Category Archives: Travel

Big Bend National Park Day 1 – 03/22/2015

Big Bend National Park 03/22/2015 Photo Album

Jane and I woke up on Sunday morning to a damp and cool campsite after the late heavy rain on Saturday, although we were confident that things would dry out rapidly once the sun peeked over the hills on the eastern horizon. For some reason breakfasts cooked outside on a camp stove always taste better than a comparable meal prepared in the home kitchen. This was the case on Sunday as Jane produced delicious fried eggs and bacon.

Bacon and Eggs Outdoors Taste Better

We were both extremely excited to begin our Big Bend adventure, so we decided to pay a visit to the small Rio Grande Village visitor center first. A park service ranger manned the counter, and we began assaulting him with questions. The Persimmon Gap entrance station was closed when we passed through on Saturday, so we discovered that we needed a park pass. Fortunately I possess a Senior Pass, so we avoided a fee and received a sticker to display on the windshield. Next we peppered the ranger with numerous questions about Big Bend. There are three main areas to explore; Rio Grande Village, Chisos Basin, and Santa Elena Canyon, and we were attempting to plan what days to visit each.

Quickly the ranger explained that the Santa Elena Canyon area was closed as a result of the heavy rain on Saturday. Terlingua Creek enters the Rio Grande at the mouth of the canyon, and normally this is a dry creek bed, but it was now a muddy torrent, and flooding turned sections of the paved road into small ponds. With this information we decided to defer Santa Elena until our last day in the park, Tuesday. By process of elimination we elected to explore the sites near Rio Grande Village on Sunday, travel west to Chisos Basin on Monday, and then hopefully visit Santa Elena on Tuesday after the environment had an opportunity to dry out.

We now queried the helpful gentleman on what activities were available to us in the vicinity of Rio Grande Village. He began by suggesting a Rio Grande crossing as apparently a small ferry transported visitors across the Rio Grande to Mexico. Once upon the opposite shore a mule ride or taxi service could be purchased for a small fee, and these modes of transportation allowed one to visit the small Mexican village of Boquillas. He suggested we could purchase lunch or drinks in the village before returning to the U.S. Since I have never set foot in Mexico, I was quite excited about this prospect until we realized that we did not have our passports with us. Naturally this was a deal breaker so we moved on to the other options.

Scorpion Art at the Boquillas River Crossing

Other possibilities included hiking the trail to Boquillas Canyon, a nature trail that began at our campground, a visit to the hot springs along the Rio Grande, a bike ride on Old Ore Road, and a visit to the Daniels Ranch. This sounded like a day’s worth of activities so we thanked the ranger and departed for the Boquillas Canyon trailhead. On the way we drove a short distance down a side road and checked out the federal port of entry for the ferry crossing. It looked rather secure, so we were convinced that a crossing was impossible without a passport. Next we reached the parking lot at the Boquillas Canyon trail.

The Trailhead

An Illegal Alien I Suspect

We lathered up with sun screen and changed to hiking boots and began a short .7 mile hike that led to the Rio Grande River. As we crested a short hill, we encountered a young Mexican man standing next to his horse. He greeted us, and we guessed that for a small donation he was available for photo poses with the river and Mexico in the background. Also there were several places along the path where residents of Boquillas placed crafts such as decorated walking sticks and wire sculpture on rocks with signs suggesting dollar donations. We guessed that the gentleman with the horse may have crossed the river illegally to display these wares that tourists might purchase.

The End of the Trail

Near the end of the path we descended to a sandy area, and as we made our way down the wet trail, another Mexican serenaded us in Spanish from a rock cliff on the other side of the river. We were not sure how this gentleman expected to make money from his performance, but it gave our venture a Latin aura. The trail ended at the sand dune slide, but no signs informed us of this, so we attempted to penetrate the canyon via a narrow path that cut through some willows and brush, but we only managed a short distance before the trail faded, and we were blocked from farther progress by a high vertical rock wall.

The return hike was uneventful, and when we reached the car we reversed our direction and returned to the campground where we found the beginning of the Rio Grande Village nature trail a short distance from our campsite. The Boquillas Canyon hike was relatively short, so we decided to explore the nature trail before lunch. Initially the trail crossed some metal floating bridges that spanned a wetland area. I spotted pods of fish in the murky water, and these fish rose occasionally for some sort of aquatic insect. We later asked a ranger what sort of fish they were, and he informed us that they were non-native tilapia.

The Start of the Rio Grande Nature Trail from the Campground

After crossing the pond we ascended a bit and then were faced with a split in the trail. Left took us on a short loop around the hill, and right led to the edge of the Rio Grande. We had already been to the shores of the muddy river, but we elected to repeat the experience and chose the right branch. Sure enough after a short hike we were next to the river, and it was still muddy and no more impressive than it was at the canyon mouth. We attempted to find the official trail to loop back to the hill, but we ended up confused by numerous unofficial spurs that eventually led to dead ends. Eventually we found a better defined trail and circled behind the hill and ascended the northeast slope until we were perched on a nice overlook. From this vantage point we could see the wetland area, the river and the Rio Grande campground.

Rio Grande, Wetlands, and Campground

After lunch we jumped in the car and drove to the parking area for the hot spring pool. The dirt road was a bit precarious, as we crossed two large puddles, and we were not certain how deep they were. After .5 mile however we reached a small parking lot and began another short hike to the hot springs. Apparently a family settled at this spot and built the concrete pool and also constructed a motel of sorts that was now abandoned. The owner marketed the area as a health spa and touted the recuperative powers of the hot springs. Jane and I peered into the rooms in the abandoned motel and noticed the remaining murals on the side walls of each room.

The Hot Springs Next to the Chocolate Rio Grande

The trail to the pool was less than half a mile, and we arrived there rather quickly and discovered a group of ten to fifteen tourists wading and floating in the natural pool. The Rio Grande River was a thick chocolate color, and it churned by within five feet of the pool. The pool itself was a bit murky, but much clearer and inviting than its source of cool water – the river. Jane and I had our Chacos on, so we waded into the edge of the pool, and the water was indeed quite warm and probably registered 105 degrees as mentioned in the park guide.

More Blue Bonnets

After our soak we returned to the campsite, but we were not yet ready to rest, so we jumped on our mountain bikes and set out to explore the area on two wheels. We left the campground and pedaled out the access road until we reached the main two lane road that linked Panther Junction with Boquillas Canyon. We turned left and climbed a fairly steep hill toward the tunnel, and then turned into the Rio Grande Overlook parking lot and hiked a short distance to the viewing area. After a few minutes we enjoyed a downhill cruise back to the campground area, but his time we turned right at the T intersection across from the store and cycled past the RV parking lot to a small grassy picnic area. The trees and green grass in this location indicated that the irrigation system built by early settlers was still in use.

We found a nice grassy spot and rested when we spotted a pretty red bird perched on a dead branch, and as we marveled at the bird’s bright colors, a couple strolled along from the path that led to Daniels Ranch. We pointed out the “cardinal” on the branch, and they informed us that it was a vermillion fly catcher. We chatted a bit and discovered that their names were Cheri and Howard Ferguson, and they lived in Spokane, WA until nine months ago when they sold everything and bought a Mercedes camper van and embarked on a journey across North America. Howard was a wildlife biologist who worked for the state of Washington with a focus on….birds. As luck would have it, they reserved the campsite next to us back at Rio Grande Village.

