3-17-17

After a 2 night stay in Cafayate we leave the vineyards behind.

We pass many cacti. A familiar sight lately.

Pretty roadside flowers appeared from time to time.

We saw old trucks,

old cemeteries,

and old houses with more pretty flowers.

We found llamas behind fences.

And others in abandoned buildings!

We took a side trip to see the ruins of Quilmes. The Quilmes Indians once lived here in the largest pre-Columbian settlement. Look at the system they had! Stone walls outlined their homes where thatch roofs once covered.

The Quilmes Indians were forced out on foot by the Spanish. Most died before they reached Buenos Aires and many died after from disease.

Ben taking it in from above.

This is a local artist that was selling her watercolor paintings near the ruins. You could buy postcards, framed pictures & t-shirts. Her work was beautiful and I bought one of her tank tops.

John herding goats by bike! :-)  To our surprise a gang of goats & 1 sheep jumped out of the ditch and ran along side us & then in front for a good ways. Goofy!

After showers it became routine for our group to enjoy a beer or a glass of Malbec. Tonight was a lovely evening to enjoy those drinks on the patio.

This llama thought it was a good day. I agree.

3-16-17

After golfing 9 holes with the guys I took a taxi to a highly recommended winery; Piattelli. It was at the end of a gravel road and tucked up against the mountain.

The view was breathtaking and like the golf course it was extremely quiet. I practically had the place to myself (which I LOVED)!

I slinked into a chair on the patio, ordered a glass of Malbec & cheesecake & took it ALL in. It was perfection except that Bob wasn't there. So, I texted Bob the above photo, called & talked to him using our VIBER app & it almost felt like he was enjoying it with me. :-)

Malbec is THEE wine of Argentina. And Argentina is currently the main producer of Malbec in the world. I'm a fan of red wine & really enjoy Malbec.

The area around Cafayate is like Napa Valley. It is the 2nd most popular wine region. Mendoza is #1. The Cafayate town and surrounding area with vineyards & wineries was gorgeous. I would have loved to tour the area more & sample more Malbec. Maybe Bob & I will return here one day!

I didn't take many pics inside Piattelli but it had pretty artwork, wood tables & a lovely restaurant & gift shop.

Surrounding the patio where I sat for 2 hours were blooming lavender & rose bushes. It was a lovely day spent while recovering our cycling legs.

A taxi ride back into Cafayate took me past the town square cathedral.

And back to our hotel where Lola the dog greeted me.

The next morning we left Cafayate & our charming 2 night stay here. Cafayate was a highlight along our biking route. 2 thumbs up!!

3-15-17

Day 4 was a "rest (no biking) day" in the town of Cafayate. Dave, Jeff, Rick & I went golfing. Ben & Kathryn went hiking, Anne & John went wine tasting & Santiago took a siesta.

It was a beautiful golf course & gorgeous day! And I just read on Wikipedia that this golf course (La Estancia de Cafayate) is the largest golf course in South America at 240 acres. That's cool!

These 3 are good golfers & jokesters on the course.

I hadn't played in a couple years but had a good day on the course (for me).

Score after 9 holes; Dave 45, Jeff 47, me 50 and Rick 51.

After 9 holes we stopped at the country club for lunch.

And some beer & wine. It goes well with golf.

Those 3 guys continued golfing the back 9 and I took a taxi for some wine tasting on my own. 

A few of those pics tomorrow.

3-14-17

So I can't remember this guy's name but we 1st saw him on Day 3. He & his friend (who was on a different horse miles behind) were walking & riding their 3 horses across Argentina. 

The guys were from Paris, France & they bought their horses in Peru to do this 7-9 month adventure.

They were 4 months into their travels & having a great time. 

Funny thing was we saw them on Day 5 too (just riding along the side of the road as we passed them by). And we saw them on Day 8 when they showed up at the home we were staying at in Tafe. None of us knew that Santiago had told them if they needed a place for a night or two that his friend, Augustine (where our group was staying for 2 nights) had an extra vacation house they could use. After giving the horsemen directions they showed up the 1st night we happened to be there.

One of the horsemen joined us for dinner the 2nd night. This was after learning the sad news that they LOST their brown horse (shown in top photos). The horse got out of the corral & followed the 2 guys & other 2 horses into town this morning when they left for supplies. The horsemen didn't know the 3rd horse followed & during the time it was loose the brown horse wandered off. Later they searched and searched & even put the missing horse information on the local radio. By the time our cycling group took off on day 10 the guys had not found their horse. They were devastated & not sure what they would do. The 3rd horse was needed to give the other 2 horses a break. And at the end of the trip the guys were counting on selling all 3 horses to pay for their return airline tickets. I wonder what happened. :-(

3-13-17

 Day 3 on the bike (March 9).

We started off with blue skies, cool temps & some fun downhill.

There was always a relaxed vibe to our days...even if we had many miles to ride.

And there was always time to stop & take photos.

I don't believe this building was occupied but it was made of clay & stone like many homes that spotted the hillsides & country roads.

Cool tourist stop & a good place for our picnic lunch.

1/2 way through today's ride the terrain changed from green mountains & big trees to red rocks & land that looked like Arizona.

We also had some tough hills to climb. The temperature climbed up too.

I believe it reached over 100 degrees! :-(  We stopped for shade anywhere we could during the last 20 miles.

The effects of high heat = John & Dave pouring water over their heads.

Kathryn & Anne taking refuge in a desolate structure.

We kept moving & kept smiling too.

This scenery was fascinating to the Canadians. It was beautiful to me too...but familiar. So many parts of today's route was a combination of Sedona, Monument Valley & the Grand Canyon.

We were 10 miles from our destination town when David found a wine stop. This lady was set up in the middle of nowhere with bottles of white & red vino + grapes & cheese.

We all stopped for this retreat!

It was a tough but good day on the road! 

Shout out to Santiago. He's from Tucuman & it was fun to hear his stories of life in Argentina. One of his amazing accomplishments is cycling from Argentina to Alaska. He was in his 20's when he set out across Argentina on his bike with $20 in his pocket. He took 4 years to reach Alaska & made money during that time by selling his poems & art. Santiago has also hiked the highest peak in Argentina. Aconcagua @ 22,838 ft!!

3-12-17

Favorite photo from Day 2.

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On Day 2 we did another 8 mile extra credit ride before supper. This time we went to an old train station & came upon this cute little girl with her dog.

It was such a precious moment.

Look at her puppy keeping an eye on her as she keeps an eye on us.

The dog moves a little closer to the little girl as she finishes her apple. Later I was able to convince the girl that I was fun enough to throw rocks back & forth to each other. Her mom was inside those green doors where she had cold drinks & some other items for sale.

Here's the group hanging out & enjoying those cold drinks. The little girl was still sitting on the rock but soon got up to find her mom.

Entrance to the drink shop.

It's hard to imagine myself in their day to day life. Their drink shop & home was at the end of a dirt road & far away from any town. What a contrast from our lives with daily conveniences amidst the hustle & bustle of work, activities & friends . It really is educational to travel. I love seeing the locals in their country. It's lovely.