On the Road Again...I can't wait to get on the road again!

Hello family and friends! I'm very sorry for such a long gap between updates, my computer decided to throw a tantrum about having to work in a car and wouldn't turn on. Don't worry, it seems airplanes are okay. That is where Addy and I are right now, on our way home to our beloved Colorado after an incredible 3 weeks. While we are sad to go, we can't wait to see you all soon! I believe I left off during our sketchy double decker bus ride through the jungle, so I'll pick up there!
　
So for the next 8 days following our arrival in a town whose name I don't remember, we went on a grand road trip across most of the northern part of Argentina with our talented and knowledgable guide, Uncle Eduardo. Unfortunately for Addy and I, his knowledge was almost exclusively in Spanish, so for a large part of this portion we were Victoria's mute sidekicks who occasionally punched each other and were constantly hungry. Overall, we were the image of a classic road tripping family, including the kid in the backseat in the middle with the hump and a few "look kids, Big Ben" moments. This also meant we were a lot like the 8-year-olds we are inside, where we were happy as long as we had snacks, a nap, and Disney songs. We did have 80-year-old tendencies everytime we got out of the car though, with every joint cracking and an "oh my lower back" cry. However, no matter our whines, we saw some pretty incredible conglomeration of nature's beauty that sometimes felt like different planets, and all we did was cross a mountain range. Don't worry, I will have the power of strong Wifi again very soon and will post a photo album of all of the things I've been blabbing about :) So, to not waste your time as we did, singing loudly, playing car bingo, and taking funny pictures of each other while we slept, I will just tell you about some of the stops we made, and the funny things that ensued :)
　
"Llama?! He's supposed to be dead!"
The day after we got off the bus in Who-knows-ville and met up with Eduardo and his son, Rodrigo, our jolly caravan set off, trailer and Addy in tow, due north (I think). About 20 minutes into our drive, we saw a huge group of horses crossing the road ahead. There was a little house off the side of the road right before them, so we pulled off to watch. At the house, there just so happened to be a baby llama standing outside, just waiting to get pets and pictures. As we started to pet him (he was SO soft), he started to lean into our hands. Then, he pulled his head back to sniff my hand, and opened his mouth ever so gently to find out that my finger was not the snack he was hoping for. It was more of a nibble than a bite, but it was a signal that perhaps 1. I should probably remove my hand before he gets too hungry and 2. it's lunch time! When Mariana went to talk to the nice lady, she came back with a baby bottle, and we all got to feed the little guy! I think the llama and I were equally glad he decided on the milk rather than me.
　
Pirate Hot Spring
Okay so there weren't pirates there, but I certianly felt like one, if pirates ever hung out in the desert. On one of our first few days of road tripping, we got to visit a very special place buried in the Salta mountains. When I say burried, that's pretty much what I mean. Eduardo told us that when he was first searching for this place several years ago, his directions were something along the lines of "stay on the road until you can no longer. Then, follow the slightly less cold water up the river. When you see the rock split 3 ways by lightning, you're getting close." Does that not sound like a treasure map to you?! Well, it certainly turned out to be, because after a short hike through the desert and the spotting of some very large rock pieces, we were at a partially hand-crafted hot spring that Eduardo had actually help to build several years ago. Not only were we the only ones there, but we were likely the only people within a 10 mile radius. We spent the rest of the morning enjoying the water and climbing up and down the river rocks. So neat, and we got to be pirates and mermaids all in one trip. Felt just like we followed the second star to the right and straight on till morning!
　
Molinos, Cachi, and More
Throughout our time with Eduardo, we visited several little towns across the northern mountains, each with their own charm. While they all had very similar basic features, they were of all different sizes, character, and best ice cream flavors (don't worry, we checked). Two of our favorites were Molinos and Cachi. They are hard to describe without being able to show you pictures, but all I can say is they both had enough friendly people to make the town feel alive, but few enough that the town's brightest lights came from the stars. We stayed in beautiful hotels in each, one a restored villa-type house and one an old house (I believe) with a tower. Eduardo was also able to introduce us to a few of his friends that hand-make tapestries, and even let us try to do it. Not only was their art incredible, but our complete lack of ability to even pull a string in the right place has given us all a new appreciation for them. Exploring in different towns each night and getting to explore was one of the coolest parts of our trip, and we are all very grateful for the opportunity to peak into their tranquil communities.
　
Dance-Off Done Right
