15. Ushuaia Outdoors

2nd Dec 2013

     What a wonderful thing the internet is, while we where having breakfast Andrew emailed a few Adventure companies and by the end of breakfast had organised a day of Adventure. We got picked up at out hostel and headed back over the Andes. First stop was a picturesque peat bog, during the winter it is used for dog sledding.

Another groups guide showing them a picture of the area in winter

Next Stop Paso Graribaldi lookout

     The second part of our Adventure was a 4x4  tour to one of the lakes, it involved some pretty serious 4wding and I've got to say I enjoy it much more when it's not my car about to get tipped on its side. We didn't get any good pictures of this as we were being thrown around in too much. After a short drive along, and in, the lakes edge we arrived at a marine ply cabin where the guide fixed us BBQ lunch. Lunch was red wine, enough well cooked beef and lamb to feed a small army, some bread and 5 small baked potatoes... for 6 of us. During lunch it snowed for the second time that day, it had already snowed lightly during the 4x4 adventure but by the time we had finished lunch the sun had come out again. 

All the Adventure tour companies use Landrover Defenders, we saw a dozen or so on our day out

At this point the guide had jumped out of the Defender and was letting it drive it's self along a 100m section of road with such deep ruts that it just tracked along the ruts

Beaver Dam. Beavers are an introduced pest that are destroying the forests of Tierra del Fuego. we just happened to drive by this dam when a beaver surfaced, we got pretty lucky as they a normally shy creatures.

A walk along the lakes edge provided plenty of photographic opportunities

 

BBQ time

JJs' hut

     After lunch it was back in the Landover to another lake for some canoeing, the weather conditions were a little iffy but the Spanish newly wed had never been canoeing and want to give it a shot. It was fine when we set out then it started to snow then we got a little rain then back to sunshine again. All was going well although the Spanish couple were slow and inexperienced but that was fine, then the weather turned and the wind started to pick up just as we turned for home. Andrew and I pointed the nose to the wind and had to paddle out to the middle of the lake before we could turn and head back into the dock, the waves were getting bigger and every 5 wave I had to lean right back and think light as we tried to tread gently and not get swamped. Early on when i had the time to look over my shoulder to see what the other were doing the Spanish couple were zig-zagging all over the place and seems to be in all sorts of trouble but by then we were far from shore and committed to our path. We got back to the dock tired, exhilarated ( Andrew got that adventure he was looking for )and thankfully dry. The sun came out while we were stowing our canoe  so we lay down to soak up rays on the dock waiting for the other 2 canoes to get back. Twenty minutes later they appeared around the point with the guide and the Spanish man towing the girls in the other canoe, unfortunately the girls kept trying to steer and were making themselves into more of and anchor that a boat. By the time the guide got back he was exhausted.

Just before the snow

The weather clears

Our fellow adventurers

The boys make it back

The girls have been cut loose

The dock

     After our canoe adventure it was back to Ushuaia were we headed off to the maritime museum with about 1 1/2 hours before closing time so it was a quick visist but enough to get the feel of the place. It use to be a prison, imagine being sent to a prison at the end of the world a lot worse than being transported to Australia by all acounts.

      After the museum we had dinner at 137 Pizza and Pasta, the pizza and pasta were ok but the bruschetta was scrumptious, I could have just had 3 servings of that for dinner and I would have been happy.

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