a couple of times; I estimated that it was gusting to 60 mph or so. Due to these conditions and with considerable regret, we turned around at 18,000 ft/5,500 meters with the summit in our sight. When we got back to the ridgeline, some of the guided climbers had made it to that point but none were venturing into the gale beyond it. That made me feel a bit better. It had taken us about 4-1/2 hrs to this point. We reached the basecamp at 14,000 feet at about 12:15 p.m.; about 7 hours after leaving in the morning. We spent the night here.

1-7-10: Collin and I continued our descent and reached a hostel below the ski area which was our starting point. (a 5000 ft descent). My quads were killing me. The downhill was a killer; we descended close to 9,000 feet in the last 24 hours. We ate well and we were happy!! Even though we didn't summit, we had hiked the entire ascent in 2 days with zero acclimatization -it was a true sprint! Up and down in less than 72 hours was a pretty good benchmark for an old man and a young gun new to high altitude.

1-5 to 1-6-10: While Collin and Mike were away, the kids and I walked to a nearby outside pool and cooled off from the intense heat (mid 90s F). The next day we took a taxi to the enormous San Martin Park which had a zoo. We saw black/grizzly bear, tigers, mountain lions or pumas, polar bears, an old wolf, toucans, etc. I wasn't impressed with the animals' care since we saw hunks of meat lying on the floor of the cages which were covered with flies. The seal exhibit was empty since their sole seal had recently died (bummer). Afterwards, we went shopping along Avenida Las Heras which is one of the main streets downtown.

1-9-10: Our hostel was family-run and Oscar and Mabel were our awesome hosts. They went out of their way to make our stay pleasant and helped us find local attractions. They were having an 'asado' or BBQ later this evening for family and friends and we were invited along with a couple of others staying at the hostel. It was held on the rooftop terraza of the hostel and it began at 10 pm; by the time the grilling was done, we ate dinner around 11 pm. It was a wonderful meal. In case you didn't know, Argentina is known for its delicious beef and late dining.

12-7 through 12-31-09 (pics of the kids graduating, La Alameda Park)

12-7-12-11-09: The kids ended up their last week of school at Fenix. We took pictures of them receiving their 'diplomas' from Arturo (director) and their 3 teachers (Carla, Lorena, and Lolita). They also were able to fit in another swim class on Sat. 12-12 before we left Zacatecas for home (at least for 17 days anyway) Sun. a.m. (12-13). We spent Sun. night in Pecos TX then arrived home in the late afternoon on 12-14. The 1st thing the kids did was play in the snow in the backyard.

During our time home, we went downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and the kids had a couple of playdates with friends while Mike and I visited a few friends as well. We had a quiet Christmas (the kids were disappointed that we couldn't set up the tree or decorate with lights due to us having to leave again soon) and then we were repacked for our flight out of Denver on 1-1-10. Sasha was left behind with our friends the Heersinks and their dog Sam; we'll miss her but she's in good hands!

We've also included some pictures of La Alameda Park which is a beautiful park near downtown Zacatecas.

11-23 through 12-6-09 (pics of Zig-Zag and Rafael Coronel museums)

11-26-09: We were invited to Zack, Miriam, and Heidi's house for Thanksgiving dinner with Fenix school students and teachers. I made the turkey which everyone said was moist and delicious. I had entertained some doubts during cooking since the thermometer failed to pop out but Mike put in several calls to his mom and niece, Aiyana several times during cooking for reassurances (thanks again!).

11-28-09: The family went to an interactive, kid's science museum in Zacatecas called Zig-Zag. There were individual buildings on the grounds that featured different principles such as alternative energy, electricity, water, wind, magnetism, how gears make work easier, etc. You can see in one of the pictures how Gaby is exploring electricity lol. Their main attraction though was the new astronomy building. We learned about the big bang theory, how ancient civilizations used the sun to mark passage of the seasons, constellations, black holes, the solar system, etc. It took about 3 hours to get through the museum; there were guides available to assist/explain the displays too.

11-29-09: We went to the Rafael Coronel museum which is in the beautiful Convent of San Francisco (built in 1567). It showcases a staggering private collection of over 5,000 masks and 19th-century marionettes donated by Rafael Coronel. It is the largest collection of masks in all of Mexico. There were also pottery artifacts from different areas of Mexico.

12-6-09: We took a little train into La Mina Eden for a tour. I (Patty) had visited the mine many years ago but it has been physically enhanced since then (e.g. figures of Indian slaves working the mine, improved walkways, a vast collection of precious rocks and minerals on display, and even hard hats were provided for each guest). When you get off the train, the first thing you notice on you left is a cave housing the rock display as well as a small souvenir shop. To the right there is a disco/bar that opens up to the public on weekends (how unique is that?). For the tour, a guide leads you through the vast, dimly lit tunnels which were hand-hewn by Indian slaves. Along the way you cross suspension bridges over cavernous drop-offs where water has collected. You look around in amazement at this seven tier mine (the tour walkway is on level 4, levels 1-3 below are flooded, and levels 5-7 are seen as you look up) as you realize that all levels of the mine were accessed with a system of ropes during its operation. You cannot also help being saddened when you see the horrific conditions in which the slaves—men and young boys—worked and died (average life span: 35 years). And all the riches of the mine went to the Spaniard masters! Overall it was an interesting tour although Mike commented that the guide spoke Spanish too quickly to allow him to understand everything sans some translation. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera for this one so we don't have pics to share.