11/14 Where the hell am I?! Did I enter a worm hole and end up back in Peru? Well whatever happened this Atuel Valley was a beautiful ride. Definitely the best in Argentina so far. I was so happy to have to stop every couple minutes just to take pictures. Its been a long time. Its also been a long time since I had to climb over 3600 feet in a day on dirt. Ended up knocking out 60 miles. Chugged down a cold beer in record time once I got settled in.
Staying at a bomberos for the first time on my trip (fire station). It’s a pretty common thing for cyclists but the appeal was never there for me. Typically they’ll have a spare room with a bed or they’ll let you pitch your tent right next to the trucks in the garage. I went with a fenced in area outside next to the station. And no my aunt(s), I’m not asking if they have a calendar. This dog is hanging around my tent probably waiting to pee on my sleeping bag when I’m not looking. I’ve been nice to it though because as the saying goes, “Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.”
The road was paved out of San Rafael and stayed that way as it followed the river, passing many swanky campgrounds and hotels. The pavement ended just in time for the first big climb. None of the hills were bad today except for the brutal switchbacks right before reaching the top of the canyon. Not sure how I managed to avoid walking up that part but I made it. Passed by a couple big dams and saw a few good spots to camp but I wasn’t ready to stop so I kept going. I heard they blast a siren when releasing water from the dam and that’s the last thing I want to hear in the middle of the night. It would probably give me a heart attack.
Broke my sunglasses. They were just sitting in the tent. I don’t even remember crushing them. The bridge(?) cracked and broke just like always. Next time I get a chance I’m going to get Oakleys again. They are the only ones that can survive stretching around my fat head (and my baseball cap).
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