Isla Tierra del Fuego

There is odd border delineation between Argentina and Chile to get to Ushuaia which means crossing the borders twice. We had been told that Chile was strict regarding anything brought into the country in the way of meats, fruits and vegetables and could be sticklers with regard to Winston but things went well. With Winston we decided to hold off offering the now out of date Argentina health certificate that we had gotten in Buenos Aires unless asked for it. We just gave them our 2 year old USDA form, transportation of animals certificate and proof of rabies vaccination. That was approved and stamped and the officials marveled that we had been on the road for almost 2 years and with a dog. The motorhome inspection was thorough and more extensive than we had anticipated. I put Winston on a leash and walked him, whilst they brought in a dog to sniff for food, drugs, who knows what. They left our vacuum sealed deli meats alone but took some open salami and some old carrots. We had frozen fish and prawns that were ok but they took all of the vegetables including potatoes, onions and garlic which we thought were ok to bring into Chile but apparently not. Since we had not tried to use it up they got quite a lot of garlic from us. Oh well, live and learn. From there it is only about 30 mile (50 kilometers) to catch the ferry across the Straits of Magellan onto the island of Tierra del Fuego. On the way we passed a lake that had the largest flock of Austral (Chilean) flamingoes we have seen to date. At the ferry dock we were lucky. The boat runs every 90 minutes or so and when we pulled up there were some cars, a few motorcycles and a bus already in line. Ten minutes later the ferry arrived. It did not take long before our line was moving and we were aboard. As the bus and a few trucks were situated, we grabbed the camera to get some photos of the crossing. Suddenly a huge wave washed over the deck that sent people running for cover. I scrambled back into the motorhome. “Can you please get some photos?” I asked Tom. “Sure, let me be the one to get wet, but I have to get the tickets so ok”. The crossing was wet and the water rough. The huge ferry lurched and ploughed its way through the water, as waves kept coming over the deck. Thank God none of us gets motion sickness! When we drove off the ferry there was the sign. Bienviedos a Isla Tierra del Fuego. To get to San Sebastian and the Chilean/Argentina border crossing involved driving, once again on a dirt and gravel road. After 150 kilometers (100 miles) of bumping and jarring we were glad to see the Customs and Immigration building for exiting Chile. Paperwork completed, it was another 15 kilometers to the Argentinean side. They simply re-used the paperwork from before and stamped our passports. We need gas and yet again the YFP station is out of gas. It is 4 o’clock in the afternoon. “Not until tomorrow” the gas attendant told us. Shoot, not only tomorrow but late in the evening. So, it was 2 nights at the gas station waiting. Finally, on the morning of the third day we were on our way. Fearful that we might have additional gas problems, we filled up in Rio Grande and again in Tolhuin but our goal is Ushuaia before dark. The Andes are in sight and to get to Ushuaia involves climbing over a mountain pass. The rain has brought snow to the higher elevations and the sight is beautiful. We stop at a mirador (lookout) to take in the views. With Lake Fagnano shimmering a deep, dark blue in the distance and the snow capped peaks in front of us; the views were picture postcard magnificent. Then, Ushuaia. The stone pillars at the edge of town greet us. Welcome to the southernmost town in the world, the sign proclaimed. We got out and asked a family taking photos if they would mind taking ours with Winston of course. We had made it. It has been 23 months since leaving the United States and we have driven almost 30,000 miles (50,000 kilometers) but we have reached our destination. We will find the campgrounds and stay a week, maybe more.

The final leg to Isla Tierra del Fuego.

