Another day of amazing sights. We started our journey earlier than usual today. We knew we had at least a three-hour drive to our destination, and a three-hour ride back to the hotel. Nevado Tres Cruces is a seldom-visited, amazingly dramatic national park situated on a very high plateau abutting the Andes. The drive there was as exciting for me as it was scary for Diane. We kept climbing and climbing as the road was getting narrower and rougher, and swear to God, we were the only people in this part of the world. Once we turned off the main road, it was pure solitude.
The car did not want to climb any longer; due to the high altitude it was puffing hard to keep the wheels turning.
All kinds of thought pervaded us. What if we get stuck? What if we run out of gas? Mostly it was Diane’s thinking, but it passed through my mind as well, I have to admit. Although I had the benefit of having chosen the place, which came highly recommended by Lonely Planet, and somehow, I knew that the end would justify the means. And was I right!!
As we reached the top of the summit at about 15,000 feet, a whole new universe unfolded. No more Atacama, but a spectacular view of a salt lake framed by majestic mountains sporting newly fallen snow, and the sign welcomed us to Nevado Tres Cruces.
The park is quite big. We only had enough time to spend a couple of hours there before attempting the road back. We descended a couple of thousand feet to the shore of Laguna Santa Rosa and noticed a house, which was home to the park rangers. It also served as a refuge. We stopped by to inquire about sights to see but gave up on going further after we were told that each sight takes several hours to be reached.
We opted to go down to the shore where a few lazy flamingoes were feeding in the lake. It was breathtaking. The rangers told us that every night, even in summer, the lake freezes, and the flamingoes get stuck in the ice, until the morning sun melts the water, and they can move about. I thought that was wild.
Speaking of the ranger, there were actually two, boyfriend and girlfriend, about thirty years old. They work up there for a couple of weeks straight, then get relieved and get to go home for a bit. They were super nice. We sat at the refuge and exchanged stories for about two hours, with the most amazing background. We ate sandwiches, drank espresso, and I even got to puff on a stogie.
We discovered that we were, to all effects, the only visitors to the park on this particular day, although a small group of scientists had been camped in tents nearby to do some studies.
On the way back Diane was a lot more relaxed and actually quite pleased with the entire day.
Does life get any better? I will let you know as our trip progresses. Stay tuned and let us know what you think. Ciao.
Breathtaking! Love the story about the flamingoes. 😊