October '10 Road Trip

We left for our 11 day trip, Thursday 10/14 - Sunday 10/24, without really knowing where we were going beyond Missoula.  Glacier?  Moab?  Tetons?  MTBing across WA?  Well, we decided on Moab and 2600+ miles of driving. That's more than I normally do in a year so this was pretty epic.  Our story follows.

I worked in the back of the westy while Anna drove us to MT, we camped out near the border of MT and ID, and we rolled into Missoula on Friday 10/15. I had my shiny new Pivot MTB which I was very excited to try out, so we rode up the Rattlesnake canyon shortly after arriving and helping Shaun set up for the Rolling Thunder cross race. 

The bike

 We spent the day Saturday at the course and both raced and did well.

I stayed in on Saturday night and Anna raged until 4am as per usual.  Sunday Anna and her crew went out and did some trail work in preparation for the Pro XCT MTB race that Missoula is hosting and Shaun is organizing next July while I rode up into the mountains behind Anna's neighborhood in Missoula. I made it up 3500' to 6900' and the wilderness boundary, ditched the bike, summited (7900') on foot, and then came back down. The descent was pretty rad and the Pivot shined through the whole ride.  I was really excited at this point to have made a good purchase, especially having never ridden a full suspension bike!

View from atop Stuart Peak

We stopped in Victor to check out a co-worker's old cabin.  The drive down there and from there further south through the Bitterroot valley was amazing.  The leaves were turning and the mountains were awesome.  They were different than in the Cascades because they were more continuously tall rather than just coming out of nowhere and towering over everything like Hood, Rainier, Adams, Jefferson, Shasta, etc do.  The Cascades are better but these were sweet too.


We rode trail at Lake Como on our way south on Monday. It was rocky and flat, more technical than the Missoula riding.  Great trail with some awesome views of the mountains, waterfalls, and the lake.  Despite the great weather and it being a popular summer destination, there was hardly anyone there.  Like the rest of the Bitterroot, remote wilderness was very close by.

Happy to be riding!

Bruce is happy to be out of the Westy

Conquering Lake Como

Anna did very well on the trail and felt good about it since she had a hard time last time she was out on the trail.  We all need that kind of reinforcement sometimes!


From Lake Como we headed to SLC via the most scenic route that was in the right direction, which happened to take us near Borah Peak, the highest point in Idaho at 12k'+.

We got in late to cousin Nathanial's place in SLC, shared a couple beers and scouted his under-construction home before crashing in the westy.  The next morning we had breakfast at a local joint and took off unfortunately without seeing cousin Tony.  The drive from SLC south was boring highway but we quickly got back on the beautiful road less traveled:

That afternoon (Tuesday 10/19) we landed in Moab!  Land of epic mountain biking, as far as we knew.  We grabbed a map, got some advice, and hit the trails. 

Day 1 in Moab

Morning Yoga in Moab

Trying the back "entrance" to Arches

Turning around and barely making it out alive.

On day 2 in Moab, we made a failed attempt and getting in a side entrance to Arches.  Turns out when they say 2wd drive vehicles not recommended they sorta mean it.  Technically, we got into the park, we just had to turn around before we got to the main road because shit got sketchy and I was tired of dragging the bottom of the van across the slickrock.  We headed out and went into the main entrance.

The arches were cool and the park was touristy.  Dogs were not allowed and there was one hike, which we did a few miles of.  I'm glad we did it.  From Arches, we headed back into town.

This place sucks even more than my dad said it would

We hemmed and hawed and then made our way to the Slickrock trailhead where we found some cheap camping and the most popular trail in town.  It was maybe a little gimmicky--the whole ride is on Slickrock "petrified sand dunes"--but it was still really freaking awesome.  The sun set during our ride so the lighting was beautiful, and then we rode under a clear sky and a full moon with headlamps as needed.  Wow.

On day three in Moab, Anna got in touch with her friend Heidi from Missoula who had moved down there.  It turns out that her bf runs a shuttle company and she recommends the shuttle to the top of the La Sal mountains as one of the best rides in the country.  So we get a late start again and shuttle up to 10,500' and bike up to the pass at 11'400'.  It was friggin' cold and the descent was too steep and loose for us for a while but things started to come together for us after riding for an hour or so.  The views were incredible and we rode through several distinct ecosystems.  Just when things got a little redundant the riding and the flora would change dramatically as we descended.  The ride was by no means easy.  It was very technical with 2' drops and tons of rocks, and long at 30 miles.  It took us 6 hours to ride with lots of stops.  Our shuttle driver holds the record for descending from the pass to the bottom in 1:37.  That means he averages 20mph and probably hits 40 at times.  Wow.

