Discovery of a nearby paradise

Happiness is riding on the back of an old Jeep over forested hills, looking out at the big, round sun setting over lakes and distant mountains through clouds of dust. Tonight I had one of these happy moments. I left my house at around 3:30pm this afternoon to go for a "bike ride". I didn´t have any plans. I glanced briefly at a map of the area before leaving my house and planned to follow the lake shore and see what attracted me as I went. As I rode along, my plan gently evolved and I subconsciously decided to ride to be Llao Llao. I had heard about the famous golf course out there and it seemed like a pretty place to visit. I rode and rode, over hills and down hills, always with gorgeous glimpses of the lake. Besides being honked off the road repeatedly, it was a very pleasant ride. I rode for about 25 kilometers before rounding a corner and suddenly feeling as if I´d been transported to Switzerland. There, elegantly perched on the top of a perfectly manicured grassy hill and magnificently framed by a granite mountain dotted with snow, was the most ridiculous rendition of a Swiss chalet I had ever seen. It was quite an impressive site, I´ll admit that much. But it did seem to be a bit much. I stopped for some sugary goodness - a quince crossaint, and I spoke with a very concerned lady about the possibility of taking the Llao Llao circuit back to Bariloche. At this point it was 6:30pm and she seemed to think 3 more hours of daylight wasn´t enough time to get me and my mountain bike back to Bariloche. The circuit was only 10 more miles than I had just done, which seemed like nothing at the time. Little did I know, the extra 10 miles consisted of at least 4 different mountain passes. But I was far from caring once I entered what I discovered to be a gorgeous slice of paradise. Who knew that Llao Llao was also a protected natural area? Not I. What luck! There is something that immediately binds me to places I have lived the moment I discover accessible slices of Earth’s paradise closeby. I feel safe and allow myself to relax. My soul sighs in relief, saying - "Ok, Steph, we are going to be just fine here. This is your sacred space, this is your haven, this is where you get re-charged." And it’s even better when I can get to this place without a car! So today was reassuring. Only 30 kilometers away from my house and I was gliding over hill, through patches of sunlight that reached through spectacular old-growth high beech forest. I was on my own again, in wander-mode where there is no plan, no expectations for how the day will go, no one else to distract me away from what my intuition tells me each moment. These days are always the best. I am finally free.

I had been biking through a cathedral of a forest, so bombarded by beauty that my soul was absolutely singing. I could not believe my luck at having discovered this amazing treasure so close to where I happened to land on this planet most recently. I was joyous, completely joyous, from my mass of tangled hair to my dirty toenails. Unfortunately, the sun was disappearing quickly and my rational self was getting a bit nervous about biking along a major highway in the dark with no lights, not to mention that my physical self was hurting a bit as well. My irrational self was hushing this rational self, saying, “Steph, you always work it out. You´ll get a bus or a taxi or maybe just stay at a Hosteria or something if you need to.” So, obviously the rational self lost the battles and I stopped wherever I pleased, not thinking about the sun’s lower angle in the sky, taking pictures, following paths that lead to breathtaking overlooks of hidden lakes and marvelling at the incredible beauty all around me. I felt blessed, giddy with the sun on my skin and indestructible; nothing could take my joy away. At around 8pm, as I was trudging up the 101th incline of the evening and feeling further from Bariloche than was healthy, I passed a Hosteria and the rational self won over – “Just check it out. Maybe it is a nice place and they have a cheap room for the night.” I won´t mention that the real temptation was the home brewery and restaurant next door. After going back and forth, I decided to stop in and see what the place was like. A very nice woman named Norma, showed me into the place and showed me a magnificent room (much out of my league) with a view through the high beech forest of yet another hidden, peaceful lake. I told her my situation and that I was unable to pay what she asked and to my surprise, she offered to take me back to where I could catch a bus to Bariloche. This was very kind of her, but she forgot that the bike would have to get back as well. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry. I can’t take you and the bike.” So I was on my way again . . .

The roads never seemed to stop going up. It was getting later, but I was still beaming with all the beauty I had seen. I rounded the corner of yet another incline and it seemed as if I’d died and gone to heaven. Lying in front of me was an expanse of such beauty that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t hallucinated. The sun was just an inch away from slipping away behind distant mountains. The few scattered clouds were lit up like Christmas lights – reds, oranges, yellows. And, as if out of jealously, the glass surface of the lakes mirrored the sky’s display. In the distance were jagged peaks brushed with snow. I wasn’t the only one enjoying nature’s show – there were a handful of cars scattered about – families taking pictures, lovers kissing, a man selling polished wood art. There was one car I spied that would fit me and my bike perfectly. A very old orange jeep, no much more than an engine, a steering wheel, a stick shift and some semblance of a frame. I watched as a young couple walked over to the car and prepared to leave. This was my chance! I ran over and asked them if I could get a ride. “Sure! Hop in! We aren’t headed all the way back, but we’ll drive you most of the way.” Awesome. Snap snap. I fired off a couple of the vista, threw my bike in the back and jumped in behind it. Off we flew.

And that is happiness: bouncing along in the back of an old Jeep over forested hills, looking out at the big, round sun setting over lakes and distant mountains through clouds of dust.