Argentina & Chile -- November 2008 -- Day 12-- JuJuy to Cachi --350km

[David_L]

We missed a couple of (non-cactus) stops on the way to San Martin. The first of these was for this craft shop selling minerals, fossils, arrow heads and various things made from Trichocereus wood. Interesting, but rather overpriced. Must be on the tourist route here.

[attachment 21078 craft_shop.jpg]

[David_L]

Cactus (Trichocereus 'skeleton') wood chairs. Amazing red and green cliffs in the background.

[attachment 21079 cactus_wood_chairs.jpg]

[David_L]

They had one or two plants in pots. This is rather interesting. An Acanthocalycium, probably A. glaucum. If so not one we saw in the 'wild'.

[attachment 21080 Acanthocalycium.jpg]

[David_L]

The scenery was really very green and verdant, lots of grass and good grazing country.

[attachment 21081 road_to_san_Martin.jpg]

[David_L]

We stopped at this place for lunch. Inside they had some interesting (locally killed) animal skins including a nice wild cat of some sort that we all thought would have been much better still stalking around the hills. You can see just how green it is in the background.

[attachment 21082 Lunch_stop.jpg]

[Mike P]

The clean Andean air produced some very impressive lichens on the fence posts and rocks.
[attachment 21086 g1.jpg]

[Mike P]

[attachment 21087 gg1.jpg]
And again with a seedling Trichocereus smrzianus growing in a pocket in a rock.

[Mike P]

The road became ever more winding and steep as we reached the head of the valley and began to make our way up and onto to the high plain of Cachipampa.
We stopped at a mirador (at what I believe is called Cuesta del Obispo) near the top of the ascent so that we could admire the view...
[attachment 21088 h1.jpg]
.....and trace the route we had just ascended.
It was around 3,000m here and quite cool with low clouds wreathing the mountain tops. David & I spotted a couple of condors sweeping over the hillsides but they were quickly lost to view as they entered the clouds and did not emerge again.

[Mike P]

Tito, David and Alex the Driver.
[attachment 21089 hh1.jpg]

[IanW]

The larger ones definitely are Trichocereus smrzianus, however I've never seen a plant that looked as grey as that, so I guess that's either the effect of weathering in habitat, or simply a particularly nicely coloured population of the plant!

I'm not sure about the seedling Trichocereus smrzianus though? It looks much more like an Echinocereus of some sort to me than a young T. smrzianus?