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Argentina

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-- From 2016/08/29 to 2016/09/04
-- From Cafayate to Tinogasta
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The GPS road tacklog
from Cafayate to Ruta-#68, KM 50
from 2016/08/29 au 2016/08/30

Cafayate

On Monday, August 29th I traversed the ruta-#68 towards Salta up to 50 km in Quebrada de Cafayate to see the most significant natural monuments cut by the million-year erosion. It rained in the night and the surrounding tops were snow caped. In the chronological order, Los Castillos, El Obelisco, El Fraile, El Sapo, El Anfiteatro and El Gargantua del Diablo. I present also two videos, the first shows part of the ruta-#68, the second is a panoramic vision of the amphitheater. I returned after lunching to the bivouac in front of the always closed municipal camping.

Quebrada de Cafayate, ruta-#68

Quebrada de Cafayate, click the picture

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Quebrada de Cafayate, El Anfiteatro

On Tuesday, August 30th after having made supply I left Cafayate to go to Qilmes. But passing in front of the camping Luz y Fuerza, open, I decided to stay here to have rest and take a good hot shower…

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The GPS road tacklog
from Cafayate to Belén
from 2016/08/31 au 2016/09/03

Lake El Mollar

On Wednesday, August 31st the ruta-#40 led me to Qilmes while crossing vineyards to visit the Pucará dating back to AD 1000 approximately. The fortress covered 30 hectares and housed 5000 inhabitants. The thickness of the walls testifies to the defensive aspect of constructions. After lunching the ruta-#307 led me to Tafi del Valle and a little further on at the edge of the lake Mollar at 1900 m high where I bivouacked for two days.

Pucará de los Quilmes, click the picture

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Alas on Thursday, September 1st the lake was in the clouds during all the day with an outside temperature of +3°C, brrr.

Ruta-#65, village ?

On Friday, September 2d I moved towards Concepción to make supply as well as the full with diesel fuel. I have a great disappointment my visa card was not accepted by the terminal, fortunately it remained me cash, to follow to find ATM! To join the ruta-#40 at Belén I took the ruta-#65 which was transformed quickly into track, certainly good, but in serpentine in the mountain and the clouds, with a pass at +1900m high. While going down again from the pas I found a bivouac on a football field in a village without name at 1500 m of altitude.

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Belén

On Saturday, September 3rd shortly after 9:00 I left the village without name with the fall of some snowflakes. On the way the ruta-#65 then #46 crossed landscapes covered with a fine film of snow. The ruta-#46 went down in innumerable laces from +1700 m to 700 m at the village Andalgalá testifies to it OSM map with the track in red calculated by QuoVadis7 and the trace transmitted by Garmin GPSMap 267C. I lunched on the track-#46 before arriving in Belén around 15:00. I establish my bivouac on Plaza at approximately 1300 m of altitude. Of course all stores were closed and not hearts who live in the streets. The temperature was of +2,5°C.

Ruta-#65 & Belén, click the picture

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Ruta-#65 to Andalgalá
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The GPS road tacklog
from Belén to Tinogasta
from 2016/09/04 au 2016/09/04

Tinogasta

The day of Sunday, September 5th started with a disappointment and it finished in a black-hole. Indeed at the village of London 21 km of Belén is the archeological site El Shincal. Alas it was closed for the day! I continued my progression to go to Termas de Fiambalá which I did not reach. The road calculated by QuoVadis7 on OSM map passed by the track RP-3, Cuesta de Zapata, which is very narrow and curves in the mountain. I followed it without concern although being alone on this track. But in a turn at 1731m of altitude the track was concealed under the truck which fell into a hole, It was 13:00. After examination of the situation I could nothing make alone, moreover I was at 28 km from Tinogasta. I could not thus go there on foot. The chance or providence make take my smartphone and I noted that there was a good signal. I remembered that in America the emergency call is the 911. I tried my chance by typing this number directly. Bingo, I have a correspondent speaking of course Spanish. I explained to him where I was and in which situation. He told me that he sent a vehicle which arrived approximately an hour-and-half later with three men. Alas the jack of Mercedes is too small to raise the truck. The person in charge returned to Tinogasta. But misfortune there was a fire downtown, he had to take part in its extinction. Consequence he returned to my truck around 20:00 with a reinforcement of labor and material. The truck was extracted from the black-hole around 21:30 and we arrived at Tinogasta around 23:00. The person in charge made me examine by a doctor of the hospital. All was OK. I then asked to go to a hotel. It was Casagrande Hotel. The team was made up of voluntary fire station. I asked for the invoice, I did not have anything to pay. Tinogasta is at 1220 m of altitude. The Wifi connection of the hotel was slow and asthmatic. I discovered a cybercafé on Plaza with a good connection. I decided to leave the hotel and to remain in Tinogasta to publish my site.

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Closed on Sunday
RP-3, the track

Black hole, click the picture

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RP-3, black hole