We woke this morning to pounding rain. The mountains were hidden behind low hanging clouds. Our first thoughts were, "thank god we are not out in that!" It was really ugly. So, we lounged in bed with his and her iTouches and read for a while. Eventually, we made our way to a buffet breakfast. Of course, we were the first to arrive in the dining room. Breakfast here is more of a sweet table --- assorted cookies and cakes with jam and of course dulce de leche.
Our hotel is very lovely and comfortable. It feels more like a small inn with an inviting living room offering grand views of the lake and surrounding mountains. It is a nice place to sit and watch the storm. As the morning progressed, the skies opened up to reveal a surprise in the mountains. You gotta think big to get this one --- first, there was a stellar rainbow over the lake. The real eye popper was in the mountains --- SNOW!! A lot of snow!!! The snow level begins about 1,500 feet above us. Back this downhill at roughly 3 degrees per every 1,000 feet and you can figure out our tempertures (definitely not above 40 degrees). It is totally crazy. While we think the roads we have covered in the last few days would be snow free, we are not so sure about the pass we crossed from Chile into Argentina.
With the belief that the taxis are operating today, we headed into town. Along the road, our taxi passed a touring cyclist. It was the Brit we met on Sunday in San Martin de Los Andes. He looked cold, wet and miserable with a loaded bike, pulling a trailer. We waited for him in town, but it became clear he must have pulled off into one of the hosterias or campgrounds along the road. Plus, it was cold and the rain had returned. We dodged the rain and complained about the cold as we returned to the hardware stores for a second size of hose clamps. Not tempting fate, we returned to our same pasta place for lunch. Arn enjoyed gnochi with basil, tomatoes, anchovies and olives. I had vension ravioli with tomato sauce.
So, there was no riding or even hiking to be had today. Winter in Seattle would be nicer than our current weather conditions. It is pretty miserable. It clears, it blows, it rains, it repeats. Today is our last night in this hotel, so a good question would be: what do we do from here? Okay, the boat option across the lake to Llao Llao does not exist. The ride into Bariloche is not on a great road (too much traffic). In the spirit of fun, we have booked a shuttle from Villa La Angostura to Bariloche. We get picked up tomorrow morning and wil be in Bariloche for lunch. Given the weather forecast, we booked three nights at a hosteria and will most likely add a forth. After lunch tomorrow, we may be able to get out for an afternoon ride -- unloaded! Sweet!! It also looks like we can possibly ride again on Friday -- unloaded!! Double sweet!! And then, it looks like we are going to need to build an arc for Saturday and Sunday! We are going to be inside with time on our hands. We will be online and should have Skype for making calls. Let us know --- we'd love to chat! Really, we are going to have lots of time!
Of course, we have extensive dining plans for Bariloche. They include Morfey's for churripan (chorizo & homemade bread) for lunch, Alberto's pasta for lunch, Naan for dinner, Butterfly for dinner (awesome tasting menu), and Alberto's steakhouse for dinner. Am I making you hungry? I should be!! This is the feast before the next leg of the journey. Starting Monday, our forecast looks stable and very favorable (no rain, lots of sunshine, and nice temps). In a nutshell, the plan is shuttle to Bariloche tomorrow, enjoy great food and a few unweighted rides as the weather permits, and on Monday head south toward El Bolson (exact details unknown until we scout them out from Bariloche). Anyone want to meet us for dinner in Bariloche??
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