It was a busy day, and we were happy to return to our campsite to enjoy a beer and another delicious meal. We enjoyed quite a few adventures on our first day in the park, but we both felt that the warm March weather and the desert plants were the true attractions. Tomorrow we would be off to the high country of Chisos Basin where the highest point in the park towered at 7,832 feet.

Carlsbad Caverns – 03/21/2015

Carlsbad Caverns 03/21/2015 Photo Album

Jane and I woke up on Saturday morning in Roswell, NM to slate gray skies. We planned to spend the morning exploring Carlsbad Caverns, so rain would not impact our agenda. We reserved a campsite at Rio Grande Village in the southeast corner of Big Bend National Park for Saturday night, so we could only afford to spend three or four hours at Carlsbad Caverns.

A Closer Look at the Totem Pole

By the time we pulled into the visitor center a steady rain was falling from the overcast sky, and we welcomed the shelter of the visitor center and the cave. Since we had limited time, we elected to take the elevator 750 feet below the surface to the level of the Big Room, and there we followed the well marked path that circled the floor of the the cavern with stops at all the well known formations. We rented an audio tour guide and stopped at each numbered station to listen to the narration. In our opinion the lighting was well done as the best formations were spotlighted in a subtle way, but we never felt like the lighting overwhelmed the pervading sense of being in a dark underground environment. I snapped quite a few photos of stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, columns and subterranean ponds. Visiting a large cave was certainly very different from our many other experiences with national parks.

An Intricate Column

Park rangers roamed the Big Room and made themselves available for questions. At one stop we approached a young lady wearing the national park uniform and asked her if the natural air was supplemented with oxygen. She replied that it was all natural and then mentioned that it takes 18 hours for air to move from the entrance to the Big Room. I was curious how she knew that, so she went on to explain that she has a very acute sense of smell, and the park service recently executed a controlled burn just outside the entrance. Her super sensitive olfactory gland enabled her to smell traces of smoke in the Big Room 18 hours after the smoke from the burn was created. I suggested that she could get a job working for a perfume company, but she stressed to us her love for Carlsbad Caverns, and her desire to remain an employee of the national park service.

Haunted House Like

There are two ways to enter the Big Room, and we chose the quickest and easiest route by taking the elevator. With some time remaining before our scheduled departure, we decided to try the walk-in approach. As we left the visitor center, we realized that the rain continued and in fact was heavier than when we arrived. The hike from the visitor center to the gate to the walking entrance was longer than we expected, and the rain was beginning to soak into our coats. A park ranger was standing under a canopy with a group of visitors, and he hooked a chain across the trail just before we arrived. We were left standing in the rain while he delivered the safety speech to the group under the small shelter, so Jane exercised some initiative and unhooked the chain. This prompted an instant reprimand from the young ranger, Ross, but Jane replied that we were simply trying to stay dry, and he relented and allowed us to join the gathering.

A Steep Descent

After the safety speech was completed, Ross opened the next chain gate, and we along with the herd of visitors began the switchback descent to the cave entrance. The steep path to the dark entrance was interesting, but we quickly discovered that the .8 mile walk to the Big Room was largely devoid of interest since we had already seen the more spectacular attractions and formations. We essentially power walked the narrow path until we once again reached the base of the elevator, and then we ascended to the visitor center and left Carlsbad Caverns.

The rain continued as we returned to the town of Carlsbad and then turned on to route 285 and continued south through southern New Mexico and then into west Texas. The stretch of highway from the New Mexico border to the northern entrance to Big Bend National Park was two lanes, and it would be an understatement to call the terrain desolate. The land was relatively flat with sparse vegetation, and oil pumps, piping and gas reservoirs dotted the landscape. Every mile or so a dirt side road branched to the east and west, and we were constantly behind large slow moving oil field services vehicles. The frequent traffic that moved from the side roads to the paved two lane highway tracked dirt on the asphalt, and the steady rain of Saturday converted this coating to mud. The oil industry vehicles splashed spray from their over-sized tires and generated a steady wall of muddy water on to our windshield. I counted at least three occasions when a pebble or small piece of gravel catapulted from one of the muddy trailers and struck our windshield creating yet more chips that eventually grow into cracks.

It was a miserable drive, and the rain intensified as we moved south. We attempted to stop for lunch in Pecos, but the establishments were rather basic so we moved on until we found a Subway sandwich outlet at a truck stop. Pecos and Fort Stockton were clearly oil and gas outposts, and the truck stop was populated with numerous oil field workers attired in one piece uniforms. Apparently the trucking hub also served as a locker room for the workers, and a voice periodically announced that shower number 60 was available for John or Rex or Javier.

A Rainbow Greets Us as We Enter Big Bend

Finally after some tense driving through heavy rain, we reached the northern Persimmon Gap entrance to Big Bend National Park. By now the sky was clearing, and we were dazzled by a huge rainbow in the eastern sky. The northern segment of Big Bend was clearly a desert as a variety of cactus plants covered the barren earth. I’m sure we were rare visitors that saw the landscape after heavy rain, and we crossed many gullies that were normally dry washes, but on this day a muddy torrent of water rushed downhill to join the Rio Grande River.

Sierra del Carmen in Mexico

As we traveled closer to Rio Grande Village the dark clouds that shrouded the mountains to the east disappeared, and we were treated to spectacular views of the Sierra del Carmen in Mexico. These tall rock mountains were distinguished by alternating layers of blue-gray and white rock. At last we entered the Rio Grande Campground and skirted the perimeter until we found campsite number 25 which was situated along the outside road near the trailhead for the nature trail. Huge muddy puddles of water swamped many of the campsites along with mounds of small hail balls, but much to our amazement, we selected a campsite that was devoid of accumulated water.

Hail Remains at the Campsite

We quickly read the javalina warning that was affixed to our picnic table and then unpacked the Santa Fe and set up our tent. Saturday evening was quite cool and wet, but we prepared a quick meal and then kicked back and rested after a long eventful journey.We both anticipated warm dry weather for Sunday, and anxiously awaited the opportunity to explore this vast remote national park on the southern border of the United States.

Olympic National Park, Day 7 – 08/14/2014

Olympic National Park, Day 7 08/14/2014 Photo Album

The Elwha River originates slightly southeast of Mt. Olympus and flows southeast and then makes a large bend and eventually runs north and empties into the Strait of Juan de Fuca that connects Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean. When I searched for information on fishing in Olympic National Park, I found a comprehensive article on the Fly Fisherman web site from 2012. I read with keen interest the section that described the Elwha River as this seemed to be an option that would enable me to fish to resident trout during the summer unlike the western rivers that were primarily productive in the fall and winter when salmon and steelhead make their appearance.

The Elwha River was also once home to rich runs of salmon and steelhead until two dams were constructed in the early 1900’s. This halted the salmon runs, and the steelhead became landlocked rainbows. The article described decent fishing for 12-15 inch rainbows in the water above Lake Mills, so I was excited to give this a try, although I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to get to the Elwha River given our location in Forks, WA on the western edge of Olympic National Park. This all became a moot point when we arrived at the main visitor center on Saturday August 9 and discovered that the Elwha River was closed to fishing while it was restored after the two dams were removed.