If I were to do Moab again I don't think I'd do anything differently, other than stay for another couple weeks.  Sadly, we had to hit the road on Friday morning after only a few days in the desert.  We chose route to cross Nevada on rt 50, "The lonliest road in the USA" according to the maps.  

Anna jamming out in NV

NV was hilly and long.  Up and down, up and down, up and down...  It was actually quite beautiful, especially given our low expectations for the state, but damn was that road lonely.  We stopped into not this bar but the one next door to us and mingled with the locals.  Old "Red" didn't convince us to stick around for karaoke--we cut out after our Bud.  In Reno we headed north and cut off the road to sleep.  For a couple hours on Saturday the scenery was the same, but when we got off of 395 and onto 139 to Klamath Falls, the forest changed and it was awesome to be back in the PNW!!  Man I love our trees.  In K Falls we got a growler of some mediocre brew and some of the worst thai food ever.  We headed for crater lake but it was raining like hell and that rain turned to snow at about 5000', and eventually got deep enough that we didn't know if we'd make it, and there was a lot coming down.  So unfortunately I got to take a rain check from crater lake, which I continue to hear good things about.

Wait, we have another 1k of climbing?  Shit.

We made it to the hot springs on the N. Umpqua trail that night with only a little bit of gas left and a lot of miles under our belts.  It was raining like hell but the hot springs were pretty nice.  We camped out at the trailhead and then headed out into the pouring rain on our bikes on Sunday, but hit a lot of flooded sections and a bit of mud (which we try to avoid as to not damage the trail).  It got a lot better but we bailed to the road to make the ride back quicker.  Really we just went fast and didn't have to pedal so we froze our asses off and should've just ridden back on the trail.  Anyway, we made it.  The NUT is awesome and we want to return one day.  It was the shroomiest trail I've ever been on, with many many more where these came from:

Wet and frozen, we beelined it for Pizza Research Institute in Eugene, where we were not at all disappointed by the chef's special, piled high with a million toppings.  That place rules.


From Eugene, it was a quick trip back to PDX, where we are happy to be back in our own bed for a little while.  Well, not for too long, it's almost time to break out the cross country skis.

-Greg

Valle Encantado

Anna taking in the view from the balcony at the Hosteria Isla Victoria

The hosteria at Isla Victoria was beautiful and located on a 19km x 700m skinny island on the huge lake around Bariloche. It is the only building with guest lodging on the island; there's a small schoolhouse, lodging for the staff, and some park ranger offices; the rest is wilderness. Bariloche is a small outdoorsy town known for its proximity to the Andes, its beautiful lake, and its supposedly world-class chocolates.

Shortly after we arrived on Isla Victoria, we got a phone call from Harry, the guy with the travel agency who arranged all of our activities, telling us that a guide would be meeting us in the morning and taking us to a "special place" where there would be a hosteria, caves, rapelling, and some surprises. Harry hadn't let us down yet, so we were excited to see what he'd come up with.

We got up early the next morning and met our guide, Maxi, down by the dock. Maxi took us to shore (30 minute boat ride), where we took the van to Bariloche (40 minute ride), and then continued on past town and into a countryside that looked very similar to El Califate. I was skeptical about travelling so far to get to another ranch hosteria, but when I woke up from my nap I was met with a beautiful river running through the landscape and shortly afterwards a much different geography of hills covered in badlands-like rock formations. We took the van down a small side road down to a small lake, where we got on another boat and travelled across to the Hosteria Valle Encantado. It was isolated, serene, rustic, and beautiful, and the weather was substantially warmer and clearer than on the lake.

Maxi led us through the hosteria and on some trails to the base of the rock formations, which he told us some guests will climb for weeks on end, as there is some highly technical rock there. We worked our way up, dropped of the parents at a viewpoint, and climbed up through some more rocks to a point where we rappelled down to the people waiting. I think I hate rock climbing. I am irrationally freaked out by it and don't really enjoy it as a result. Indoors at the rock gym is one thing, but outside is scary. I'll give it another shot sometime but it might just not be my thing!

On our way to la Cueva del Puma--the Puma Cave!!

