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No cars seem to be using the road, especially the second part is quite eroded and after the hot spring it is bordering on impassable for cars. The hot spring is still nice. We then followed the road to an incredibly beautiful valley under Copahue. Few hundred metres before reaching Argentina, we left the road and shortly found a path that traversed into the valley in the south next to the border. The path petered out once we got above the bushes. It was really easy to reach the ridge and folow it (and the Argentinian border) to 37.9575000S, 71.1211474W. With snow all around on the slopes and with condors circling us, it was stunning (the ridge is mostly snow free). Made camp under the summit next to a 10m-high wall of ice for wind protection. There was no path but walking was easy, thr ridge is rather flat.
There are three options we explored from there on. The recommended one is the last one we explored, but here they follow in chronological order. Continuing on the ridge towards Cerro Dedo would require climbing or exposed traversing (if one dropped to Argentina, one could probably find a path to reconnect to GOT after Cerro Dedos if there are no border controls). Instead we went down side of the mountain roughly to here: 37.9650794S, 71.1206588W (it was steep but full of stones, so not slippery and we did not think it was dangerous). Then we started traversing (it did not feel exposed, but was a bit strenuous) until about here: 37.9792148S, 71.1245764W, from where we started going down a narrow ridge that was flanked by creeks on both sides. Again it was not dangerous and first half was good CC (like all the previous traverse), the second half was part cow trail (with cow poop), part bush bashing, but surprisingly easy and painless with long sleeeves.
At the bottom of the valley, we came out on a clearly visible trail. We went up it further into the valley, where there was a deserted puesto on a meadow under enormous aracauria trees with a magnificent views on snowy slopes full of huge waterfalls. We made camp.