Joe was feeling somewhat better on Friday morning, but Amy wanted to get him home as soon as possible, as he was feeling weak and needed the rest and comfort of his home, so they departed on their six hour drive to Portland, OR. This left Jane, Dan and I with one more day to explore Olympic National Park before returning to Seattle and Denver on Saturday. We decided we would like to do a hike of moderate length that had a destination. We scanned the official Olympic National Park map and spotted a nice loop along the Elwha River that began at Whiskey Bend, and we decided to do it. I was not going to have the opportunity to fish the Elwha, but now I would at least be able to undertake an up close scouting trip.

We made sandwiches and packed our remaining lunch food since what we did not eat would go in the trash, and we departed for the Elwha River valley. The drive to the turn off was ten miles beyond Lake Crescent, but then we traveled another sixteen miles further south to the trailhead including a narrow single lane gravel road for the last six miles. Eventually we reached Whiskey Bend and found a nice parking spot and began our hike. We elected to hike the Elwha River Trail until we reached a footbridge that crossed the river on the way to Dodge Point. The footbridge over the Elwha River was our destination.

A Small Waterfall Above the Trail

A Small Waterfall Above the Trail

Fast Water Above the Bridge

Fast Water Above the Bridge

The bridge was my favorite spot on the hike as we peered over the railing and gazed into the clear aqua water to the north and south. All I could think about was being on the river fishing on the day that it reopened after being closed for four years. On the return loop we hiked Rica Canyon, and that took us along the river although on a high bank quite a distance from the water. At the point where we could turn right to climb back to the Elwha River Trail we chose to take a short spur to Goblins Gate. Here we stood high above a place where the river morphed into whitewater and churned through a narrow chasm for thirty yards before veering to the right and then emptying into a deep pool. The point where the river dropped into the pool was Goblins Gate.

The Roaring Elwha About to Pass Through Goblins Gate

The Roaring Elwha About to Pass Through Goblins Gate

The half mile leg from Goblins Gate back to the Elwha River Trail was pure uphill, and we did it with only a few stops. I was rather thankful for my mile high training as my breathing was fine, but my muscles felt the strain.

Dave Next to the Elwha River

Dave Next to the Elwha River

We had exhausted the adequate and worse than adequate food establishments in Forks, so we decided to drive to Port Angeles on Friday night to sample a restaurant there. Once we were in cell range, I used my phone and Yelp to identify a Thai restaurant called Sabai Thai. This was our choice, and we were all quite impressed with the quality of the food and drink in this establishment. As one would expect, the place was quite crowded, and we endured a 30 minute wait by sipping some tasty beers at the bar.

We had a long drive back to Forks, but it was another wonderful day with beautiful scenery and capped off with a tasty meal. It was a fine ending to our week in Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park, Day 6 – 08/14/2014

Olympic National Park, Day 6 08/14/2014 Photo Album

The beauty of any seacoast goes way beyond the visual images and includes the sound of pounding surf and the smell of saltwater. The beaches of Washington certainly combine all the senses in a very natural and striking manner. Human impact is largely absent, and the rocks and logs and evergreen trees provide a unique distinction to Washington beaches compared with others I have visited.

The backpackers arrived on Wednesday evening, and after some discussion we all agreed to dedicate Thursday to visiting the Pacific beaches in Olympic National Park. We decided to begin with Rialto Beach, as it was directly west of Forks and only a fourteen mile trip and included a 1.5 mile hike to Hole in the Wall if the tides permitted.

We ate a relatively late breakfast and then gathered our essentials for the day and set off toward Rialto Beach. Once we arrived we found a place to park and made a short hike to the beach. Similar to Kalaloch Beach, numerous drift logs bordered the fringe of the sand. It was around 1PM when we arrived, and there was a fair amount of space between the waves and the eastern edge of the beach, but it appeared the tide was incoming and not outgoing.

Joe, Dan and Amy Skip Stones in the Pacific

Joe, Dan and Amy Skip Stones in the Pacific

Just as moths are attracted to light, Dan, Joe and Amy were immediately drawn to the large quantity of round flat stones on the beach, and they began to skip rocks at a rapid-fire pace. I challenged Dan to skip three incoming waves on one toss, and he gave it a strong effort, but succeeded in skipping two but never three. The difficulty in this test of skill was the long time between incoming waves. After a half hour of thrilling rock skipping we decided to attempt the three mile round trip hike to Hole in the Wall. It was clear that the tide was coming in, and I was uncertain we could make the full loop before facing the prospect of wet feet. I was wearing my sneakers, and the others were equipped with sandals and Chacos, so clearly I was in the minority on this matter.

Jane and Dan Head North

Jane and Dan Head North

We threw caution to the wind and departed with Hole in the Wall as our destination. It was a fun hike with numerous pauses to snap photos and enjoy the natural scenery. As we walked north, numerous large haystack-shaped rocks came into view, and nearly all of them featured stunted evergreens growing from the pointy peaks. In many cases fog or mist shrouded these prominent features on the horizon, and I marveled at their rugged beauty. There were also rocky outcroppings on the beach, and these contained tidal pools with an abundance of sea life. We observed numerous clams, anemones, and starfish.

Tough Environment for a Tree

Tough Environment for a Tree

Hole in the Wall was another haystack rock, but the forces of nature carved a large arch, or hole in the wall, through the rock. As this was our destination, we paused to snap numerous photos and passed through the arch, and then inspected the numerous tidal pools that populated this rocky area. In order to reach Hole in the Wall, we hiked over a narrow strand of rock, and waves were already creating a wet surface, so I was the first of our group to make a U-turn and head back to the beach. The return hike was a bit dicey, and I had to sprint across several narrow strands of sand between incoming waves to preserve my dry socks and shoes. In spite of my lack of preparedness with footwear, we enjoyed a fun hike at Rialto Beach and managed to return just as the tide approached its high water mark. Dan finally used his phone to find a tide chart and concluded that high tide was 4PM, and we ended our hike by 3PM, so we did in fact cut it close.

Portrait Style Captures the Hole

Portrait Style Captures the Hole

The next step in our plan for the day was to return to the Forks Outfitters (supermarket) and buy lunch and firewood and then continue on to Ruby Beach. Ruby Beach is located on the coast north of Kalaloch Lodge, so it was the next closest beach south of La Push and Rialto Beach. Joe meanwhile was a bit under the weather, so we took some time to get him situated, and he elected to stay behind and recover from the stress of four days of backpacking.

Jane and Amy Compare Their Beach Collections

Jane and Amy Compare Their Beach Collections

After stopping at the supermarket to buy lunch and a bundle of firewood, we continued on highway 101 to the parking lot at Ruby Beach. We climbed out of the Ford Focus rental car and carried the firewood to the beach. Ruby Beach contained many more drift logs than Rialto Beach, and previous visitors built small huts using these readily available construction materials. In addition there were many small stone towers constructed with the flat round stones that were very prevalent on the Pacific beach.

Campfire and Beers at Ruby Beach

Campfire and Beers at Ruby Beach

Once we exited from the trees and drift logs, we walked south on the beach a good ways until we escaped the other visitors who remained near the end of the path from the parking lot. We were looking for a nice spot away from the crowds that contained a fire pit and drift logs to provide shelter from the wind, and eventually we found our place. Once we staked out our location for a beach campfire, we realized we were missing a key ingredient – beer. Fortunately Jane and I had been to the Kalaloch Lodge on Wednesday, and we knew there was a mercantile there, so Dan and I returned to the car and made the seven mile drive. We purchased a six pack of Alaska amber along with a $7 pocketknife that contained a bottle opener and quickly returned to our temporary campsite at Ruby Beach.

