Change of plans - now in Futa

I left Coyhaique at 4:45am on Monday for a long drive up to Vallee California for a quick visit to one of Patagonia Sur's properties. The plan was to drive up there for a few hours, then continue the next day to another property at Melimoyu. However, plans changed. More on that to come.

We were on paved roads for about 2 hours, then on dirt roads for about 6 more (an approximate route is here, though I think Google Maps doesn't account for the dirt roads when it estimates times...). We drove through every type of weather - sun, clouds, rain - as we approached the coast and then went back inland. It was cloudy at Vallee California, but the setting was still beautiful. Pictures from Vallee California and a smaller property right outside the nearby town of Palena are below:

Fence post at Vallee California

Barn outside of Palena

Roof of the barn - I was a little obsessed with the color and texture

Outside of Palena

We spent the night in a town called La Junta with the intention of leaving this morning to go to Melimoyu, but getting there requires a ferry and there was bad weather along the coast, so we went with plan B. The others ended up heading back to Coyhaique, but pieced together rides for me to get up to Futaleufu. I'll go to see one of the properties at Lago Espalon on Thursday, but other than that, there's no real plan. I might be here a couple of days, or maybe more. We'll see.

The whole going-with-the-flow thing is a little new to me, but I'm doing my best. It helps that Futaleufu is a cute town in an absolutely gorgeous area. It's known for world-class rafting and kayaking on the Futaleufu River, which I'm hoping to experience in the next couple of days. It's a bit early for the rafting tourist season, but we'll see if I can find something.

This evening I went for a run as the clouds were parting after a gray and rainy day, and the light was absolutely incredible. There are a few photos below, and I hope to take more in the next few days.

Rainbow above the Futaleufu

The Futaleufu

Mountains and clouds outside of Futaleufu

Sunset