Mucho LLuvia

Mar 4-5 JV Gonsalez to Corrientes

It was as straight as it looks.

The rain is still falling when we wake but it has lessened in intensity. More of Hwy 16 East today, not going to Saskatchewan this time but the scenery is similar. Fairly flat with farmland as far as you can see, and straight. Sometimes I track on the GPS that it is 20km between curves. There is evidence of the heavy rains in the ditches and in any spot that will hold water. There is of course some interesting things along the way, like the horse drawn wagon being driven by a couple of Amish looking guys or the kilns for cooking bricks. Then of course there are the large farm yards complete with grain silo’s, multiple John Deere tractors and combines and because it is Uruguay, modern Gauchos in traditional dress on their horses talking on cell phones. Claro.

We enjoy Corrientes this time as much as we did before, the little things that bring back memories of familiar things and new experiences combines. “Sturgis South” as we nick-named the block long and three bike deep parking area on the main square. We are still not sure how the guys in the middle get their bikes out.

 The restaurants along the Rio Negra river offer up tasty dishes and some unique scenery for a couple of prairie kids. It is not often that we can look out on a river and see barges loaded with cargo being pushed upstream to be offloaded. The roller-bladers are still gliding along the river front along with their jogging and cyclist buddies, past the pancho vendors and sunbathers.

Catch of the day.

Mar 6 Correntes to Mercedes

It gets hot early and by the time we are leaving town just stopping at traffic lights creates a good sweat. But we are not complaining, it is much nicer to ride in the heat than cold and/or rain. The farmland continues to impress us with its vast landscapes of wheat and corn mostly. The closer we get to Mercedes the wetter the surrounding look and it appears that there has been standing water for some time. I initially assumed this was due to the rainy season but when we came across an alligator it was clear that this is just a large marsh area. The GPS confirms that this whole area is at between 80-90 meters above sea level. Low, flat, and wet seems to work for the ranchers as well though as there are cattle and horses everywhere.

Ready for the boot factory.

Last trip when we stopped by chance in Mercedes we truly enjoyed the small town feel and laid back “country” vibe. This visit confirmed what we expected and that our first visit was  not a unique experience, it is like that everyday. People going about their business in a relaxed but purposeful sort of way. The leather work of local craftsman is second to none and is displayed in the local stores in the form of everything from handbags to horse tackle. I had also promised myself to find a unique guacho knife, this turned into an evening of shopping and admiring the craftsmanship of the locals. That was after it stopped raining and the minor flooding had subsided. We were in our room when we heard the rain which had created a small river on the street and the corner was completely under water. The locals just carried on like nothing was happening which tells us that this is not a unique event.