The Fire Has a Good Start

The Fire Has a Good Start

We now had the essentials so we started a fire and popped beers and enjoyed our gorgeous surroundings. Starting the fire was actually a bit of a challenge. We were surrounded by massive quantities of wood, but we quickly discovered that driftwood and drift logs are perpetually damp as a result of repeated soaking as the tides move in and out. In addition the coast experienced quite a bit of rain on Wednesday, and Jane and I could attest to that. We finally managed to find some very thin branches that worked as kindling, and after almost losing the unstable flame several times, we managed to create a solid base of glowing embers.

The Wellers at Ruby Beach

The Wellers at Ruby Beach

We were now together as a family for the first time since Christmas, and it was a great way to end our beach day. The fire glowed, the surf crashed, and the tide moved out as we tended the fire and sipped our beers and soaked up the beauty that surrounded us. It was the highlight of the trip for Jane and me.

 

Olympic National Park, Day 5 – 08/13/2014

Olympic National Park, Day 5 08/13/2014 Photo Album

It was Wednesday and we had already spent a day in the rainforest, a day at Lake Crescent and a day in the Sol Duc River valley. We were saving the beaches to visit once the backpackers returned, and they were due to arrive Wednesday evening. So what did we decide to do on Wednesday? Why of course we chose to visit another rainforest, the Quinault Rainforest in the southwestern corner of Olympic National Park.

The difference between the Hoh Rainforest and the Qunault Rainforest was fifty miles and the weather. It was 68 miles from Forks, WA to the Quinault Ranger Station making this the longest drive to any area of the park during our one week stay. We woke up to cloudy skies and light rain on Wednesday, and these conditions would endure through our entire day in the rainforest and our return trip. The wet weather probably gave us a truer taste of rainforest conditions than the hot ninety degree day that we enjoyed on Sunday.

A Slug Near the Start of Our Hike in the Quinault Rainforest

A Slug Near the Start of Our Hike in the Quinault Rainforest

We began our Quinault visit by stopping at the ranger station beyond the eastern end of Quinault Lake. Here we began a self-guided hike on the Maple Glade Trail, but after completing less than half of the circular loop, we detoured on to the Kestner Homestead Trail. This trail continued for another mile or so and led us through an old ranch area with four or five out buildings. These were the remaining structures of a homesteading family that eventually sold out to the National Park Service. The entire hike was probably around 1.5 miles.

Dave at the Kestner Homestead

Dave at the Kestner Homestead

We left the ranger station and drove east on the gravel North Shore Road. I noticed a relatively short hike to Irely Lake on the map and also on the one page flyer that listed and and described hikes. The precipitation shifted back and forth from fog to mist to drizzle to light rain during our entire visit. After a fairly lengthy drive on a gravel road we finally reached the trailhead for Irely Lake. I knew nothing about the prospects of fishing, but I did not want to hike for 1.2 miles and find rising fish and not have fishing equipment, so I wore my frontpack and carried my fly rod and reel just in case. Three backpackers arrived while we were preparing to hike, and they were heading to Three Lakes. One of the backpackers told us that he read that fishing was good at Irely Lake, so this raised my hopes.

The trail was more uphill than down on the way out, but we eventually found a sign that pointed to a spur that went up a hill to the left to Irely Lake. As we crested the hill and walked to an overlook, we came to the realization that Irely Lake was dry! I felt quite foolish standing in a dry meadow with my fishing rod and net.

Dave Ready to Net a Rock in Dry Irely Lake

Dave Ready to Net a Rock in Dry Irely Lake

Confluence of East and North Branches of Quinault River

Confluence of East and North Branches of Quinault River

 

We quickly made the return hike and reversed course to a place where we crossed the Quinault River on a bridge and drove a short distance east on Graves Creek Road. I was interested in getting a closer look at the North Fork and East Fork of the Quinault River, and we found a small pullout on a high bank that overlooked the confluence of the two branches. The water in both forks was a deep blue hue similar to the Hoh. At this point the precipitation took the form of a dense mist, and we could see thick clouds hanging in front of the mountains in the distance. I’m sure this was the prototypical rainforest view. I could only imagine wading into the ice cold blue flows of the Quinault River and casting for fresh steelhead. The thought of fishing for powerful steelhead in these smaller rivers compared to the wide and brawling Deschutes River actually appealed to me.

Looking Up the East Branch in the Mist and Rain

Looking Up the East Branch in the Mist and Rain

We ate our lunches in the car and enjoyed the comparatively dry cozy comfort of our shelter from the rain. After finishing lunch, we made the long drive back to the turnoff to the Quinault River valley and then retreated along highway 101 until we reached the Pacific Coast at Kalaloch. From looking at the map, it appeared that Kalaloch was one of the more developed beach areas with campgrounds and a lodge. We were both feeling quite chilled from the damp weather, so we stopped at the lodge and enjoyed cups of tea and coffee. After we warmed up, we braved the soggy elements and took a brief stroll on the beach where Kalaloch Creek enters the Pacific Ocean. This piqued our interest in spending more time on the coastal beaches, and we looked forward to the arrival of Joe, Amy and Dan so we could make our plans.

Dave Rests on Drift Logs at Kalaloch Beach

Dave Rests on Drift Logs at Kalaloch Beach

After departing the beach we drove back to Forks, and as we entered the fringe of the town, we stopped and took photos at the visitor center including a photo next to the Forks, WA sign. Apparently this is a requirement of all Twilight fans. When we returned to the Forks Motel, it wasn’t long before the trio of backpackers arrived, and we grabbed a warm dinner at the Pacific Pizza restaurant. More Olympic adventures were in our future.

Jane in the Obligatory Twilight Photo

Jane in the Obligatory Twilight Photo

 

 

Olympic National Park, Day 3 – 08/11/2014

Olympic National Park, Day 3 08/11/2014 Photo Album

When I returned to the parking lot from fishing, Jane wasn’t visible, so I walked to the Bovee’s Meadow “beach” and found her sitting on a drift log. The number of swimmers, dogs, kayakers and picnickers had multiplied greatly over the previous hour so we were happy to say farewell.

I removed my waders and stashed my fishing gear, and we made the drive on highway 101 to the Lake Crescent marina at the western end of the lake. Jane was excited to rent a one person kayak; however, the marina only offered three two person kayaks and a canoe. We overestimated our stamina and paid to rent a red two person kayak for two hours. The young ginger in the store led us to the shed where we selected life jackets and adjusted them, and then Jane and I dragged the long kayak into the lake. We stabilized ourselves in the seats with low backs and grabbed our paddles and splashed out of the bay.

Jane in Front of Two Person Kayak

Jane in Front of Two Person Kayak

It was a warm day, so the occasional wayward splash from the paddles felt refreshing. We began by following the north shore for what seemed like three miles, but in reality it was probably only 1-1.5 miles. We were both concerned about straining arm and back muscles by paddling too fast and too long. Paddling was not an activity that we were accustomed to doing, so this was a legitimate and serious concern. We passed numerous private cabins and boathouses along the north shore, and I was actually surprised at how many were occupied on a weekday.

