Pedaling Sierra

Everything is Still the Same
    
I visited Sierra de la Ventana for the first time when I was a child. As I walk around town, the first memory that comes to mind is that of my parents taking my brother and I on their bicycles through its magical streets, paths and small tracks, which are practically the same after thirty years. This makes Sierra different from almost all the similar towns in the Province of Buenos Aires. Maybe, temptation was stronger and nostalgia won the game. The wise decision of renting a bicycle became real. Thus, on two wheels, I begun remembering the old times.
    
The train station, always impeccable and renewed, would be the starting and arrival point of the tour that was about to begin. Mineral water, cereal bars and the camera were essential for the adventure.

Towards the Golf Course
    
The road of Sierra de la Ventana station forks to the right and to the left, and both paths lead to the same spot. I took the one on the left. The famous Del Golf Avenue is one of the most beautiful avenues in the village, and it leads to the entrance of the local Golf Club.
    
The impeccable land decorating the 18 holes can be appreciated from here. The road continues towards the Sauce Grande River and the different beaches which naturally border the town.
    
As I bordered its perimeter, I came across a water course. It was the Negro Creek, a tributary of the Sauce which empties its waters into it after touring the labyrinthic corners of Villa Arcadia, my next destination.


Crossing the Bridge
    
After a half an hour's walk, I reached a beautiful concrete bridge indicating the entrance to Villa Arcadia. This is a small town right next to Sierra de la Ventana, but politically, it depends on the Coronel Suarez administrative area, even though everybody feels they live in the same place.
    
Around three hundred inhabitants dwell in this town, where the walnut trees colour the landscape in autumn, but the ochers and yellows remain till spring. There, a lovely road escorted by old majestic aristocratic residences drove me to Ymcapolis. Ymcapolis is an old big house, built in the Swiss style, where the Youth Catholic Association has been working for years. Then, after 3 kilometers, I went to the fish farming station, a fascinating place. The beltway, which runs parallel to the railways, drove me magically to the old iron bridge to cross the Sauce Grande River again and arrive to the famous Sierra de la Ventana station.
    
I had gone all the way round and I was at the starting point once more. I had walked for almost an hour. Exactly like 30 years ago.