Day 2 recap

Theme of the day: "Here´s to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." 

Due to a few too many cervezas, Davis and I both ignored our alarm got up over an hour late.  After packing and some lolly gagging, we hit the road and headed north to the quaint little town of Los Andes. We stopped there for motorcycle and human fuel, as it is the last town before ascending up the Andes.  Our little roadside restaurant had an authentic Chilean feel with background music including the Top Gun theme music, Gloria Estefan, and Daft Punk. After huge lunch, we headed out of town and started climbing the Andes. About a half dozen construction sites including one that held us at a standstill for over an hour made it slow going. Finally we reached the famous 29 curvas peligrosas, a stretch of 29 switchbacks leading up to the pass.

The wind and cold made it especially difficult riding, although we would soon find out that the wind would get much worse on the other side. We made it to the top and took a quick breather before going through customs and starting the decent.

 

Since words are going to fall short in describing the beauty and diversity of scenery we experienced, I´ll let the pictures do the talking.

Due to all the construction, extremely windy conditions, windy roads, and our late start, we didn't make it to our destination (Mendoza, Argentina) until Argentina dinner time -  10:30pm. I plopped down on a couch in the hostel. The hotel manager cracked open a beer and handed me a glass saying, "you look like you could use a beer."  Indeed I could. Instant second wind. Davis and I met up with Julie Gillespie, a friend from Boulder that is in Argentina for a few months, for delicious dinner at Mendoza's best restaurant Azafran.  Food.  Alcohol.  Friends.  All is well.