We stayed in Puerto San Julian for three days. The campground was extremely well maintained and in addition to everything else, they had Wi-Fi. My birthday was very quiet. Tom had bought me a pendant and earrings made from Rodocrosita (Inca Rose) which is a pretty pink colored volcanic stone and is the national stone of Argentina and a penguin statue made from the same stone. For dinner, he cooked me a delicious scallop and pasta dish and we had caviar and champagne as an appetizer. We spoke to our family and kids via Skype so the day was very special. I did our taxes. They are now completed and e-filed. A huge task out of the way. A Brazilian couple, Luis and his wife, whom we first met in Foz do Iguaçu, is here so we spent some time exchanging information with them. They have already been to El Calafate and from here will go to Bariloche before going to the beach at Mar del Plata, then to Buenos Aires. The weather has turned very cold. This morning it was 47 degs F. in the RV and we are now sleeping with a blanket and a comforter. We had hoped to make it to Rio Gallegos or Lago Azul to spend the night and cross the border on Wednesday. It was not to be. The town after San Julian is Piedrabuena and there was a protest going on which closed route 3 until about 6pm. The police, gendarmerie and military were out but really did nothing to get the protestors from moving out of the road. What they were protesting we have no idea. Unlike in the States, there were no banners or placards showing evidence of their cause and no chanting. Maybe it is the gas situation. I don’t know what the problem is in Argentina but in all our travels we have not ran into a gas dilemma like they have here. Stations are constantly running out of fuel, which causes long lines with people waiting for hours. We had gone to stations prior that either were out or would only sell it as little but now in Patagonia with stations getting further apart, it is a problem. We get fuel at every opportunity but leaving San Julian none of the gas stations (2 YPF and a BR station) had fuel. The next town about 80 miles (150 Km) is Piedrabuena. The only station is a YPF and they were also out of fuel. So, the protest did not matter since gas was not delivered until 10:30 that night. Yes, we were stuck and waiting almost 10 hours for gas. And then they would only let us get 300 pesos (about 15 gallon) but we think that will get us to Rio Gallegos. Frustrated over the hold up and at a loss to explain why it happens, we spent the night at the station and will continue on tomorrow. Anyone reading this with any insight make a comment. The last night on the mainland before getting on to the island of Tierra del Fuego, we camped at Laguna Azul. This is a crater lake about 6 kilometers from the border. It was really windy when we arrived but Tom grabbed the camera and with Winston hiked up the hill to the lake. Only 5 minutes later the rain started and combined with the wind, was ferocious. Winston got back to the motorhome first panting and soaked; Tom arrived a few minutes later, out of breath and soaked. The wind and rain gusted over the RV all night but we stayed cozy. The next morning was still windy but the rain had stopped, so I hiked up to the lake. The lake is a deep blue and looks deep and dark and cold. The volcanic lava rock crunches under my feet. Standing at the top looking around at the mountains, is beautiful and lonely. I took more photos but did not get too close to the edge in case the wind swept me over. It was so blustery. After breakfast it was time to cross the border into Chile.