Anna's parents and Maxi

Anna rappelling down from the caves

From the rappelling we worked our way back to the ranch for lunch, which was awesome steak as per usual in Argentina. At the end of the delicious meal, Maxi came over and told us to all close our eyes as there was a surprise for us. We obeyed and were soon after met with the beautiful sounds of a small guitar-like instrument. When we looked up we saw a long-haired Argentine woman playing said instrument on the lawn in front of the building. She had a beautiful singing voice and played us about five songs of traditional Argentinean and Chilean styles. It almost brought tears to the eyes to have such a personal surprise show--what a treat!!

Lunch and a show

After a short nap on the lawn and in the hammock we headed to Bariloche to sample some of the renowned chocolates. Of the many chocolate shops, we picked the best-rated one in the Lonely Planet guide and were frankly disappointed. The chocolate was OK. Luckily, we had another destination--ice cream! And it kicked ass.

Back on the island we mostly just kicked it--hot tub, dinner, and then the movie Serenity. It was sweet in a cheesy sci-fi kind of way. We made arrangements with the island guides for the next day and then got in bed to rest for another action-packed day.

More Glaciers, More Travel

Lago Argentino

On Christmas we were scheduled to go back on a boat and then get on top of the Moreno glacier and walk around. The previous day was fun but was also very touristy, so we opted out of the glacial hike. We instead drove to some good viewpoints of the glacier and walked around. We made it back to the ranch in time for another amazing three-course lunch, then lounged around and explored later. My rump was too abraded from horseback riding the previous day, so I hiked while Anna and Than rode with Frederico and Jeff (Anna's dad) drove up to a viewpoint and hiked back. I made it fairly high up the mountain in an hour, got some good views and then ran down it. Once again, we ate late and fell asleep quickly afterwards.

Lady Slippers?

Moreno Glacier from the hills behind Hosteria Alta Vista

The next morning Frederico took us to a neighboring ranch that was fairly close but had a much different climate and a rockier terrain. He took us to a large rock formation that had some native paintings from 4000 years ago! They didn't look like much but it was cool to see that some of the patterns still exist. From there we drove to the shearing shed where the workers still use some of the 100+ year old equipment in the shearing of 16,000 sheep each year. It was an amazingly sophisiticated yet very manual setup.

On our way out, we stopped in downtown Califate, which catered entirely to the tourist population with a lot of upscale gift shops with local wares. The town was very nice, likely as a result of the country's president hailing from the town and siphoning money back into it. From there, it was off to Bariloche, a larger town in the north of Patagonia. We flew in the late afternoon, got in in the evening, and were shuttle from the airport through Bariloche and then to the northwest part of town where we took a boat for a 45 minute ride to Isla Victoria and our hosteria.

Hosteria Isla Victoria from The Boat

Anna and Than on The Boat

A Bowl Made of a Cow Udder

Sunburn

On Christmas eve day we got up early and met Natalia again for a catamaran tour of the glaciers, almost exactly as I'd done with my dad in Alaska a couple years ago. It was really cool of course, but it was a little long and repetitive. Natalia is a bubbly local who has been guiding for 14 years and did an amazing job of giving us the inside scoop on everything from the owner of the boat tour company (and thus, Califate) to the history of the glaciers and the Andes. She made the tour. Anna's brother Nathanial (Than) was completely hilarious as well and helped pass the travel time with his antics. He probably took 100 pictures of himself with various ice formations. We all got totally sunburnt even though we'd been thoroughly warned about it.

The Family

Fierce Wind and Fierce Woman

After the boat tour we came back and prepared for some horseback riding, which I've never done before. It was--so far--the highlight of the trip! Riding was great and the views were amazing. It's really hard to describe, but as Than put it: "This really makes everything else seem insignificant, doesn't it?"

Mountains and Horses

This whole trip has been so surreal since it is such a foreign place in so many ways but so familiar and comfortable in many other ways. We had an incredible Christmas eve dinner with our hosts and the other guests seated at one long wooden table in the barn, and the staff brought us amazing grilled lamb, chicken, and beef. It was the best steak I've ever had and the lamb ribs were divine as well. The dinner experience couldn't have been more perfect for someone separated from his family--it felt like home.

The Roast

Whirlwind

La Hosteria Alta Vista

On day three in BA we rushed from bed down to breakfast at the Sofitel and then quickly off to a guided tour of the city. We mostly hit places we'd already been, but we added the neighborhood of La Boca and got the inside scoop on some of the local buildings. La Boca is an interesting old blue collar neighborhood that is completely rundown besides the touristy district where all the buildings are painted with outrageous portland-style purple and blue colors. The poverty was impressive but honestly the homeless are so ubiquitous in Portland that it wasn't all that shocking to see a guy living below a bridge with his two dogs. The main difference was in the roofless and fallen-down houses that people were living in.

