Balmaceda – this is the view from the airport! It was incredible to arrive to sunny weather, mountains, and cheerful people after the long flight. The Chilean students met us here and we got on a bus to Coyhaique.
In Coyhaique, that first evening. The sign, which means “Patagonia without Dams,” shows the public presence of some non-governmental organizations lobbying against the dam project. Their website (http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final) is a pretty good source of information about the project.
This is the little elementary school where we stayed in Coyhaique. It was adorable! The kids generally stay at school during the week, particularly since the roads get bad in the rainy weather. So even I got to feel like a giant (it’s pretty weird when you can see over the toilet stall separators!)
I think this is called Sello Del Castillo (Castle Rock), but whatever the name, it is a landmark and the highest point in the neighborhood. This is still pretty close to Coyhaique (during our drive down to Cochrane).
A view along the road toward Cochrane… It had been very dry that summer – unusually dry – and the landscape is quite brown.
Another view. I think this is a tributary to the Baker, which is one of the rivers that would host the proposed dams.
It was incredibly dry! This river is also full of volcanic ash, which is what killed those trees.
We all took a picture in front of this billboard. The first car that passed gave us the finger, the second cheered… Evidently, this is a hot issue.
Scenery…
The Baker River. (Bus picture, sorry for the blur!)
Confluence between the Baker and one of its tributaries.
Another placard proclaiming “No to flooding Patagonia!”
Lago General Carrera (on the Argentinian side it has another name). This lake is absolutely gorgeous. It is a huge - nearly 2000 square kilometer and 700 m deep - and beautiful, clean, freshwater resource, but non-native fish and tourism threaten it.
In addition to the lobbying organizations, there are evidently some rebellious citizens trying to get their views across as well. Aysen is the region where we were (like a state).
There are other energy initiatives in Chile, but none really have taken off yet. These are 3 of the 11 wind turbines operating (at the time of our visit). This was my first time seeing turbines up close. There is wider support for the turbines as they produce electricity that is used locally, unlike the proposed dams (which would serve Santiago, primarily).
We do like to pretend to be wind turbines, sometimes… (Anne, Molly, Sarah, Erin, Nora).
A waterfall stop along the way back north to Coyhaique.
The landscape is just incredible. And you’ll notice that there aren’t really any power lines in sight. Apparently, the presence of large, visible power lines in Patagonia is one of the reasons people oppose the dam projects.
Waiting for the plane to go north to Puerto Montt, on our way to the San Pedro area.
Plane picture of the forest fires.
My first view of the Pacific Ocean! I got to put my feet in, too!
A bus picture of more fires…
Lago Panguipulli. We stayed at the head of the San Pedro River and ended up doing our educational activities there as well as having a barbeque. The previous night, we had a rough drive in because the roads weren’t very wide. But, I got to see the stars in the Southern Hemisphere – probably the clearest view I’ll ever have. It was absolutely beautiful there.
Electrofishing! Pretty much, you stun the fish and then pick them up with the net. There are a few species endemic to the San Pedro River and it’s hard to tell how human activities will affect them. Since they are small fish and don’t really have any economic value, it’s harder to get the public interested in their protection.
More electrofishing...
The San Pedro area also had some neat trees…
… places to measure flow and water depth…
… vistas …
… beaches… (Erin and Josh)
… swimming holes…
… and people swimming!
The lake was still beautiful during the picnic!
Los Barros. This is a national park and military training area. It was the site of a 2005 tragedy where some 40 soldiers died in a snowstorm. The park is not how I imagine a national park – there are no trees, it’s just rocks and water. This picture shows one of the memorials from the tragedy.
The lake level is evidently quite low in the park. This lake also feeds a river that has been rerouted as a hydroelectric project.
It is really an interesting place, shaped by volcanoes and water.
We had a long lunch here and did a bit of exploring.
Hey, I’m in a picture!
Leaving the park…
And there’s the river… In tubes. It’s really an interesting operation they’ve got going.
They aren’t small tubes, either!
This is an overflow channel for the rerouted river.
Somehow, the river seems better when it’s not in the tubes. Only about 10% of the original flow is left in the stream, if I recall correctly.
Salto del Laja (this is a favorite waterfall near Concepcion). It is threatened by proposed hydropower plants as well.
Free day in Concepcion! We got a great tour from one of the Chilean students.
The University of Concepcion was quite pretty, almost Mediterranean, and had this amazing tree stump.
A view of Concepcion from our hike up one of the hills.
And I finally got to frolic (and swim) in the Pacific! We got there by city bus – an adventure in and of itself – and had a wonderful final evening.
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