30 Sep 2024
We had so much fun! My cousin and I went with a group of other ladies celebrating the 50th anniversary of the graduation from high school, and they were a hoot! Our guide was fluent in both Spanish and English, and was extremely knowledgeable about the area we toured. I work on complex water supply and water quality issues in the Western U.S., and it was fun to learn how similar issues (reservoir management, dredging, flooding, mining, deep regional groundwater contributions to the runoff flow) are handled upstream of Mendoza. The history of the railroads-government-economics and how it impacted travel and the existence of small towns along the tracks was fascinating. We had clear skies and some snowy mountains on the way up, and a snowstorm chased us back down the mountain after we had a chance to see all the things and eat a satisfying lunch. We had just visited a museum the previous day that showed Darwin's maps of the region (making my geologist heart very happy), so it was great to see the mountains and outcrops he had described. It was perfect.