So I feel like most of us have probably seen Footloose. Well, besides the hair and the angst, it had nothing on the dance festival we came across as we were hopping from town to town one day. I'm not entirely sure where we were, but we stopped off at this very little town that was having a party of some kind. When we got out, we immediately realized our muddy running tights and t-shirts weren't going to cut it. There were people of all ages walking around in either floor length skirts or as full-out gauchos, each unique to their town. As we entered the fenced hand-made pavilion, with a roof of patched together tarps and countless rows of planks of wood resting on sawhorses, we were hit with a wave of incredible energy of the people lining the walls and tables inside. With a huge dance space in the center, a live band, and pallets of boxed wine, we were watching what could only be a dance-off party. There seemed to be about 14 towns of people there, each taking turns dancing to various dances they all knew by heart, whether they were competing or not. Their horses grazed the hill behind the stage and the mountain shaded the other side. While we were most certainly aliens there and I had the only head of even remotely blonde hair, it was incredible to see so many people enjoying such pure fun with their families and friends.
　
All of Addy's Muchachos (Sorry Marcello)
Okay, they weren't all muchachos. Addy does not discriminate when it comes to furry friends with floppy ears. I'm not exactly sure when she became the dog whisperer, but if she could have filled every seat on this plane with a dog, I know she would have done it. I was worried for my own plane tickets for a little while. Addy befriended many different perritos, but eventually they all became known by the same name, because Eduardo would always let Addy know when they were outside waiting for her - "Addy" --> *pointing at door* --> "Marcello." Sorry Marcello, at least you are still number 1...you'll have to ask Addy which number one you are though. She's a sucker for a waggy tail.
　
The Windy Mountain
On one of the days, Eduardo channeled his inner "Lucho en Chile" as we embarked on a road over the tip of a mountain. As we slithered our way up the side of the mountain, it was a while before we passed a biker walking his bike up the road and recognized not only how cold it was but how windy it was outside. After a little bit longer, we stopped at the peak, which was well over 16,000 feet. Thank goodness we are used to high altitudes! When Victoria tried to get out of the car to take a picture, she failed. Now, while we make fun of Victoria a lot, she's pretty good at operating doors at this point. Well, after a second try, we realized that we were going to have to move the car for her to be able to get out because the wind was so strong she was stuck inside. When she did finally escape, she immediately started blowing down the mountain, straight towards a pole. When we finally worked up the courage, Addy and I crawled out after her, but both blew in the same direction she did, completely blinded by the invisible sandstorm. After about 30 seconds, we all decided we were not going to be able to even see out there, and hopped back in the car as quickly as possible, one shade of brown darker than before. As Eduardo would say, "un pocito viento." Si.
　
The Carsick River and the Kindergarten Party
I realize the title may make you a little worried. No, we did not make a mess in Eduardo's very nice truck, nor did we throw a party for our friends. We did visit Iruya though, which could only be described as an Italian city on a mountainside with a twist. As we drove up from the split in the mountains, you could see the city climbing up the hill at a very sharp angle. As we were driving, the road changed from the same brown dirt to sharp grey rocks. When we asked why, we were told that we were crossing the river bottom. Meaning, during the rainy season, no one can get in or out of the city. That still blows my mind. When we reached the town, it was actually bigger than most of the others we had visited. We mozzied through the steep streets for a little while before we heard the thumping. As we walked, we passed a little kid wearing a duck suit and commented on how we wished we had one. Then we passed Spiderman. Then Elsa. As we came up on an ampitheater-looking roof, the thumping got stronger, and we thought perhaps there was a dance lesson that Addy and Vic needed to go lead. When we turned the corner, we spotted a circle of parents, watching a sea of little characters following some dance moves coming from some older kids and teachers on stage. I don't know if they were shaking a tail feather or putting their left foot in, but it was absolutely adorable. For the rest of the time we were there, we continued to pass princesses, superheroes, and an assortment of other animals and creatures. Halloween in May. It's a thing.
　
