Post by Grubb
Late in the morning yesterday we went to the Glacierium, a science oriented museum dedicated to educating visitors about the glaciers in the area.
It explained how snows accumulate, then melt, then freeze into an ice that over time becomes more compact until the weight of the density pushes the growing mass towards Lago Argentino. Photographs going back to the beginning of the 20th century showed the glacial progress at times measured as much as 17 meters a year. Now the glaciers seem to be at a standstill.
There were a couple movie clips fixated on what happens in the warmer months when the glacial shelves splinter and large chunks crash into the water. The phenomenon is called “calving” and we actually witness a minor example of the icy collapse when we were on the metal walkway overlooking the Perito Moreno glacier.
To me, the most fascinating part of the museum was an insect under glass that lives on the glaciers and survives because its bug juice is chemically akin to ant-freeze.
After we were done with the Glacierium, we returned to Calafate to walk the streets where the dogs rule. On the main drag (Libertad, of course), dogs of all manner and stripe freely laze in front of stores and restaurants. Now and then they would get up and follow us into the surrounding neighborhoods. On Monday night, after we had a sumptuous meal at La Tablita, a husky black bear like dog and a tiny tag-along muddy brown mutt accompanied us up the hill to our AirBnB. The big dog stuck with Ella; his little buddy ran back and forth between us making sure the old arthritic guy was keeping up. Once we were in the gate, they went back into the night to chaperone other stray people.
How bout a glacier t shirt?