Nathaniel Faulkner and I had been chatting on Facebook since the Atacama Desert with the intent of catching each other to ride - then he and his buddy, Matt Hawkins, showed up at my door in Chos Malal . . . Not sure if it was a good thing but it was fun and we managed a late departure into the blazing afternoon sun feeling less than chipper. Rapidly wilting after a mere 75km and cooked by the sun, we camped in someones back yard with a well. I have been expecting the sun to decrease intensity as I move south but the sun is noticeably hotter. Turns out there is a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica that can be as large a North America at times! People mentioned the ozone hole to me but I never gave much thought to holes in the ozone beyond "that's bad." However, on a practical level I sunburn faster here than I did at 4000 meters on the Equator.

Matt and Nat are fun to ride with and they are familiar with Binghamton. As former professional cyclists they are friends with Mike Jones - a local boy done good that I have known since he was about 15 years old. I am sure to be seeing them in the US as Matt lives in Colorado and Nat in our friendly neighbor to the north - both pass through Binghamton on occasion.
The next hot hot day sent us on a 20km detour in search of water into the small town of Abajada del Agrio but we spent several hours relaxing and swimming in the river before climbing back out of the valley into afternoon thunderstorms. As Matt commented, "I have never been so hot then so wet and cold in the same day!"
120km later we landed in Las Lajas - small but with a nice municipal campground and after buying some chicken we spent the night grilling. Once again everyone wants photos with/of the biker. I am sure to be appearing on Facebook pages all over Argentina!
But I received a sweet Argentina Copa Mundial hat for the photo op! However, most folks simply hang out the car window with their camera or cell phone.
Rolling out the next day we headed east towards the Chilean border - 50km and 900 meters higher. First I switched out my front tire for the mtn bike tire, my rear road tire having blown up the day before, and we ran a few errands around town. Nat and Matt would be heading into Chile and I would be turning south along the border on dirt route 23 through the mountains towards San Martin de los Andes.
The day was perfect ride weather . . .
cool and overcast with the promise of rain.
The climb was a relatively easy 900 meters winding up into the Andes mountains.
passing a distinctive landscape of globular lime green vegetation.
and wind . . .
topped with forests of Araucaria or Monkey Puzzle Trees or Pehuen (in Maupuche) distinct to this region of Patagonia
The cold rain drove us to seek a little dry warmth at the only available shelter, "Huskys," a family run place with sled dogs in the winter and horses in the summer situated under the ancient Araucarias - already towering ancients when Martin marched for the liberation of the continent.
The seed filled cone like branches of these same trees were sustaining the indigenous Mapuche while Columbus dipped his oars in the Carribbean.Interestingly, the Mapuche kept a precarious independence until the demands of Chilean national growth in the 1880's expropriated and looted their lands - interesting in the sense that the timing of events is similar for many North American tribes . . . and coincides with the invention of the first machine gun.
After a great home cooked meal of meat and potatoes we were seduced into a cabana with hot water and a wood stove to dry our gear.
Horses roamed over the property grazing and peeping in windows.
The next morning Matt, Nat, and I parted ways as they continued through the border and I hooked a sharp left on perfect dirt roads to continue south in Argentina - though I will be sure to see them again down the line.
I am in real gaucho country now and noticed a horse slowly tooling up pass with two dogs up ahead. Upon approaching I notice the rider is a little loose in the saddle but seems pretty stable and sure enough the young man offers me a slug of wine and cigarette as I pull along side. He was a little bleary eyed for 11am but then again his floppy beret looked jaunty and he was going to be sitting on a horse for another two days - so what the hell?
I spent the day rolling along rivers of crystal clear water and goats.
My calm was only occasionally disturbed by immense swarms of honey bees crossing the road from the numerous apiaries - no threat really but I zipped my jersey up tight and pulled my cycling cap down tight.
At the end of the day I found a perfect spot on the river bank to sling my hammock, drink wine, and cook dinner.
The next day continued for much of the same on dirt roads rolling along rivers through small towns and over a single pass - only 15km climb.
The area has some tourism but I not really sure who is going to rent this cabin . . . granted it is a beautiful setting but easily a 5-6 hour drive to a city of any size and a major population center is over 10 hours away (Mendoza) but it is obvious that Argentinians enjoy a good road trip.
Topping out on the treeless pass the signs are all a sandblasted blank but considering I have few road options it is not a concern and I drop into the trout fishing paradise of Junin de Los Andes in the late afternoon.