Dec 17 DAY 29 Estancia el Palenque,
By chance, the American owner of Fundo los Leones, Jeff, was there for a visit and leaving the next day toward a route I had planned to take. He was traveling with his friend/associate Carlos, from Buenos Aires and they graciously offered me to join them.

We left Fondo los Leones on a dirt and gravel road, took a ferry that took us alone across a short waterway, and drove to the Carretera Austral that was in the process of being paved, undoubtedly bringing considerable change to the region. We passed turquoise rivers, waterfalls, lush vegetation, abundant wildflowers of yellow, violet, pink and white,and simple wooden homes where farmers lived and cows and horses grazed nearby. My original intention of being let off in a speck of a town, to take a sparsely traveled road, in hopes of securing a ride was becoming less appealing. Traveling with certainty to an area that assured an easier passage to the lake region, my next destination, seemed to be the more prudent option. However, this change of plans would entail leaving Chile and entering Argentina, which turned out to be more problematic and expensive than I had imagined. Jeff and Carlos patiently assisted me in getting the proper papers and after a few hours delay we were heading towards Jeff’s expansive ranch. It was originally a homestead for Argentinian pioneers in the 1930’s, where he has since built a lodge catering to fisherman and where I would spend the night. The Andes are near and the land is shared with meandering rivers.

Before he and Jeff set off to their respective cabins, Carlos built a blazing fire to combat the chill of the lodge I was staying in. The winds howled outside. I read a short while, met a sweet black and white dog, one of the caretakers nine, before heading to bed.