Classic Images of Truncado

No matter where you go in Pico Truncado you will come across these landmarks, integrated to the life of the residents and an interesting tourist attraction as well. The Bridasaur, the eolic park and Lake Los Patos are a stone’s throw from the city center.


Bridasaurio

At the crossroads of the beltway and Provincial Route 12 stands the sculpture known as the Bridasaur, an enormous extinct reptile made of scrap metal.

Claudio Regazzoni, a well-known sculptor was in charge of combining scrap metal, barrels, drills, chains, flanges and valves left over from the oil companies in the region. Bridas Sapic is said to have commissioned this piece in 1997.

The dinosaur creatively brings together the existence of these creatures millions of years ago and the unforgettable oil industry which flourished in the past. The life size sculpture is 17 meters long, 3 meters wide and 4 meters high.

It can be seen from a great distance but it is on closer inspection that the way the artist has ingeniously assembled the different pieces becomes evident.


Laguna de los Patos

The lake is a mere 20 streets from the city center and, despite being a popular natural site throughout the year, is even more so during the summer. Just follow the signs which clearly indicate the way!

It is surrounded by the typical steppe vegetation, especially shrubs which can live on very little water and defy strong winds. The landscape is rather desolate, though a newly planted grove can be seen at one end. On extremely hot, sunny days townsfolk and tourists alike flock to the lake to cool off.

Perhaps its greatest asset is its ecosystem, including a great variety of native birds nesting in the area. Watching ducks, bustards and upland geese as well as flamingoes and black-necked swans can become an appealing activity.

We spent quite a long time taking in the surroundings, lulled by the sound of the water and the song of the birds.


Jorge Romanutti Eolic Park

We also visited the eolic park where two immense, three blade aerogenerators whistled as they rotated. Extremely high, with a characteristic sound, they are the pride of the townsfolk.

It was back in 1995 that the first eolic park was opened with ten 30-meter-high aerogenerators bought in Germany to provide non-contaminating energy.

Nothing could be better than profiting from an inexhaustible Patagonian resource: wind. They were set up in the area due to the speed and persistence of this resource throughout the year, replacing electric for eolic energy which practically does not need any maintenance.

The original aerogenerators were replaced by the latest models which supply 30% of the total energy required by the city and adapt to changes in wind speed to enhance efficiency.

Although there are other attractions close to the city center, we decided to focus on the ones we believed are the most representative.