Cycling Argentina’s Route 40, Part 2: Buta Ranquil to Mendoza

As we crested a hill a broad, brown valley stretched before us in the morning light, marking Patagonia’s northern boundary and the gateway to Argentina’s wine country. The river below symbolized a cultural shift, from the rugged gauchos of the southern frontier to the country’s fertile agricultural heartland. There was still plenty of wild country ahead, including a massive lava field and high deserts in the shadow of volcanos. But eventually we rolled into the more developed lowlands of Mendoza - draped with autumn-toned grapevines, nurtured by glacial meltwater flowing down from the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.