We tried to pace ourselves and rest occasionally, but our strong work ethics governed our approach, and we maintained a fairly rigorous pace. After 45 minutes of relatively aggressive paddling we decided to cross the lake and begin our return trip. During the first half of our water trip we battled intermittent headwinds, so we looked forward to a favorable tailwind on the way back. Unfortunately the wind essentially died as the hour passed, and we had to supply muscle power to cut through the lake on the homeward leg.

At 3PM some clouds blocked the sun, and I noticed a large quantity of small blue winged olives skidding across the surface of the lake. It didn’t take long before the swarm of hatching mayflies induced quite a few rings from rising trout. It was torture to be in this situation with no fly rod or flies, but I was careful to note the time of day in case I could arrange a return to Lake Crescent on a future day trip. The strong hatch lasted for nearly an hour and pods of rising fish appeared in several coves as we paddled our way back to the marina. We arrived at the beach by the marina at 4PM and decided to forego the last 30 minutes of our rental time to avoid overextending our weary muscles.

Jane at Fairholme Marina

Jane at Fairholme Marina

In lieu of kayak paddling we purchased two cans of Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout and found a picnic table in the neighboring campground where we sipped the ice cold suds and watched the swimmers in the small beach area between the marina and campground. After relaxing for a bit, we departed Lake Crescent in a mellow state and made the half hour drive back to Forks. Day three was a fun day of water activities, and we looked forward to new adventures on day four in Olympic National Park.

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stouts Ice Cold and Ready to Consume by Lake Crescent

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stouts Ice Cold and Ready to Consume by Lake Crescent

Olympic National Park, Day 2 – 08/10/2014

Olympic National Park, Day 2 08/10/2014 Photo Album

After Jane read an article in Sunset Magazine, she became increasingly intrigued with visiting Olympic National Park in the northwestern corner of Washington. In a conversation with our daughter, Amy, she discovered that Amy and her boyfriend, Joe, were independently planning a backpacking trip to Olympic National Park in August prior to Amy’s enrollment in the Pacific University physical therapy doctoral program. Our son, Dan, meanwhile had a two week window between finishing his summer internship in Minneapolis and returning to Duke for the second year of his MBA program. The planning all came together, and Jane and I found ourselves on a Frontier flight on Saturday morning August 9 to Seatac Airport in Washington.

The plan was for the five of us to meet in Tacoma for lunch. Jane and I would drive the rental car from the lunch spot to the northeast visitor center in Olympic National Park and transport Dan and his gear. Dan, Amy and Joe would then drive to the trailhead and begin their backpacking adventure while Jane and I continued to the west side of the park where we reserved a room at the Forks Motel in Forks, WA. Forks, WA I quickly learned was the setting for the Twilight series of books and movies. We would undertake daily tours of the Olympic National Park attractions on the west and central side of the park while the kids did their backpacking.

Once the threesome completed their backpacking loop, they would drive west and meet us in Forks for a couple days. Joe and Amy would then drive back to Portland, OR while Dan, Jane and I planned to return to Seatac and then fly back to Denver.

The actual visit pretty much followed the script, and Jane and I arrived in Forks, WA late on Saturday afternoon. We spent the rest of the day gathering information and food and getting situated in what would be our home base for the next week.

Huge Sitka Spruce Tree

Huge Sitka Spruce Tree

We were surprised to discover that the western part of the Olympic peninsula was in a bit of a drought with the rivers quite low and the trees and shrubs actually showing signs of changing color in early August. For our first adventure we elected to drive south to explore the Hoh Rainforest, and Sunday was no different from recent weather patterns with temperatures reaching 90 degrees. The Hoh Rainforest was a great place to spend a day in abnormally hot weather as the giant evergreens provided massive amounts of shade. Our first stop was a roadside pullout that featured a huge sitka spruce tree. We moved on to the ranger station where we did a quick .8 mile loop trail called the Hall of Moss. This was our initial exposure to a dense rainforest featuring club moss, huge trees, mushrooms and ferns.

Jane and Dave in Hoh Rainforest

Jane and Dave in Hoh Rainforest

After completing the Hall of Moss, we departed on a 5.8 mile out and back trek on the Hoh River Trail. Despite the warm temperatures, we enjoyed a great hike that gave us intermittent views of the aqua-colored Hoh River. We set a goal to reach Mt. Tom Creek before turning around, and we achieved our destination. We explored the Mt. Tom Creek campground a bit, and this provided a convenient path to the blue Hoh River where we dipped our hands in the ice cold flows. When we returned to the main trail, we found a large stump and ate our lunches.

Dave Next to the Blue Hoh River

Dave Next to the Blue Hoh River

When we returned to Forks, we decided to search out the Rivers Edge Restaurant in La Push, WA. We arrived early and elected to explore Beach One, but somehow missed the sign and ended up hiking a bit further to Beach Two. This was probably a fortuitous change in plans as Beach Two was quite nice; whereas, we later discovered that Beach One was right in town. Numerous campers had their tents set up on the fringe of the beach, and many hikers were arriving to view the summer sunset.

Tents Set Up Along the Beach

Tents Set Up Along the Beach

After our beach stroll we found the restaurant where we both ordered seafood entrees. The food was not as delicious as we expected, but it served to satisfy our appetites. We returned to Forks and made our plans for Monday in Olympic National Park. In one day we had already experienced the Pacific beach and a rainforest.

Jane's Footprint

Jane’s Footprint

 

Argentine Christmas Dinner – 12/25/2013

Argentine Christmas Dinner 12/25/2013 Photo Album

Jane and I certainly enjoyed the scenery and outdoor activities during our visit to Argentina, but one of the more lasting impressions was the food that delighted our palates. Of course we read about the Malbec wine and delicious steaks of this South American country, but we were surprised by the variety of other dishes that left a favorable impression on us besides the meat and wine.

As we spent hours waiting for flights on our return trip, we came up with the idea to have an Argentine Christmas dinner. Amy and her boyfriend Joe would be home for Christmas as well as Dan, and we felt it would be fun to share our new discoveries with our kids. The first step was developing a menu, and in no time we pulled one together.

For appetizers we planned paired figs and bite sized ham similar to the tasty toothpick connected treats that were served at Rio Manso Lodge. In addition we planned on some non-Argentine favorites such as pita bread with hummus and peanuts and crackers.

Since Amy is vegetarian we planned our first course to be empanadas, both vegetable and meat, followed by some stuffed pumpkin. The main dinner would then be a small asado with chicken and chorizo and grilled vegetables, and for dessert we envisioned coffee flan. There would also be chimichurri sauce for the meats since we loved the sauce prepared by the kitchen staff at the Rio Manso Lodge.

Now our plan was formulated, and we needed to execute. Several days before Christmas Jane and I made a trip to Lowe’s Mercado, a Mexican supermarket on Coflax Avenue within five miles of our house. We purchased chili powder, plantains, chorizo, empanada discs, sofrito, and fresh produce. In addition we visited King Soopers and bought some of the standard items that we use in our normal food preparation.

A late addition to our Christmas dinner was an ice globe as Jane spotted a kit while we were shopping at City Floral and couldn’t resist buying it. We had the necessary materials to make six ice globes, so we experimented with one a week before Christmas and discovered that success was not a foregone conclusion. We allowed the orb to freeze too long and ended up with a globe-shaped solid chunk of ice. We learned from this experience, however, and created a second successful globe several days before Christmas. All we had to do was prevent our novel Christmas decoration from melting, and we had a unique centerpiece for our Christmas dinner.

