Argentina really is a beautiful country, if I do say so myself. And while we Chubut types are pretty partial to the South, exploration of new areas never fails to yield surprising and delightful results. Take the famous Ruta 40 for example. I know this road from its beginning (or end, as the case may be) down at the southern end of the South American continent, all the way north to what most folks consider Patagonia's vague and fuzzy boundary. But the road itself goes on, through (or near) a diverse and incredible abundance of fascinating landscapes such as the National Parks Ischigualasto and Talampaya, the wine country of Mendoza, and La Rioja, a city surrounded by olives groves as far as the eye can see. We've seen all of this over the last couple of days as we traveled south, and it's been beautiful. My hope is that someday I can travel the road north all the way to where it ends as well.