When the alarm went off at 5:00 AM it was already dawn in Ushuaia. A red glow could be seen in the Eastern sky. A few early workers were driving the streets, but we had something more important to do. We were off to walk with the penguins on Isla Martillo.

There are several tour companies that will approach the penguin colonies by boat, but only Piratour has authorization to disembark on the island. Their tours are usually booked weeks in advance, but in a stroke of luck we got four tickets for the morning tour. After a quick breakfast we walked to the Piratour kiosk and boarded the van for the 90 minute ride to Estancia Harberton, and then a short boat ride to the island. There were the penguins.

There are two types of penguins on the island, the Magellanic penguins are migratory, and may swim thousands of miles north to Brazil during the Austral winter. They dig nests in the ground and typically lay two eggs each season. Gentoo penguins in contrast do not migrate. They create nests by mounding rocks with a central depression for their eggs. Both types usually mate for life.

We spent about an hour on the island, taking care to avoid the nests. Most of the hatchlings are now adolescents, but some still have a downy covering of grey feathers.

After the penguin walk we toured a curious museum nearby where they collect and study the skeletons of whales and dolphins. Much of the work is done by marine biology students from Buenos Aires. The funky smell of dead cetaceans filled the air, and the tour could have been more brief, but was interesting.

Back in Ushuaia we found a seafood restaurant serving mounds of king crab fresh from the sea to end our day.

After a comfortable mid morning start from Hosteria Kaiken in Tolhuin, we had a beautiful drive along Lago Fagnano and then crossed the Andes Mountains through the Garibaldi Pass.

Nearing Ushuaia we passed large warehouses, industrial buildings and other facilities that supply the Antarctic cruise ships. There is only one of the cruise ships docked in the harbor when we arrive. That one is due to depart tomorrow. The city is ringed by mountains, several still with snow on the peaks, but the city itself is not particularly attractive. There is a naval station near our hotel, neatly laid out with white buildings, and several vessels at the docks. The Main Street is lined with restaurants, and shops filled with souvenirs.

The evening is calm, with little wind, and the sky starts to clear. We have a dinner of Pizza, which isn’t bad, and walk along the waterfront as the sun sets. It’s 10:00 PM and still light. Time for bed. Tomorrow we leave early to walk with the penguins.

As the crow flies, the distance between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia is not great, but the Strait of Magellan requires a ferry to cross, and the ferry and subsequent drive take most of the day. We first head north to the ferry crossing at Punta Delgada. This is one of the narrowest parts of the Strait of Magellan, only about two miles across, but the current here is very strong, and ten foot waves batter the ferry as we cross. Some passengers stand at the bow, and are drenched in the icy water. When we land we are on Tierra del Fuego, which is the largest island of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The island is partly Chilean and partly Argentine.

Driving through the Chilean part of the Island we see numerous sheep herds, large numbers of Guanacos, and a landscape that gradually changes from hilly to flat and then coastal coniferous forests. The older trees are draped in moss, and many are dead. The younger trees appear healthy.

We pass a beaver dam and large pond at one point. The beaver is not indigenous and has caused quite a bit of damage to the area due to flooding. There have been efforts to eliminate the beaver which have so far been unsuccessful.

As we cross the border into Argentina the roads are worse, with large potholes and treacherous driving. The sheep and guanacos disappear and are replaced by large cattle herds. Scattered fields and patches of lupine appear.

At last we reach our destination for the night, the small town of Tolhuin, on the shore of Lago Fagnano- the largest freshwater lake in the southern hemisphere, almost 100 kilometers long and 1400 feet deep. Snow capped mountains can be seen at the distant western end.

Hosteria Kaiken, our lodging for the night is comfortable and has a nice bar and restaurant overlooking the lake. A young Patagonian fox visits us, curious and hopeful of handouts.

It’s still light at 10:45 PM, as we go to bed. Tomorrow we have a short drive to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

The lobby of the Hotel Almasur is in chaos. The passengers of a cruise ship bound for Antarctica have been diverted here, unable to board their vessel anchored off Antarctica. Due to high winds their flight to King George Island off the coast of Antarctica has been cancelled. some passengers are visibly angry, others resigned. The cruise is for six days, with the flight to King George Island designed to avoid the two day trip across the Drake Passage and its notoriously rough seas. Now their cruise is at least a day short, possibly more.

