When we arrived at breakfast in the hotel, the television news was discussing the closed pass between Santiago and Mendoza again. The weather was still unseasonably cold. Our destination was west to Uspallata, a town on the way back to Santiago. We had actually driven through on the coach but it hadn’t stopped. From Uspallata we could get on a road heading north and avoiding the ruta 40 that runs from Mendoza to the city of San Juan. We wanted to join ruta 40 later but at this point it was far too busy. We weren’t too sure how the weather would be in Uspallata but didn’t want to hang around in Mendoza waiting for the ideal moment.
It was time to start cycling. It was a late start as we still had no routine in packing and then there was the last minute visit to the shops. Our trip to Uspallata would take two days so we needed plenty of water and food. We were both a bit apprehensive about the route as there was a lot of climbing. As Rob pointed out on the second day there were 1500m of ascent, something we hadn’t done before in one day. However we saw little alternative apart from getting another bus to north of San Juan.

The day started off sunny and with a gentle tail wind. We wound our way through the suburbs first and then onto the main road out of Mendoza. The road was straight and as a result it was difficult to make out the ascent unless you looked back. However the gears went lower and lower as we slowly started to climb. We both found it hard work. This was the first time either of us had been on a bike for three weeks and it showed. We had read something about a spa, where it was possible to get water, so we aimed to camp somewhere near there. Eventually after 700m of ascent and 50 km it was time to look for a campsite. However we had left the flat pampas and were now struggling up a fairly steep valley where finding a suitable space would be hard. We eventually happened upon the visitors centre for the national park we were in – Vallevicencio. It was actually closed but some Argentinians were still there with their American guests and they talked to the park ranger for us. He agreed that although camping is not normally allowed there, he would make an exception for us as we were on bikes. He suggested we put up our tent in the big pavilion they used for teaching, which was great as it protected us from the wind that picked up later. There was electricity and use of the toilets – luxury.

The next day I was dreading. We had seen a photograph from a blog of the switchbacks, los Caracoles, that slowly took you up the valley to the pass, from where you descended down to Uspallata; 1500m of ascent and at least 25 miles before the descent. A great ride on an unladen mountain bike on a nice sunny day. We thought if we kept going slowly we would eventually get there ….. The sunny weather slowly evaporated, a cold wind began to blow and then there was the odd flurry of sleet. There was a hotel 1 km after the visitors’ centre, which was shut. After this the road turned from asphalt to ripidio (gravel road). At times it was stony, which made the going more difficult.

We were pushing our way up a particularly steep section when a man with a pick-up truck stopped and asked if we wanted a lift. Rob didn’t even hesitate. We loaded the bikes on the back and then had to stand in the back holding them, while our Good Samaritan slowly worked his way up the switchbacks. It was freezing cold with an icy wind blowing, but we were so pleased to be getting a lift we didn’t care. The further we went the more grateful we were, the route upwards was far longer than we had imagined.

We got out at what we believed to be the top, with an icy gale blowing. The road started to head downwards but then we came to a junction and the road headed up again with a sign suggesting Uspallata was still 27km away. Eventually we reached a point with a cross on it that apparently the Jesuits had planted to mark the top of the pass for travellers. They had lived on this cold windy pass a couple of centuries ago. After descending a few kilometres we passed a marker stone on a small hill. The park ranger had said there was a stone commemorating Charles Darwin, who had researched the area. We think the marker stone was his, but were too tired to bother checking. Uspallata was a welcome sight, but most of the inns were full due to the closed pass. We managed to find space in a hostel and luxuriated once more in heating and hot water!