Running Up to the Andes

We have several days before an appointment to meet friends in Mendoza. What shall we do?  Whatever we want, of course   

With the Andes in the distance we zig-zag around Córdoba Provence. One night is spent in a community called San Alberto, a place we suspect few gringos see. 

Again, we stock up on groceries at ridiculously low prices. In the grocery store we come up against a huge aisle of wine. The top shelf features reserve is and the bottles are sealed with antitheft tags. We grab several bottles and pay $6-8 US each.

We then spend a couple hours searching for a place to camp. Finding a campsite is easy because the Town is full of campsites. The challenge is finding one that is open. We find one with an open gate and pull in to the surprised host who sets us up with a delightful spot with a full bathroom with hot water for $11US a night. We are the only persons in the 300-place campsite. 

We are perhaps the only persons camping in the Provence.   Despite the near perfect weather we realize it’s officially not summer yet in this hemisphere.

We cook our first barbecue (parilla). Charcoal is damp and it takes me a while but we get it done and it’s delicious.  The porterhouse cuts of beef and sausages cost about $5 US.

As we settle in for the night we realize it’s Friday night. It seems Argentines, at least in this part of Argentina, enjoy playing music at ridiculously loud levels and buzzing around on their motorbikes until 6 AM.

After waking to the silent town we crawl our way out with a new Destiination in mind: we’re going to drive to the nearest place we can pick up Ruta 40, the famous argentine highway that parallels the length of the Andes.

As we cross the western reaches of Córdoba Provence we enter into a magnificent cactus desert that reminds us of the complex richness of the Sonoran desert of Arizona.

Our excitement is hard to contain as the Andes grow in size in the windshield. 

We pick up route 40 in a small town called Chilecto.