From the city tour we scuttled off to a small airport in BA which took us through Bariloche to El Califate. These are in northern and southern Patagonia and are about two and four hours away from BA, respectively. For reference, El califate is at about 52 degrees latitude. You do the math. From the airport, our driver and guide, Natalia, took us to the Hosteria Alta Vista, a small ranch hotel with six rooms set on 150,000 acres. El Calafate is a town set on an immense glacial lake which drives the tourist economy. Califate has tons of climbing and "trekking" shops as well as tourist infrastructure of restaurants and hotels. Our ranch is 60km from town on a mix of paved and dirt roads, and is set back into the hills with amazing views of the surrounding prarie land, foothills, and mountains. Probably 15km away you can see up to Moreno glacier and the tips of the Torres de Paine (Towers of Pain) which are the craggy mountains on the Chilean side of the Andes. The mountains in Patagonia are less craggy but still immense.

The days are blurring together as this is now the third day here, but we have seen non-stop action. We arrived at around 7pm on the 23rd and came to the ranch to get settled in and have some food. We were introduced to the staff--most notably our hosts Fredrico and Tamara--and the golfing wannabe-bourgeseois chodes from Baltimore that were alreday staying here. Dinner was some fantastic savory crepes filled with spinach and ricotta, and dessert was a frozen creme dish with a cookie bottom. I took some pictures:

Savory Crepes

Frozen Cream Dessert

All of the food here has been immaculately prepared but a little bit bland. I think they're just not as into salt and pepper as we are, but the shaker and grinder brought out the intense flavors at every meal. I have been thoroughly pigging out!!

More on Day Two soon!

Itinerary

Leave Portland: 12/20
Arrive in Buenos Aires: 12/21
Arrive El Califate: 12/23
Arrive Bariloche: 12/26
Arrive Kalispell, MT via Santiago, Lima, LA, and SLC: 12/31
Arrive PDX: 1/5/09

More walking

Day 2 in Argentina started a little earlier, since we only snoozed until noon. From the hotel, we set out to check out Puerto Moreno, the high-tech area set on a series of man-made lakes, San Telemo, the old neighborhood with amazing antique shops, plaza del mayo, the government and banking center, and of course, another round of Killer Instinct!

Puerto Moderno was neat. There were a lot of glass buildings with mostly american high tech corporation logos, set over dirty rectangular lakes of about 1/4mi x 1/8mi. Around each lake were a number of large old cranes that have been out of operation for some time, but that used to be used for loading and unloading people (I guess?!) and cargo from ships. We walked farther east over the "woman's bridge", this huge white modernistic contraption, and meandered towards the wildlife reservation. It looked like it might be better back in a ways, but nearby the path it was mostly tall grass with a bunch of garbage strewn about. Oh the joys of the city! At this point I badly wanted my shorts which were back at the hotel, since I was burning up in my jeans and wool socks but I went barefoot and found some shade to cope with the heat.

Anna the CRANE!

The "Woman's Bridge"

After Puerto Moderno we japed over to the San Telemo neighborhood where there were a lot of amazing antique shops. These were not like Sellwood's antique shops, but rather shops with insanely old elaborate furniture, tapestries, and silverware, and odd things like elaborate chandeliers that I wished I could bring back to the states for Bernie's stairwell and gigantic bottles of 'eau de toilette'. Which reminds me, people wear a lot of perfume and cologne here. Blech!

From San Telemo we hiked to the Plaza De Mayo, where the government buildings stand and the mothers of the disappeared from the Dirty War march. I planned us a route back to the hotel through the financial district and some cool streets that secretly brought us near my favorite arcade again! Walking through that district was neat because we got to see some of the 'hustle and bustle' of the BA business world and a different crowd as a result. They definitely weren't as earthy. We stopped at the arcade on the way home and I rocked it to the final battle in the game where I got my ass kicked repeatedly. That game 'puts me in a joy' as the young Clarks say.

These bikes looked a lot better than your average BA bike

When we got back to the hotel, we found we had been sunburned pretty badly. We look like lobster tourists--great. We soon met up with Anna's parents; their flight from Boston to NYC had been cancelled but they took a train and made it to the NYC->BA flight and got in on time. We went out to a really posh place for dinner that was a bit disappointing--the meat was OK, the fish was bad, and the desserts were mediocre. Anna and I walked home from there and with the late dinner custom here (they start around 9-11 and eat until 10-1), crashed soon after that.