Mountain Weekend - Day 2

This morning we headed west from Uspallata along Rt 7 towards the Chilean border. We stopped briefly at Los Penitentes, a ski area, but decided to continue on for better hiking opportunities. Los Penitentes seemed abandoned by the summer tourists. Our next stop was Puente de los Inca, a thermal spring area which is now a huge tourist stop. Once you get past the tourist knick-knack booths though, the bridge with its layers of multi-colored mineral deposits is quite impressive. You can no longer cross the bridge, because the number of tourists visiting each year was causing too much damage, but you can walk a little ways along the river via the old rail road tracks. It is named for the Inca because it was part of an Inca road. The structure built into the side were the baths of a spa that had been built in 1917. In 1940 though, a huge flood destroyed the hotel and it closed. The flow of mineral water is gradually overtaking the manmade structure. Geologists think the bridge was formed when an ice bridge gradually accumulated silt that was cemented together by the minerals. I was also quite charmed to see green parakeets flying around the hot springs!

A few more kilometers up the road we stopped at one of the main entrances to Parque Aconcagua. Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. Thousands of people attempt to climb the mountain each year, and each year some die. We looked over the Cemetery of the Alpinists to see the nationalities and names of those who have died climbing. People have left small stones on some as tributes. Others feature wine bottles. We were walking around at 9,700 feet and the mountain is somewhere around 21,000 feet tall. The view of Aconcagua was awing, but equally amazing were the mountains facing Aconcagua with their multi-colored hues and steep slopes.

On the way home we stopped back in Uspallata at the tea house attached to the Hotel Condor. They have a good selection of pastries and ice cream as well as good coffee to fuel us for the rest of the ride back to Mendoza.

A note to any of you who decide to drive this route - you do not have to go through the customs station coming or going to the Aconcagua park despite what the sign says that all passengers cars go through. If you haven't accidentally gone into Chile, you do not have to stop.