Cerro Tronodor, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Argentina

To get the heart of Nahuel Huapi National Park we knew at some point we'd need to rent a car. We had been deeply annoyed in El Calafate when our Hertz reservations went sour, leaving us to scramble for transportation so I wasn't feeling the rental love. Luckily, Budget had our back and made everything easy. We were given a 200km range to, leaving a 20 km cushion to get us to, from, and lost around Cerro Tronodor, an extinct volcano/mountain peak shared by Chile and Argentina. The guide book promised multiple waterfalls and 8 glaciers, including the Black Glacier (aka: Ventisquero Negro) which is covered in volcanic ash and dirt, thus making it a dirty looking glacier. Which it did. But the concept was pretty cool. 

I'm so glad we rented a car because had we used our own, I'd have wimped out due to the 90 minute long potholed dirt roads. I'm equally glad we didn't take a tour bus, I'd have barfed. A lot. Deets too probably. The loud drive notwithstanding, our first view of Cerro Tronodor stopped us in our tracks (actually it was the lumbering tour bus that suddenly hit the breaks on the one-way road but I digress.) From there we drove even deeper into the park past Pampa Linda, a popular trailhead and camp ground and finally into the parking lot where we could hear roaring water.  I waited for my teeth and butt cheeks to stop chattering and scrambled after Mark and the kids into the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat).

We hiked to the trail's end point and picnicked in the blazing sun, watching tides of glacier water free fall into the creek. Hiking back down we stopped to cool our feet in the water where the kids played for over an hour and watched glistening shirtless people amble across the slick rocks. Somehow these yahoos didn't burn, yet I did. Two matching shoulder stripes near my backpack. What is this? Amateur hiking? 

We could only exit the park via the one-way street after 4pm, which in truth wasn't enough time. We wish we had planned to camp or hotel up in Pampa Linda for another day to savor it all. An hour and 30 minutes later we washboarded our way out of the park and onto civilized asphalt back to Barlioche.  All good things must come to an end. Besides, I was running out of clean underwear so maybe it was time to go. 

Cerro Tronodor

Deets and Mark leading the up Garganta del Diablo.

As far as we could go.

Collecting volcanic rocks. 
Which promptly were taken away 
by airport security: "weapon threat"

Waterfalls. Check.

The Black Glacier dumping into Lago Manso
Manso: meek, mild, gentle, tame.

Barlioche

Every place we'd been so far in Argentina was exhilarating with the kind of crisp beauty that makes you want to explore forever. By the third week and fourth city, I lost a little steam. Luckily Mark would have none of it and proceeded to drag us into the center of Bavarian style Barlioche on our first day. Forget modern hip playgrounds, we had a canon to play on. Forget hippie homestyle restaurants, we had breweries. Forget the emerald colored lake, we now had multiple glittering sapphire lakes. More fresh air, more adventure, more fun. 

Our family owned B&B was awesome: big breakfasts with fresh cake and fruit, a kitchen at our disposal, and fast internet. We could really relax, drink wine and binge watch Brooklyn 99 while the kids slept, and no one thought anything of it. If there's anyone out there who wants to stay on the east end of Barlioche, Kospi Guesthouse is a great option. 

Granted it took us a few tries to figure out transportation- the bus system works off a travel card (named the Sube) that can only be purchased and recharged at certain kiosks, many of which were closed or had disgruntled employees. After several attempts and two trips to the Visitor's Center, we charged our card (which was lent to us by the guesthouse) and boarded the stifling bus. Good news: one card can pay for everyone in your party. Annoying news: you are charged based on the number of kilometers you plan to travel, so you need to plan accordingly and know exactly where you want to get off. Otherwise the bus won't stop. This resulted in us backtracking along the narrow and dusty road more than once. 

Nevertheless we figured it out and did several trips out of the city. First stop was the Berlina, a brewery with a playground and real, grassy grass! This was the number one requested place to visit for our kids. On other days we went to Blest located next to Berlina, to Manush in the town center and to Lowther Brewery when were feeling sleepy and wanted to stick close to the guesthouse. The beers were tasty with a good variety: visit them all. 

On one particular bus trip that involved a crabby wife and two malingering kids who were frustrated with unavoidable backtracking, we ended up at the Cerro Campanario Chairlifts in efforts to make something of the day. For something like 120 pesos, a chairlift would bring us to the top for views of Nahuel Huapi National Park. It also would bring us to masses of tourists slopping their way around the mountain top with unrelenting teems of bees and flies. Admittedly, the view was gorgeous once we acknowledged the surrounding nuisances, but part of me wished we had earned it. The chair lift experience left us feeling meh and wanting for a bit more isolation. No harm done though, we'd make up for it with a trip to Cerro Tronador...

Margo blowing up mountain tops in the town center.

Oasis.

Shoes optional.

View going down of Lago Nahuel Huapi.

At the top.

So. Blue.