March 22, 2014 - Saturday. Torres Del Paines, Chile

MARCH 22, 2014 - Saturday   Hotel Torres Del Paines, Chile

BOTTOMLINE:
Stormy rainy day...went on a "drive"

BACK STORY:
We slept with the windows open for a little fresh air during the night.  The air on this side of the mountain was much warmer than at Hotel Lago Grey.  Suddenly in the middle of the night there was a great howling wind that blew the window shut.  It was with such force that I imaged it could have broken.  I hopped out of bed and thought that I had secured it.  Apparently the side locks were left open so just as I got to sleep the window suddenly opened and then slammed shut again. Ugh!
Thankfully nothing broke and Bruce got up to correct my error and lock the window.

It was 7 am when I looked outside to see a stormy, rainy morning.  I crawled back into bed for another two hours of snooze.  One of the highlights of traveling by yourself is that you are on your own schedule.  If the weather is bad you can postpone an outing.  On a tour, if the weather is bad and there is a scheduled trek, guess what you are going to do???

another stormy morning

So, after breakfast (included with the room) I got my supplies and headed down to the large lounge area where I found a couch.  The windows reflected the storms path outside while I kept warm with a fire in the wood stove and watched.  I was able to catch up on the blog and some correspondence.

About 3:30pm we decided to go on a "drive"...a driving-trek...not that we hadn't spent enough time in a car!  It was still wet outside so we drove around the immediate area, stopping to roll down the windows and listen to the stillness of nature. It was delightful...no schedule.

choices for crossing the river!

river valley

Guanaca crossing river

This area of Patagonia is filled with lakes, waterfalls and rivers.  The property that the hotel/ranch sits on was acquired by a family in 1979.  The father, mother and four children were attracted to the area's beauty and the Patagonia culture.  The family ranched for twelve years with more than 600 cattle until the 1990's when their backyard mountains (Torres Del Paines) began to draw the curious international tourist.

In 1992 the family decided to refurbish their ranch and join in on the traveler's adventure, offering a comfortable place to stay, good wholesome food and a gateway to nature.  The ranch has continued to grow in its offerings and has family members sharing in the business.