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| Day 9: December 30, 2005 - Ushuaia, Argentina |
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Today we took a guided
trek in the Tierra del Fuego national park. We met
our guide at 8:30am and picked up a few more travelers.
We had a family of 4 from Denver, a couple from
Brazil, and an Argentine woman whose kids were doing
a more aggressive hike. The park is approximately
12km from downtown and we were at the trail head
by about 9am.
The hike took us alongside a large saltwater bay.
At times the trail would dip down to the beach and
at other times it would send us up into an old forest.
We started the trail at Bahia Ensenada and worked
out way around to Bahia Lapataia We struck inland
and met the van which took us to the campground
where a barbeque lunch was served.
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Bahia Ensenada hike view |
Bahia Ensenada hike view |
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Lunch was tons of fun, but we had more to do. We
got into inflatable canoes and started a beautiful,
peaceful journey back to Bahia Lapataia. Along the
way, we saw a goose family, cormorants and their
nests, and heard myriad thrushes. While the walking
was fun, everyone agreed this was better. The weather
was perfect and all you heard was nature - rushing
water, birds and the occasional camper.
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Robin hard at work with our guide (and new family member) Juan |
Mom and Dad hard at work in their canoe |
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We arrived at Bahia Lapataia and put in at a rock
beach. After carrying the canoes out (and managing
to get Mom stuck in knee deep mud), we loaded them
back into the truck and had a few minutes to explore.
We were at the end of National Route 3, also known
as the Pan American Highway. There is a sign there
that marks 2 distances - Buenos Aires and Alaska
- the other terminus of the Pan Am highway.
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The end of route 3 |
Family picture at the end of Route 3 |
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Back at the hotel, we cleaned up then went out on
the town in search of ice cream and a place to east
for New Year's eve. We were successful on both counts
and have reservations for 2130 at the Chinese restaurant!
After dinner, we did some shopping and Howard and
Robin went to check out the sunset. Since it had
rained, there were great clouds to be lit by the
setting sun. The clouds further east were getting
a good dose of light, but the angle flattened the
clouds and made them look fake. It was still very
pretty.
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