Traveler’s Journal: Patagonia

After a grueling two-day journey, my wife Robin and I rested in the lobby of the beautiful Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina … the starting point of our five week Patagonia expedition. The next several days were spent experiencing this thriving port-side capital defined by its rich history, vibrant culture and strong European influence — thus nicknamed the Paris of South America.

Countless museums, an active theatre culture, sensuous tango performances, a mosaic of architecture and shops fit all fancies filled our days in this exciting city.

A flight to El Calafate followed with a transfer to El Challen landed us in Los Glaciares National Park, known as Argentina’s trekking capital. We hiked through this incredibly beautiful landscape for the next four days.

We then transferred on to a majestic icy expanse known as the Perito Moreno Glacier. We got an up close perspective of this behemoth with an average height of 240 feet and more than 19 miles in length. Traversing a series of catwalks followed by a boat ride beneath its towering face we were in awe. It was really scary hearing the glacier crackling and then an iceberg larger than a motorhome shattered from the face creating huge waves that rocked our boat!

We flew on to Ushuaia, located at the very southern tip of South America where we boarded the Australis, an Expedition Cruise Ship to embark on a five-day journey through Tierra del Fuego National Park, exploring the “uttermost end of the earth.” Our days aboard were filled with daily shore excursions and adventures. We were able to navigate shallower inlets and get ashore via Zodiacs.

Upon disembarking the ship in Punta Arenas, Chile, we transferred to Torres Del Paine National Park, a rich biosphere reserve known for its incredibly spectacular beauty with 600,000 acres of magnificent landscape, featuring snow-capped mountains, ancient glaciers, cascading waterfalls, golden grasslands and azure blue lakes. Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa was our base for the next week as we experienced this magical wonderland.

Our next adventure found us on a flight to Santiago, to experience the spectacular sights and colorful culture of Chile’s capital. We savored our final days of this incredible journey seeing all of Santiago’s legendary landmarks. A most fascinating experience here was a nighttime stargazing adventure at a privately-held observatory outside the city in the middle of the Andes Mountains.

About the presenter

After retiring 20 years ago from a successful career as a contractor, developer and consultant in Naples, Fla., John Popinski and his wife Robin chose to live on the Olympic Peninsula and reside at Lake Dawn. Retirement for John has been enjoying the Olympic Peninsula, mountain biking, establishing a yoga center, gardening, renovating properties, trail work, foraging for mushrooms, sheds and berries. Time has always been set aside for travel to to explore the world — a passion savored for 50 years. Seeking new destinations and the planning process with all of the possibilities is always exciting. Experiencing new and diverse art, culture, culinary and architecture of a well-planned trip is most rewarding.

About the series

Traveler’s Journal, a presentation of the Peninsula Trails Coalition, raises funds to buy project supplies and food for volunteers working on Olympic Discovery Trail projects. Shows start at 7 p.m. at the Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road.

Admission is a suggested donation is $5 for adults. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to wear mask.

For more information, email Arvo Johnson at amjcgj@gmail.com.

2024 Traveler’s Journal Series

When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 22 (door opens at 6:30 p.m.)

Presenter: John Popinski

Presentation: “Patagonia”

Where: Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road

Cost: Suggested $5 donation (adults)

Coming up: “Iceland by Kayak, the first circumnavigation” with Nigel Foster, Feb. 29