Outside the hotel Doug and I are accosted by a vagrant wearing a large backpack. He has been kicked out of the house by his girlfriend. He lost his left eye in a fight in Santiago, and digs through his backpack to find and show us his prosthetic eye, which he explains he had them make to look bloodshot because he always smokes weed. He wants to be our friend. We slowly edge back towards the hotel, then duck inside with a smile and a wave to our new friend. Only a few of the cruise ship passengers remain in the lobby, some wearing their bright red parkas with the cruise ship’s logo.

Our dinner is not great. King crab salad is good, but our fish is watery and flavorless. Melissa has mussels the size of salad plates, but they are too salty. Back at the hotel things are quiet. That night a young cat, homeless and hungry howls outside our window.

This place feels like the end of the world.

The morning sun catches the mountains, and before the wind starts to blow provides a perfect backdrop to the day. This morning we resume our drive on the End of the World route south through Chilean Patagonia.

We drive northeast out of the park, again on washboard dirt roads then turn south and west back through Puerto Natales where we stop for lunch. Then back on the road for the 3 hour drive to Punta Arenas. The land through this stretch of Patagonia is mostly flat, with tortured conifers and vast grasslands. Occasionally we pass fields of pastel colored lupines or snowy meadows of low growing ground flowers

There are a couple of burned out cars well off the road but very little traffic. There doesn’t seem to be any legal speed limit most of the time, and we haven’t seen a single policeman on our drive.

We pass occasional guanacos and rheas. The Rhea is similar to the African ostrich, but smaller, and has three toes instead of two. Both animals blend well into the landscape and can be hard to see

As we near Punta Arenas, we are driving along the Straights of Magellan, and we see larger seagoing ships using this protected route around the tip of South America to avoid the brutal sea between South America and Antarctica famously known as the Drake Passage. We see replicas of Magellan’s and Drake’s ships moored at a maritime museum on the edge of town.

Tomorrow we cross the border back to Argentina, and head toward Ushuaia – the end of the road.

The route into Torres del Paine from Puerto Natales starts on a nicely paved road for about 30 miles. The next forty miles are a mix of dirt roads and poorly maintained pavement with virtually no signs to indicate you are entering a National Park. Most of the drive is along the shores of Lago el Toro, an enormous glacial lake that averages 900 feet deep, and is a beautiful Caribbean blue color.

We stopped briefly at an archaeological site consisting of three caves where human remains over 11,000 years old have been found, along with the remains of an extinct mammal called the Mylodon which resembles a giant sloth. We then headed into the park, toward Hosteria Pehoe, our stop for the night.

The day had started with rain, and in the park had been raining for three days, but as we drove north into the mountains the sky gradually cleared, and by the time we reached the hotel there were just scattered clouds and the relentless wind.

Hosteria Pehoe was built on a small island in Lago Pehoe(payway) in the 1960’s as a fishing lodge, before there was a national park. It has a spectacular view of the Torres del Paine from the dining room and is a great stop for the night.

We’re too early for check-in, so we do a nearby hike to Mirador Cuernos. The wind is fierce, and a wind gauge on the trail reads 55 mph, well into the warning zone for hiking the trail. When the wind blows 60 mph you are in the red zone and hiking is not recommended. At one point as we round a curve the wind hits full force and nearly blows us over, but the views are incredible.

There is a waterfall along the way with icy blue water flowing powerfully through a narrow chasm.

When we reach the end of the trail the mountains rise from the blue waters in one of Earth’s most beautiful vistas.

Puerto Natales slows down on Sunday. Many of the shops are closed or have truncated hours. There’s not as much traffic, as most of the visitors have gone to the national park. That had been our plan also, but after discovering that the park was a 70 mile drive from Puerto Natales we decided to take the day off and book a hotel in Torres del Paine for the following day.

Our day off was sunny and warm, with the temperature almost 60 degrees. The wind blew as usual. We walked to the water and saw a large catamaran returning from a tour. We stopped for a cappuccino and then saw a group of young women going into the frigid water for a swim.

We had hoped to eat at Santolla, allegedly the best restaurant in town, but it’s closed on Sunday. As we walked past and peered inside a man standing outside told us it was closed. He was the owner and chef, and he was with his grandson. He gave us a few recommendations for dinner.

We walked to the town square, a nice little park where people could walk or sit, and local musicians played. A group of drummers were enthusiastically pounding away without great skill.

For dinner we went to Bahia Mansa, a seafood restaurant recommended by the owner of Santolla and had a delicious meal of seafood paella. The most interesting dish was sea bass cheeks cooked pil-pil style, which means boiled in olive oil with garlic and spices. It was served in a hot cast iron dish, with the oil bubbling over the fish. Delicious! We then met the chef, Rene Espinoza who was pleased that his competition had recommended Bahia Mansa.