On Christmas Eve Jane worked on the flan and made eight cups and placed them in the refrigerator to chill. It was reassuring to have one of our menu items essentially completed before Christmas day. We also scheduled to make the empanada fillings, but the weather in Denver was so warm and balmy that we couldn’t resist doing fun activities outdoors, so we delayed Christmas dinner preparation until Christmas Day.

On Christmas morning we followed our normal routine and opened gifts and enjoyed breakfast burritos. Amazingly this lasted until 1:30 in the afternoon unlike Christmas when the kids were young when presents were ripped open in a matter of two hours or less. By 3PM there was no room for delay so we pulled out all the required ingredients and began food preparation in earnest.

Amy Begins Making Empanada Dough

Amy Begins Making Empanada Dough

Here is a rundown on our menu for Christmas 2013:

Our second ice globe was more successful than the first as we removed it from the freezer before it froze solid. The outer shell was a nice thick 1/2 inch wall, and we managed to keep it frozen for the day or two between creation and Christmas dinner. The hollow orb with the glowing candle in the center served as an extraordinary centerpiece on our Christmas dining room table.

Ice Globe Now on Dining Room Table

Ice Globe Now on Dining Room Table

Finished Shrimp Empanadas

Finished Shrimp Empanadas

 

Empanadas were a big hit and probably represented the most popular menu items. Amy and Dave began the project; but as the recipe moved along, Amy became the mainstay, and Dave gradually converted to grilling while Joe assumed empanada fill and seal duties. The team made eight black bean and plantain pockets using the frozen Goya dough purchased at the Mexican supermarket, but it quickly became apparent that there was not enough dough to finish the shrimp versions. Amy was the hero, however, as she whipped together a dough recipe that enabled eight shrimp empanadas to appear, and then she used up the remaining dough to create improvised empanadas using leftovers from breakfast. Dave had purchased ingredients for a third type of doughy treat that used tofu, a potato, pepper and onion, but he was unable to find the source recipe. At any rate all versions were consumed, and leftovers fueled the family for several additional breakfasts and lunches.

The stuffed pumpkin or squash was also tasty, but it was different from the menu item that Jane and Dave enjoyed during their last lunch at Rio Manso Lodge. The Christmas version involved scooping out the squash flesh and mixing with fresh onion and cilantro and then reintroducing the filling to the hollowed out squash bowl before baking. The version in Argentina had a mix of various vegetables in a thick relish that was placed in the pumpkin without scooping out the pumpkin flesh. As we ate the filling we combined it with the squash.

Stuffed Pumpkin

Stuffed Pumpkin

Dan fired up the charcoal grill and placed the Himalayan salt block along the edge and then gradually shifted it over the fire until it was sizzling hot. The first things to be placed on the grill were the grilled vegetables. Like our Argentine asado, we had zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, and peppers, but we added beets and carrots. Unfortunately the beets and carrots were stored in our downstairs refrigerator which cannot be adjusted appropriately and freezes contents in the refrigerator side. We sliced the frozen beets and carrots and placed them on the salt block, and these items immediately thawed and then sizzled and crisped. We sequentially added the other vegetables and grilled them as well. The grilled vegetables were quite tasty although the beets absorbed a huge amount of salt due to their mushy state. Joe and Dan loved them although some of the family members felt they were too salty.

Grilled Vegetables

Grilled Vegetables

The next stage of the asado was to grill the steaks, chicken and chorizo. These items turned out to be quite good, but we overestimated our appetites and had to eat our Christmas dinner in two separate stages. By the time we ate two or three empanadas and a stuffed pumpkin on Christmas, we were too bloated to eat the main course so we decided to grill only the chorizo and save the other meats for a later meal. The chorizo turned out to be the least popular item on the menu. The small sausage links were extremely fatty with a thick casing. They flamed up immediately in the hot fire and turned an unappetizing black color. The casing was too thick to eat, so we peeled it off and ate the meat within which proved to be crumbly and quite salty. Between the beets and the chorizo we probably consumed our weekly quota of salt in one meal.

Chorizo Before Cooking

Chorizo Before Cooking

The last item on the menu was the coffee flan, and this was a big hit. Even though we didn’t have room for meat, we had plenty of room for the sweet coffee flavored flan that melted in one’s mouth. Jane’s flan was every bit as good as the dessert I enjoyed at Rio Manso.

Coffee Flan

Coffee Flan

As mentioned earlier we ate empanadas, stuffed pumpkin and flan and snacked on a small portion of grilled vegetables and then saved the rest as leftovers. On Thursday evening we were dinner guests at the home of some friends, so the first opportunity to resume our Argentine feast was Friday night. We fired up the grill again and cooked some additional vegetables and then seared the steaks and chicken. The second asado was very successful as we all enjoyed the second stage of our Argentine feast. For a first attempt at cooking new dishes, I think we fared quite well. Whether this becomes a Christmas tradition is still undetermined, but we now know not to prepare three meals when one will suffice.

Let the Christmas Dinner Begin

Let the Christmas Dinner Begin

 

 

Argentina Day 12 – 12/08/2013

Argentina Day 12 12/08/2013 Photo Album

Sunday was our travel day, and we expected it to be a long multi-day experience. Unfortunately we had no idea how challenging it would be to return the United States.

The original itinerary called for leaving Rio Manso Lodge by 1PM and arriving at the Bariloche airport by 3PM thus allowing two hours before our scheduled 5:15PM Aerolineas flight from Baricloche to Buenos Aires. Upon landing in Buenos Aires we had four hours to cross the city to Ezeiza International Airport, and then we were scheduled to depart at 11PM on an American Airlines flight to Dallas, TX where we switched planes and arrived in Denver, CO at 10AM on Monday morning.

The Girls on Departure Day

The Girls on Departure Day

When we awoke on Sunday morning we descended to the dining room for one final breakfast. After breakfast we gathered with the California guests for final goodbyes and photos as they had early afternoon flights out of Bariloche. Once the other guests departed Jane and I took a hike to the first waterfalls of the Rio Manso. Jane had visited waterfalls 2 and 3, but hadn’t made the short walk to the first falls, and I had been fishing; and therefore, had not seen any of the waterfall attractions. During our stay most of us had seen the huge Argentine rabbits romping about near the lodge, but for some reason Jane had not yet encountered any of these odd looking creatures. As we walked down the dirt road, a large rabbit bounded across the road, and Jane had her first glimpse. Later on our return hike an even bigger bunny galloped down the road ahead of us. The movement of the rabbit resembled a gallop much more than a hop due to the large hind legs.

Jane and Dave Say Goodbye to Patagonia

Jane and Dave Say Goodbye to Patagonia

At the end of the road we encountered a small dirt parking lot and a short trail that led to an overlook of the falls. The water crashed over some rocks and fell roughly 75 feet before creating a huge mass of spray and mist. A side channel of the river diverted to one side and re-entered the main river via a much smaller waterfall, and the angle of the sun on the mist of the large falls created a small rainbow. We snapped some photos and returned to the lodge for a tasty lunch of stuffed pumpkin and a dessert of crepes with vanilla yogurt. It was a fitting final meal to a week of delectable treats.

