Our little caravan is now in Villa Union, Argentina, after a perfect ride through another spectacular canyon and over a mountain pass. We went up the mountain and then down the other side. It was a warm spring, even a little hot, as we celebrated Argentinan’s Mother's Day.

To start the day, our condo manager gave us a few dozen fresh from the oven, home-baked empanadas that we gobbled down during our morning break. They were the best that I have ever had.

Shortly after our break at the bottom of the mountain, we met our road warriors for the day. Roberto and Marie were from Valencia, Spain, and started their journey in British Colombia 14 months ago and are heading to Ushuaia via Argentina. Since entering Argentina, we have seen many roadside shrines decorated with red flags, plastic bottles, and often wine. At first, we thought these shrines were for people who had died along the highway, but the plastic bottle litter confused us. So, we googled the meaning and found several versions of the following story.

Deolinda Correa’s husband was taken by the Army and marched off to prison in the Province of La Rioja. Deolinda tried to follow her husband but died of thirst in the desert, but her son survived by nursing at the breast of his dead mother. So now the Argentinas stop at the memorials and leave water in plastic bottles and sometimes wine for her to drink. Some shrines have hundreds of water bottles piled beside the small shrine.

Our day ended with the team going for Mother’s Day dinner in the plaza, where hundreds had gathered to watch the entertainment.