Travel

After a wonderful drive down to Tucson, we were eager to get started on our visit. Early the first morning, we took a ranger hike in Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. Admission is by the day or week, but the best deal is if you are over 62 because you can buy the National Park Lifetime Membership for only $10 and itʼs good for 2 people at any National Park in the U.S. Sabino Canyon, located on the northeast side of Tucson, is a well loved hiking/biking/running/walking/photography destination due to the outstanding scenery, well-maintained trail system, wildlife viewing, and plenty of restrooms.

On Day Two it is snowing, but less windy than the first day. Our inn, Romantik Hotel Auberge d'Hermance, provides a wonderful breakfast of cafe au lait, croissant, fresh-baked breads, brioche, cheeses, yogurt, jam, and pears.

We land at 7:36 a.m. and Captain “Bubba” Ransom drawls over the PA system on our 767 aircraft, “Folks, get on your coats, it's 10 degrees here in Geneva with a 30 mph north wind. Oh, and, you're gonna have to climb down the stairs onto the tarmac and run to the waiting buses to get to the terminal.” Captain Ransom's Texas accent is homey and reassuring; the howling wind and the crawl down the stairs is not. We packed our heavy coats in our checked bags, as did all of the others on the airplane, except the Geneva residents. They know about this unusually cold winter in Europe. We are here to work with a client, document historic residential architecture, and be test subjects for Whole Earth Provisions' latest cold weather gear.

South America amazed us. The beauty of the countryside, the flavors of the food and wine, and the kindness of the people left us wanting to return. Here are some of the images we will never forget.

Leaving Mendoza was tough. There are wineries we never got to visit! We'll miss Fernando, the driver who took us all around the area. He always made us laugh and had lots to tell us about Mendoza.

We arrived in Buenos Aires after eight days of hardcore wine tasting, and took advantage of a lazy afternoon. Our new lodging, Purobaires Hotel Boutique, has 11 lovely rooms and is situated in trendy Palermo SoHo.

Our numbers were short today: Sarah was under the weather and Mark had a business call so four of us took off for our hike in the Andes. Fernando, our driver, brought a guide, Yael, to hike with us and explain the sights along the way. The drive from Mendoza City to the Parque Aconcagua with stops took about three and a half hours. It was a long drive, but worth every minute.

After the marathon wine tastings of the last three days, it was a shock - yes, a SHOCK - to have to wait until lunch for our first glass of wine. Christian The Van Man came to pick us up this morning for our 11:45 flight to Mendoza, the wine capital of Argentina. Christian was great-he stayed with us all the way to security to make sure we had a smooth departure, and we did.

Every day is a new adventure - we were up early for a 7:00 departure and the coffee machine at the hotel was broken! We made a quick trip to Starbucks in Providencia for much needed caffeine before a three hour drive to the Apalta region, south of Santiago. The roadside is packed with fruit and vegetable stands and the fields are filled with grape vines, corn and apple, cherry and peach trees. It's a beautiful drive.

We left a chilly Dallas for a hot Chile at 9:00 Tuesday night. It's a ten hour flight, but only a three hour time difference and we felt more travel lag than jet lag. We learned the hard way that it's best to carry on your luggage when flying into Santiago. Our checked bags were held for a decontamination spraying that took over an hour. We've been told that not every flight has this delay, but to be safe, carry on if you can. We were met by Christian The Van Man in his bright yellow t shirt.