July 8, 2025
Huaco
We could easily have spent more time at Las Jarrillas. We felt quite at home there. Unfortunately we had to move on and this started with a four and a half kilometer trek back to Ruta Cuarenta via Guandacol.
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The route was pretty flat today, with only 220 meters of ascent with 330 meters of descent. Once again it had long straight sections. That's not to say it boring. We constantly dipped and climbed in and out of badenes, the Argentinian term for a ford, what would be known as a drift in South Africa. The flatter country between the mountain ranges have numerous ephemeral drainage lines that flood occasionally and the badenes are an economical way of allowing the water to cross the road.
The numerous badenes meant we were regularly freewheeling into them and pedaling like crazy to exit them. They were mostly only one to three meters deep but they kept the tempo of the ride changing.
As has become the norm since we started on Ruta Cuarenta there was very little traffic and we were able to cycle side by side for most of the way.
Upon our arrival in Huaco we had a decko at the local campground but it was in pretty bad condition and overpriced. Our thoughts drifted to wildcamping for a second or so but it was still in the middle of the siesta period so any shops would still be closed. This meant that we wouldn't be able to leave town for another few hours while we waited for them to open.
The only decent accommodation around, the Hostelaria Huaco, is a few kilometers out of town on a side road. Luckily they have a restaurant attached so that is where we have ended up for the night.
Today has been wonderfully warm with temperatures reaching into the early twenties but it starts cooling down tomorrow. We will be heading for an area a few kilometers south of San José de Jachal that has a few accommodation options.
Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 2,438 km (1,514 miles)
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