Dear Jane, I am most interested. I am trying to get leave organised for September but would have to be back at work on 3rd October in Queensland. If you get plenty of takers I would be happy to hire a second car. We met at Goudini many years ago. Shelley Gage On 25/07/11, Jane McGary <janemcgary@earthlink.net> wrote: > > There seems to be a consensus forming that there will be peak > flowering in northern Chile this coming Southern Hemisphere spring. I > enjoyed the previous Desierto Florido in 2002 and would love to go > back and replace my old slides with a digital album, along with the > sheer pleasure of exploring unfamiliar plants in a marvelous > landscape. I'm a little hesitant about posting this inquiry here, but > here goes: > > I'd like to find two or three traveling companions, at least one of > whom is willing to do a lot of driving (I have an eye problem that > makes me anxious about long highway driving). I'm willing to pay the > whole cost of the rental vehicle. The timeframe is between > mid-September and mid-October. I was there in mid to late October in > 2002 and saw nearly everything in flower, but some observers feel the > earlier time might be better. The Alstroemeria species do tend to > flower later. The travel arrangement is to fly to Santiago, take a > day or two to recover (the time zone is just one hour earlier than US > Eastern Time), pick up a vehicle, and head north on I-5 (yes, it's > called that there, just as on our west coast). I have a library of > reference books, including the wonderful booklet of botanical drives > and hikes, and I've been to the area twice. > > I'd like to make it clear that I'm NOT organizing a group tour with > me as leader. I'd just like some friends along, with more eyes on the > roadside and above the trail, and more voices to shout "Stop here!" > > I haven't looked yet to see how much airfare is now, but I'd expect > it to be around $1800 from the US west coast. Hotels are comparable > to US prices or a little lower; gas is more expensive; food is less > expensive. There are also campgrounds, but that means carrying a lot > of extra gear. > > If you're interested, please contact me soon, privately, at > <janemcgary@earthlink.net>. > > BEst regards, > Jane McGary > Portland, Oregon, USA > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >