Shared Joy and Awe

Hello All,

This afternoon finds me in a small Internet Cafe with bright green walls in Punta Arenas, Chile on the Straits of Magellen. I have checked in for my cruise, but I dont board for another few hours. It is cool and windy, but fortunately dry.

Yesterday gave me beautiful weather in the lake country about 800 miles north of here. I rented a car and drove to the Lago Todos Santos for a short cruise on its milky emerald colored waters with two volcanoes to the north and east in the Andes. A clear day is fairly rare in the lake country, and the mountains are often obscured by clouds, but yesterday I just kept taking taking pictures of the Fujiyama-like Volcan Orsono--an almost perfect truncated cone with a bright white mantle of snow and ice extending about a third of the way down its sides.

I then visited the rapids and falls of the river draining from Lago Todos Santos. The river is a large torrent rushing down a channel cut through the volcanic rock. There are violent rapids and falls as it finds it way below a towering cliff.

I then took a road part way up Orsono--very curving and exciting with the mountain looming ever larger. I stopped where the pavement ran out, but I was tempted to go further. The soil and the unpaved road consisted entirely of black volcanic sand and cinders. One of the beauties of it was that I was absolutely alone.

I then proceeded around the adjacent Lago Lllanquihue (roughly pronounced Yankee Way). It is a very large lake of several hundred thousand acres. In contrast to Todos Santos its waters are a clear sapphire blue. The trip around the lake provided many places to enjoy the views. About 20 miles of the drive was over an unpaved, very rough road, where I spent a good deal of the time in 1st and 2nd gear. I finally arrived back in Puerto Varas after a seven hour adventure.

I board the Mare Australis in about 3 hours. I plan to check out a couple of museums and drink some coffee on the square.

My best to all,

David
Saturday, December 10, 2005 12:15 PM

Adoration and fear this newly created life evokes.