Monumento Parque Bosque Petrificado (Petrified Forest) - Almost

Route 3 is interesting only in as much that it travels inland through the high steppe dry, arid desert type climate with low shrubs and sparse vegetation and then drops into coastal regions where the vegetation is more lush and green. Through the steppe areas we see estancias that have herds of sheep, herds of wild guanaco, a variety of hawks and prey birds and flocks of Choique (the Lesser Rhea) which mass along the side of the busy road sometimes unfortunately, to their demise. These are a flightless bird rather like an emu and there are plenty of them. We had seen their larger cousins – the Greater Rhea – when we were in Brazil. We are also seeing lots of oil wells, some operational and some not. Argentina is almost self sufficient in oil and now we know where it comes from. The coastal regions have, of course, a vast variety of sea life and mammals. Nevertheless, route 3 involves driving hundreds of miles with unchanging scenery. We are also getting gas at every station we come to. In the town of Fitz Roy, the first station we went to have no gas but the second did. As Tom was getting the petrol, I noticed they had Wi-Fi advertised and got out the computers. Yes! Although we knew it would set us back an hour or so, we decide to Skype family, post blogs and check banking and emails. I am behind on sending emails to friends but will catch up in Ushuaia. We do speak to Tom’s sister who brings us up to date on family matters and we tentatively set up a Skype at the weekend so Tom’s mom can be there and we are able to speak with Danny and leave a message for Nicole (our children). At least the family knows we are alive and well. As we turn off the main highway onto the gravel road to the reserve, it is already 5pm and the reserve closes at 7. The road is rough and arduous but about half way at about 25km marker, there is an estancia advertising camping so we decide to pull in and spend the night and go onto the park in the morning. The ranch is deserted except for one man who is the caretaker of the property. Carlos shows us an area to park. There is a kitchen with cooking facilities and tables for eating and bathrooms with hot water showers. As we chat with him and he shows us the rest of the ranch, Winston is in seventh heaven. There is a sheep dog here which is very friendly and also pleased with canine companionship. The two dogs become buddies immediately and are soon tearing around the ranch, playing and tussling with one another. It was just what Winston needed. As we go back to the RV to prepare dinner, we see that the newly plugged tire had gone flat. Whether from the plug coming loose or from a rock on the road, we don’t know. Eating a dinner of cheese fondue with French bread and sausages, Tom tries to decide whether to change the tire tonight or wait until morning. Why wait? As I clean and wash dishes he gets the spare from the back and sets to work. He also goes on the roof as we have scraped a few trees getting in and out of cramped camping places and puts some silicone seal around some of the areas. Good thing as we wake up the next morning to heavy rain. “Sure glad I changed that tire last night” was the first thing Tom said when he woke up. “Thought the same thing” I added sipping coffee. Tom went back to sleep. When he woke again it was still raining. We talk about our latest problem and decide to cut our losses. It makes no sense to keep driving on the gravel road for another 50 km round trip without a spare tire and no way to communicate if anything goes wrong. We are going to get back to the main road and go to Puerto San Julian, the next major town and try to get the tire repaired again and find a campground for the night. It turns out that Puerto San Julian is quite a nice beach town and the municipal campgrounds are clean and very well maintained with tall shrubs to act as buffers against the wind, electricity, water and internet. Tomorrow is my birthday, yes we all have one and tomorrow is mine. Since there is internet to talk with friends and family, we will stay here for two nights before making out final push to Ushuaia.

Comodoro Rivadavia and Rada Tilly

C. Rivadavia is the largest town in Patagonia. It is a port town located on the Atlantic and Rada Tilly is a small beach community only about 10 km (6 miles) to the south. In Trelew, we had been told of a propane plant that would be able to fill the motorhome so that was first on our itinerary. Approaching any large town you always pass through a police checkpoint but very rarely stopped, however we have found them very friendly and knowledgeable about the area. This one was no different. Tom went inside to ask about the facility and was told it was about 6 kilometer from town and they verified that yes, the plant should be able to help us. Naturally, we got lost and stopped by the local fire station for further help. They set us on track again and said that SurGas was actually on route 3 just passed the main part of town on the left. Since it is in the direction of Rada Tilly where we will spend the night, we drove and looked but still could not see the place. As we got to the turnoff for the beach, we decide to find the campground and look for propane in the morning. As we also need to get a lubrication on the under carriage and have the tires rotated, balanced and aligned, we will stay in town for two nights. Rada Tilly is a pretty beach town and new. There was a beautiful sandy beach with a new sea wall and promenade built from stone and brick. Even the sand looked imported. There were plenty of brand new homes and many others under construction. Looking around we decide that at one time the small town was a run-down area and now is slowly becoming an upscale beach suburb for the more affluent of Rivadavia. The municipal campground is nestled against the cliffs on the north side of the beach and had plenty of signs including one which said “no animals”. Tom parked and went to the office. We have found that no pets just mean they don’t want dogs running free and bothering others and the same was the case here. Just keep him close to your RV and it will be ok. The campground is busy but has hot showers, electricity and water but although Wi-Fi was advertised we could not get it, not even at the office. No real explanation was given. Oh well. After we parked, 4 children ran up to us. We had first met them in Puerto Madryn and they recognized the motorhome. There were hugs and kisses all round with special hugs for Winston. Tom set up the grill for dinner. We had stopped at a market and had purchased Patagonian lamb for dinner. We were hungry and the lamb chops were very good. Winston got some to and then we took him down to the beach for a long run. The next morning after stopping for gas, we got additional directions. It was confirmed that the propane place was about 4 km going towards Rivadavia, on the right. We set off wondering how we could have missed the place. We drove slowly, got most of the way to town and still could not find it. We turned back and finally as we passed the one cross street to look for, we noticed it on the next block, tucked into a group of commercial buildings. We were in luck, there was a truck available and they could fill us. This was one of those places that you look and look for and once you find it you wonder how you could have missed it. From there we went to a lubrication shop we had seen and then onto the tire place, both we had noticed as we trolled up and down route 3 looking for propane. As they removed the tires for rotation, we got another surprise. We have dual tires on the rear and one of the inside tires had a puncture. It had to have been recent but there was a nail in it. They plugged the puncture and Tom had them put it on the outside rear so we could keep an eye on it. They also told us we were too wide for them to balance and align us, so we will wait and have those done in Ushuaia. After that it was back to the campground for dinner and to decide where we want to go next. There are two alternatives. After Fitz Roy (the town not the mountain) we could go to Puerto Desearto to another penguin colony. This is about a 250 km (160 mile) detour to the beach and back. The other is stay on route 3 and then take a gravel road to the Monumento Bosque Petrificado (a petrified forest reserve), which is a detour of about 100 km (60 mile) round trip. Or we could always stay on route 3 and keep going south. Tom has had his fill of penguins as he put it so we decide to go to the petrified forest and then south. When we woke up, it was raining but soon cleared up. We said good-bye with more hugs to the family from Chile and got a fairly early start for us, which means around 11 am!

