2-9-10: We drove northward most of the day and spent the night at a rustic guesthouse at Casa de Piedra Estancia. It was located about an hour south of the town of Perito Moreno (which we would be traveling through tomorrow). Gaby and Luke played outside a while in the early evening to burn off energy while the estancia's cows looked on curiously.
2-10-10: In the morning we navigated through Perito Moreno and crossed the border into Chile (again) at Paso Ingeniero Ibanez-Pallavinci (border checkpoint) and into the town of Ibanez. The stretch of gravel road between Argentina's and Chile's checkpoints made for an adventuresome ride; a winding and narrow road with many ups and downs to be precise. We ended up at Villa Cerro Castillo for the night at Camping La Araucaria. Cerro Castillo was another impressive mountain to see.
The road from Ibanez, Chile is part of the Carretera Austral which ranks among the world's ultimate road trips. It runs 1240, mostly unpaved, kilometers alongside ancient forests, glaciers, pioneer farmsteads, turquoise rivers, majestic mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.
2-11-10: As we left Villa Cerro Castillo in the morning, I happened to spot 2 huemuls (Andean deer) in the field alongside the highway. We stopped for photos since they are elusive animals and are not frequently seen even by the locals. We continued our drive along the Carretera Austral through Coyhaique, through an enchanted forest, and ended up at Parque Nacional Queulat. We set up the tent and since it was still sunny and warm, we decide to go on a trek (it was 6:45 pm). We crossed some raging whitewater on a wooden slat and rope bridge then took the trail for the Mirador to Ventisquero Colgante (Hanging Glacier). The trail ascended through a forest thick with ferns, southern beech, and inpenetrable foilage. We reached the lookout at 8:15 pm and waited about 15 minutes for the glacier to break off but it wasn't to be. We couldn't wait any longer; the ascent took 1-1/2 hrs and the descent would easily take an hour. We arrived back at our camp around 9:30 pm with barely enough remaining light to see by.
The name Queulat means 'distant lands'; a name likely given by the native Chonos people. The mean annual rainfall in this area measures between 350-400 cm!
2-12-10: During our drive to Futaleufu, we stopped for another photo op. I spotted a strange-looking bird in a tree and looked it up in our flora and fauna guide; it turned out to be a male cara cara. Adolfo's B & B was our home base for 2 nights as we explored the town of Futaleufu. Mike and I checked on some rafting companies and made a deal with Futaleufu Explore to go on 2 raft trips with a night stay at the company lodge alongside the beautiful Rio Futaleufu. The 1st trip would consist of a guided, family float on the Rio Azul which had class 3 rapids. The 2nd trip would be Mike and I on a guided trip down the Rio Futaleufu (a dream of Mike's for 20 yrs) while the kids stayed at the lodge with one of the owner's teenage daughter and couple of employees.
2-10-10: In the morning we navigated through Perito Moreno and crossed the border into Chile (again) at Paso Ingeniero Ibanez-Pallavinci (border checkpoint) and into the town of Ibanez. The stretch of gravel road between Argentina's and Chile's checkpoints made for an adventuresome ride; a winding and narrow road with many ups and downs to be precise. We ended up at Villa Cerro Castillo for the night at Camping La Araucaria. Cerro Castillo was another impressive mountain to see.
The road from Ibanez, Chile is part of the Carretera Austral which ranks among the world's ultimate road trips. It runs 1240, mostly unpaved, kilometers alongside ancient forests, glaciers, pioneer farmsteads, turquoise rivers, majestic mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.
2-11-10: As we left Villa Cerro Castillo in the morning, I happened to spot 2 huemuls (Andean deer) in the field alongside the highway. We stopped for photos since they are elusive animals and are not frequently seen even by the locals. We continued our drive along the Carretera Austral through Coyhaique, through an enchanted forest, and ended up at Parque Nacional Queulat. We set up the tent and since it was still sunny and warm, we decide to go on a trek (it was 6:45 pm). We crossed some raging whitewater on a wooden slat and rope bridge then took the trail for the Mirador to Ventisquero Colgante (Hanging Glacier). The trail ascended through a forest thick with ferns, southern beech, and inpenetrable foilage. We reached the lookout at 8:15 pm and waited about 15 minutes for the glacier to break off but it wasn't to be. We couldn't wait any longer; the ascent took 1-1/2 hrs and the descent would easily take an hour. We arrived back at our camp around 9:30 pm with barely enough remaining light to see by.
The name Queulat means 'distant lands'; a name likely given by the native Chonos people. The mean annual rainfall in this area measures between 350-400 cm!
2-12-10: During our drive to Futaleufu, we stopped for another photo op. I spotted a strange-looking bird in a tree and looked it up in our flora and fauna guide; it turned out to be a male cara cara. Adolfo's B & B was our home base for 2 nights as we explored the town of Futaleufu. Mike and I checked on some rafting companies and made a deal with Futaleufu Explore to go on 2 raft trips with a night stay at the company lodge alongside the beautiful Rio Futaleufu. The 1st trip would consist of a guided, family float on the Rio Azul which had class 3 rapids. The 2nd trip would be Mike and I on a guided trip down the Rio Futaleufu (a dream of Mike's for 20 yrs) while the kids stayed at the lodge with one of the owner's teenage daughter and couple of employees.
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