Patagonia during COVID-19
In March, 2020 I traveled to Patagonia to paint. COVID-19 was still just a distant threat on the world stage. That didn’t last. Within 48 hours, the Argentines closed down all internal flights. We were effectively trapped in the tiny village of El Chaltén. Meanwhile, it was getting colder in Patagonia. Termination dust—the first snow of the year at high elevations—appeared on the mountains.
We learned there would be a flight from Rio Gallegos to Buenos Aires. Armed with a jerry-can of gasoline, we got up at four AM to drive through the desert. At each checkpoint, soldiers carefully scrutinized our papers. The road was unmarked and dark. We sang silly songs to keep awake.
We arrived at the airport in ample time, but the queue was excruciatingly slow. I was the last in line. The plane, which had waited, took off. Ultimately, it would take another week to be repatriated.
You can read the full account of our trip starting here.
Iona and Scotland
10,000 miles across Canada and Alaska
On September 7, I collected an SUV in Anchorage, AK. Its mechanical problems would dog us across the country, but it survived.
We headed above the Arctic Circle, where I painted in a light snow. We then traveled south toward the Al-Can, detouring over the Top of the World Highway and crossing the Yukon River at Dawson City. North of Brandon, Manitoba, the SUV sputtered and died. Back on the road again, we touched the Great Lakes at Thunder Bay.
The Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers drew me as powerfully as the Yukon had. We spent an afternoon in the autumn sun on the Île d’Orléans, where my daughter attempted to teach me French as I painted. Our passage to Newfoundland coincided with Hurricane Matthew’s landfall on Thanksgiving Day. Our trip ended as it started: in snow.
You can read the full account of our trip starting here.
Points South
New Mexico in Summer
New Mexico in Winter
