More mountain madness

We've gotten a lot of snow on our mountains, and they're showing up better in pictures now.  This is from our apartment building....

Today we went up to visit them again, returning to Cajon del Maipo.  Here's a view of some of the tall peaks once you get up a bit into the valley.

We drove past a farm along the way, with little kids out in the road herding the chickens.

These appeared to be military bunkers or something.  There were probably twenty of them clustered together in a clearing in this valley.

The top of these peaks marks the boundary between Chile and Argentina.

A real cowboy!  He had his rope wound up in his hand and we saw him and his buddy rounding up the cattle together.  It was like a scene straight out of a Western.

About 25 km in on bumpy gravel roads (and about 2.5 hrs out of Santiago) we finally came to the entrance to the park we were heading for:  Parque Valle del Yeso.

The road went through this river, and we decided the tiny car we rented was not up for fording it.  We were about half a kilometer from the trail head, so we just ditched the car where it was and waded through the stream.

Or I should say, J and I waded through the stream...... 

....and J hoisted the girls across.

At the trail head there were some hot springs, and the warm water was spouting right out of the rock and cascading down into a series of pools.

There were quite a few people parked and camped at the thermal pools, and we followed a trail that left from there and headed up into the valley.  Here's Bear, having a "Sound of Music" moment....

The whine-o-meter was reading at only around 65 today (it had been perilously close to 100 on our last hike up in Cajon del Maipo).  We managed to get much further into a hike, but still didn't reach the lake that was supposed to be our destination.  However, the whole trail was really spectacular, and at least some of us enjoyed the distance we went.

The girls in a serious pow-wow, strategizing how they could turn our operation back down the mountain.

The mini tent city by the thermal pools.

We ended up picnicking here, overlooking the thermal pools.  As we had gone further up the valley it got windier and windier so we waited to have our lunch until we got almost back to the trailhead. It was a lovely and tranquil spot, and the views were as good as anywhere along the whole hike.

After our experience of the (not so) hot springs at the geysers near San Pedro de Atacama, the girls were not super-keen on hopping into these thermal pools.  However, I think these were genuinely warm, in addition to the fact that it was a warm day, whereas when we visited the thermal pools in the Atacama, it was below freezing!  I think we would have had fun getting in the water here, but the girls didn't really want to, so we skipped it.

On the walk back towards our car, a pickup came by and I asked them if they had room in the back to cart us over to where we had parked, and schlepp us across the stream.  And that is how the girls had their very first ride in the back of a truck!

Thanks, guys!!

As we headed down, we were reassured that we were heading the correct direction in case of a volcanic eruption.  Good to know.

This was the reservoir we passed on our way up and back to the park.  The lighting in the afternoon made the color of the lake even more turquoise than in the morning.

A little cave shrine built into the side of the mountain.

 J spotted some massive birds along the drive that may have been condors.  We stopped and watched them for awhile--they were HUGE!

We reached home with barely enough time to take advantage of the last hour of the last day of swimming in our pool--as of tonight it's officially closed for winter.  It's been a good run!

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

Today we walked over and gave a little spin through the National Museum of Fine Arts.

Our favorite was an exhibit on the theme of reading in art.  This was the girls' favorite wall--paintings of girls with books and/or letters.

This was my favorite, called "La Viajera" (The Traveler)

In the next room after the older paintings were the modern expressions of books in art.  We loved this one!

I never did find anything about the artist for this installation, nor did I see a title.  However, I think if I were giving it a name, I would call it "Censored."  It's a collection of books with chunks cut out in various patterns.  Here are some close-ups.

We also liked this one--the text reads, "The image of an idea" on the inside of the book cover, with pencils above it.  The fillings of a book:  ideas, and some mode of recording them.  I love it!

Tulip had fun with some hands on art, creating her own scene with magnetic pieces.  The little boy standing with her was rattling off a running commentary but I don't think she even registered that he was trying to talk to her.  After awhile she just shrugged and walked away.  The boy seemed mystified for a second and then went on doing his thing.  I couldn't help but laugh!

I was trying to figure out what this piece of art says about musicians..... we have fertile minds?  Or maybe that we are lettuce-heads?  I'm also really aching for her to have arms.  So many questions.

We immensely enjoyed the photographic exhibition as well.  I just love photography, especially of faces and people.

In the lobby of the museum there was an installation of suspended fan-like shapes that were emitting an eerie soundscape through built-in speakers, and also periodically started to sway back and forth.

On the outside of the museum we got a kick out of the "eyeglasses" framing one of the windows.

On the way home we crossed the river and walked through Bellavista instead of continuing in Parque Forestal all the way to the bridge nearest our house.  We realized that this is the way most people come into Bellavista and we had never gone this way (we usually come into Bellavista from the other side--sort of from the "back").  When you enter the neighborhood from this point, it's much more dramatic--for starters, there's the University of San Sebastian right there.....

.... and directly next to the university is an artisan fair.  We're not sure if it only happens on the weekend, or whether it's there all the time.

Of course an excursion is never complete without some sister fun.