Day 59
Bariloche, Argentina

Saying goodbye to Bariloche was the first time this trip I have felt that inevitable "end of vacation" feeling. That sense that you are about to leave paradise and head back to the "real world". However, the light at the end of this realization is that for now, for us, the "real world" is another adventure. A quest to find another Bariloche. So we headed back to The Pan American Highway and toward the boarder. The borders here are not like at home where you enter one country, hence leaving the other behind. Here you must cross the boarder out of Argentina, drive for nearly 45 minutes and then cross the border into Chile. Hence, inbetween is 30 kilometers of lush green feilds, rushing waterfalls, glorious mountains, and nicely paved road....that belongs too???? Nonone? My question I suppose is "Is it possible to be in no country?" And more importantly...if nobody is cleaming it....CAN I HAVE IT??

Anyhow, the ride was entertaining, mostly due to Bryce´s smart and funny questions coming from the backseat:

What is a kilometer?

How is a waterfall made?

Daddy...can you talk to cows?

We stopped on the Argentina side for lunch and ate the most wonderful food I have had since leaving the US. The town is called Villa De Angostura and it is lovely. All the buildings are made of wood, the streets are lined with flowers and the mountains loom in the background.

On the Chile side, Dave had us pull over because in going over the map he had found a "shortcut". Since he has been an excellent navigator the past month we turned left and headed off on a dirt road. Gravel spewing and dust flying we drove down the road toward Puerto Octay. The road provided some of the most beautiful scenery of Chilean farmland I have ever seen. It also provided some minor delays.....

and then an hour later....dead ended into a lake!

Oh well....we saw another view and made it to our next "home" as Bryce calls every place we stay in plenty of time to make the Chilean start of dinner....at 10pm.