We got underway by 9:00 and headed out of town via UNSa and the new highway access near the Universidad Católica. Angel had glued the window back but it was covered with glue so it really didn't enhance our view.
We exited Salta rapidly and were soon at Guemes. I presented cross-sections of the Andes at this latitude but few really cared. Samm and Motley asked lots of questions though.

We headed north and crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, moving out of the Sistema de Santa Bárbara and into the Sierras Subandinas. It was relatively clear and I could see the distant ranges easily. We stopped for a box lunch at a shady spot by the side of the road. I was immediately attacked by black flies and covered with bites on my arms and face.

We turned north towards Orán and then tried to go back to Isla de Cañas but it was 70 km of dirt road, much further than I remembered. Turning around, we continued on to Tartagal after a brief stop in Orán. We arrived around 6:15 and got our rooms at the Gran Hotel Argentino. Searching for an internet connection proved to be futile; the woman at the café said it had been down for a week. Instead, a group of us sat at a sidewalk café and drank beer and ate finger food. Eventually, we returned to the hotel and at 8:30 walked around the corner for dinner on the plaza.

Angel was born in Tartagal and lived here until 1993 when he was laid off from YPF. He told the students about a dance place so after dinner a few went with him to check it out. The rest of us returned to the hotel. I took a shower and went to bed.