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Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Patagonia and beyond, Overseas Adventure travel

 Of the 26 people signed up for this trip only 11 actually showed up. That turned out to be a good number. The ordeal of filling out the papeerwork online for the covid restriction proved almost too much for our leader. Our first day Feb 17-18 , we flew from Las Vegas to DFW to Buenos Aires. Then the next day we flw on to Iguazu falls. We got covid tested for entry into Argentina,


On the way to the hotel we stopped at a restaurant that had a nice garden and a butterfly farm


A type of bush primrose.





A Red Postman butterfly


Red Rim butterfly



Dont know this one but it is the kind you have seen that is irridescent blue on the top of the wings.


Interesting foliage


Gray cracker butterfly



The group and guide (Luis) on an excursion to a native village exhibit.


Shaman and the local guide.


A lecture on various plants of the jungle.



The path we took thru the forest.


Lunch stop with various local dishes.





The big wheel in Brazil that we could see from the hotel

The next day, feb 19, we took a bus to Brazil's side of the falls.


There is a well constructed walkway along the edge of the river with many views of the falls. It was very humid but no mosquitos were seen








The Coatis here beg for food and do not understand the work NO. So we were advised not to carry any food they could smell.





Buzzards flying over the falls.


Looking into the main falls





Buzzard flying below the lookout.


a Plush Crested Jay


When the sun came out there were rainbows everywhere.


The walkways below the falls were pretty crowded. Most people did wear masks.

















A seep spring on the way back to the bus.


Purple heart


Day flower



Selfie

On day 3, Feb 20,  we took a bus to the Argentina side of the falls. Raised walkways give access to the top of the falls.





This is the vortex where the falls start.


Looking down thru the mist






Brazillian Orchid tree


Toco Toucan



Toco Toucan





This is as far as the tour boats go upstream. They turn around at that first little rapid.



This is a waterfall that they drive the boats into for excitement
















Boat entering the side waterfall



Everyone enjoying getting wet. We stayed out to take the photos.











Capuchin monkeys















Black Vulture


Google cant identify this butterfly









Toco Toucan






chestnut-bellied euphonium in a guava tree


Yellow-fronted woodpecker

After Iguazu falls on Feb 21 we flew back to Buenos Aires for a couple more days in the hotel we started at there. And a city walk in Buenos Aires

The evening dinner (included)








Walking along the waterfront.


Cityscape


pedestrian bridge over the waterway.


Austral Parakeet


Changing of the guards

Inside the cathedral








Almost 8:00 AM



The exterior of the cathedral
























We had lunch at this place



After Buenos Aires we flew to El Calafate on feb 23 and had a PCR test at the hotel there for entry into Chile later.



A walk in Calafate in  a birding area. These are Southern Lapwings


Southern Lapwing


Flamingo


Calafate bush


Swallows on Calafate bush



Harrier


Chimango Caracara





Andean Ruddy duck


Red Shovler


Yellow-billed pintail


Red Shovler


Gray Fox


Rufous collared sparrow



Flamingos


Black faced Ibis





Where we had lamb pizza

We took the bus to the Glaciers National Park to see the Perito Monero glacier the next day





Crested Caracara


Black chested buzzard eagle and crested caracara


Black chested buzzard eagle





Lesser Rheas


austral parakeets


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Fire bush


Glacier calving click this link

Perito Monero glacier


Fire bush


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier


Perito Monero glacier

After the glacier we flew back to Buenos Aires, and then to Santiago, and then to Punta Arenas for the part of the trip in the Torres del Paine area

From the airplane flying into Santiago. Santiago is next to the highest mountains of the Andes.












After arriving in Punta Arenas we took a bus to the Torres de Paine park and out hotel at Lago Grey.

Lesser Rhea


Guanacos



Young Guanacos


Lesser Rhea


Lesser Rhea






Flamingos


Brenda in front of the Torres del Paine area.


The view out the window of our room at Lago Grey. The iceburg is from the glacier at the other end of the lake.


The glacier at the other end of the lake and people walking on the gravel bar near the hotel. It is about 6 miles to the glacier. I can measure it on google and find an exact distance.


The same iceburg
Calafate Sours made with Glacier Ice.





