I made some more slow and steady progress on the Fox Body Mustang Project this past weekend, documented in my latest video from the TacoPotatoMustang YouTube channel. Thanks for watching. More Argentina photos coming soon!
Continuing from my last post on our Argentina trip (in February, pre-COVID 19 travel restrictions) – once we landed on the glacier side of the water, we were given helmets and climbing harnesses. From the beach, we hiked a beautiful trail that ran alongside the glacier, stopping briefly to drink some fresh spring water and to take some photos.
We were given crampons before stepping onto the glacier. Safety first.
The next three plus hours were spent trekking all over the glacier. It was cold, windy, and exhausting, but also absolutely invigorating. The views, the colors (the blues especially), the sensory overload, and the blue hues. Did I mention the blue? Look at it. It looks like windshield wiper fluid but it’s natural!
We ate our lunch in a spot that was as good as any on the glacier, close to this little “river”.
Beyond the cold temps, wind, and whole being in motion, it was so exhausting because you brain is just being worked the entire time. Going up and down steep grades in the crampons requires constant attentiveness, so you avoid spraining or breaking an ankle. I think I managed to only fall once the entire trek but I tend to be more on the careful side. If you ever find yourself in Calafate, I highly recommend doing one of the treks that puts you further onto the glacier. We saw some tourist groups that only went onto the glacier briefly and not very far. I’m sure they had a nice experience as well but being so far onto the glacier felt like being on a different planet. It was incredible. Also, did I mention exhausting?
The remainder of our time in Calafate wasn’t quite as intense. We walked around the town center area some more, tried some restaurants, and also ended up doing a short hosted tour near Lago Argentino. The tour also included an educational element visiting some eons old cave painting sites near the coast of the lake. Again with the amazing colors.
Why don’t we get cool, quirky VW pickup trucks like this in the U.S.?
Calafate is amazing. Add it to your bucket list. When the world is hopefully more “back to normal” some day, you should visit. Thanks for reading.
I made a little bit of progress on the Fox Body Mustang Project over the past weekend. Updates include removing the air silencer to free up a little bit more power, trying to trace the alternator power wire and figure out where the hell it goes, removal of most of the body molding stripe, and a little bit of work on some of the rust on the apron. Not a ton of huge accomplishments to report, just some little things that will eventually add up to getting the car where I want it to be.
Anyways, here’s the latest video:
Thanks for reading, thanks for watching. If you’re new to my blog and my YouTube channel and you like my videos, please subscribe. Cheers!
Just a quick update to share my latest video from the TacoPotatoMustang YouTube Channel. I recently added a shift boot collar to my 2014 Mustang GT (AKA the DudeStang) from Raceseng. I also have a weighted shift knob from Raceseng that I love (I made a video on that a while back, before I started incorporating cool intros and music and what not, thanks to my awesome wife. Check it out here.)They make some really cool, high quality products. Have a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!
Back in February, my wife and I took a trip to Argentina. My wife had been there before but it was my first time and also the furthest south I’d ever traveled. The trip originally came about because some close friends of ours were getting married but we wanted to make the most of it so we ended up traveling for two weeks. We connected through Miami and after a nine hour flight, landed in Buenos Aires. If you plan to travel to “BA” (it’s catching on slowly), I highly recommend downloading the “Cabify” app. We had much better luck using that too get around BA rather than Uber. Our first day in the city mostly consisted of empanadas, ice cream, and me nerding out on all the cars that we don’t see in the United States.
Our second day in the city, we were treated to a fun and relaxing day on the El Tigre river, on board our friend’s boat. We ate more empanadas, drank beers from Patagonia Brewing Company, and enjoyed the sun and cool water.
Later that evening we enjoyed some delicious burgers at a place called Mi Barrio. Prior to visiting this restaurant, I had somehow never heard of “BurgerKid” on YouTube. I tried the “Caseros” and it was most excellent.
The next day we took a 2 hour flight to Calafate in Patagonia. During the shuttle ride from the airport to our guest house, the views of Lago Argentino were beautiful but only a small preview of things to come. Our first day in Calafate we visited the Glacier Museum, which was a pretty cool learning experience.
