In Patagonia with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
A wonderful journey today. We left the lakes behind and entered proper Patagonia. Mountains and lakes gave way to pampa and then to steppe. Bleak but beautiful steppe, wild, remote and rather fabulous.
About 8 miles north of a tiny town; Chilila, we made a slight detour to look at the homestead that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with Etta Place, lived in for around three years before going on the run, yet again, to Bolivia where they met their end. At least the men did, Etta's fate is a little unknown.
Whilst researching the homestead, I read that the owners, in 2006, had ruined it by replacing much of the timber with orange pine. We nearly didn't go fearing a travesty. In the end, we were so close we went anyway. It seemed rather foolish not to.
We loved it! There was no one there and we only found it because I knew roughly where it was and I recognised it from a photo I had seen online. It was off the road by about a kilometre and there wasn't a sign. We left the road and then parked up went under the fence and walked half a km or so to the buildings.
Yes, there was a little 'restoration' but it was not the travesty we expected. It oozed atmosphere - terrific!
We are staying in Esquel tonight. The starting point for the Patagonian Express railway line. Alas, it is 'suspendio' currently.. Still, Adrian had a good look around the engine shed and was happy. I was expecting rather more charm, but there didn't seem to be any.
One week left and, apart from a very small number of rest days the rally has driven the equivalent from London to Edinburgh, or more, by the back roads and often at extreme altitude, every day for five weeks, and for many crews it has all been done in pre-war cars. What an achievement!
About 8 miles north of a tiny town; Chilila, we made a slight detour to look at the homestead that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with Etta Place, lived in for around three years before going on the run, yet again, to Bolivia where they met their end. At least the men did, Etta's fate is a little unknown.
Whilst researching the homestead, I read that the owners, in 2006, had ruined it by replacing much of the timber with orange pine. We nearly didn't go fearing a travesty. In the end, we were so close we went anyway. It seemed rather foolish not to.
We loved it! There was no one there and we only found it because I knew roughly where it was and I recognised it from a photo I had seen online. It was off the road by about a kilometre and there wasn't a sign. We left the road and then parked up went under the fence and walked half a km or so to the buildings.
Yes, there was a little 'restoration' but it was not the travesty we expected. It oozed atmosphere - terrific!
We are staying in Esquel tonight. The starting point for the Patagonian Express railway line. Alas, it is 'suspendio' currently.. Still, Adrian had a good look around the engine shed and was happy. I was expecting rather more charm, but there didn't seem to be any.
One week left and, apart from a very small number of rest days the rally has driven the equivalent from London to Edinburgh, or more, by the back roads and often at extreme altitude, every day for five weeks, and for many crews it has all been done in pre-war cars. What an achievement!
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