Now for the carsick part. So, much like Lucho sin gas, Eduardo sin trailer means new speeds are able to be reached on the winding mountain roads. Not necessarily in hopes of scaring me, but often effective nonetheless. By the time we had reached that town, I was sufficiently queezy, and Addy was not far behind me. What we didn't know was that we were headed further up the river to another town, which was going to require us to cross the river water 15 times before we reached the base of the city wall, which we would then have to hike. I have never really been carsick before, but when I got out of that car, I couldn't tell you much of anything about how stability of the ground or which direction was up. Addy and I were in somewhat of a spiral for the next few hours, neither eating much (that's when you know we're really not feeling well) and doing our best to stop our heads from spinning. Petting the donkey helped. Though it took a littl while, we were fine, and eventually made it back down the river and out. Despite our unsettled stomachs, the towns were both very pretty, and it turns out there are over 40 towns in that area that are only accessible through the low river, just like those. Unbelievable.
　
Someone's a Little Salty
We were literally in the middle of nowhere. Even Eduardo needed a map, and that doesn't happen. We had reached the plains, where you couldn't see anything in any direction except the distant mountains. That was, until the ground turned white, as if it had been freshly snowed on. Well, while Victoria seems to be cursed with bad weather at times, it was still relatively warm outside besides the strong wind. A little further down the road, it really did feel like a different planet. White hexagon-like tiles of salt spread across the horizon, with the exception of crystal blue pools that looked like cracks in the iced-over lake. The Salt Flats. We got a tour of the flats, got to see the pools very up close, and took some phenomenal pictures that made us appreciate the effort put into the High School Musical jump.
　
Family Farm, featuring Chicho
One of the coolest parts of our trip was getting to see the place where a majority of Vic's family lives, in Reconquista. We spent a day touring around the town, and one evening got to visit Victoria's grandparents' farm, where she spent many summers as a kid. It was absolutely beautiful, both the farm and seeing Victoria reminisce on the farm. As we walked around, she told us her favorite stories from there and how things looked and changed over the years. It was truly special to be able to see it after all the times she has told us about it. The cherry on top was waiting for us when we first drove up. He was a caramel brown, with a wet nose and ridiculously big floppy ears. Chicho the puppy. That dog had almost as much energy as Addy, and was the perfect tour guide as we burst out in (very) short sprints along the farm's long paths. Despite the countless bug bites, even just those few hours in Victoria's childhood would have been enough to make the journey worth it. We are very lucky we got to share that with her.
　
Lucho's Sweet Revenge
I believe last time we spoke I left out a pretty funny moment out of our time with Lucho. So, rewind. In the last few hours we had in the central city of Mendoza, we were walking around in search of food as our clothes got the desperate help they needed at the laudromat. As I mentioned, we all have this really fun habit of punching each other, knocking into each other, etc., as the children we are (I blame you for my bruises, Mike Bateman). Well, as I also told you, Lucho was not above us in maturity, and thus was right there with us when it came to suprise charlie horses. Well, as we strolled down the street, he made the mistake of drinking out of a soft plastic water bottle while walking along side of Allison, not recognizing the strength of her dark gift. Using her many years of training, she instinctively reached up and squeezed the water bottle, filling Lucho's face like a chipmunk. Unfortunately, when his cheeks hit their maximum, they were walking right past a table of shoes for sale, which Lucho proceeded to very kindly rinse for the poor salesman standing there. With no one sure what there really was to do, Addy did the only logical thing there was - run. While standing behind mom (Mariana or me, I'm not sure) worked this time, she would not remain so lucky.
　
On our last night in Reconquista, Lucho and his family were kind enough to invite us over for dinner. Not only were his 2 kids sweet and so fun, Addy and I got to witness Tia Mariana and cousin Vicki in action, and goodness was it precious. Then, we were not only treated to way too many churripans (Churri is now Addy's future dog's name, watch out), but they rounded the meal (and our bellies) out with local ice cream. They even had a flavor I could eat. However, Lucho took the food service to a new level for our dear friend Addy. As she stood, excitely waiting for her limon and dulce de leche cone, she turned around to talk to us for a moment. When she turned back, she wasn't met with the cone she expected, but rather the foam ice cream lid loaded with her favorite flavors. From her hair to her cheeks to the tip of her chin, she was finally the lightly toasted tan we were hoping to get this trip. While she did get to take the first shower, we all agreed that it was best they were equal as we left that night. None of us wanted to think about what could show up on our doorstep in the next FedEx delivery from Argentina. For now, truce. But the 30 Years War might be the model for this particular feud. Hope you're as excited as I am.
　
Signing Off
Well, I think that is quite enough for this time. I will write about the final portion of our journey, Iguazu, here shortly and share pictures as soon as possible! Love you and see you soon!