Common chickweed


The next day a hike along some lakes to a viewpoint of the Torres del Paine.


Unidentified blooming bush


Unidentified blooming bush


Violet


Crested Caracara up close


The view of the mountains over the lake






















Nice waterfall and rainbow








Some kind of primrose








The pathway to the overlook mentioned before.



A tour boat on Lago Grey that can take people to the glacier. We didnt go there.



A cell phone photo of the view on the morning we left Lago Grey.


The iceburg that morning had gained a darker blue color.



We took the bus out a different entrance of the park and had views of the same mountains we had hiked to the previous day. 


This is a view over Nordenskjold lake


Zoomed in on the mountains









Brenda in front of the view. Many busses park here.


We saw more guanacos from the bus  today


We saw a Puma family too. The white thing in the middle might be an old kill.











Andean Condor.



We had a cookout at a ranch near this little waterfall. Most of the group went of a horseback ride but Brenda and I went birdwatching.


Unindenified blooming bush


Female Magellen Woodpecker. the largest woodpecker in south america.



The male woodpecker.



Gray-flanked Cinclodes...i think


Another Chimango Caracara

After the ranch visit we drove to the boat for the rest of the trip. We were tested for covid again before getting on the boat. And again a couple of days later. We had temp checks every day.

The first glacier excursion from the boat.


Frozen sea otter?


It was raining the day of the first excursion so Brenda and I stayed on the boat and took pictures of the zodiacs comming and going.







In the afternoon it was clear and we joined the group on a hike over a hill with views. It was advertised as difficult with hand over hand rope work required.


The hand over hand rope section. We didn't use the rope because laying on the ground it was wet and dirty. No need anyway.


Little beaver pond part way up the hill.



common berry bush. It looked like our heather but grew taller and had berries about blueberry size.  Mutilla, or diddle-dee. edible.


Another common bush called Prickly Heath. Has larger edible berries and white bell shaped flowers like our white heather. each leaf has a sharp point.






The flowers of prickly heath. And the sharp leaf tips



A blooming heath and a fruiting one side by side.


Comming down the hill


Close up of the beech leaves. there are many types of beech trees here and they take up the nitch that conifers do in our northern latitudes.


Mosses and spore stalks


Devils strawberry. A low ground cover.


Another pond


Fire-eyed diucon


Mudflats with algae


View of the boat from the Zodiac


Looking toward the mountains and a sand-spit where part of the group went for and easier  forrest walk instead of the rope hike. 


You can see that part of the group getting ready to come back to the boat



Porpoise





A different hike to the edge of another glacier


various mosses


Moss, devils strawberry, and diddle-dee. The diddle-dee can have berries even when it is only and inch high.








Club Mosses


Diddle-dee berries on a plant that is smaller than the berries are.





Much larger Diddle-dee bush


Some of the prickly heath bushes had pink berries



The ship again



Verry strange flightless ducks escaping from the path of the boat. They would scoot very fast over the water using feet and wings but not flying at all.



A glacier from the ship along "Glacier Alley"



Out dedicated waiter, Oscar


Our guide Jorge


Zodiacs getting ready to land on Cape Horne. The seas were rough that morning at dawn so brenda and i stayed on the ship again. Everyone who went got soaked and had trouble drying their shoes before it was time to come home.



The sign at cape horn. Taken from the ship



The monument at Cape Horn



The landing party at cape horne.


A flying Imperial Comorant


A Giant Petral


An Albatross


Penguins on the water.


Magellands Commorant



Eye-bright


Unidentified



daisy?



Mistletoe





Sticktight


Forrest



Plack to Charles Darwin on the building you could see down below in the last lookout photo


Back on the ship the last day. Seas were too rough to dock in Punta Arenas and we were trapped on the ship for several hours. Some played cards but most were ready to get off and remove their masks. I suspect this is where I contracted Covid.




After we docked we got a tour of a replica ship from Magellens time



And saw more different birds. These are Crested Ducks. You cant see it in this photo but when they streach their necks they look just like Wood Ducks











Chloe Wigeons



Chloe Wigeon















Upland geese


Replica ship
Our local guides (Jorge and Alessandra) doing a local dance




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