Quebrada de Cafayate

Central Argentina, near Mendoza and up to the northwest part of Argentina is desert. It is wild to see cacti on mountain ridges. I went and did an overnight west of Mendoza near Provincial Parque Aconcagua. I wanted to backpack up to one of the base camps of Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak at 6962 m (22841 ft) in the western hemisphere and outside of the Himalayas. but unfortunately the park closes right after Easter until mid november. So I settled for camping and hiking nearby and seeing the snowy tip of the mountain instead. I did get to see Puente del Inca - a natural stone bridge spanning the Rio Mendoza. As you can see by the coloration, underneath it are some thermal springs and remnants of an old spa.
















From Mendoza, I have traveled north through the towns of Tucuman, Tafi del Valle and Cafayate. Cafayate was a wonderful small town of about 12,000 people and with wineries within blocks of where I stayed which made it quite handy for the wine tastings. There was also an ice cream place that made both a red and white wine ice cream that minors would not be able to eat in the states because of the alcohol content. The town itself was growing rapidly. Whereas according to one of the guides, 10 years ago they were no streetlights and the town only went 2 blocks in each direction from the main plaza.
But outside of the town, there was an old, old landscape that used to be under water. The Quebrada (gorge in english) de Cayafate was incredible. Amazing sculpted landscapes, vivid colored lines on mountainsides from the oxidation of the elements copper, iron, cobalt, sulphur and a beautiful winding road on which I rode a bike. It was a treat for all of my senses!


































































The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth... the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need - if only we had the eyes to see.
Edward Abbey