A Secondary Falls with a Rainbow in the Foreground

A Secondary Falls with a Rainbow in the Foreground

After lunch Jane and I said our goodbyes to the staff and jumped in the truck for the 1-2 hour trip to Bariloche. Roberto’s mother joined us, as she was receiving a ride to the home of her other son who lives in Bariloche. When we entered the town of Bariloche, we climbed the side of a hill until we found the brother’s house and dropped off Mom. From there Santiago, the driver, took us to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time and after checking our luggage settled back to wait for our flight. As soon as the entrance to the boarding area opened, we went through security and found the gate for our flight.

At our scheduled departure time a gate agent made an announcement over the public address system in Spanish, and Jane and I didn’t comprehend the content, but we noticed concerned expressions on the faces of the other waiting passengers. Some more time passed by until it was after our departure time, and finally another announcement blasted out of the overhead speakers. This time most of the passengers stood and returned to the lobby, so we finally decided to follow suit. Eventually we found some passengers who spoke English, and they told us that the flight was cancelled, and of course there was now a long massive line waiting at the end of the check in counter to get rebooked on flights to Buenos Aires by one Aerolineas agent.

The scene was rather chaotic and several tour guides pushed to the front and attempted to get their clients priority. Other Spanish speaking Argentinians crowded the counter and spoke with the agent in Spanish apparently attempting to use tactics to influence their priority. Eventually the agent used a megaphone to announce that travelers should relax as they would be called when it was their turn to obtain a new boarding pass for a later flight. Meanwhile Jane and I learned that we had to return to baggage claim to reclaim our luggage, and then we dragged it back up the stairs as there was a huge line waiting for the elevator. Waiting in line apparently is a national past-time in Argentina.

Through this process we met several folks from the U.S. who appeared to be equally bewildered with the flight cancellation process. More importantly there was a young lady from Argentina who spoke some English, and I was able to befriend her and gain some useful information. Apparently the passengers were getting rebooked in order of their original check in. In addition she informed me that the agent announced that we could get free beverages at the adjoining restaurant, and after another hour of waiting she actually sought me out to pass along an announcement that we could have food free of charge.

Finally after waiting for several hours, our name was called, and I went to the counter and obtained two boarding passes for an Aerolineas flight scheduled to depart at 10:30PM. We checked our bags again and went through the same gate entry and security process that we’d completed at 4:30. There was another LAN flight scheduled for 11PM, and many of the passengers from our original flight got on the LAN flight which boarded and departed before our 10:30 flight. As we waited we spotted a young boy wearing a Long Beach Island T-shirt so I struck up a conversation. As it turned out the young man had never been there, but their traveling companions were a father and son from Argentina who currently lived in Connecticut. As we waited, the father took us under his wing and helped us understand the announcements.

Finally at 11PM we boarded the plane and made the two hour flight to Buenos Aires and landed at approximately 1:30 AM. Somehow we found the Aerolineas information desk and asked about lodging for the night, and they directed us to the airport information service. A young man there who spoke English recommended a nearby hotel called Aeroparke and called ahead and reserved a room for us. We found a taxi and made the short trip to the hotel where we checked in, found our room and crashed knowing that we had missed our American Airlines flight and had another travel snafu to deal with in the morning.

Jane woke up before I did, and being in a distressed state, headed for the lobby with her iPad to determine how we could get home. She was unsuccessful in using Wi-Fi and Expedia, so she asked if the woman at the front desk could help, and the nice young lady complied. The female front desk employee used the hotel land line and dialed American Airlines for Jane, but when Jane spoke with the agent, she was told that we missed our flight and needed to purchase brand new tickets. American Airlines told Jane that we needed to contact Aerolineas for compensation.

Jane returned to the room and woke me up with this pleasant news, so I quickly got ready and joined her in the lobby. Once again I contacted Taylor and Diana for help while I had Wi-Fi access, and then because I was concerned about moving to the airport and giving up the ability to communicate, we contacted Verizon and purchased international voice, text and data for the December billing period. As it turned out there were restaurants and cafes at the airport with free Wi-Fi, but we weren’t taking any chances. We ate a light breakfast and paid our bill, and the hotel contacted a taxi to transport us to the international airport.

Once we arrived at Ezeiza we immediately headed to Aerolineas to obtain the “re-protection” that the American Airlines agent mentioned in the phone conversation with Jane. Of course the Aerolineas terminal was separate and distant from the other two terminals, so we had to push our heavy luggage along a long sidewalk, but finally we arrived at an information desk where we described our predicament. After a bit of waiting the front desk agent ushered us into a back room, and the woman there told us she was not authorized to provide compensation beyond paying for lodging or taxi costs resulting from our flight cancellation. Jane and I both reacted in frustration to this so she offered that we needed to go to Aerolineas headquarters in downtown Buenos Aires, the very location we had just left! She also provided us with a phone number to call.

We left the Aerolineas terminal 3 and trudged back to terminal 1 where American Airlines was located and walked to the end of the large terminal building where a single agent stood behind the ticket purchase counter. We remained calm and polite as we explained our situation and asked when we could depart from Buenos Aires on a rescheduled flight. The young lady began banging away at the keyboard and finally announced that the earliest we could leave was midnight on Monday, and there were no available seats from Dallas to Denver, so we would need to fly to Miami and then on to Denver. She then apologized as she told us that this would require a ten hour layover in Miami!

I then asked her what it would cost for this roundabout trip, and she once again typed some information and responded that it would be an additional $450 per person totaling $900. The breakdown was $200 per person penalty and $250 per person for the change in fare between when we originally purchased and now. By now we were frustrated with the entire travel experience and just wanted to return home, so we asked her to book us, but then asked if we could speak to her supervisor to appeal the penalty since it wasn’t our fault that Aerolineas cancelled our flight. The nice young agent replied that certainly we could speak to the supervisor, but she would not arrive at work until 4PM, and that was another 1.5 hours. Jane and I thanked her profusely for her assistance and found a small cafe where we ate lunch and killed time as we waited for 4PM to arrive. After lunch I attempted to dial the Aerolineas numbers provided, and after finally unscrambling the access code, country code and region code; I could not get anyone to answer the phone. We decided we’d try to deal with a refund when we returned to the U.S.

At 4PM we pushed our luggage back to the end of the terminal, and our new friend the agent was still there. We waited while she took care of some customers, and then she called her supervisor who apparently approved waiving the penalties without meeting us in person. We now paid the additional $500 for the fare change and received our tickets and then waited another 30 minutes until the check in agents arrived. A line began to form now so we positioned ourselves eighth and moved through the maze. While moving along a young Asian woman was behind us, and she had a Korean olympic logo on her luggage, so I began to converse with her. As it turns out she was a field hockey referee and coach who used to play for the Korean olympic team. Her English was fairly minimal but I did understand that she’d been to Boston in the U.S. and London, and it seemed she really loved London.

Finally it was our turn to move to the counter, and we checked our three heavy bags and received our boarding passes. Could we finally be getting close to returning to our home? We still had quite a bit of time to kill, so we strolled around the perimeter of the terminal and did some window shopping. Jane’s cell phone battery was getting low, and it was the device that we had used to purchase international service, so we searched for an outlet. Ezeiza offered far fewer outlets than most U.S. airports, but we managed to find an open socket where a vending machine was plugged into the wall near the entrance. Jane and I sat down on the floor to allow the phone to charge for 20 minutes or so, and as we were waiting, we looked up and discovered Marcos and Tomas. Marcos and Tomas were the father and son team that lived in Connecticut that helped us in Bariloche, and we were amazed to chance upon these new friends again.