Camarones and Cabo Dos Bahias.

Cabo Dos Bahias is the third Magellanic penguin colony we will visit and the last in the Golfo San Jorge area. It is the smallest and least visited of the three but we have been told it is the most beautiful area of coastline. The town closest to the colony is Camarones which has a municipal campground where we can stay There is also a gas station. Since getting into Patagonia, gas stations are less frequent and we have been told to fill up whenever possible as some run out of gas and others, as we have already experienced, will only sell you a certain amount. Since there has been no gas since Trelew, we were relieved to find a station here. The campground is small but well maintained and is situated across the road from the beach. But first we visit the penguin colony. After entering through the gates, we notice that there is less supervision, no visitors’ center and a lot less people. There are in the region of 40,000 penguins here with 9,600 breeding pairs. As we walk through the colony we marvel at how close we can get and how comfortable they are around people. These birds do not see humans as a threat at all and are completely unafraid to come up and get very close. But don’t break the cardinal rule. “Don’t pet the penguins!” There are many small islands offshore and from one vantage point we were able to spot sea lions and elephant seals. Winston was again left in the motorhome but we promised him a run on the beach and as we headed back to town we fulfilled that promise. Unfortunately, most of the beaches consist of crushed stones and small pebbles. Not nearly as comfortable as sand and Winston finds he can’t run as well since he slips on the stones. Our camping site is facing the water and is fairly sheltered from the wind. There is a small restaurant attached and after looking at the menu decide to try it out. There are restaurants in town but conforming to Argentinean ideas of dinner, they don’t open until 8pm and that is just too late for us. The menu advertised salmon but when it arrived it was not salmon as we are accustomed. It is a white, firm meat and not fishy. Perhaps halibut or bass? We also ordered a seafood plate and it consisted of huge prawns, scallops, octopus, more of the salmon and salmon mousse. The food was fresh and excellent. Just as we finished eating, a truck pulled up and two local fishermen got out. They had come to sell their catch to the restaurant and now we saw the “salmon” up close. It is a huge fish, about 3 – 4 ft (over a meter) in length and though we still can’t decide what it is, we can rule out halibut. We watched the owner get out his hook and scale and negotiate with the fishermen. After they agreed on the price, he immediately began gutting and cleaning them. We asked if we could purchase a couple of steaks from him for the next day and he said that would be ok. Back at the RV, I checked our field guide for Patagonia and found out that salmon de mar is actually a member of the perch family. All we knew was that it was a very tasty fish and next morning we picked up our package of two large pieces, enough for two meals, for only $8.00 or so. If we had more time we would have stayed an extra day here, it is so peaceful and beautiful but we are conscious that the month is slipping away and we need to get to Ushuaia. Next stop Comodoro Rivadavia.

