Patagonia, January 31-Feb. 2

Patagonia is one of the most uninhabited areas on the planet.  It covers approximately 402,734 miles and has a population of about 2 million people, roughly one person per square mile.  We're spending 3 nights in El Calefate, a staging area for exploring this part of Patagonia.

The main attraction to this area of Patagonia is the enormous Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. It contains the third largest reserve of fresh water on the planet.  And, what's especially remarkable, is that this glacier is still growing rather than retreating as most of the world's glaciers are doing, some at alarming rates.  Every day the glacier creeps forward another 6.5 feet.  This phenomenon continues to baffle scientists .

At a stop to look at vegetation on our way to the glacier

We've seen many glaciers on our travels, but we've always had to fly or take a boat to them.  Here we rode in the bus, got out and walked up to within a quarter mile of the face of the glacier!!  Awesome!