Sunday, February 1, 2009

Sunday, February 1st, Ushuaia


















Greetings!

On Patricia's birthday, we had a wonderful time! We ferried the Beagle Channel, and visited some small islands where we got up close with a colony of South American Seals and lots of Great Cormorants. Fulfilling one of Pat's birthday wishes, we saw four Albatross on the way there.

After lunch back in Ushuaia at an Irish Pub, we were bussed to the Ushuaia National Park. We hiked into some great woods surrounded by glacier-filled Andean peaks, to get a taste of what is ahead of us on the Argentine-Chilean border, and in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. The variety of disiduous and evergreen beech trees which grow in this shallow slope soil are beautifully twisted and peppered with mistletoe and lichen.

We saw hidden lakes, heard of ocean-to-ocean winds, and encountered birds that nest on the surface of the water (Great Grebes). Returning for a dinner of Barbecued Lamb,Potatoes, and salad - followed by a candled chocolate cake for Pat, it was a day very worthy of her birthday.

Tomorrow, we fly to Calafate near the Chilean border, for a look at our first real glacier, and begin a bit more rigorous hiking.

For a look at the day's photos, click on:Sunday, February 1st, Ushuaia In addition, our friend, Glen Patterson, has given us a link to some photos of this area which are beautiful, and feature terrific shots of the flora: Glen's Photos

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