On Down Ruta 40

We stopped in a small town called Cachi, kind of a small tourist town up in the mountains. Sean helped contribute to the local delinquency rate.

Hey, they're just fireworks. It could be worse, they could be cigarettes.

¨To hell with the brake pedal, I just need to reach the throttle.¨

Yes, that actually is a stretch of Ruta 40, north of Cafayate.

There are lots of wineries, irrigated from the mountians, in a dry valley.


I get the feeling some enjoy the local product quite a bit.

Andean Argentina

Isn't WIFI great, it's given me a chance to catch up in the hotel lobby. Here are a few pics from Northern Argentina. Or Ruta 9, north of JuJuy


The Skypilot taking on Ruta 40


Look close, it really is one road.

Salta

We took the cable car ride up the overlook in Salta The waterfalls(man made) at the overlook

"Top o' the World"

Cathederal at night

San Martin, the great liberator of Argentina

Buenos Dias, Argentina

Quick, somebody cue up Marty Robbins singing "Buenos dias , Argentina", yes, it really is a song. We crosssed the border at Yacuiba on the eastern side of the Andes. The border was busy with cart traffic, because it is easier and cheaper than trying to get a truck through here. It was like an giant ant farm display. The workers from Argentina would just dump their load in the street and the Bolivian side would load in on their carts and disappear into a side street.
A while after crossing the border, the farm fields streched out to the horizon. Large equipment was everywhere. Quite a change from the tiny hillside fields of the Andes. The MasseyFerguson dealer at Embarcacion.

We stopped at a service station/cafeteria and talked to a guy who worked on a local farm. They had 17,000 hectares, but only 5,000 were being farmed. That's give or take 15,000 acres, all no-till.

A Regional Custom

When we started to leave Concepcion, we asked if there really was a route back that was all asphalt. Everyone said "Yes, but there is this bridge......" . It turns out, to cross the river the only avaiable bridge was the railroad bridge. We were advised to wait and go at the end of the line, and if it was dry, everything would be fine. When we got to Pailon, where the bridge was, at least we were blessed with dry weather. Waiting patiently, we thought we were last, but cars kept coming. Now picture crossing a railroad bridge with random length 3x12's running lengthwise, for 1400 meters, add in slow traffic in front of you, while you ride the clutch, trying to maintain momentum. You can't go fast enough to maintain your balance, but every time you start to put your foot down, it clips a nail or bolt holding the boards down. Add in a car or truck in your rearview, it's quite the stress generator.
Lou coming off the bridge in one piece.

A second bridge in Villa Monte, near the Argentine border

The Missiones

We surived the ferry and the driving rain and the pavement ended about 40k past Concepcion, so we found the Hotel Etayo, and called it a day. The owners took us in as family and we truly felt at home. They even gave us a guided tour of the city in their four-wheel drive truck and took us to church services on Sunday evening. The restored Jesuit Mission in Concepcion

A closer look at the guy on the ladder

Evidence that the rainy season has started

Hotel Etayo

How to relax at Hotel Etayo
The bell tower at the Concepcion Mission, made entirely of wood.

The restored Jesuit Mission in San Xavier. We arrived in the rain, on Tuesday morning while they were celebrating their Feast day. It was the day after the celebration of the city's anniversary party. We got there just in time to watch the ushers throw a drunk parishoner out of the sanctuary.

Inside the sanctuary of the San Xavier Mission

All they had to say was "No,....."

But when we would ask if this was the way to Los Troncos or Concepcion they would all point in the direction we were headed and say "yes, just go straight" Soon , the road got to be just a dirt trail, but it also got to be that we didn´t even have to ask. Whenever we made a wrong turn, someone would always give us a sign to turn around or point in the general direction we needed to be headed.

Then, we came to a ferry crossing on the Rio Grande that wasn´t the most modern thing.

After a little bargaining on the price, we settled on the environmentally friendly company. Read- no motor, human power.

A little later, no worse for wear.

Safe and sound,.....and dry.

We headed off in search of Concepcion. Later we figured out that if we had gone south about 50k and then back north 50k, we could have been on asphalt the whole way. But then we would have missed all the fun