I'd lost my AC power supply plug adapter so I went to a store and got a new one. Then we rode down the street to the bank and got some more Won. Foreign exchange in Korea seems to be a quick and painless process.
Then we left town at 1000 in heavy traffic. It eased a bit after we turned off the main highway and headed toward Sorak-san National Park. We had a nice climb for about 8 km, and then dropped down into the valley just down from Sorak-dong. I got to the Park proper about 1130 and rode up to the Kensington Hotel and bought the Korea Times. Then back up the road to the upper entrance, where I met Peter in a throng of about 10,000.
Traffic on the ride up the valley was not too bad, since private vehicles were being stopped in the lower valley, and visitors were required to walk up to the entrance or take shuttle buses.
Into the Soraksan National Park
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We hung around the park entrance --a huge cluster of snack stands and souvenir shops for about 30 min, watching the throngs of people. A real wilderness experience. On a Friday morning the place was jammed. Sunday must be exciting.
Then we went down to the Kensington for a leisurely but expensive cup of coffee, then a quick trip back up to the park entrance to buy postcards and to get some snacks. I had a big dish of boiled potatoes for $1.
Nice scenery --views of the forested mountains of granite , waterfalls. and the leaves starting to turn. Clouds were quite low, so the light was not too good
Then down to the village post office for some stamps. Sitting on the steps of the PO, we greeted about 500 high school girls as they walked past, 2 by 2, to their buses in the parking lot below us. Many of them wanted to practice their English as they marched by.
View of the Soraksan mountains
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Then down the valley again, but this time on the south side of the river , headed for Naksan-sa, an important Buddhist temple on the shore north of Yangyang. The back road led us on a nice excursion through some narrow lanes, rice paddies, a couple of picturesque villages with some prewar, old style farmhouses, and an Army artillery range, with practice in progress.
We got to the beach and highway 7 at about 1430. Then about 5 km south to Nakasan- sa, set on a bluff overlooking the sea. A nice setting, and buildings are in pretty good condition, having been reconstructed after the Korean War. The first temple was built in 676, and rebuilt and enlarged several times. Two impressive bells.
We decided to stay in the cluster of tourist places on the beach near Naksan. We got rooms in a nice minbak (like a yogwan, but a bit less fancy) for $15. One of them, Peter's, has a nice view of the sea. We passed up the opportunity to stay at the large hotel in the village--the Hotel Armageddon.
For dinner we had cooked fish--a stew with the usual side dishes and beer for $8 each.
Weather--a few drops of rain, but cloudy to partly cloudy. 50-65F. No wind to speak of. 35 km for the day.
Temple structure at Naksan-sa.
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A beautiful clear morning, Temp about 60 F at 0800. We are going to ride separately today since Peter wants to take Highway 44 up to Han-gyeryong Pass, and I want to avoid the Saturday traffic by going on Highway 56. We will meet in Kirin, called Hyonri on some maps.
Roadside fruit stand in Yangyang.
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I left Naksan at 0745 and got into Yangyang at 0845. Heavy traffic on the coast road but it is 4 lanes with a good shoulder. YY is a clean modern town. I visited the Saturday market, which was just getting set up. Then I found a bakery that served coffee, and had a cup and a roll. Left YY at 0915, on Highway 56.
After 56 and 44 split, Hwy 56 starts a fair climb-- in the range of 4 to 6 pct. A rolling climb with 2 or 3 short descents. Essentially no traffic, with forested hills forming the valley walls. The leaves are starting to turn down here as well. Persimmon stands along the roadside. Moderate down-valley wind, temp 75F at 1100. Crossed the 38th parallel at 1100. The line is marked with a large inscribed stone, a church, and a temple.
At 1130 I got to the Hwy 321 turnoff, which was to take me to the next valley over, and on to Hyonri. But as it turned out , the “highway” was a rough track with a surface of angular gravel and cobbles, rutted, and potholed and climbing at 15-20 pct. No vehicles were going up; a few were coming down. It took me 2 1/2 hrs to negotiate the 500-m climb to the top of the ridge, a distance of about 4 km. I had to walk most of the way except for a few benches. One driver coming down said that the road was paved on the other side, which gave me the prospect of a nice glide down the valley to Hyonri.
