Hello, my friends!
First chance to get on the internet, so I thought I'd drop you all a line. Just ending our first week down here, traveling with my two sons, one of who just finished a semester of university in Villarrica. We rented a car and spent the time on Chiloe Island, camping on beaches (ocean and lake), hiking, eating, etc.. Now we are in Puerto Arenas on the Straits of Magellia -- sorry for any mis-spellings! -- where we have rented a camper van (pick it up tomorrow) for the next three weeks as we head north (Torres de Paine, etc) back to Pureto Vargas and our flights to Santiago and home.
I have my 100+ year old 5x7, 8 holders, and 50 sheets of FP4+. And a 210mm and a 180mm lens (FujiWs). An old Gitzo Reporter Performance tripod with a Bogan 3-way head as well. The screw just stripped on one of the brackets for the GG, but otherwise all is well. Only a few sheets of film exposed so far. I have a little Sony digital, but one on my sons has a full digital set-up and I'll just steal his images -- he'll be hiking way beyond my capability! Bryce is also fluent in the local Spanish...I only know enough to order a beer and pay for things with my credit card.
The windy season has just started down here, which will make things interesting. Because I am traveling with my sons, photography is not my main purpose -- experiencing this incredible place with them is -- but if I can get 3 to 5 images over the next three weeks I will be in bliss.
Dealing with a cold (blaming my sniffling son from New York) and a heart that does not always beat the way it is designed to (zapping me of energy -- especially on the uphill portions of hikes), but so it goes. Sun sets tonight at 10:10pm. Our mornings tend to be slow, but we go until just short of sunset...cooking dinner as it gets dark, in the sleeping bags by midnight, and on the road by 11-ish in the morning. With the campervan, our routine might change a little, but my two 21 year-olds are keeping me moving!
Probably will not get back on the internet for another 3 weeks (my sons are a different story), so I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the best for the New year! I hope no one is badly impacted by the gov't shutdown -- I have heard the "T-word" only a couple times in the past week...bliss!
Vaughn in Chile
First chance to get on the internet, so I thought I'd drop you all a line. Just ending our first week down here, traveling with my two sons, one of who just finished a semester of university in Villarrica. We rented a car and spent the time on Chiloe Island, camping on beaches (ocean and lake), hiking, eating, etc.. Now we are in Puerto Arenas on the Straits of Magellia -- sorry for any mis-spellings! -- where we have rented a camper van (pick it up tomorrow) for the next three weeks as we head north (Torres de Paine, etc) back to Pureto Vargas and our flights to Santiago and home.
I have my 100+ year old 5x7, 8 holders, and 50 sheets of FP4+. And a 210mm and a 180mm lens (FujiWs). An old Gitzo Reporter Performance tripod with a Bogan 3-way head as well. The screw just stripped on one of the brackets for the GG, but otherwise all is well. Only a few sheets of film exposed so far. I have a little Sony digital, but one on my sons has a full digital set-up and I'll just steal his images -- he'll be hiking way beyond my capability! Bryce is also fluent in the local Spanish...I only know enough to order a beer and pay for things with my credit card.
The windy season has just started down here, which will make things interesting. Because I am traveling with my sons, photography is not my main purpose -- experiencing this incredible place with them is -- but if I can get 3 to 5 images over the next three weeks I will be in bliss.
Dealing with a cold (blaming my sniffling son from New York) and a heart that does not always beat the way it is designed to (zapping me of energy -- especially on the uphill portions of hikes), but so it goes. Sun sets tonight at 10:10pm. Our mornings tend to be slow, but we go until just short of sunset...cooking dinner as it gets dark, in the sleeping bags by midnight, and on the road by 11-ish in the morning. With the campervan, our routine might change a little, but my two 21 year-olds are keeping me moving!
Probably will not get back on the internet for another 3 weeks (my sons are a different story), so I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the best for the New year! I hope no one is badly impacted by the gov't shutdown -- I have heard the "T-word" only a couple times in the past week...bliss!
Vaughn in Chile
