El Tigre
Along the Road
November 15, 2009
Uspallata-Mendoza
Karen enjoyed this day so much. She will be creating today's entry.
Finally, I get a say! With full tummies and our bikes loaded we opt to leave the scenic little town of Uspallata high in the Andes early, knowing that the temperatures would rise to over 30 degrees in the full heat of the day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the colourful mountains (tones of blue, green and red) with snow caps surrounded the village. All was well with the world, since I was sporting a new flashy (although quite large) helmet obviously made for someone with a much bigger head AND John promised 100 km of gentle downhill to Mendoza (even though we saw conflicting signs that said 94 to 120 km to Mendoza - on such a gorgeous day it is easy to ignore anything that may dampen the spirits).
The road was good with a rough pavement and about and 8" paved shoulder and OK rough gravel for another good 1.5 m beyond this. What was really nice was we had very long views forward and back. The view was nothing short of spectacular and it was an effort not to stop every five minutes for a photograph. And this downhill was everything that John promised. If there was a downside, it was the long lines of tandem trucks and buses transporting their goods from town to town; I was really missing my helmet mirror that was attached to my much loved Giro helmet which no doubt found a new home in Mendoza; so John had to stay behind me and call out to me every time a transfer truck was coming from behind. We decided to get off well of the pavement when something was approaching from ahead and behind at the same time because there was not enough room for all of us on the road at once and you are never quite sure whether getting their load of potatoes to the market on time is more important then running over a stupid cyclist who should have more sense. This worked very well as long as John was attentive or didn't stop to take a picture without telling me...so after one particularly scary event when I and two transfer trucks were lined up across the road, we (John & I) decided that I would call back to him when a truck/bus was approaching and he would respond whether a truck/bus was approaching from behind and if I did not get an answer then I would head for the ditch assuming that he was otherwise occupied.
November 15, 2009
Uspallata-Mendoza
Karen enjoyed this day so much. She will be creating today's entry.
Finally, I get a say! With full tummies and our bikes loaded we opt to leave the scenic little town of Uspallata high in the Andes early, knowing that the temperatures would rise to over 30 degrees in the full heat of the day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the colourful mountains (tones of blue, green and red) with snow caps surrounded the village. All was well with the world, since I was sporting a new flashy (although quite large) helmet obviously made for someone with a much bigger head AND John promised 100 km of gentle downhill to Mendoza (even though we saw conflicting signs that said 94 to 120 km to Mendoza - on such a gorgeous day it is easy to ignore anything that may dampen the spirits).
The road was good with a rough pavement and about and 8" paved shoulder and OK rough gravel for another good 1.5 m beyond this. What was really nice was we had very long views forward and back. The view was nothing short of spectacular and it was an effort not to stop every five minutes for a photograph. And this downhill was everything that John promised. If there was a downside, it was the long lines of tandem trucks and buses transporting their goods from town to town; I was really missing my helmet mirror that was attached to my much loved Giro helmet which no doubt found a new home in Mendoza; so John had to stay behind me and call out to me every time a transfer truck was coming from behind. We decided to get off well of the pavement when something was approaching from ahead and behind at the same time because there was not enough room for all of us on the road at once and you are never quite sure whether getting their load of potatoes to the market on time is more important then running over a stupid cyclist who should have more sense. This worked very well as long as John was attentive or didn't stop to take a picture without telling me...so after one particularly scary event when I and two transfer trucks were lined up across the road, we (John & I) decided that I would call back to him when a truck/bus was approaching and he would respond whether a truck/bus was approaching from behind and if I did not get an answer then I would head for the ditch assuming that he was otherwise occupied.
We cycled by golden cliffs (similar to those in Bryce Mountain National Park Utah and a feature referred to as El Tigre because it looked like a golden tiger pouncing amidst the green and blue background.
What could possibly make this ride a little nicer? Well, I could have done without the 30 km head wind which caused me to have to push a medium gear downhill (avg 16 km speed) with John tucked in behind me saying that he wasn't even peddling; or how about a refreshment stop with a cool drink and (it's 3 pm) so where was that little town 'Portrillos' where we planned to get lunch ....don't get me wrong after 70 km of cycling, the corner store with the white bread and thin slice of pancetta and yogurt was a welcome sight but the 12 km (very steep and well over 30 degree heat) the climb out was not and of course the 120 km to Mendoza was becoming more evident. Did it help to have John point up to the road (above) and say 'see it is all downhill from here', when from even the earliest years of bike riding you know that if you have to point up to the road that it means climbing a hill?
What could possibly make this ride a little nicer? Well, I could have done without the 30 km head wind which caused me to have to push a medium gear downhill (avg 16 km speed) with John tucked in behind me saying that he wasn't even peddling; or how about a refreshment stop with a cool drink and (it's 3 pm) so where was that little town 'Portrillos' where we planned to get lunch ....don't get me wrong after 70 km of cycling, the corner store with the white bread and thin slice of pancetta and yogurt was a welcome sight but the 12 km (very steep and well over 30 degree heat) the climb out was not and of course the 120 km to Mendoza was becoming more evident. Did it help to have John point up to the road (above) and say 'see it is all downhill from here', when from even the earliest years of bike riding you know that if you have to point up to the road that it means climbing a hill?
The road got much busier and the shoulder deteriorated ~50 km before Mendoza but John recognized a smaller road from Google Earth which took us into the city. OK, I (we) made the 130+km all in one piece. I was tired, hungry, grouchy and very dirty; I had fallen once when I hit the gravel shoulder (only bruises to show for it) which seemed to delight John to no end, as he could now give me some cycling tips.
In Mendoza, a lovely but dusty city with lots of green parks with fountains, it didn't take us long to find a small hotel room at the Lazer Hotel in the City Centre with barely enough room to pull out stuff into but a hot shower, a fan and an OK bed.
In Mendoza, a lovely but dusty city with lots of green parks with fountains, it didn't take us long to find a small hotel room at the Lazer Hotel in the City Centre with barely enough room to pull out stuff into but a hot shower, a fan and an OK bed.
We showered changed and headed out to find some dinner. The food is excellent and the portions huge. We have taken to ordering a salad and a main course to share with wine or beer. This brought an end to likely our most scenic and memorable day on the bike (despite the trials at the time).
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