B to the A!

Our last full day in Ushuaia. The weather was no bueno and we were feeling sick, so we took it easy and walked around the pier.




There was a kayak/bike in the mud race. Looked silly.


A break from the rain in a cafe (a favorite pastime of ours)


Rained all day and night. We awoke the next morning to a very snowy Ushuaia. Looks like a beautiful, epic powder day. But we have to fly home. doh! Got a great view from the plane though.




We arrived in Buenos Aires (BA) just in time to check in to the B&B and get some dinner. We found an awesome Mexican place (we were getting a little sick of meat, cheese and pasta/bread). The margaritas were very refreshing.


The next day we went for a walk in the rain. We saw some cool things, and a lot of rain.


MALBA modern art museum was a bueno refuge.


As was a candy store when it really started dumping.


Soaking wet, we found the best cappuccino ever.


After a siesta at home, we went back out to find that the rain had stopped! A little appetizer and glass of wine turned into dinner and a bottle.


Then off to watch some tango at a local practice hall (milonga).
(click to play video)


Got some beers and ice cream at various places, then the rain turned back on and gave us another good soaking.

Next day, the sun is shining at the hotel!


Went for beautiful long walk through Palermo to Recoleta. Check out this Paseaperro (dog walker):




Next it was on to the famous cemetery in Recoleta. It is like a small city of tombs, inhabited by cats.




A huge tree and a sunny park with dogs basking in the sun.




Taxi ride to the Plaza de Mayo (the original center of the old city) in downtown, past the big obelisk.






Then a walk into San Telmo (the old neighborhood full of crumbling old buildings) where Rachel found some shopping.



Home for siesta, then out to Miranda, a hip asado place (the Argentine steak specialty). We had the most amazing steaks (with awesome sauces), huge salad (with grilled pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper), bottle of wine, 2 bottles of sparkling water, 2 microbrews, and a fruity raspberry/vodka cocktail for about $60 US!


Then for a walk along the lonely cobblestone streets of Palermo.

Quince

Yet another day of packing our packs - Nick's is a grande mochila according to most Argentinians. Check out the stylin' new hat made by our buddy Frederico's wife. We had her make a bunch of these for us.


Estavon dropped us off by Valle de Los Lobos at around 11:30 am... Luckily the rain had turned into a somewhat frozen state by then


Trailhead! Into the lengas we go


The 'trail' was interesting- very dense and difficult to follow, but once in a while, there was a helpful marker.


The scenery in the trees was quite nice, they offered protection from the weather and provided more visibility


Nick was practicing his pizza through the lengas


As we broke out into the open, Nick saw a Castor (beaver) plodding across the snow with a fresh branch.


The beavers were busy in the area Nick is skinning through... Which was actually quite helpful to the pair of skiers making their way up the mountain


This was the windy, wet, sleety, freezing, wet, cold, rainy rest of our excursion


A very wet Rachel


We skied back down the way we came and made it back to the Valle de Los Lobos which was a lovely little spot for some cake and chocolate caliente.


This is our well used trekking map of Ushuaia and vicinity. Today we were somewhere in the middle of it.

Canine Catorze!

Early start for today- up in the dark at 6. We took a shuttle bus we had reserved the night before to drop us off at a dog sledding place up the road. The drive was slow and we were nervous, trying to guess what the weather would be like as we peered through the oppressive fog. Our driver dropped us off at the dark and deserted refugio and left us in the darkness to ourselves. On go the headlamps and out comes the compass- where the heck are we anyway?

Full moon and fog eerieness at 7:45am


As we passed the kennels, the dogs woke up and gave us a good howl to wish us luck. click to play the movie (and turn up the volume)



We skated across the peat bogs on a cross country ski trail, eventually finding the cut trail through the lenga forest. Those woods were creepy to say the least. Eventually, we came out of the trees and the sun began to rise. Now it was into the upper valley through beaver damns and frozen ponds. Cerro Alvear, our goal, looms above:


Beautiful light, but the clouds are coming in, obscuring the mountains more and more.




Frustrated that the weather had not held up for us, we thought about what to do. Being in a white out like the one from 2 days ago up high above those cliffs seemed way too dangerous to tempt. Plus, the snow was icy, breakable crust. blech.

We thought it might be nice to go over the ridge to see the valley on the other side... but it was trickier than we thought.




Feeling like total fools, we gave up on that ridiculousness and went back down to the valley we had come from. Now, to our extreme disappointment, the clouds were lifting. Why hadn't we kept trying for Alvear?!


You can see the summit snowfield- looks like it may have been a little icy.


Disheartened, we skied out of the valley and then wrapped around to go up the next. Cerro Bonete looking good:




What an amazing place!


A sweet couloir on Punta Navidad:


And a view of Valle de Olum and the end of Cerro Cinco Hermanos across the way:


On our way back out, the sun shines on us for the first time in several days. Cerro Alvear on the right (which we would be skiing at this moment had we stayed the course)


Back into the lenga forest.


The snow is knee-tweak central, yikes.


Out of the woods and onto the cross country trail through the peat bogs. Cerro Castor (the ski resort) in the background.


Back to the ranch. We were in both of the valleys in the distance.


Los Perros!




And they're off! (click to play the movie)


And home for some mate and empanadas while watching the sunset and full moon over the harbor.