Monday was a very arduous transit from Belen, Northwest of Catamarca up to Tucuman. It was six solid hours on rough dirt two-lane road, starting with passage though extremely dry, hot low back country that supported a few goat ranches until we reached Andalgala.
Just outside that tiny dusthole, we began a long grinding series of switchbacks up a steep pitch, gaining 5,000 feet in no more than ten kilometers of horizontal travel on the map. Along the way we met a regularly scheduled passenger bus traveling to Andalgala from Adumbrera! I don´t know how he negotiated some of the hairpins.
At the top of the long climb, the environment quickly transitioned from the dry hillside to scenic farmland and quaint villages. Unfortunately, our camera batteries ran out about the time we reached to top of the desert side. Twenty kilometers or so further the mountain became much wetter and soon we were in subtropical forest as we descended from the ridges. Beautiful lush valleys visible from the road thousands of feet below.
The descent was also arduous switchbacking for over an hour, but it was much cooler and wetter. Finally got to pavement at Concepcion, about 50K outside Tucuman. Lush farmland all the way into the city. Beginning of sugarcane and banana agriculture. Tucuman is warm now and humid. Gets to upper 90´s with over 50% humidity in summer months.
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