We only spent a little over two days in Calafate but we got a surprising amount packed into that time. If we did it again, I would try for at least 3-4 days. Calafate is small and very touristy (obviously) but it’s a pleasant town with some nice little shops and good quality restaurants. Here are a few shots from walking around town.
Calafate has some pretty cool and unique homes
While in Calafate, we stayed at Hosteria Los Gnomos. It was nice and comfortable, with a friendly staff, and close enough to walk to the center of town in 10-15 minutes but far enough to be pretty quiet at night.
Our first full day in Calafate started with an early morning bus ride to Perito Moreno. Some folks slept on the bus but I was too distracted by the beautiful views outside the bus windows. 🙂
I don’t know that I have the right vocabulary to accurately capture the experience of seeing the glacier for the first time but simply put, it was amazing. Here are some of photos.
After enjoying the views of the glacier from the overlook point, we took a boat across the water.
The boat ride gave us different, but no less amazing, views of the glacier.
Being on the other side offered more beautiful colors contrasting with the glacier.
A different kind of beach
I’ve got plenty more pics and stories to share. Stand by for part 2, coming soon. Thanks for reading!
My wife and I took advantage of the current stay-at-home situation and decided to foster a dog. A little over a month ago, we picked up Lady, a 3 year old Norwegian Elkhound from the SPCA in Fredericksburg, VA. Initially we were planning to foster her temporarily so she could recover from kennel cough before she would go to a family that had already planned to adopt her. Once she was done with her treatment, we found out that the family had changed their minds and was not going to be taking her after all. Lady is an incredible dog, super sweet, smart, and very laid back for being on the younger side. We decided we’d like to keep her and give her a forever home.
Lady, pic from a couple of weeks after she came to our home
Before we would be able to adopt, Lady needed to be spayed. While she was at the clinic, they discovered that she was approximately 45 days pregnant. We brought her back home and patiently waited for the puppies to arrive. This past Friday evening, she gave birth to the first puppy in our home but then was unable to get the second one out. We ended up having to take her to the clinic for an emergency c-section. The surgery went well and less than two hours later, we were on our way back home with Lady and six newborn puppies!
The puppies have all been doing well, getting plenty of milk and sleep, and Lady is also doing great, though we can tell she is exhausted and seemingly hungry/thirsty all the time, no matter how much she eats and drinks.
Per the foster guidelines, we’re supposed to hold on to the pups and keep them with their mother for 4-5 weeks. Hopefully things aren’t too insane but I’ll probably share some more puppy patrol updates over the next few weeks. If you’re interested in fostering or adopting, please check out your local SPCA and other animal shelters. Thanks for reading.
I’ve been spending so much time immersed in car-related stuff lately, I thought I’d write a blog post about the different cars and trucks I saw during my trip to Argentina in February, and hopefully it will help kickstart me into writing a longer, detailed post about the full trip.
If you’re familiar with my blog, you know I’m a huge car nerd. When I’m in new countries, I love to see the different types of automobiles on the roads, particularly the ones you don’t see in the U.S. market. Argentina had not shortage of unique and interesting vehicles. For starters, I spotted this 1961 Renault Dauphine for sale on the street in Buenos Aires.
Some noteworthy hatchbacks….
A Ford Taunus in incredible condition. I had never even heard of this car before but apparently it was produced for European markets and was named after the Taunus Mountains in Germany.
A Ferrari…not sure which model, maybe a 308.
The car spotting wasn’t limited to Buenos Aires. Here’s a few interesting vehicles I saw in Patagonia. Old school VW small pickup:
A small hatchback with some MASSIVE subwoofers. Look at those things. The sub box takes up half the interior. 
Also, I was pretty excited to spot this Mitsubishi Lancer EVO V (1998-1999 I believe). The EVO didn’t make it to the United States market until the 8th generation in 2003. 
And lastly (for now), check out this mint Fiat (800 coupe I believe). This thing looked incredible!
More Argentina stories and photos (not just cars) coming soon. In the meanwhile, here are my most recent videos with progress on the Fox Body Mustang project, including an interesting update on the trouble shooting of the battery issue.
Installation of the PA Performance Premium battery cable kit
And the most recent, installing a new fuel filter and trying out Steeda’s Tri-Ax Shifter Handle
Thanks for reading, thanks for watching, and I hope you’re staying safe, healthy, and as comfortable as can be given the current state of the world.
