What is the Carretera Austral? (Spanish = Southern Way) Chilean Highway 7 Of course you can find the answer on the internet. But you can also take a look at this information and see a little bit of the Carretera Austral through our eyes. This iconic roadway meanders through parts of Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia … More Q-What is the Carretera Austral? A-Patagonia.
As we left the dirt roads and canyons where we were hunting for rock art, we spotted a woman sitting in an alcove of rocks near an intersection. She had a bicycle and a thermos and was trying to stay tucked in, out of the wind. As we grew closer her little thumb appeared … More Put your hands on the wall and blow!
Leaving the extreme mountain peaks for a bit, we headed into some vast flat regions. The highway was dull, but this little roadside stop offered some entertainment. As we pulled in we spotted these two foxes wrestling. We parked far enough away to watch without disturbing the two playful pals. After fox watching for a … More Foxes, legends and off road art hunting!
We rolled in to the town of El Calafate and were immediately shocked by the level of tourism. This place was crawling with an international crowd of folks from varied backgrounds. We saw smelly backpackers rubbing elbows with the Tommy Hilfiger crowd at the local brew pubs. On the sidewalks we spotted everything from sequins … More El Calafate and Lago Argentina
From Puerto Natales we were able to explore the Torres Del Paine National Park. We were not interested in long, strenuous hikes, but rather slow drives, easy strolls and beautiful vistas. We were very fortunate to have good weather on the day we decided to drive through the park. The second day we visited the … More Torres Del Paine- Chile
After the fun of watching those penguins, we planned a ferry from Porvenir to Punta Arenas and then a drive on to Puerto Natales. This area of Chile is actually a bunch of disconnected islands and a lot of ocean water. So ferries are cheap and common transportation. Before we drove onto the ferry we … More A ferry to Patagonia- here we go!
Okay, maybe not the end of the earth, but certainly the end of the continent. We had reached the Southernmost point of the Americas. South America’s roads end in Ushuaia, Argentina – and we drove there! This is a photo of Ushuaia at night and in the morning. Due to the location, there are not … More The end of the earth!
We entered Argentina at a tiny border crossing, off of a ferry boat. After a full day of heat, travel and paperwork we were ready to relax. We found a quiet riverside campsite and had some delicious deserts. Then we found more mission ruins! These Jesuit missions were created before the present country boundaries and … More Argentina- adding the flag and winning the cup!
In the last post we shared some photos and videos of Iguazu Falls, Brazil. It was a beautiful day. Then we returned to our grassy, tree-shrouded campsite to await the arrival of our friend. Mike used this time to change the front brakes on the truck. Mechanical work in a campground always draws a crowd. … More Brazil to Paraguay with a friend!
We arrived to the city of Foz do Iguacu, Brazil in the middle of a heat wave. I think I mentioned the heat and humidity that we were experiencing in the last post. But it was stifling in this town! We looked at several campsites around town, and settled on a grassy, treed camping … More Iguazu Falls- one of the wonders of the world!