Today we slept in and had a lovely breakfast with Carol and Richard. They served the traditional Patagonian breakfast of cereal and toasts along with coffee, tea, and juice. Before breakfast Judy, Tom and Bobbie went for a morning walk in the quiet countryside and made friends with the herd of horses. After breakfast we met their son Patrick who showed us around the farm with a tour of some of the outer building and the sheep shearing hall or barn. We were to have had a demonstration of how dogs work and herd sheep but the horses had trampled down one of the fences during the night and the sheep had escaped. Being at this comfortable farm was both relaxing and charming and a nice way to end four days of intense hiking. After our tour we loaded up the bus and headed further south toward Ushuaia and Terra Mejor Valley. Today’s drive was only three hours and we reached Solar del Bosque, a cozy mountain refuge just after 1:00 PM. We were met by the owners, Alex and Marianne and here is where we said goodbye to our driver and our lovely clean bus. Arnoldo was such a nice guy and was so proud of his personally owned vehicle. Tomorrow morning a local bus will come to take us the rest of the way into Ushuaia.
The refuge has several buildings and five stayed in a small cabin and the rest slept in the loft of the main building. The loft above the dining area sleeps a15 and we had the entire area to ourselves…in fact we hade the entire refuge to ourselves. Nestled in the valley floor surrounded by a dense lenga forest, there were countless beaver ponds in all directions, each with working beavers, lodges, and dams. Truly a peaceful and restful location.
For lunch we were served an assortment of homemade empanadas as well as fresh fruit. The empanadas were heavenly with light and flaky dough and heavenly feelings of various meats, cheeses, and veggies. After lunch most of us opted to enjoy the quiet setting, take a nap, and wander the immediate grounds. Bobbie, John, and Nicholas went on a aggressive hike up into the mountains to see Lake Esmeralda and more beaver ponds. They returned a couple of hours later soaked and muddy up to the knees.
For dinner Marianna made us homemade spinach and cheese ravioli, lots of french bread, and a lovely terramisu parfait. A few MORE bottles of Malbec and we were once again happy and ready for bed. Climbing the stairs into the loft, there was no time for Tom's foolishness tonight...he was already asleep!
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