I’ve been traveling pretty much nonstop for the last two months. First was the quilting cruise to Hawaii in late January and early February, then QuiltCon, then an actual vacation to Patagonia with my husband and a group of friends.
The cruise was fun and I had a great group of really engaged students. I taught eight one day classes to a different group of students each day–although some took multiple classes–on the way to Hawaii from San Diego and on the way back. We were gone 18 days and were free to do our own thing for the week we were in the islands. Sadly the weather wasn’t great, so we missed ports of call in Hilo on the Big Island and on Kauai, which was disappointing since that was the only island I hadn’t been to before.
Students on 2026 Hawaii Cruise–Cindy Grisdela
One of the main highlights of the trip for me was an excursion on Maui on the Road to Hana. It’s a full day there and back, and the scenery was breathtaking.
Surf in Maui on the Road to Hana – Cindy Grisdela
QuiltCon in Raleigh, NC was fun as always. I had a great time doing a book signing for Freehand Curve Quilts and I was pleased with the response the book has received–I sold all but a few of the books I brought! Many thanks to HollyAnne Knight at String&Story for hosting me. And thanks to my friend Heather Pregger for the photo.
Book Signing at QuiltCon 2026 – Cindy Grisdela
My husband and I had made reservations with some friends to visit Patagonia at the very tip of South America over a year ago. I had no idea what to expect, but it was incredible. I also didn’t realize how far away it was from Virginia–silly me.
It took two days to get to the first stop–Ushuaia, Chile. We spent one night in Buenos Aires on the way down. I loved the colors and textures in the photo below.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – Cindy Grisdela
There was only a one hour time difference, so that was helpful in getting acclimated.
When we reached our first destination, our hotel had a nice view of the town of Ushuaia, which is a port village at the base of Argentina.
Port view of Ushuaia, Argentina – Cindy Grisdela
I really liked this piece of wood I found on a hike overlooking the harbor. Looks like a sculpture!
Our first adventure was a small cruise experience to see the glaciers in and around Cape Horn. The glaciers were impressive along the way, athough they are receding from where they were years ago. I love all the different colors of blue and white. The blue is apparently a trick of the light, but I like it anyway!
Porter Glacier, Argentina – Cindy Grisdela
The last day of the cruise we took a hike to Magdalena Island to see South American penguins. The island is uninhabited except for the birds, who return there year after year to reproduce.
Back on dry land, we ended up in Chile and took a van to the hotel in the National Park in Patagonia. Below was the view from the hotel. It almost doesn’t look real, but I took the photo on my iPhone with no filters.
Patagonian mountains, Chile – Cindy Grisdela
The sunrises and sunsets were amazing. The next few days were spent hiking around the park to see mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife.
Nordenskjold trail, Patagonia – Cindy Grisdela
I think this view would make a great quilt! The wood used to make the fence creates a wonderful pattern.
Waterfall Patagonia – Cindy Grisdela
Mountain reflection Patagonia – Cindy Grisdela
Patagonia view with flamingos – Cindy Grisdela
In March it was the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so many of the small lakes and streams were lower than they will be later in the year. At this stop, we were treated to views of flamingos and black necked swans. The flamingos here aren’t pink like they are other places due to their diet.
Guanaco on ridge, Patagonia – Cindy Grisdela
One indigenous animal we saw everywhere were the guanacos, shown above on a ridge. They are related to llamas, but somewhat smaller. Apparently there are also pumas in the park, but we didn’t have a chance to see one (hopefully from a distance!).
It was interesting how many different ecosystems there were in the park. This was a drier section at lower elevation. The trail was marked by pieces of wood that formed a cool design.
Cindy and Phil on Pingo Chorilla hike 2026
It was chilly in some areas as fall approached. This was a waterfall hike.
I’m hoping that some of these images will make their way into my work at some point. I won’t try to represent those gorgeous mountain views exactly, but probably just do something that evokes the feeling and the majesty. I took lots and lots of photos, partly to remember the days, but also to capture textures, patterns, and colors.
Lichen on rock, Patagonia – Cindy Grisdela
Look at all those greens in the lichen and moss on the rock! I try to look at my surroundings with an eye to finding inspiration wherever I go. Sometimes it’s an exotic vacation, and sometimes it’s just something wonderful from a walk around the lake near my home. The important thing is to train the eye to really look.
Thanks for reading all the way to the end.
Looks like a wonderfully inspiring trip to Patagonia. Thanks for sharing the details of your trip and including such great photographs.
Thank you, Wendy!
I had never thought of going to Patagonia. Now I want to. Thank you for showing us such lovely pictures. And yes, many of your photos have to make it into your work.
It was a great adventure! It took longer than I expected to get there, but it’s a beautiful place.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Cindy
I have admired your work for a long time and wanted to be in your Asilomar class next week, but our Sac Modern Quilt Guild has their Tahoe retreat. Your name was brought up quite a bit at the MISA retreat in Santa Fe this past week in a workshop with Tara Faughnan. I can’t wait for your presentation to our guild coming up and I know the icing on the cake will be to take a class with you. It is on my bucket list. Your schedule makes me anxious, and I am glad it’s your schedule, not mine. Good luck and we will see you on Zoom soon!!
Thank you for your kind words–I’ll see you on Zoom!
Cindy
I was in Patagonia a few years ago, including Ushuaia. Love, love, loved it! And we do get to see a Puma, amazingly! As well as south American condors and the flamingos. Glad you got there too!
Wow–that was lucky to see a puma! It was a great adventure for sure.
Thanks,
Cindy
How interesting that there is so much dead wood, used in the fence and seen in several other photos, much of it looks almost like driftwood, yet I see few to no trees in your pictures? Where does all the dead wood come from?
Your photos are astonishing. Thank you so much for sharing them.
That’s a good question! There were scrub trees in a lot of places, but not forests like we see in the US.
Thanks for the kind words about my photos.
Cindy
Thank you for sharing your adventure. The photos are wonderful!
Thank you Peggy!
Your photos are beautiful, and enhanced by your outlook. How generous you are , in sharing these pictures and in your teaching method.
Thanks so much, Debbi!
These photos are breathtaking! Thank you so much for sharing them!! I also love taking photos when I travel – the textures, colors and shapes are inspiring!
Thank you Carole!
Wow! Thanks for sharing your adventure! Patagonia looks wonderful – I’d like to go also. Love the wooden fences and trail markers. Very cool!
Thanks for the tour. Ken & I enjoyed being on a part of it with you and Phil!. I’m working diligently on finishing up some Grisdela starts from the Hawaii sail. We are presenting our “finishes” to our quilt guild in May here in AZ. Hope to have more done by then! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Carole–good luck finishing your projects!
Hi Cindy,
Your Patagonia photos brought back some fond memories when we traveled there in January 2020! It’s an amazing place. We hiked in Torres del Paine National park and took a ship thru the Straights of Magellan from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas.
My favorite stop was at Cape Horn, but it was extremely windy!
Thanks for sharing your trip pics,
Jane
Yes, that sounds just like what we did! Amazing adventure!
Cindy
I’m really feeling inspired by both your quilts and amazing travel photos!
I think it’s time for me to take a fresh look at my fabric stash and start a new project.
Thank you so much!
Thank you–it’s always fun to look at things with new eyes! I’m working on a project that has been on the back burner for two or three years now.
Enjoy.
Cindy
Great pics – thanks!
Hi Cindy, thank you for sharing your wonderful photos and information about your trip. I enjoyed it and saved a few of the photos.
Beautiful pictures. Your trips are always so amazing!
Thanks so much, Debbie!
Love your Photos Thank you for sharing