Boogacres: Patagonia, Laguna Azul, and Mirador Cuernos, Sunday, March 13, 2016

Funny story. Yesterday afternoon when we checked in to our room, it was HOT because of the western exposure and the afternoon sun. So we opened the window. Last night, when Jac and I went back to our room after dinner, we found the room filled with tiny flying insects. They looked like blind mosquitoes to me. They don't bite, but the shear number was intimidating! The wall and floor were black. I was so tired, I just brushed them off my pillow and crawled into bed. However, Jac freaked out! I suppose there were more of them on her side of the room near the light. So we called the front desk. They couldn't have been nicer, moving us to another room just to sleep. They cleaned out the bugs, and the next morning, we moved back in and haven't opened the window since.

We didn't fully appreciate the breathtaking view from the two-story picture windows in our room, because it was hot and we were late for dinner. But this morning ... oh my gosh. The view took my breath away!

The view from our room at sunrise.

I've always thought the Maroon Bells were spectacular, and they are! But these mountains in Patagonia go a step beyond the Bells! Any one mountain standing alone is spectacular, but clustered together they create a skyline of mountain masterpieces of such magnanimous, majestic magnitude ... how do you like all those "m" words? Hopefully you get the picture.

Point Grande, The Horns of Paine, Cuernos, and the Towers form a beautiful Patagonian Skyline.

On the far left, Point Grande, home of the Frances Glacier, starts the scene. Tucked in beside Point Grande, are the Horns of Paine (pronounced "piney").

Horns de Paine.

These unique peaks have a thick mid section of pink granite topped with black sedimentary rock formations.

Looks like someone started painting them black and stopped midway down. Next in line are Cuerno Principal, Cuerno East and Cuerno West. And finishing the skyline are the famous Torres (Towers). People come from around the world to hike the Towers.

We began our day today familiarizing ourselves with the area driving over 100 miles through the park stopping first at a water fall originating from Laguna Azul, a stunning blue glacier fed lake.

Paine Water Fall.

Snack time overlooking Laguna Azul and the Towers.

Our guides set up a delicious snack for us overlooking the lake. The peanut butter cookies were excellent!!

We returned to the hotel for lunch and later in the afternoon, we set off for Mirador Cuernos, or the "Horns Lookout."

On a calm day, this area is known for it's high winds. Well, today was particularly windy everywhere! When we arrived at Mirador Cuernos, the winds were sustained at over fifty miles per hour and gusts were reported up to 120 miles per hour. No matter how tightly my hat was cinched down, there was no way to keep it on. It blew off my head and every single member of the group behind ours - about 15 people - tried to stop it. In the end, the driver from the van parked several hundred feet away caught it. Our destination was to be the Horns Lookout. Struggling into the fierce wind, we made our way to the Salto Grande waterfall for a brief visit.

Salto Grande Water Fall.

The wind was blowing so hard that we were unable to safely hike to the lookout point. It was just too dangerous.

Jac leans against the rail to keep from being blown off her feet!

It was really difficult trying to walk into the wind, but walking with a cross wind was even more difficult! With each step, my leg was blown in front of me actually causing me to trip myself. We finally managed to get to the van and made our way back to the hotel.

It was exhausting fighting the wind, so when Kitty announced that her lecture originally scheduled for tomorrow night was moved up a night, I decided it was a "hard pass!" She was talking about how we all originated from a single bird cell or something like that and I had no interest anyway. So I retreated to the lobby area to see if I could connect to wifi and check in with the outside world.

The meals here at Tierra Patagonia have been fantastic. The fruit is delicious! It tastes like fruit should taste. Very flavorful!

After another outstanding dinner, we wandered back to the room to prepare for our day tomorrow ... a big girl hike.

Video clip showing severity of the winds today.

Our National Geographic Group at Laguna Azul.

Guanaco family (pronounced "Gwa-nock-o"). These animals are ancient descendants of the camel, but look like a Llama. They're everywhere. Nasty little critters spit at us!