It was still daylight at 10 PM when we left the restaurant, but after the short walk to our hotel we were tired and ready for bed. Tomorrow we’ll drive to the park.

After our last night in El Calafate we set off for Puerto Natales, Chile and Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. Our route out of El Calafate on Argentina route 11 headed directly east and climbed a series of long switchbacks before meeting route 40, the primary north/south route through the country. We were now driving through the Patagonian steppes, with hundreds of kilometers of barren treeless desert around us.

There are no interstate highways or four lane roads in Patagonia. The two lane roads are narrow and with minimal gravel shoulders. There are four foot high wire fences set back about 200 feet from the road, and native guanacos, similar to llamas, often get caught on the fences. We saw numerous skeletal remains during our drives.

Traffic is light, mostly other tourists, trucks and occasional motorcycles. The wind is ever present and at times the Hilux is forced across the road as we drive. Scattered clouds and intermittent rain follow us across the steppe.

We began the long descent into Chile, and crossed the border near Rio Turbo, Argentina , a grim coal mining town with surly border guards and a forlorn aspect.

In contrast, the Chilean border guards, who we had been told were so strict and severe, were quite pleasant and very helpful. After declaring our bag of trail mix, our passports were stamped and we drove down a road with huge fields of lupines into the green valleys of Chile.

During the short drive into Puerto Natales it was evident that Chile is more prosperous than Argentina, at least in Patagonia. It is greener, there are more shops and restaurants, and more cars. People in both countries are generally pleasant and friendly, although fewer people in Chile speak English. Fortunately for us, Doug is quite fluent in Spanish, and that made a huge difference in getting around town and in ordering food in the restaurants.

Our hotel in Puerto Natales, Aquaterra, is small but clean and comfortable. The water in Chile, as in Argentina, is generally potable. The city sits on the eastern edge of the Queen Adelaide Archipelago and is accessible to the open sea via byzantine channels between the outer islands. Snow capped peaks of the southern Andes are visible in the distance. Seafood is plentiful, and a welcomed change after weeks of Argentine lamb and beef.

80 kilometers south of El Calafate the Perito Marino glacier slowly grinds its way down a mountain valley into Lago Argentino. Its face is over 70 meters high and at its thickest point is over 700 meters of solid ice. Icebergs are continually calved off the front and into the milky lake . After paying the entrance fee we drove along the lake and saw the first ethereal blue icebergs floating in the water.

We arrived before the crowds and had the extensive walkways nearly to ourselves. The glacier is massive, and we could hear sporadic groans, cracks and occasional crashes of ice into the water. Perito Moreno moves at nearly two meters per day toward the lake, and the noise is continuous

Tour boats and kayakers could be seen approaching the glacier, but kept a safe distance away to avoid the calving icebergs. As the tour buses began to arrive, the walkways began to fill with people, and a light rain began to fall, so we grabbed the Hilux and headed back to El Calafate. Tomorrow we’re off to Chile.

Mount Fitzroy is one of the iconic landmarks of Patagonia. The distinctive peak and the surrounding smaller mountains create the jagged trademark of the region. At the northern end of El Chalten the trailhead for Laguna Capri is one of the busiest places in town. Everyone here is either hiking, trekking or climbing . After two days of rain the ground is muddy, but the sun is shining and the parking lot is packed with cars and trucks. There are two trails that draw most of the visitors, a thirteen mile hike to Mt. Fitzroy itself, or a six mile hike to Laguna Capri.

The Laguna Capri trail starts uphill through wind tortured trees and low brush on a series of switchbacks, then through a notch in the mountains to a small blue lake .

We started with sunny skies, but as the hike progressed the clouds and wind gradually picked up, and a misty rain hung in the air. The trail was in good shape, and quite wide except a few spots where rocks or trees funneled everyone into a single file.

We got our first view of Fitzroy as we emerged from the trees near the top of the climb, a canine tooth of rock swirled with mist

We walked to the lake, where the full beauty of the mountains was on display. A large bird that looked like an eagle landed on a nearby tree and began begging scraps from the hikers. Someone tossed a crust of bread but he looked at it dismissively. This was a Crested Caracara, which seems to have found an ecological niche somewhere between a regal eagle and a begging seagull.

The hike back to the parking lot was uneventful and we headed back to the hotel for a nice nap before dinner. Tomorrow we’re going to see a glacier up close.