David's Images of the Day Photoblog
Views of nature and the natural world. Plants, animals, and wildlife from around the world.
On the way from Argentina to Chile, we stopped at a sheep ranch (Estancia). We got to watch the sheep dogs manage a herd of sheep, then one of the sheep getting sheared.
One of the benefits when I was working part-time (two weeks a month) in Boulder, Colorado was that Rocky Mountain National Park was only an hour drive. I got to see and take pictures in the park during all four seasons. A winter storm was approaching, so I only spent a few hours in the park.
Although everyone was celebrating late into the night, I still got up early to check out the clouds at dawn. I knew we were approaching the southern part of Patagonia, and I was not disappointed. Even better, I was the only one out on the upper deck, and didn’t have to worry about the rude passengers from China with their bigger lenses walking in front of me while I was taking pictures. Shortly thereafter, the spotter for the Chinese tour group showed up and got on the walkie-talkie telling folks to come up. By the time they got on deck the colors were gone, but I had my picture.
As we were waiting for our rooms at Hosteria Los Notros I saw this painting. I didn’t know what is was, but the names of Charles Darwin and Jemmy Button were written on the side [Despedida de Charles Darwin y Jemmy Button 1834]. With the internet you find things about almost anything. So many things that I didn’t know about the history of Patagonia are intertwined in the painting [link]. Apparently, Captain FitzRoy during the first voyage of the HMS Beagle purchased or took Jemmy Button (a native from the islands around Tierra del Fuego) hostage, and brought him back to England. On the second voyage of the HMS Beagle, Captain FitzRoy and the young Charles Darwin returned Jemmy Button back to Patagonia. I heard that the Hosteria Los Notros is no longer open, and don’t know where the painting is now.
This was our last full day on the Hurtigruten MS Fram as we proceeded north toward South America. Food and Final Celebration. A long-range view of Cape Horn, an Albatross in flight, and clouds with colors that reminded me of Patagonia.