Las Montanas de Mendoza

Hello again! We are back where we belong - the mountains :)

These stories feature our special guest star, Uncle Lucho! If you think he added maturity to our little walking chaos, you are wrong ;) you will see!

As soon as we landed in the city of Mendoza, we made straight for the mountains. It was dark, so all we could see were shadows as we drove by. It was about 2 hours (probably should have been 3, but Lucho liked 4th gear) until we came upon the only open hotel and called it a night. It felt right though, because the desk attendant had also worked at Aspen! Reminders of home everywhere. The next morning had some of the coolest moments of the trip thus far - the utter shock of where we were when the sun came up. I can only describe our surroundings as a mix of the Rockies with the red tables of Utah, all multiplied by 2. Looking out the windows of the hotel, we could barely see the tips of the mountains right outside. As we began to drive, they only became bigger, with strands of green and black and various other colors through the rocks. Few things were able to grow at such a high elevation, but the grass that could made the mountains seem somewhat gold. We then hiked a few miles into a canyon to get a closer look at Aconcagua, the biggest mountain in the Americas. I've never seen anything like it, with huge glaciers hanging off the south face hundreds of miles from where we were but seeming so clear. We were nearly the only ones on the trail, making it nearly silent except for our crunching and giggles. It felt so good.

I forgot to mention...Addy barbequed her jacket by standing to close to a heater. Ha!

After our hike we kept driving west towards the border of Chile, and found a little restaurant for lunch. After we offended an aggressive lady by asking if they used butter (Mariana has been my champion) we ate some yummy sandwiches and found a windy dirt road up a mountain that divided Chile and Argentina. On our way, we kept hearing Victoria giggle while eating, but we were all pretty focused. Once we had finished, we looked over and she was wearing at least half her sandwich in crumbs on herself. When we made fun of her, she shared, and we all ended up crumby. Anyways, at this point Addy and I hadn't really talked to Lucho all that much - his English is much better than our Spanish (not surprising, I know) but this road is when things started to change. I should have never shown fear. However, curvy dirt roads that look straight down 100 ft. do unfortunately make me a little nervous. Well, Lucho thought that maybe the look on my face meant go faster and drift a bit. Luckily, he was an excellent driver and knew what he was doing, but I'm just hoping Addy's left arm is going to recover soon from my grip. Once we got to the top, we came to a structure that seemed to be a lookout at some point with a small parking area. Lucho drove forward and said "Argentina," then backed up and said "Chile". Then repeated a few times. Point taken - we have now visited 2 South American countries! The views from the top were just as incredible, with a huge glacier on the mountain just across from us. Once I agreed to get back in the car with Lucho (actually it wasn't that hard, it was freezing) we drove down the other side into Chile to get a view from the canyon. After a little more joy from scaring Lauren, it was time to head down before the snowstorm came in. The drive out was very beautiful, for everything we had missed the day before was visible now. We drove towards our adventure the next day, however we apparently were not done with the day yet. We had been driving for at least 4 hours when we started getting close to our hotel in San Rafael. It was a little ways out of town deeper into the canyon, and the only way to get there is a long 2 lane road. Well, at about 12 miles out, we heard Lucho start to laugh. At about 8, we couldn't take it anymore and asked Mariana why he was laughing. Apparently, we were out of gas. Not only that, we had been out of gas for a while, but didn't think to stop before leaving town on this thin road to nowhere. At about 5 miles, we were sputtering. We were trying to figure out how we were going to run that far at all, let alone fast enough to get there before morning. We did have one stroke of luck in that the road was partially downhill. What did that mean for Lucho? To turn the car off and coast until absolutely necessary. For those of you who know as little about cars as I do, that means that the power steering and the brakes also shut off, which I only figured out when the road turned very suddenly and we were living in a Mario Cart race. At about 3 miles, Addy, Vic, and I started stretching for the run because the gas light was blinking. I've never seen a gas light get tired before. However, despite all the yelling and shocked laughter and head holding, we were somehow able to creep our way into the resort and stop in the garage. After that, we pretty much just laughed the whole rest of the night. Thus, the birth of Lucho's future band name, Lucho Sin Gas.

