Ruta Nacional 89

Apparently, there are two ways to drive to the Chapel in Villa Angela from Resistencia. The route I took the first time I went...and the way Diane and I went yesterday. Boy, what a difference. The route I took the first time was Ruta 16 a paved road that goes through Roque Saenz Peña and takes about 3.5 hours. The way we went yesterday is a direct route over Ruta Nacional 89, and looks on the map to be an hour shorter! Well, that is until you actually turn onto Ruta Nacional 89, which for the first minute looks like this...




And then quickly turns into this...




Because while there is not much traffic, there is some and you will not be passing while the road looks like this...




When you finally do take a big breath, venture into the dust cloud and pray no one is coming in the other direction, you might get lucky and move in front of the dust bowl...then you have to escape the smoke and the fires...




Avoid the tractors to your left...




The gauchos and the cows to your right...




AND to your left...




Oh, and swerve so you do not make bacon road kill...




And, you have to slow down because the sheep are a little skittish and unpredictable...




But, can you blame them when THESE fine creatures are patrolling the fields and roadside?...




Now, Diane and I have been to Africa, so when we say the terrain is starting to remind us of Africa...it REALLY reminds us of AFRICA!...




Complete with a herd of "free range" goats!...




So, you would think that when we arrived at the Church after 2.5 hours we would be relieved...except this Church was not one of ours!!!!




To make a long, windy and dusty story short, after 3.5 hours we made it to the Church in Villa Angela...the duration of both trips was the same, but WOW, that is where the similarity ended! Yesterday was an adventure...and this afternoon, in the car on the trip back, Diane and I looked at each other and asked ourselves, "Did yesterday really happen?" Yes, it did!