Punta Tombo and Winston’s own penguin encounter.

This is the largest Magellanic penguin breeding colony in the world and by far the most visited. Visitors arrive at an upper parking lot and after a trip to the visitors’ center are driven in vans down to the colony. Over a million penguins come here every year to have their offspring. By now, their babies are leaving the nest but still not feeding themselves. We were able to watch as one or another of the parents leave the nest and walk to the ocean. For some of them, this is a long walk. After feeding, they return to feed their young. There are penguins everywhere and while we were told to stay on the designated trails and walkways, penguins have the right-of-way. There is just no way to avoid them. They are curious and check us out as they go about whatever business penguins have. The babies are beginning to molt and shed their baby fuzz and are adorable. Because the reserve’s plan is not to interfere with the colony and allow it to grow as naturally as possible, we see the remains of penguins that have perished and have become carrion for the other wildlife here. We also assume that is why there are foxes and other predators in the area both on land and at sea. But an astounding number survive as was evident by the penguins in burrows, in the ocean and walking back and forth. We now have over a hundred photos of penguins to sort through. Back at the motorhome, Winston is waiting for us. He is definitely not allowed to go where there are penguins but we walk him before we leave and get a boisterous greeting when we return, give him another walk and a treat for being so good. From here to travel south there are two options. The sensible one is to take the paved road back to route 3 and then to Camarones on another paved road. The other is to drive the gravel road for about 160 kilometers (100 miles), following the ocean. Sensible out the window, we chose to take the ocean road. Our plan is to get to the next town of Cabo Raso tonight and then on to Camarones tomorrow. We figure the drive will take us between 4 and 5 hours because of road conditions. In the entire drive we passed a total of 2 cars. One between Punta Tombo and Cabo Raso and the other the next day on the way to Camarones. There are a couple of sheep ranches (estancias) but that is all. But the drive along the deserted coast is beautiful. We feel like the only people in the world. Cabo Raso is not a town but a hamlet with a couple of homes. Each had a camping sign in front but we drove a little past the houses to a point that went down to the water. It seemed perfect for the night and nothing around that could get Winston in trouble. As we were setting up to barbeque, a car pulled up with four children in it. That’s right, children. The oldest of about 13 was driving. He also spoke quite good English. He told us we needed to pay. 20 pesos per person and 20 for the motorhome. 60 pesos, about $12.00. Winston was not mentioned. “Is this private property and do you own it?” Tom asked. “Yes”, the boy told us. “Everyone who comes here has to pay. I’ll go get the register.” Off he went. Tom and I talked. These people have so little and we decide to pay. When he returned with the other three we saw the register asking for names and vehicle make and model. We saw quite a large number of Mercedes listed and presumed our German friends must pass through here also. All had paid. Tom gave them our money and then gave them a pin each. They were very pleased and proud of their new acquisitions. We had a quiet, uninterrupted night. The next morning I took Winston to the beach. Imagine my surprise. There was one lone, solitary penguin standing by the water. I scrambled back up the cliff for the camera. When I got back, Winston had stopped unsure of what it was. The penguin busied itself by grooming, at first ignoring him. As the dog edged closer to it, he suddenly stopped grooming and watched him. Winston got closer and the penguin turned, put out its neck and snarled at him. Winston backed up and obviously decided that an approach from the rear was in order. However this put him in the water and I got nervous thinking that the penguin seeing its escape route into the water was cut off might attack him. I called Winston to come but he was so engrossed in the penguin that it took a few more snarls and after it chased him, he finally backed off, trotted past me and went to the safety of the motorhome. Round one to the penguin. I stayed and as I took a couple more photos I noticed the penguin looked different from the ones we had seen. It’s a little bigger and the markings were not quite the same. I will try to remember to send a photo to a couple of birding friends and ask their opinion. After that, it was back on the road. As we bounced and grinded our way to Camarones, we laughed over Winston’s encounter and reaction to the penguin.

