Patagonia

I still can`t figure out why they decided to name an entire region of South America after an outdoor clothing brand. Oh well, either way it is really beautiful down here.



I`m in a ski town called Bariloche which is in the northern part of Patagonia on the Argentina side. Bariloche is know for its amazing beauty, great access to outdoor sports and chocolate. Yes, chocolate. There are about fifty chocolate stores in town that are all better and bigger than any chocolate store that I`ve ever seen. Who wants me to bring back some for them?

The mountains in the region area`t quite as high as the mountains in the Rockies or Coast ranges but the views in the are spectacular none the less. The weather was crystal clear for both of my ski days so the vies of the huge lake at the base of the ski hill - named called Cerro Catedral - were remarkable. I couldn`t stop taking pictures of the view. Here`s a self shot from one of the chairlifts:



Since I was renting equipment anyway, and they hadn`t had any snow in two weeks, I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to try skiing again. I haven`t skied in 12 years so the first couple of turns were pretty out of control. But, as the day went on, I was surprised by how quickly the skills came back. I had such a great time that I now want to buy skis and go back and forth between skiing and snowboarding.



Oh, a tip for those of you who have had their I-pod battery quit on them in cold weather. Placing the I-pod down the pants is surprisingly effective.