  

 

      I was hard on Addy's jacket to say the least...

Chile and Argentina!

Lucho con gas

My thoughts after Lucho sin gas.

The next day was a little less dramatic, excluding the rainstorm that seems to have followed Victoria from graduation. Despite being chilly, we were able to spend the day driving through the canyon, jamming out to our favorite songs, and stopping occasionally for hikes or snacks. That night we had arranged to stay in a cabin a few hours away, so by the time we arrived in the area it was dark. We were able to slide into the grocery store at 8:58 before they closed at 9 to collect some ingredients for dinner before making our way to the cabin. Once we were able to see the inconspicuous dirt road, we started to roll slowly down, across the creaky old bridge, crossed paths with a bright white dog (we assumed that to be good luck as it is the opposite of a black cat) and made it all the way to the end of the road to find absolutely nothing. Then, out the left window, a man appeared and scared the crap out of me (I'm pretty jumpy) before pointing to our right to a fence that was opening for us to drive in. Inside there were a few cabins, but the only thing we really saw were the 5 dogs running around. The cabin was lovely and we had plenty of time to showcase our competitiveness in cards of every kind (including Dutch Blitz, don't worry) before heading to bed. We had to cuddle though, those beds were a little chilly!

The next day we got the full wine country experience. We visited 2 wineries, one large fancy new one and one family vineyard, and a custom knife shop. The first winery was gigantic, with huge racks of barrels and stainless steel equipment. Despite the still cloudy sky, it was awe-inspiring. The knife shop was neat too, as they custom make each knife by hand, and were doing so right in front of us. However, the last stop was my personal favorite - the family vineyard was what you'd think of in a old storybook that has probably looked the same for 50 years. We got a personal tour of the facility and even got to walk through the vines. Addy and I even helped put stickers on a bottle (which we then bought - support the industry, you know)? That night was an easy one, with the only weirdness being that the driveway to our cabana was made entirely of walnut shells. They have a use for everything here! Just another reason Addy is not allowed to push me out of a moving vehicle, despite how much she wants to sometimes.

Our last day in Mendoza was chaulked full of surprises. The first was when we first woke up and walked outside to see the bright blue sky. Finally! Then, when we got out to the main road, all of our jaws just dropped. We were staring at mountains twice as tall as the Rockies that wrapped all the way around us and were now covered in snow. The day before we couldn't see them at all, so we had no idea they were there. So, we drove through as many vineyards as we could until we got into some of the smaller mountains. Then, as we were driving on a road towards a supposed hike, the road got very snowy to the point we were going to have to turn around. Just then, a group on horseback came down from the trail we were hoping to climb. As they were leaving, the guide asked us if we wanted to go. While Addy and Vic both HATE horses, they were good sports and we rode around for about an hour in the mountains. We were able to distract Addy with the pack of dogs that were with us, so I think they both made it out unscathed. Afterwards we had a really delicious lunch at the only building up there before heading back to the city to catch our bus to the north. It was hard to say goodbye to Lucho, but we will never stop at another gas station without stating "Lucho sin gas" beforehand!

Finally, around 9PM we hopped on the double-decker overnight bus north. Just a note - same way it wasn't great to play Jaws on our flight to Hawaii, perhaps a horror movie wasn't a great choice for the nighttime bus (I've been corrected that it wasn't technically a horror movie, just creepy, but it was both to me). After 13 hours and a quick pit stop at the Tucuman bus station, we got on our final bus for a while (I hope), which showed us a much different province than we were in yesterday. The endless rows of grapes have been replaced with spanning fields of lime green sugar cane. The mountains still rise high, however only the very tops are powdered with snow now. Oh, and the sky is blue! The fields slowly grew into a jungle, which is where we are winding through right now. There are endless layers of every color of green tree, stacked on more mountains, with small rivers running far beneath us. I am only really looking up though, this bus is a little big for this road...Don't worry Mom :) In about 2 hours we will be in our next province with Victoria's uncle, Edwardo. Share more then! Love and miss you all, thanks for checking in :)