This colorful bridge was at the edge of Mendoza.
Yet again, Jason took the generator apart. This time we actually took the wiring harness apart and pulled the tiny wires out to clean the teeny contacts. Good old vinegar and baking soda with a toothbrush. It worked! The generator was acting normal again. Yahoo!
Metal sculptures along the road as we entered wine country in Mendoza Argentina.
This rushing riven runs right through the city and only a few streets can cross it. We noticed someone living under a bridge at one cross street as we wandered around in the area looking for some parts for the van.
One of many vineyards in the area. We know how wine is made so bypassed the tours here. Note the snow coveed range in the background.
The sky and clouds here were the story. "Zonda' winds are strong westerly winds that swoop down the eastern slope of the Andes and blow like stink. Folks here fear them, especially this time of year when they can destroy a crop in one blow. We stayed parked against a tall wall for two nights to avoid the winds. Tree limbs and branches littered the area after the blow.
These zonda winds can go on for days. They blow a whole lot of dust along with them and make the clouds look a bit abnormal.
More clouds to signal more winds.
These pretty little birds were hoping for crumbs as they hopped around at a mirador/lookout over a valley. It was very windy still and I threw the crushed remains of a bag of potato chips on the ground for them.
They'd hop close looking for food.
The snowy mountains are regulars in our view now.
On the other side of those peaks is Chile.
It's spring here and there is still a lot of snow up on the mountaintops, some of new from the storms that blow over the tops with the zonda winds.
Nice views of the Andes.
Patagonia is known for such pretty scenery.
A herd of goats crosses the highway.
Here is the cowboy herding them across.
Unusual peak and abrupt end of an escarpment.
This basalt canyon was filled with rushing water.
This was barely wide enough for a kayak and paddle in places, not that anyone would be kayaking this chute anyway.
More color in the hills. I just love the reds and oranges in the rocks and soil,
That's a huge mountain covered in snow!
You can see that this one was a volcano. Lots of them left over around here.
The ridges are edges of rock turned on their sides by uplift.
Jason at n overlook where we stopped for photos. The valley below had a gorgeous ranch lined with green trees.
The vista here is stunning. Such a huge view, my phone camera just can't do it justice.
This town means 'yellow corral', referring to the yellow sandstone rock so common around here. Chos Malal considers itself the start of Patagonia. We spent hours here waiting for the gas station to get more fuel. That's Jason in profile in the Argentinian flag.
This statue shows the world with South America on top instead of the bottom. Its sign talked about the way maps have misled folks about how the continents are aligned.
Our view for a few nights. We pulled off the highway onto a dirt road so Jason could change our oil. In true South American fashion, we just parked in the middle of the track. The owner came by and was happy to drive around us and didn't mind us parking here.
I wandered around the hills near us as Jason worked on YOLO and found these fossils of clams, mussels, worms and part of an amonite impression.
YOLO parked on the dirt track in the middle of the desert hills.
There were lots of these concretions around as well. Some looked like bones but were probably just these kinds of rocks.
This is what those round rocks would look like if you cracked them open.
This is a cutter ant nest that was a couple of feet high. They drag bits of plants to the nest in long lines that snake across the ground. We try to avoid parking and walking in their paths as they are relentless. They do slow down in the cold, though.
Some unusual crystals in these rocks. I found big chunks of this stuff.
A concretion that looks a lot like an agate would if Mother Nature had processed this a bit more.
Some slabs of quartz crystals were along the bank of the ditch where I walked, as well.
The tips of some of the crystals were a bit worn, but these slabs were pretty enticing.
Rain was forecast for the nigh the last I'd seen (we were out of cell range) but Jason just wanted to rest and stay for the night. I was afraid we'd get stuck in the mud in the ditches we'd crossed to get here, but he just figured we could wait it out if that happened, so we just had dinner. At least he put the cardboard box with the old oil into the van as it did rain, and rain, and rain. Then it turned to snow! Life is an adventure with Jason in YOLO!!
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