2-28 Ushuaia (Tierra Del Fuego) - The End of the World

Well, thanks to the determined Captian, we DID "Round Cape Horn" last night.  And we receive certificates to prove it!  Thank you Captain Nash.  Let's just say it was memorable, and a bit bumpy!

After Rounding Cape Horn, the Ship u-turned north and then headed west up the Beagle Channel, named after the explorer Magellan's ship.  At three in the morning the local pilot was picked up and as we slept peacefully we were delivered to the pier of Ushuaia, Argentina, known as the End of the World.  Even though there are more named communities to the south, Ushuaia lays claim to being the southern most populated town.

FYI, at this point we are only 600 miles from Antartica.  So it's no surprise that it's only 48 degrees at the end of their summer.  And surprise, it's raining.  fortunately we have an excursion booked today and we'll be seeing Tierra Del Fuego by motor coach.  Our tour begins at 11, so there's no rush this morning.

Tierra Del Fuego is an archipelago (group of islands) at the most souther tip of mainland South America.  It is divided by Chile & Argentina.  It is also the southern end of the 19,000 mile Pan-American Highway which ends in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  And yes, I had to look that up.

The excursion was mainly driving through the scenic park and stopping occasionally at various vistas.  With the wind, rain and low temperatures, that was ok with us.  Here are a few pics -

As we head back to the ship the fog settles in again and the rain becomes more constant.  This was the view from our coach window just before we turn into the port.

That night the ship sails through the Beagle Channel and we catch a gimps of a couple of amazing glaciers.

Yes, the ice is blue.

This is not an overexposed photo.  The top gray band is fog!

Thank you Argentina for another great day!  Now on to Chile.