Puente Del Inca - Uspallata – 70 km
Ernest had work to do on his bike and it was midday by the time we got
underway. The road led past Cementerio Andinista, a small cemetery dedicated
to climbers who died on the climb of Aconcagua. Then past Los Penitentes, a
well-known ski resort, all boarded up as it was summer. The pinnacles around
Puente Del Inca were supposed to resemble a line of monks. I looked but
couldn’t see anything resembling a line of monks.
Route 7 followed the Rio Mendoza, a mostly downhill run to Uspallata.
Unfortunately, a headwind made pedalling difficult, even on the descents. We
passed abandoned railway stations along the old Trans-Andes Railway line,
constructed in the late 1800s. It ran from Mendoza, in Argentina, to Los Andes,
in Chile. One couldn’t help being in awe of the task of building a railway over
the Andes in the 1800s.
The landscape was highly unusual, barren but simultaneously colourful, and
said to be the film location of the movie “Seven Years in Tibet”. This made it a
stunning ride, but I failed dismally to capture its beauty.
A truck and trailer having a blowout while overtaking us on the descent scared
the living daylights out of me. Pieces of tyre flew all over the place, nearly
hitting Ernest, and the truck swerved wildly from side to side. However, the
skilful driver managed to keep his vehicle under control and averted a near
disaster.
Our destination was oasis-like Uspallata with its poplar trees situated in a
barren mountain landscape. Uspallata was a small community with a campsite
and all the necessary facilities.