Cycling Mendoza to Santiago: Journey Over the Andes Crossing Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, a Mountain Pass Between Argentina and Chile (Travel Pictorial)
Cycling "Paso Internacional Los Libertadores," you ride the historic route of the "Liberators". The pass dates back to the era of the national self-determination, when Argentina and Chile rid themselves of the Spanish rule and became independent. In those days, two hundred years ago in January 1817, the troops of San Martin and Juan Gregorio de Las Heras performed remarkable feats of endurance when they traversed the high Andes. They crossed the Andes and liberated Chile from Span and pioneered the first rough road that ...
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Cycling "Paso Internacional Los Libertadores," you ride the historic route of the "Liberators". The pass dates back to the era of the national self-determination, when Argentina and Chile rid themselves of the Spanish rule and became independent. In those days, two hundred years ago in January 1817, the troops of San Martin and Juan Gregorio de Las Heras performed remarkable feats of endurance when they traversed the high Andes. They crossed the Andes and liberated Chile from Span and pioneered the first rough road that snaked up to the high ridge of the Andes decades later, when the builders erected the statue of the Christ the Redeemer at the top of the Uspallata Pass at 3,800 meters above sea level. Wind forward to 1980 when Argentina and Chile completed the real road and dug a tunnel through the mountain that straddled the boundary beneath the statue of Cristo Redentor. It is the principal mountain road between Argentina and Chile and even though the road suffers heavy snowfall, avalanches, landslides and rockfall, the two countries keep it open all year round. Cycling Mendoza to Santiago is a travel pictorial of this amazing passage. Climbing to 3,235 meters above sea level, you'll marvel at the impressive mountain landscapes skirting the Aconcagua. Along the way, you admire the mesmerizing nature-made Inca's Bridge or the man-made shrines of the legendary Gauchito Gil. Above all, you learn what's it like to travel here by bicycle. Photographed and written by an author of many bicycle touring adventures, the photographic coverage of the journey is organized by the individual stages. With 133 photographs, informative and entertaining captions, details of stages and distances, a list of accommodations, and the journey-related GPX tracks you can download, the book promises to entice any intrepid or armchair traveler.
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