Lake Powell - not really a famous turistic place, but definitevely a spot popular with the locals... Seems there's no such place as this for water sports and leisure... Lake Powell is a man made lake. Several decades ago, after a lot of debates and discussions Glen Canyon Dam has been built in order to control the Colorado River flow down the line and guarantee the water in the dryer months. At the same time the dam is also a huge power supplier. On the other side, towns had to be abandoned so the lake could be made and there were a lot of discussions about the eco side of the story... Right or not, we don't know, every story has two sides - but the truth stays - this place is really nice and worth ... read more

Hot Hot Hot. It is indeed desert, so that explains the temperature. Today we visited Joshua Trees National Park. A huge park with these peculiar trees everywhere and with round rock formations in background. Nice photo opportunities. The nice thing about the park that it is really set up for a 'car visit'! So, we turned on the airco and enjoyed the ride! We spotted egghorns and even several Road Runners (you know: beep-beep - from the cartoon) but they're too quick and we didn't manage to get a picture... Better luck futher down the road, maybe in Arizona. And we also saw the famous fault of Saint Andreas... It was a bit hazy - but it was clearly to be seen. We just hope it stays still while we're around! Palm Springs is a cute ... read more

We took it easy last three days... just cruising our way down the Hgwy 1 from San Francisco to LA. It's a great drive and the coast is amazing. So many different views! And we enjoyed a beautiful weather. First stop was Santa Cruz - a place we'd define as a typically southern Californian - even though we're just not there yet. Long beach full of people sunbathing or playing volleyball. And a boardwalk full of restaurants, shops and even roller coasters. We lunched at the pier while watching seals and pelicans... we even spotted couple of dolphins! Our first overnight was in Monterey though. A place made famous by J. Steinbeck and his books... Cannery Row is still there! Here we also visited Peltons. It was so nice to see them after soooo many years. ... read more

So, El Calafate. Our last stop here in Argentina. Famous for its Los Glacieros National Park, and especially for the Perito Moreno Glacier. And indeed - there is ice everywhere! Ice is the theme around here. And I don't think we have ever seen so many people so excited about it and pushing and pulling to get a picture of it! Ha-ha. But no complaining. We were amongst them, and the views were, once again, amazing! The first day we went on a boat ride with a catamaran on the Lago Argentino. The idea was to visit Upsala glacier (the biggest one), but few months ago a big chunk has broken off and is now blocking the entrance of the channel to get to it. So we sailed in front of other glaciers, the highest one ... read more

So, here we are, in Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, or what they call here fin del mundo or 'end of the world'. Two hour flight and totally different environment: mountains with icy tops and colder air give these days a winter vacation feeling. Even though the weather is holding. Yesterday was a bit colder and cloudy but today we had a perfectly sunny and warm day! Yesterday we took a boat excursion through Beagle Channel (where Atlantic and Pacific mix) to the Estancia Harberton, the first estancia in Tierra del Fuego founded by an English guy in 1800's. On our way there we spotted animals again . Sea lions, pinguins and cormorants... All of which much more active than in Patagonia where they pretty much lay around in the warm sun. The catamaran could get really ... read more