We told them of our hardships, and then I asked Marcos what he did in the U.S. and discovered that he worked for Bank of America. We also chatted with Tomas for a bit while Marcos was on his mobile phone, and the young fellow was quite impressive with his English and his poise with strangers such as ourselves. Once Marcos got off the phone, we talked some more, and I mentioned that I was from southeastern Pennsylvania near Philadelphia, and Marcos replied that he and his family lived near Philly for three years while he obtained his PHD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. I then informed him that I graduated from Wharton with an MBA, and then I asked him what his role was at Bank of America, and he replied that he was their corporate economist for Latin America. Marcos and Tomas needed to move on to catch their flight, and we planned to eat dinner, so I gave Marcos my Saddleback Design business card and asked him to send me an email with his address upon their return.

Once Jane’s phone was charged we went upstairs to check out the dining options and found a quiet spot in the corner where we rested and had a peaceful dinner. We still had some remaining pesos after paying for dinner, so we wandered over to a coffee shop and bought some alfajores to use up the local currency. Finally it was getting closer to the time of our flight, so we decided to go through security and find our gate. On our way to the gate we passed a large duty free shop so we found the gate location and then wandered through the shops for a half hour or so. The flight remained on time so we boarded the plane at 11:30PM and found our seats, but unlike the flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires, this flight to Miami was full, so there was no spreading out to sleep.

Once again we slept intermittently on the long ten hour flight to Miami and arrived there travel weary on Tuesday morning. It took an hour or two to pass through passport control and then customs, but eventually we found ourselves wandering through the Miami airport in search of our gate that would take us to Denver. There were so many Spanish speaking people in the Miami airport that I felt like I was still in Argentina. We had a small breakfast on the plane before landing, but both of us were in need of tea and coffee so we searched and found a coffee shop. After breakfast we returned to an empty gate waiting area and found an outlet on a cylindrical post and charged all our electronic equipment.

Our flight to Denver was at 6PM so we killed time for most of the afternoon by reading at the empty gate and having lunch at a Latin restaurant. After lunch we stopped and purchased some goodies to eat on the return flight. Fortunately everything went according to plan once we arrived in Miami, and we boarded our plane and made the four hour flight before eventually arriving in Denver by 8PM.

It was quite a trip. Originally we were scheduled to leave Bariloche at 5:15PM on Sunday and arrive home in Denver by 10AM on Monday morning. Instead we left Bariloche at 11PM on Sunday and arrived home in Denver by 10PM on Tuesday. A trip that was supposed to take 3/4 of a day morphed into a two day sojourn. We were extremely happy to arrive at our home in Denver, and we almost immediately jumped into our beds. We had a great time in Argentina, but our traveling travails departing and coming home will not be forgotten soon.

 

Argentina Day 5 – 12/01/2013

Argentina Day 5 12/01/2013 Photo Album

A Hawk Perched Outside the Window in Our Suite on Sunday Morning

A Hawk Perched Outside the Window in Our Suite on Sunday Morning

On Sunday morning we awoke to blue skies and sunshine and a hawk perched on a tree limb outside our grand window. Could this have been staged? Jane and I wandered over to the dining area in the separate building near the road and enjoyed a fine continental breakfast will all sorts of pastries, fruit, yogurt and cereal. After breakfast we returned to our main lodge and roamed about the grounds. It was quite windy but we found several places with wind barriers, and the warmth of the sun was quite pleasant. We descended the steps and path and reached the edge of the huge lake which was now churning with whitecaps due to the high winds. There were flowers everywhere, but the most prevalent were a yellow bush of moderate height that we later learned was called retama. They reminded me of forsythia but strangely had small green pods on the branches.

View of Lirolay Suites from the Road

View of Lirolay Suites from the Road

Retama Flowering Shrub Was Everywhere

Retama Flowering Shrub Was Everywhere

 

At this point we thought we were being picked up by Rio Monso on Sunday morning so we packed our suitcases and wandered over to the office. Much to our surprise the other couples that were supposed to join us for the trip to Rio Monso Lodge were no where to be found, so we began to suspect that something was amiss. We asked if the person at the front counter could contact Rio Manso, and he began to call and email his contacts. Meanwhile I used the Wi-Fi connection to send emails to Diana and Taylor. Apparently we created quite a storm and eventually Santiago, the driver who was in town to drop off departing guests at the airport, appeared and offered to take us to the lodge.

Hot Tub Overlooking Lake Adjoining Sunday Night Suite (Very Sweet)

Hot Tub Overlooking Lake Adjoining Sunday Night Suite (Very Sweet)

By now I’d heard back from Taylor and learned that we weren’t scheduled for pickup until Monday morning, so we checked with the front desk person whether we could stay at Lirolay for a second night. Fortunately there was a room available, the Lirolay suite, the nicest and most expensive room situated closest to the lake. We decided to remain in Bariloche for another night and moved to our upgraded room that contained a hot tub on a deck just outside our bed. It was unfortunate that we were forced to stay another night in this luxury.

With an extra day in Bariloche ahead of us we checked back with Matis, the nice front desk person, and he suggested things to do. For starters we decided to hire a taxi and head to a small restaurant along the lake near Cerro Campanario. Afterward we were within walking distance of the chairlift that would transport us to Cerro Campanario where we would have scenic views of the mountains and lakes around Bariloche. Matise called a taxi for us and after a 15 minute winding ride along the lake, dropped us off at Chado, the restaurant by the lake. Jane and I enjoyed light lunches and then walked a short distance back along the road to the base of the chairlift and purchased two lift tickets. A brief pleasant ride on the chair took us to the top where we circled around the path and snapped panoramic photos of the landscape.

View from the Top, Perhaps Best of the Trip

View from the Top, Perhaps Best of the Trip

For our return trip we decided to follow a dusty path that was visible from the chair, and as we descended we encountered numerous brave or perhaps foolish visitors making the uphill climb. At one point a young man approached in a Denver Nuggets jersey, and I stopped and told him that I was from Denver, Colorado and asked if he were a Nuggets fan? He replied in minimal English, “No Los Angeles Clippers”. Our language barrier prevented me from finding out why he was wearing a Nuggets jersey.

After reaching the base we were at a loss about how to obtain a cab for the return trip, so we returned to the restaurant and asked our waiter to call one. We decided to order a dessert to validate our return, but the cab arrived much sooner than expected and we had to gulp our tea and inhale our dessert cake in order to not make the cab driver wait.

After checking into our new room and being awestruck by our new setup, we decided to make a trip to downtown Bariloche to see what an Argentine ski town is like. Again the front desk ordered a taxi, and the driver dropped us off on Mitre street, the main artery through the business district. We spent an hour or two browsing the shops and exchanging money before enlisting the services of another cab and returning to Lirolay. Bariloche is known as the chocolate capital of Argentina and we entered a chocolate outlet store and bought a box of candy to carry back to the United States.

Jane in Chocolate Outlet in Bariloche Known for Chocolate

Jane in Chocolate Outlet in Bariloche Known for Chocolate

A restaurtant across from Lirolay Suites was recommended as one of the best in town, so we decided to make it our dining spot for Sunday night. Matise called and made reservations for us, and at the appropriate time we crossed the street and entered El Patacon parilla. There were plenty of tables and we enjoyed a fine meal before returning to our luxury suite for a fine night’s rest.