Part 32 Chile - Dotted lines by the Sea, Wild Quanacos, A big 15million year old Shark, The Flowering Desert.
Part 32 Chile - Dotted lines by the Sea, Wild Quanacos, A big 15million year old Shark, The Flowering Desert.
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Sunday 31st Aug
Just north of Antofagasta is the La Portada natural arch.
Antofagasta is Chile’s second largest city and the largest port handling the mineral wealth, particularly copper, from the Atacama Desert area.
Carved in 1992 this towering granite hand is in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Atacama Desert.
Now we just need to find some isolated non-tourist places....
....Just found a dotted line that follows the coast !
Camp is high above the costal cloud or Camanchaca. This day long thick costal fog is created when the cold Humboldt current reacts with the warm air.
Camp 417: Camanchaca View
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 1705 metres
S 24* 17.723 W 070* 24.465
Today: 214 kms
Trip Total: 124,440 Km
The B-70 follows a long river valley towards the coast.
Here it never rains so it is easy to just put the road down the river scree slope.
All the way down are active and abandoned copper mines.
The ground and the side of mine tunnels is littered with oxidised copper ores.
Finally at the sea is an old copper processing works now abandoned.
Our ‘road’ turns south for 100kms.
It is rough, and where it does not hug the mountains or sand dunes, the road is a track above the high water mark.
The only activity in the area are these hard core kelp farmers.
The coast is cold and wind swept, their accommodation only shacks.
All water must be trucked in.
Must be a tough life with little return.
Our speed averaged only 20KPH, any slower and this is what happens...you rust up.
The 120kms takes us 5 1/2 hours.
Just north of the bitumen road junction at Paposo are some stone age shelters and some very large middens heaps.
Camp 418: Black Point just south of Paposo
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 5 metres
S 25* 02.587 W 070* 28.830
Today: 134 kms
Trip Total: 124,574 Km
Tuesday 2nd Sept.
Most of Chile is the Atacama Desert and most of it is very much the same, sometimes something just jumps out and says WOW!
Another such place is the Parque Nacional Pan de Azucar
(Pan=loaf, Azucur=sugar, thus National Park Sugarloaf)
The above was an unmarked trail we took in the park down a scree river bed for some 40kms, eventually exiting the park on the northern side. The costal fog cloud or Camanchaca can be seen hanging over the coast. It was a great drive.
We were looking for the wild quanacos (wild camelids related to the llamas) only to return to the park and drive another 5kms past the above turn off and there they are !
Our camp was on a side road in the park.
Enough for BBQ steak
Camp 419: BBQ Parque Azucar
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 210 metres
S 26* 07.342 W 070* 37.738
Today: 240 kms
Trip Total: 124,814 Km
Wednesday 3rd Sept.
The park has some very picturesque beaches and the cacti are just as amazing.
Just south of Caldera we are looking for a camp site and see a faded road sign ‘paleontological’ something.
A quick turn left and we are driving cross country looking for ???
On the next dune rise we see more signs and we cross country to explore.
A guy comes out of a small shed to greet us and shows us around a remarkable fossil site.
This rib bone is from a shark. The bone is 4 (yes Four) metres long !
Everywhere you look are fossil bones.
We have seen the Red Cliffs in Mongolia and were impressed, but here i have never seen so many exposed fossilised bones.
The young man in spanish tells us they are 15 Million year old Sharks, Crocodiles, and Birds.
I would have loved a couple of unchaperoned hours here !
We followed a track around the bay and found a quiet beach where the only noise was the rolling rocks in the small surf.
Camp 420: Fossil Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 15 metres
S 27* 07.711 W 070* 54.817
Today: 155 kms
Trip Total: 124,969 Km
Thursday 4th Sept.
Every bay is beautiful. We have been addicted by fossil fever and walk the headlands looking for prehistoric bones and are luckily rewarded with a few specimens.
Then gratefully provided assistance in the rescue of a vehicle that had a blown water hose.
Back into the Atacama Desert - and a sea of nothingness.
The mining town of Copiapo is a typically that. The main road into town is full of new and used mining equipment - all big!
We visited the universities mining museum where there are some great specimens.
Still fossil mad this shark tooth took our fancy. It is as big as an open hand!
Everywhere are copper mines and our camp is up a track into an old mine site.
Great spot for another BBQ
Camp 421: Old Copper Mine Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 954 metres
S 27* 37.251 W 070* 23.348
Today: 141 kms
Trip Total: 125,110 Km
Friday 5th Sept.
Only once a year in late July a phenomenon called the Desierto Florido (Flowering Desert) happens when dormant wildflower seeds are coaxed into life by a heavy Camanchaca. (dew)
We were very lucky to witness such an event in only about 20kms of Highway 5 just north of Vallenar.
In some areas whole valleys were just a carpet of flowers.
Our target point today is the Collowara Astronomical Observatory at Andacollo. It is a commercial tourist observatory with a number of telescopes. We arrived after a 370km drive to be told the place is closed !
Camp is set below the mountain. After our usual evening wine ...or two, we see a couple of vehicles go up the steep road to the observatory and are encouraged to revisit.
Apparently there is a special tourist representative function on and we are invited !
Not only do we receive a wonderful look at the planets ( Mars and Saturn ) and some great star viewing we are invited to wine and dine with the tour agencies on some especially prepared local food.
We were most welcomed by the observatory management and the tourist agencies involved.
It was a wonderful evening with some great company.
Camp 422: Collowara Astronomical Observatory Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 1179 metres
S 30* 15.184 W 071* 03.498
Today: 377 kms
Trip Total: 125,487 Km
Saturday 6th Sept.
We are one day out from Santiago.