Practically from that point onward we were doing a slalom between icebergs.  Most were small but some were enormous.  There had apparently been a huge break-up 7 days earlier.  The glacier is in full-blown retreat. We stood about a kilometer off of the ice for awhile but saw no major calvings. I was tremendously impressed with all of the structure exposed on the mountains above the tree line. The last time I was here it was November and all of the peaks were snow-covered, hiding the rocks.
 
 

Numerous large icebergs floated all over the west end of the lake. A couple of weeks prior to our visit, there had been a large break-up.

As we headed back down the lake, the weather clouded over.  We headed north up the fjord leading to Estancia Cristina where we disembarked.  Our group piled into two unimogs and headed up a steep, bouncy 4WD track to the summit of a nearby rise.  Along the way I saw the best Roches Moutonées I’ve ever seen.  At the top, we got out and walked 600 m across the rocks to an overlook in a light drizzle.  The rocks are in the Jurassic Tobifera formation, a black shale loaded with Belemnoids and Ammonoids.  A small intrusion pops up as well.

The view from the overlook was an expansive view across the glacier and way up onto the ice sheet.  The lake was right below us.  Small icebergs were gathered by a couple of protected coves.  No one minded the rain.  Our guide, a young woman named Amneris, was excellent.  She asked many geological questions to enhance her guiding skills.

We bounced back down to the ranch and traded places with the other group from our boat.  Inside the ranch we had a huge asado with wine and dessert.  I don’t think anyone wanted to leave but we walked through the rain back to the boat after a walking tour of the ranch.  Lee had to ride because he sprained his knee in a fall on the boat in the morning.  Most people fell asleep on the way back to Punta Bandaras.  I know I did. 
 

The Upsala is a newcomer to Lago Argentino. Rather than visiting the Onelli glacier for lunch, it stops at Estancia Cristina, on the north side of the lake. We disembarked and rode up to a spectacular overlook of the ice.	The asado at Estancia Cristina was superb, offering a wide variety of meats, vegetables,  wines, and desserts.

After a short hike, we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the glacier  and were able to see far up the Patagonian Ice Sheet. No one seemed to  mind the persistent drizzle.

The Jurassic  marine strata exhibit a lot of structure and are loaded with ammonoids and belemnoids.

Back in town, I went to an Internet café and spent an hour on email before returning to the hotel.  We had dinner at a restaurant a block and a half from the hotel.  There was a big feast and then a smooth transition into a New Year’s party.  Don Hagen won the door prize: a big basket of wine and food. We danced and partied until after 2:00.  This was my second New Year’s in a row in Patagonia.  Both have been memorable.  This one was a blast.
 

                            Ecology    Environmental Studies    Mathematics