14-Deciembre-2002
We went to the Feria Artenesal (handicrafts fair) in El Bolson. We bought some locally made cheese with herbs, some bread and broke down and bought a mate bowl and straw (I was resisting since this is such a standard item from Argentina- but mate is interesting tea). We had a spinach, potato and hard boiled egg torte while local dogs stared at us intently. We saved room for more ice cream (helado) flavored ¨lemon pie¨" and dulce de leche (a kind of carmelized milk).
The next day we caught a bus to Los Alerces National Park - looking for the rare big trees. We rode through cattle country and began to see what I think were real gauchos. They wore dark baggy pants tucked into boots, hide chaps, woven wide sash, hat with flat brim, squinty eyes, weathered face. People wait by the side of the road and flag down the bus. One family was a gaucho, his wife and child on 2 horses. He kissed them, they got on the bus and he rode off with their two horses. The bus turned off for a 80 km ride on a dirt road. Soon we encountered an entire herd of cattle - bulls, cows and calves - in the road being driven by gauchos and their dogs. They cleared to the side of the road and we continued across flat arid land with green fields, a bank of high mountains, large fields of pink, white and yello lupine. The road became increasingly windy and we ascended into the mountains, entering Parque de los Alerces. There were no settlements or hosterias. We rode for at least an hour along the shore of a huge lake, one of 3 the size of Lake Chelan with no boats, very few cabins, an occasional vehicle. John had called ahead to a place called Bahia Rosales. We asked the driver to let us off there. The bus stopped and the driver removed the tarp with about 1 inch of dust from atop our bags. The driver said something like ¨"diez kilometers" and pulled away, leaving us in the dust by the sign Bahia Rosales. I thought he meant we had to walk 10 kilometers. We immediately encountered a grazing group of enormous cattle. The calves appeared to be as large as full grown Washington cows. In about half a mile we came to the resort and were lead to a very small cabin with 2 bunk beds, a fireplace, a table a gas burner and some plates. In the main lodge meals are served. We went outside in the night to see an clear and bright display of southern stars including the Milky Way. This is the 42nd parallel; approximately the same latitude as Southern Oregon. The weather is in the high 70´s. Wild roses bloom in clumps everywhere. We walked through forests of coihue trees and grassy fields. There are many interesting birds, with striking markings - white wing tops on a all black bird. Many little hawks. A boat pulled into a dock and took out 7 huge trout. As people were preoccupied with pulling the boat out of the water , a hawk and several birds began fighting over the right to perch above the trout.
We decided to leave after 2 nights but there was no bus passing by the resort until the next day, so the only way out was to hitch hike. There were cows walking up the gravel road and a few horses, just out on their own for the day. A few cars and truchks went by in the first hour, before John perfected his hitch hike signal for Argentina. The first few may have thought he was just waving or giving the thumbs up signal in admiration of their great truck (both signal are common here). We had the great fortune to flag down Todd, a 28 year old Accenture consultant from San Francisco using his leave of absence to learn Spanish in Cuba and travel in Argentina. He drove us all the way to El Bolson. None of us saw an Alerce tree. Todd and we had hoped to catch a boat to the last stand of trees, but the boat wasn´t running on that day. The we proceeded by bus back to Barlioche and the Lago Azul hotel. We had some shopping to do. I bought some hand knit sweaters and chocolate.