Puerto Madryn, Trelew and Gaiman.

Puerto Madryn is the largest town in this section of the country and we need a new rear bumper. Although we have scraped, cleaned and re-painted it, the rust has weakened it and then, we caught is on a tree trunk and bent the darned thing in half! Yep. Just the other day, we were backing up to get to a water hose, scraped against a tree trunk and as Tom pulled forward, there it was, bent and hanging off. As Tom got out to fill the water, I said calmly “Check out the bumper”. A few months ago, this would have upset him, now he looked at it and said “It was rusted and needed replaced anyway”. We were able to bend it back but it serves a duo purpose in also holding our sewer hose. So here we are on a mission to fix it. After stopping off at the tourist office for some directions, we went first to Oxigenio Patagonia to fill up our propane tanks. They were able to fill our portable one but not the large RV tank. Maybe Trelew, they said. Tom showed them the bumper and they sent us to a small soldering repair shop. They in turn sent us to a larger place with bigger equipment. Within 2 hours, they had taken the old one off, fabricated a new piece, painted it and put it on, with our sewer hose, safely inside. $180.00 and great service. It looks great. We found the only campsite that is by the beach. ACA Camping is a huge campground, probably one of the largest we have stayed at since Mexico and expensive at around $30.00 (125 pesos) per night. We found our assigned campsite and noticed that Kurt and Cindy, a Belgian couple we had met in Valdes are also here, parked just a couple of sites away. We say hi and immediately some children, 3 boys and a girl come up to us. The eldest, a boy of about 10 speaks some English. One of the other boys is his brother and the other boy and girl, his cousins. They are here on vacation with the mothers and live in Punta Arena, Chile. Tom carries San Jose Fire Dept. pins and when he gets 4 and pins them on them, he has made friends for life. They go and show their parents and return with a gift for us. An auto map book for Chile. It is great and much better than the map we have. We thank them. Although large and quite crowded, the campground is remarkably quiet at night. There are plenty of places to walk Winston so we decide to spend an extra day here, just relaxing. On Saturday, Tom took a walk into town whilst I stayed at the campsite. He returned with another T-Shirt for himself and a present for me. It is my birthday next week, hence the present. “Do you want it now or on your birthday?” he asked me. Presents are few and far between. It is difficult to surprise one another with gifts when we are travelling so I decide to wait for my birthday. Sunday, we leave and head south to Trelew about 60km (35mile) south of here. There is a town close to Trelew called Gaiman that I want to visit and we will spend the night somewhere in the area before going down the coast to Punta Tombo and Camarones. Trelew and Gaiman are Welsh settlements, founded when Welsh immigrants came in the late 1800’s to escape British suppression and to preserve their language and culture. They settled in the Chubut Valley area and established a farming region. Now, Trelew is just another industrial city but Gaiman has managed to retain much of the old charm and Welsh culture. We found a beautifully maintained Welsh tea house called Casa de Te Gales. Located along the Chubut River, it is situated by a creek with an old water wheel and lots of green grass and trees. And it is tea-time. In the restaurant, we are served High Tea complete with ham and cheese sandwiches, an assortment of bread and scones with two types of preserves, a huge assortment of cream pastries and a big pot of tea, of course. The waitresses are all dressed in long black dresses and white lace aprons. Tom has never had a true English high tea meal before and was pleasantly surprised. He liked it and we had a great time. There was so much food, that we had most of the pastries packed to go. We talked about where to spend the night and decided to go back to Trelew and from there go east to a beach called Playa Union. This turned out to be a small beach town and as it is late on a Sunday, most people have already left. It is quiet and we found a parking lot at the north end that was level for the motorhome and a little protected from the wind. We were able to park with our door facing the water and Winston was able to run on the beach which is actually not as much sand but small gravelly rocks and pebbles. We are not really hungry after eating late in the afternoon, although Tom got some milk and ate a couple more of those pastries. Since there are no facilities and we don’t want to ruin the quiet night by running our generator, we spent the evening with our headlights, reading and going to bed fairly early.