Again, we had wildlife on the road as we began our ascent along Route 40!
Our first stop was at Cartel de Cachi which is more of a "cooperative" farming area. We stopped at a pullout by the old and new bridge over the Rio Calchaqui to take pictures of the area. The old bridge on the right is closed except for pedestrians taking pictures which is a good thing because there were MANY holes in it!
We enjoyed the scenery as we continued along Route 40 north past Payogasta and connected to Route 33. These are some of the scenes along the way.
The stunning views along the Escoipe Gorge and Bishop's Slope (gravel portion of the road) were awesome.
Cuesta del Obispo, or Bishop’s Slope, is a hill southwest of Salta, Argentina along the way to the village of Cachí. Its name comes from the 1600s when a bishop was traveling through the area. He was so mesmerized by the sky that he decided he had to stop and sleep under the stars that night. The locals started calling the hill the Slope Where the Bishop Slept, and eventually it was shortened to Bishop's Slope. The hill is in the Calchaquí Valley, which was once much more populated, but the natives were conquered by the Incas who were later conquered by the Spaniards. The hill offers a perfect viewpoint over the Enchanted Valley. The slope itself is a long dirt road that leads up the hill and ends at La Piedra del Molino (the Millstone) at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. AND YES, that is the road we drove on!
There was also road construction - mostly in the form of grading. There are often rock slides and there is a 12 mile section of road that is gravel so it needs attention.
Coming around one of the bends in the road we saw a red fox. There had been a car parked in the middle of the road and the woman was feeding it! How crazy is that?
At one of our stops we spotted Andean Condors flying overhead. It's not great, but here is a video link to seeing them fly. They are huge with a wingspan of almost 9 feet! https://youtu.be/v1vfibh0JUE
We were soon entering the Parque Nacional Los Cardones (Cacti National Park) and made several photo stops. The park is home to a large number of cardon cactus. The candlestick shape of this species of cactus is the symbol to both the park and the region as a whole. There are other numerous species of cactus found in the park, also.
We spotted some guancos up on the hills, but they were a little difficult to see. They are also one of the wild South American camelids, and related to the llamas. They are larger than the vicunas we saw earlier.
The highest stop we made was in Piedra del Molino at an elevation of 11,102 feet above sea level! There is a small chapel there with many offerings and candles lit inside.
Our lunch stop and final outbound destination was the town of Cachi itself. The sun was shining the temperature hot! We picked Mi Favorita and were the only customers there when we arrived. By the time we left, it was full inside and out! We ordered a tamale and Cazuela de Cobrito (goat stew) to share. The tamale was the best we have EVER had and the stew was served with rice and it was delicious, too.
After lunch we had a little time to walk around the town square and look at the things for sale by local artisans. There were even traditional folkloric dancers next to the church.
Here is a link to see them dance. https://youtu.be/wZuIpODhb0c
All too soon, we were on our way back to Salta. Tobey joked with Raul that this was the furthest he has gone just to have lunch! We left sunshine behind us and drove through rain, sometimes very hard, off and on this afternoon. We were both glad that it held off for most of the day.
The highest stop we made was in Piedra del Molino at an elevation of 11,102 feet above sea level! There is a small chapel there with many offerings and candles lit inside.
Our lunch stop and final outbound destination was the town of Cachi itself. The sun was shining the temperature hot! We picked Mi Favorita and were the only customers there when we arrived. By the time we left, it was full inside and out! We ordered a tamale and Cazuela de Cobrito (goat stew) to share. The tamale was the best we have EVER had and the stew was served with rice and it was delicious, too.
After lunch we had a little time to walk around the town square and look at the things for sale by local artisans. There were even traditional folkloric dancers next to the church.
Here is a link to see them dance. https://youtu.be/wZuIpODhb0c
All too soon, we were on our way back to Salta. Tobey joked with Raul that this was the furthest he has gone just to have lunch! We left sunshine behind us and drove through rain, sometimes very hard, off and on this afternoon. We were both glad that it held off for most of the day.
This momma and baby stopped by our truck to say hi. She wanted a handout, but we said no.
And we saw lots of goats, too.
We arrived back to Salta around 5pm and had time to just relax. Tobey went for a walk and found a place to get a massage so he was a happy camper! Dinner was at Dona Salta where we tried their tamale and the Milenese Napolitan which is a thin steak that is breaded, then fried, and topped with a tomatos sauce, ham and cheese and tomato slices and served with french fries. It reminded us a little of a beef tenderloin sandwich, but was very tasty. This was only half of the meat!
We will say goodbye to Salta in the morning and fly to Cordoba where we will see our exchange student, Emi.
We will say goodbye to Salta in the morning and fly to Cordoba where we will see our exchange student, Emi.
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