Argentina XVI: Shincal-San Blas de los Sauces

Another long stretch in the desert

After our short stage the day before, we had 75 km of nothingness to the next village, actually in the next province, in La Rioja. As we would likely not make it all in one day, we decided to stop somewhere along the way for a wild camping.

We took forever to get ready, as usual, and Andrea decided to go ahead so we would catch her on the way. It didn’t take long though, as she had stopped to buy food in one of the last shops in Londres before the open road.

Not much to report afterwards. A long and straight road along the desert, with nice views to the mountains on the right, and a very long flat and dry area to the left. Sometimes we would see something like a steep climb in the distance, but it was all perspective and once we would get closer the climb was not so bad after all.

Sometime in the afternoon we met Emmanuel again. He had finished his working day so he decided to hang around with us. We stopped in an abandoned house about 50 km from where we started, and camped at the back, protected from the wind by the walls.

We made a fire, which the kids loved, and Andrea got out all her instruments, so suddenly we had a jam session with Emmanuel, Susanne, the kids and Andrea all playing different things. It nearly sounded good.

The night was not very cold although it was hard to get out of the tent in the morning. After a short while we passed the sign for the 4040 km in the Ruta 40, so as many before us we took a group picture.

Afterwards, more straight boring roads until we joined the road going to Tinogasta and Fiambala. We turned left, passed again the 4000 km in the Ruta 40 (this time there was no commemorative sign), and then right again into a much smaller road towards San Blas.

As most cyclist do after this long stretch, we stopped in the first camping we found, in Salicas, where the owners presumed of being “alternative” thinkers and kind of hippie, but they were the first so far to charge us full price for the kids. Funny how the people that claim to “be different” are the ones more interested in your money.

The camping was nice though.

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