Chillán
After a quick stop in Chillán to buy some groceries and check out the central market, we went 70km east of I-5 up towards the Termas de Chillean. The temperature dropped as we headed up so a cup of hot cocoa along the way hit the spot. This was our first taste of Chilean forest land. It was absolutely gorgeous and even though the flora was different, it reminded me of being in the Cascades.
Termas de Chillán is primarily a ski area, so as it is the low season there, we were able to stay two nights in a beautiful cabin fairly cheaply. We were blessed with rain the first day so we used the indoor time for some much needed recuperation. With a fire in the stove it felt good to just be chillin in Chillán. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
On our last morning the skies were clear and we took a 30 minute hike up to a lovely waterfall. This stop on our journey south gave us a taste of the forests of the southern Andes. Our next stop brought us to a coastal mountain range with a completely different set of plants and animals. Stay tuned for that post.
Fino Cambur 
Wow! Lichen that large only grows where the air is really clean…glad you got to clear out your lungs from here…