{"id":15472,"date":"2016-06-02T22:19:49","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T04:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/drfumblefinger.com\/wrdprs\/?p=15472"},"modified":"2016-06-02T22:19:49","modified_gmt":"2016-06-03T04:19:49","slug":"pic-of-the-week-june-3-2016-la-leona-argentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/drfumblefinger.com\/blog\/2016\/06\/pic-of-the-week-june-3-2016-la-leona-argentina\/","title":{"rendered":"“Pic of the Week”, June 3, 2016: La Leona, Argentina"},"content":{"rendered":"

La Leona Rest Area and Countryside Hotel<\/strong> is 110 kilometers from El Calafate, on famous Patagonia Route 40, about half way between El Calafate and El Chalt\u00e9n. \u00a0It’s an isolated place in an isolated region — the Patagonian steppe. \u00a0La Leona consists of a small collection of buildings sandwiched between the La Leona River and Route 40, and is close to Lake Viedma. \u00a0The main building was constructed in 1894 by the Jensens, a family of Danish immigrants.<\/p>\n

It was at this spot that Francisco P. Moreno (Argentinian scientist, explorer and namesake of the famous glacier) had previously been attacked and wounded by a female cougar (known locally as a “lioness”).\u00a0 Because of this incident the river that flows beside the property is known as \u201cla leona\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 (a.k.a. \u201cthe lioness\u201d in Spanish).<\/p>\n

As life on the Patagonian Steppe is hard, few people live here. The weather is often cold, the landscape rough, and unrelenting winds are commonplace. \u00a0But there those who specifically seek the solitude of such places — some because they enjoy isolation, some because they seek privacy. \u00a0For two of America\u2019s most wanted felons, Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, the steppe likely seemed an ideal place to hide away.\u00a0 Their story has been immortalized in the 1969 film starring the overly handsome duo of Robert Redford and Paul Newman.<\/p>\n

\""Butch

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” movie promo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Robert Leroy Parker (a.k.a. Butch Cassidy) was a serial train robber who fled the USA with his partner in crime, Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (a.k.a. the Sundance Kid). \u00a0They were accompanied by Sundance’s girlfriend, Ethel Place. The trio fled first to Argentina and then to Bolivia\u2014not easy traveling in this rugged land. \u00a0Before arriving in La Leona the trio had spent several years living in a four-room log cabin on a 15,000-acre ranch they\u2019d purchased on Rio Blanco near Cholila, Argentina.\u00a0 They tried to settle down but it was not to be — they slid back into a life of crime.<\/p>\n

Butch and Sundance robbed Banco de Tarapac\u00e1 y Argentino in R\u00edo Gallegos, just 350 km (217 mi) from La Leona. \u00a0The pair vanished north across the Patagonian steppe into one of the most rugged landscapes in the world. \u00a0It was while fleeing that they ended up in La Leona, whether by accident of design we’ll never know. \u00a0Despite it’s simplicity, La Leona likely seemed as good as a five star hotel after weeks of camping out.<\/p>\n

La Leona\u2019s Danish owners took Butch and Sundance in as guests (under false names) and they enjoyed the Jensens’ hospitality for almost a month before departing. \u00a0It wasn\u2019t until weeks after they’d left that the police arrived with wanted posters in hand; the owners finally recognized the real identity of their visitors. By then the trio had disappeared into Chile and their trail was cold.<\/p>\n

\"Butch

Butch Cassidy wanted poster<\/p><\/div>\n

There is a small museum at the site which recounts some of this bandito history. \u00a0La Leona\u00a0has been refurbished to deal with the increased flow of travelers recently, but the place retains its historic charm.\u00a0 Basically it’s a small wayside cafe and restaurant, gift shop and small hotel. \u00a0Most people use it as a pitstop and place to stretch their legs when traveling between the two most important towns in Argentinian Patagonia, El Calafate and El Chalt\u00e9n.\u00a0 I really enjoyed the views of the La Leona River.<\/p>\n

In any event, I was fascinated to be having coffee in the same cafe Butch Cassidy had enjoyed more than a century before my arrival. \u00a0You never know whose path you might cross while traveling — one of the things that makes being on the road so very special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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