Argentina
November 6-29, 2009
November 13: Puerto Madryn to Esquel: Los Altares
Once we'd gotten gas in Las Plumas we were able to relax again, laugh at what had almost been a disaster, and enjoy the scenery. As we travelled along highway 25 towards Altares the landscape got more and more impressive. The rock formations were amazing and the colours of the rocks against the blue skies were phenomenal. The Valle de los Altares (Valley of the Altars) is made up of stone formations which resemble giant altars. These sandstone formations called "clastros" with multiple reddish layers are defined by the corrosion and erosion of the water and wind which create these natural totems and altars rising towards the sky.
We stopped often to take pictures and so the time passed quickly. At noon we picked a beautiful spot along the highway and got out to have a picnic lunch of leftover pizza.
Along the way we also saw lots of little shrines carved into the rocks for travellers to pay homage to La Difunta Correa, the unofficial saint of all travellers. Here is her story as given in the guide book:
Difunta Correa
As legend would have it, during the Civil War in the 1840s, a local man named Baudilio Correa was captured, taken to La Rioja and killed; his widow Deolinda decided to walk to La Rioja with their baby boy to recover Baudilio's corpse. Unable to find water she dropped dead by the roadside, where a passerby found her, the baby still sucking from her breast. Her grave soon became a holy place and lost trvellers began to invoke her protection, claiming miraculous excapes from death on the road. The story of the widow Correa is believed to be the Amerindian in origina but has been mingled with Catholic hagiography in a country where the borderline between religion and superstition can often be very faint.
The Difunta Correa (difunta meaning deceased) is now the unofficial saint of all travellers, but especially bus and truck drivers, and thousands of people visit the shrine every year, over 100,000 of them during Holy Week alone, many of them ocvering part of the journey on their knees. Shrines included hideous statues of the Difunta, complete with sucking infant, among melted candles, prayers on pieces of paper and votive offerings including people's driving licences, the remains of tires and photographs of mangled cars from which the occupants miraculously got out alive - while others just deposit a bottle of mineral water on the huge collection.
Giant rock formation next to the road.
The dark and light reds of the rock dimpled by the green shrubs make for beautiful landscape designs.
Hmmmm, I could see these colours as a living room theme!
These 'mountains' are a refreshing change from the flat pampas!
An impressive rock and in the distance we spot a couple of lombardies
which would indicate an estancia or settlement.
A shrine to la Difunta Correa. The path is lined with offerings of water.
A lone guanaco in what looks like a dried up river bed.
Finally the 'uphills' really have an incline!
A farm along the river.
You can see how erosion and corrosion are continuously changing the landscape.
Los Altares panoramic.
From white to red to brown sands.
The road is completely deserted as we drive along.
The river carves through the rocky landscape.
Beautiful flowers along the road.
The clouds make for a comfortable drive, but the sun brightens up the landscape.
WOW!
Panoramic in the Valle de los Altares.
It's like being in the hoodoos!
The layers of colours are amazing.
Interestingly enough there were no "falling rocks" signs.
Lots of nooks and crannies for birds and other animals to make their homes in.
It's easy to see how this area became known for its "altars".
Another giant altar.
This green triangle mountain stood out among the flat-topped reddish brown ones.
Even when you can't see the Chubut river, you know it's nearby when you see the lush greenery along its shores.
We pass a lone rider along the road... only 315 km until our destination of Esquel!
They could film movies about mars on this ridge!
More evidence of erosion.
The pictures don't do this wall of rock justice.
A landscape shaped by wind and water.
A beautiful shrine carved out in the rocks.
This looks like a good spot...
...for lunch!
Our view from our picnic spot... with a farm nearby.
Samantha would like her pizza for lunch please (with a cherry on top!)
Some of the local vegetation. (? and Zampa (Atriplex lampa))
Sometimes you may be in the middle of nowhere and still find yourself in a time-out.
We checked out the rocks which had some of the greens and reds
that we've been seeing in large-scale on the rock formations.
A spider and a fly atop a flower...
A hole and lots of little tracks leading to/from it.
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