Lago Ranco Hike -- All 6+ Miles of It!

Lago Ranco -- a small town next to a large lake!

Last Monday, the missionaries and Keith and I went to Lago Ranco (on the bus) to go on a paseo.  Only one missionary (besides us and the Lago Ranco missionaries) had been there and she did not climb the mountain behind the town.  We celebrated Elder Petrovelli's and Keith's birthday on the mountain.  Below is Keith's journal entry about the trip.

"Lago Ranco is a large lake to the east of La Union and Rio Bueno and the head waters of the Rio Bueno river.  We have two missionaries in the small town that overlooks the lake.  The featured activity was a hike up the mountain that overlooks the town and the lake.

The last time we took this trip we had a car; this time we didn't.  What a difference it made.  The 3+ miles up the mountain  was very arduous with 30-45 degree climbs.  The trip down was difficult for different reasons.  By the time we were finished we were starting to weave back and forth!  We won't be making this climb again!

The missionaries were a spirited group and climbed much faster than we did.  Those who lagged behind with us provided conversation and we got to know them better,  Some of the missionaries had just turned 19.  It was Keith's birthday today.  He is 71 and feels pretty good for a man his age if you take our hike into account.

The ride back was interesting.  With 16 missionaries on board, the bus was loaded to the gills with people standing in the aisle and up by the driver."

View from the mountain

Our missionaries

Birthday Boys

Color on the side of the road

Paseo to Parque National Alerce Costero

Yesterday we went to see a 3,500 year old tree. It's in the Alerce Costero National Park in La Union, Chile. It was a steep mile+ down and the same up, but the tree roots were so bad that it was very hard to walk. Grandpa and I were both exhausted at the end! But the tree was lovely and huge! So impressive! It was a very hard walk after Monday's paseo! I am so sore and stiff. It was hard to get up this morning to get ready to go to church. It was a long walk to church -- all of 5 minutes -- but it seemed much longer! But it was worth it! (Besides we live on the Calle Parque Alerce Costero (Alerce Costero Park Street). So we had to go!)

At the bottom, starting back

Tree roots!  Nasty to walk on!

At the bottom

This tree grows a "scab" when the tree is
attacked or ill.  Very interesting! 

One tall tree!!!

We went with a group from La Union,
the town we live in.

Palafitos - Stilt houses -

These are NOT missionary houses!  They are palafitos -- houses on stilts in Castro, Chiloe.  They are very colorful.  The front of the house is on land and looks like a regular house, but the back is built on stilts, and the tide comes in and goes under the houses and then goes out and leaves the houses high and dry.

Chiloe Inspections - February 2015

After seeing the penguins, we proceeded to do 5 missionary house inspections.  When we see some of the places the missionaries live in, we wonder who found these places!  Some are behind other houses, hidden from view, others you cannot find the gates because the fences are covered in ivy, and some (one) had an address of 500 and there were two 500s, a 500 A and a 500 B!  We went to one house with 4 elders, medium clean, but one of the elders had volunteered to clean the frig and he was doing it while we were there!  Oh well, it was clean, really clean, when we left.  We went on to Castro and did the two houses there. The next day we did two more houses and then back to La Union and home.

A typical missionary house kitchen -- not the one with the clean frig!

Penguins!!!! February 2015

We visited Chiloe, an island in the middle of the mission.  There is a penguin colony there from December to March.  It was such fun to see the penguins fairly "up close and personal"!  You had to load on a boat on a wagon that rolled us out to the motor boat that took us to the three islands that the penguins called home.  The Pacific ocean was choppy that day which made the ride exciting!

Which one am I?