¡¡¡¡¡¡¡IT WAS SNOWING!!!!!!!!!!

So here I am on the Beagle Channel and a few days ago I was on the Magellan Strait. I have been thinking about how Magellan and Darwin traveled in their time, what the sights were like, what wildlife they must have seen and what the boats must have been like. Well my timing was luckily impeccable once again. Here I am in Ushuaia, Argentina a place they like to brag about being at the end of the world ( I am only 1,000km from Antartica and 10,602km from NYC) and there is a bicentennial celebration for the regatta. They had boats from all over the world - Spain, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Portugal etc. But these were not any ordinary boats, they were the boats of yore, of Christopher Colombus (Cristol Colon) days. I could not believe it. I got to go on the boats and explore. There was a huge 1 hour long fireworks display last night that was absolutely incredible and then I watched them sail out of the harbor this morning. Wowzers!



































































I went for a hike today up Glaciar Martial in Ushuaia. As I was hiking up, it started snowing!! YIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEE!!! I absolutely loved it. This is the first time it has snowed on me in South America. What a great surprise! A gift from the heavens above. I had tears in my eyes. When it is snowing, it is my favorite time to be outside. It was extra special because typically March is the best snow month in Oregon and for the past 4 or 5 years I have been skiing in mid-March during my spring break. It is nice to know the snow gods and goddesses found me anyway. I am one happy camper!!

What was surprising to me is there are glaciars here in Ushuaia that are only 1,000 - 1,200 meters high (3,000 - 3,600 feet). I was able to walk 8km from downtown, right up to the crevasses and moraines of a few glaciars. I went from watching boats in the harbor, which is on the Beagle Channel, to hiking in the snow.

Change is in the air:
***The equinoxes just occured - for you northeners, it is the beginning of spring and for us southerners it is the beginning of fall - which I clearly felt today with the snow against my face - Snow falling from the sky (not a snowball)
***Health care reform passed in the US
***I am headed north! I have traveled from the Carribean Sea all the way south to the tip of the South American continent in Tierra del Fuego. This is my turning point in my trip. The only further south I can go is to some islands or to Antartica. I am not headed to Antartica at this time. Although, last night I was lucky to look at a bunch of photos (now I thought I took a lot at Torres) from an Irish couple who just returned from a 8 day cruise down to the icy continent. Since it is the end of the season, they got a deal and only spent $3500 a person. Well that is what I spend in about 3 months and since I have about 3 months left, I am deciding to head north and happily so. It has been quite the journey. I look forward to 3 more months in this incredible continent of Andean delights, Spanish and wonderful people from all over the world!