I am way behind in my postings, and I have decided if I don’t catch up I may lose some of my dear followers. Or even worse, I might not gain new ones!
So before getting up on our last morning at Casa Luma de Montana, I took a long last look at the beautiful ceiling. This hotel would not have been out of place in Italy. I loved the frescos on the ceiling.
This was the room where we stayed in Bevagna, Italy on my 60th birthday trip. We had a one bedroom suite with living room. The hotel was an old Palazzo. I’m hoping the angel fresco was above the bed and not the fighting guys. That would have led to a lot of bad dreams!
Now that I am comparing Casa Luma, it would have been more fitting in a rustic Italian villa book. 
Perhaps this one! 
Or on the cover of a magazine, like this one!
We had our last breakfast and said good by to the beautiful view of Villa la Angostura. We met Fernando who would be our driver to Arroyo Verde. 
When we go to the parking lot we saw a beautiful drift boat. Steve thought “My, what a nice boat!”. This was Fernando’s boat, and he had towed it from whereever he last was all the way to Casa Luma, towed it down the hill to the first parking lot, backed it in and was going to hitch back up to it and drive it to Arroyo Verde. As anyone who has towed a boat, and backed it up can appreciate, this was quite a formidable task. But Fernando had a very powerful truck, and was able to maneuver quite easily. If it’s your business, you learn quickly!
We said goodbye to Elizabeth and were off. 
Like me, Fernando had a beautiful hat. The hats were kept on the back seat next to me. 
This is the stone and concrete driveway that led to the main road. It was quite steep. Fernando handled it so easily. I thought for sure we wouldn’t make it up the hill! Silly me. 
We drove through town, this is the fishing store that Steve and I visited the night before. You can see the “Simms” sign over the front door. “Simms” doesn’t mean fishing in Spanish, it is a name brand.
This was going to be today’s truck ride. We left Villa La Angostura, drove on Route 40 to intersect with Route 237, traveled north along the Limay River and then turned left at Confluencia and traveled along the Rio Traful to Arroyo Verde. I think it took us a good three hours.
The road traveled along the Rio Limay. It was very picturesque. Steve was planning on taking an all day drift boat ride in Fernando’s boat, one of the days of our stay. I would have the option to join them. Would I go, or would I stay? 
This area was called Valle Encantado, or the Enchanted Valley. This rock formation was called Dedo de deus, or”God’s Finger”.
There was lots of road construction on this part of the road, so I took lots of pictures of the rock formations. I won’t bore you with them!
Well, maybe just one more. This looked like a great place to stop and stare. 
We finally arrived at the main gate. The road to the estancia is about 15 kilometers, and it’s a dirt road. I think I’ll leave off now. Stay tuned for the next installment.
We left Tipiliuke and headed south west to San Martin de los Andes. 
On the way we passed a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. Did you know that Jack liked to fish also?There are a few lots available to purchase in the golf course development. 
This is one of the grocery stores that I stopped at with Mary Jo the other day. No time to stop today, we had places to go, adventures to enjoy! 
San Martín de los Andes is located at the end of Lake Lácar, or Lagar Lácar as the Argentinians say. There are lots of roses everywhere, and the buildings are built in a Tyrollean style. Many of the shops sell ski gear, chocolates and sporting clothes. 
Lagar Lácar is a glacial lake, and there is only development near the base of the lake. Lanin National Park was created in 1937, and the logging industry that had been prevalent was ended. The area reminded me of Lake George without the houses!
It’s about 12:40 on a Thursday afternoon, only a few people are on the beach. It would be equivalent to a Thursday after Labor Day back home. There are a few boats at the marina here to take people on a cruise.
We stopped to enjoy the view at Lago Machónico vista. 
Here is Steve with our driver. I can’t remember his name, but he did have a sexy Argentinian accent! Not to worry though, Steve is still my main squeeze!
This is a picture of the truck we were driven in. They had lots of truck similar to this in Chile also. Steve thinks that they would sell like hot cakes in the US. 
Here is a panoramic view of Lago Machónico vista. We eventually passed by seven of the lakes, that I previously told you we would pass on Seven Lakes Road. After almost 3 hours we arrived at Villa La Angostura. More later!
Tipiliuke Lodge is also known as Estancia Los Pinos. I believe there are over 1000 trees from around the world here! The Estancia is still family owned, but Kevin and Mary Jo are in charge of the guest lodge. We did not meet any of the family on our trip, maybe next time! 
Yes, the weather was sunny and delightful. Back home they were expecting a terrible snow storm. This view is from a little higher up, you an see the meandering stream quite well. If you drive further to the right down 49, you will end up at River House. 
Now from farther up in the sky, you see Junin de los Andes at the top of the picture. San Martin de los Andes is just south and to the west. It’s on a lake, you can’t quite see the lake as the name is in the way.
This is the map of the Estancia. It is almost 50,000 acres! The Larminat Brothers came to Tipiliuike in 1909 from France. They fell in love with the area, as does everyone who visits here! The Larminat family still owns the Estancia.
An aerial view of the lodge where we stayed. You can see the pergola where we had lunch on the left of the picture.
There is a beautiful view of Tipiliuke from the back garden. This phot was taken in the fall.
This was the bar, where everyone would gather at all times of the day. This is where I would sit and work on my blog. I would often show Maru or Monica a picture and ask them what it was, for my posts. 
Here is the living room. We didn’t have any fires as it was summer. Here we see the afternoon tea and coffee set up.
After a day of fishing, Steve would return to this sight. How welcoming! Life doesn’t get much better than this, does it? 
Here is a picture of Adrian, who was Steve’s guide. Maru and Monica, comprise the rest of the trio. This picture was taken earlier in the week. Maru left on Tuesday to fly to Buenos Aries to attend her sister’s wedding. There were going to be 400 guests, I told her to keep her eyes open there for a special someone. In my romance novels, weddings are often a great place to meet your future spouse! 
Here is another picture of the interns. Aren’t they handsome? I didn’t inquire if they needed girlfriends back home! Send me your email if interested, and I will try to forward it to the guys!
Here I am saying good bye to Monica! My hat is at a jaunty angle, isn’t it? Monica and I both have our chins placed correctly, our guts are sucked in and our shoulders back. We are picture posing pros!