This ain't my idea of a summer....

Solstice.

Yesterday, we hiked along the undulating flanks of the Vallirrica Volcano. All was quiet except for the ever-present white plume of smoke emitting from the flat topped peak. Less than a year ago, it wasn't so quiet. An eruption  forced the evacuation of the nearby resort town of Pucon. 

Fortunately no one suffered the fate of the Vesuvius victims. There's plenty of seismic monitors  scattered about the moonscape and snow fields to alert the residents below. I thought about shaking the sensors to see if anyone would notice. If my scheme worked, it would have been free beer time in Pucon! 

The day was warm, sunny and mild.

Today en route to the more southern Puerto Montt, we find ourselves in a cloudy, clammy and chilly Chilean town. We see and smell gray smoke puffing from the chimneys of the wood burning stoves in this lakeside burg. It's 50 degrees here and that was the high. WTF! It's the summer solstice! 

In a few days, we will really be south in Patagonia hiking and hopefully dodging hypothermia. Check out the not so balmy 10 Day Forecast

Buenas Dias, Jenny (you wouldn't like this cold and damp either)

Weather for Puerto Natales, Chile

10-Day Forecast:

Monday

-- -- / 40°

Precip: 60%

Tuesday

AM Light Rain 54° / 37°

Precip: 10%

Wednesday

Showers / Wind 53° / 40°

Precip: 100%

Thursday

Showers / Wind 51° / 39°

Precip: 20%

Friday

Rain 48° / 35°

Precip: 50%

Saturday

Mostly Cloudy 57° / 40°

Precip: 50%

Sunday

Partly Cloudy 57° / 43°

Precip: 20%

Monday

Mostly Cloudy 56° / 43°

Precip: 40%

Tuesday

Showers 56° / 42°

Precip: 20%

Wednesday

Mostly Cloudy 58° / 44°

Precip: 20%

I would be an untruthful politician if I said I wasn't concerned or worried about this.

Wish us luck.

Jeff 

Negotiating Chile...

Yesterday was a driving day. It was also a "Back to School" day on how can we sustain our basic needs (food, shelter, beer and coffee) in a foreign country where shaking my head and smiling is my primary means of communication. 

After many kilometers of driving under the influence of hunger we discovered truck stops. They feature clean banos (bathrooms), good coffee and food we can identify. They even have showers and gas. One stop shopping for the road. If this trip goes south I'll just sleep in the Suzuki sedan in a Copec parking lot. 

As far as real shopping goes. Supermercados are the Super Targets of South America. We tried out a Jumbo store. I stocked up on toiletries, PB&J and loaves of bread. This is a country where when opportunity knocks, you better take advantage of it. 

The weather changed drastically over the course of heading due south. Gone are the days of tank tops and flip flops. Today's temperatures felt more like late fall than early summer. Fleece, tights and a Go-Lite jacket were the appropriate outdoor wear.

I'm going to freeze in Patagonia! 

Today we hiked in another National Park where the trails are ex-Jeep roads. This is the third Park and and the third rough road we trod upon. I'm beginning to see an emerging pattern. Maybe Conaf (the equivalent of the National Park Service) thinks "Hey we have these old logging and mining roads, let's make them trails. The Gringos won't know the difference!"

So far the only fellow Americans we've met are two Mormons on a two year Mission to convert the Catholics of Chile. I politely asked them to save their sale's pitch for the Chileans. 

Here's a few photos from today's National Park. We are on the northern edge of the Lake District

Hasta la tardes,

Jeff

PS. Hola Jenny again

PSS. Wifi is iffy. 

Chile today...

Hot tamale. 

Originally my winter getaway thoughts were warm and Gringo-user friendly Costa Rica. A country featuring tropical rain forests, belching volcanoes and balmy beaches where the locals "Habla ingles." 

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

That game plan got the boot after I received a phone call from Lisa.

"Want to spend Christmas and New Year's in Patagonia?"

She sent me links featuring Steven Spielberg-ist landscapes with oddly shaped mountains. I'm a sucker for pretty pictures. She might have failed to say the region's incessant winds plus eons of time made those peaks angular and spiked. Oh yeah, it rains a lot too. Glacier like winds plus wet equals hyperthermia. Wow! What a great winter escape! 

Now about Lisa: I met her on my 2013 Camino de Santiago walk across Spain. We had two things in common. We were both American Jews on a Christian Pilgrimage. I was there to drink beer with people from all over the world, while her Camino was more spiritual in nature. Typical men vs. women stuff.

We are friends who are quickly becoming a team of brother and sister with different last names.  I drive, while she calls out directions. Somehow we get to where we want to go by dead reckoning. 

We are now slowly making our way to our jump off point to Patagonia. We're seeing National Parks and beautifully warm places along our way. I like that. The Patagonia journey is a process of planes, buses and one catamaran. It's a logistical hazard just waiting for an unexpected tumble. The realist in me sees possible problems while Lisa plays Polly Anna and sees blue skies and toasty temperatures. 

So now you are caught up, sort of. I'll let the photos talk. 

BTW: The Chileans are extremely friendly people, although I haven't a clue to what they are saying. For all I know they might be calling us names, but they are smiling while they cuss us. 

I'll take this moment to say Hola Jenny. 

Cheers from Chile,

Jeff