Mendoza

Rio Blanco

I awoke at dawn and it was still and quiet in the river valley. I packed quickly and began the wind-less descent along the Mendoza River. There was some climbing near a lake and then a longer climb out of the riverbed and back onto the plain and I was out of the Paso Los Libertadores. There were vineyards and poplar trees and then Ruta 7 became a busy autoroute 30 kilometers outside Mendoza. It was hot, heavily trafficked riding with only a gravel shoulder and camions and cars speeding past me. I rode into Mendoza in mid-afternoon and took a bed at a hostel in the northern part of the city. The mountains had tired me and I was looking forward to the five days of rest I planned to take.