Update

I am giving up on the pictures for a while. They take forever to load, then get out of order, then disappear.

Yesterday we drove 22o kilometers to el Chalten which is a very tiny town and launching pad for trekkers. Lots of young adventurers with massive backpacks. Quite a few hostels and bus passengers.

We took our time driving there and stopped at every turn out for pictures as it was a beautiful day. No clouds, sunny, and little wind. We finally made it into town and pulled into the Ranger station and were greeted by Alex who saw us coming. He is a Canadian, in his 50's who has worked at National Parks most of his life and really likes Argentina as he drove down from Montreal for 2 1/2 months and got a job at the park. He suggest we climb this trail for 45 minutes.

It was like the Ray Betts death march in Palm Springs!! Just up the hill, no problemo senior! Well it was steep and we had a great view and even saw the condor on Condor Hill.

Came down the hill and found a place for pizza lunch with a couple of grande cervezas. Pam announced that she was done walking as her legs were not cooperating, so I said, how about I walk up to the viewpoint and meet you back at the car.

It looked soo close on the map, but three hours later I showed up and even though she had the keys, she was still there. The scenery was spectacular!!

Stopped by the only gas station in town as we were down to half a tank and it was closed. Reminded me of 1973. We saw Alex driving his Park Ranger truck and he said yeah they are closed, you can wait til they open, but I don't know when that will be.

So 225 km, I'll drive 55, coast down the hills, we should be okay. And I was right! Finally!! We pulled into town with 1/4 tank left, but our cerveza and vino tanks were empty, so to the grocery for supplies and a lunch for tomorrow's boat ride to the Upsala Galcier and ranch. It cost $17 US for lunch, or if you are a Hadley, $1.97 to bring your own!

So I tried blogging Wednesday night, but pictures didn't load and cervezas flowed and it was decided to wait another day!

I set a couple alarms for the morning as we had to be at the boat by 8 a.m. At 1:45 an alarm went off, but turns out it was the one set for Pacific time and performed correctly. So Pam got coffee and I got gas. Let me rephrase that! Never mind!

I picked her up at the hotel as the gas station was only a block away and off we went into the darkness.

It was about half an hour to the port where the catamaran left for the glacier. We found it and once again were the first ones there. The busses arrived with the 'tourists' and we were at the front of the line and got the front seats.

We were joined by three men from Milan, Italy who took a fancy to Pam and we had fun on the way up. They eventually produced their banners for Milan Football, tied them on to the Argentina flag pole on the boat. I took their picture and called them hooligans, and we were fast friends.

After about an hour we started to spot small ice bergs. About the size of a clogged ice cube tray in your refrigerator.

Then they got BIGGER and bright blue! We kept plowing ahead. We were told when we signed up for the tour that we wouldn't get to the glacier because it was jammed with icebergs. But we kept going and before long we were within a kilometer of the face (snout) of the glacier. The deck hands were all a tither saying this is the first time since 2007 that we have been able to get to the snout of the glacier, "you are soo lucky!"

Apparently some unusual winds came up for the last week and cleared the channel and we powered up for the first group in 5 years. Took a lot of pictures!! Hey when film cost $8 for 1,000 pictures, why not.

We met a couple from Holland with a dying battery on their camera, and I could relate from Iguaza Falls, so I told them I would cover. When we got to the Christina ranch at the end of the lake, we got in a truck (4 places in the cabin, or the rest in the bed of the truck) We decided that senority had it's priveleges and I got shotgun and Pam and Annette and Ad (the Holland couple) got the back.

45 minutes to go 5 miles. 4 wheel drive. bouncing, don't look down, why are we here type of 'road'. We were driving over glacier morans? Barren rock, fossil beds from the Pacific Ocean raised eons ago. Very windy, but not cold. You need to wait for the pictures! Spectacular views of multiple glaciers and birght blue lakes. Mountains and scrapped bare bedrock! Begining of time stuff!

Had lunch with the couple from Holland as they packed their lunch also. He is 52, she is 47. He is a Holland speed skater, as are his sons. They have a dairy farm in Holland and I will give them a chip with our pictures at the airport as they are also leaving tomorrow after they go to the Moreno Glacier.

He shared his website, http://www.hunsingo-dairy.nl/ as I shared mine http://www.riskyskier.com/ . I lose! But he has more gas!!! With his cows! or methane!!

Heading home in the morning for a marathon trip. Hope all is sunny and warm in Longview when we arrive!!!!!!!!!!