At least the weather was cool for the climb and the scenery pleasant. And my objective of avoiding traffic had been met. I saw about 10 vehicles while climbing for 2 1/2 hr.
When I got to the top I descended quickly in loose gravel for about 2 km to reach the asphalt. But the pavement was going north, up the valley! No such road shown on the map! Any map!. The road down the valley toward Hyonri was rough dirt, with an overlay of loose sand and gravel.
"Highway" 321
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I finally got onto the pavement about 14 km from Hyonri, and arrived there at 1615, where I met Peter in a coffee shop. He had had a good ride in spectacular scenery. He reported only moderate traffic.
We got a very modern and clean minbak for $19. Dinner in town at a small friendly place for $10 each. Mushroom stew, special seasoned rice and some unusual and unidentified sea critters. Two junior officers from the nearby army camp gave us some advice on what to have and how to eat it. It looks like the army is the chief activity in the town.
About 60 km for the day. Perfect weather. A few scattered clouds. Up valley winds in the PM. 60-70F but down to 35F by 2100. I'd guess we are up about 400m here.
Peter writes: The main highway 44 to Han-gyeryong Pass does have a fair amount of traffic, but the scenery and ambience at top more than atone for it. The climb from near sea-level to 917 meters takes you close to the classic ragged peaks that make Soraksan the most popular and photographed park in Korea. The summit has a marvelous restaurant and snack-bar. None of the classic US or Chinese tackiness, and the hottest and best bibimbap in Korea.
We left Hyonri at 0830 and had a nice quiet ride south for about 18 km to Sangnam. Very little traffic and a pleasant quiet valley.
Then we turned to the east on Highway 446. After about 5 km the asphalt ended but the road was smooth and well-maintained gravel until the village of Misan, about 5 km. Then the road degenerated into a muddy rocky narrow track. We talked to a villager whose conclusions ranged from "no road" to "perhaps we could get through." His parting advice, in English, was "ride slow". Advice that was easily followed.
We walked and sometimes rode for about 4 km along a very scenic river, with the leaves in fall color. Then the road gradually became better, and we finally got back on the pavement at about noon, 5 km west of highway 56.
We got to highway 56 at 1245, and bought some food at a roadside place, faced with the prospect of camping due to our delay along “highway” 446. Then we had a nice spin up the valley on 56 to the 446 turnoff and the northwest entrance to Odaesan National Park.
To our relief, 446 was paved from the turnoff. To our disappointment, the pavement lasted only for about 2 km, at the park entrance where we arrived at 1400. ($0.75 entrance fee). Then we had a 12 km, 800m climb to the ridge of Odaesan. A tough climb. The road was fairly well graded and maintained, but rocky and irregular, making it hard to pedal up the steep sections. I ended up walking several short sections. Traffic was very light, and views of the valley and mountains in the distance below were good.
"Highway" 446
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I got to the top about 1630, about 20 min behind Peter. Descending was about as hard as climbing, with the steep grade and rough rocky surface. By this time the sun was down and it was hard to see the irregularities in the road. The temp dropped quickly to about 40F.
I finally got down to Sagwon-sa at 1730. and met Peter at the temple. Apparently this temple does not take in guests so we decided to camp. We set up camp on the approach road to the temple, Peter on the turnout for the dumpster and I on a little knoll below the road. It was just getting dark when we got set up.
A very pleasant campsite, with a creek babbling below us , the temple bell (cast in 725) tolling, and chanting from the temple about 100 m. distant. We had dinner--tuna and bread--in our tents. Bread and jam for dessert. I was asleep by 1930.
74 km for the day. Not bad considering the rough roads and one big hill. Perfect weather--clear, windless, and 60-65F until sunset.
Naerinch’on Valley
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After a breakfast of bread and jam I went up to the temple and looked around. Sangwon-sa was founded in 645 and the guide book says the main hall survived the Korean war. Attractive and well-maintained, but not very interesting. Part of the problem was that the area is disrupted by construction of a new building (reinforced concrete this time), and the site is torn up and construction debris and materials are scattered around.
The old hall has several temporary new signs hung on it. Not much chanting going on.
Met Peter in the parking lot below where we had several cups of machine coffee. Not bad.
Then down to Woljong-sa, about 10 km. Founded about the same time as Sangwon-sa but destroyed during the war, and now very well rebuilt and maintained. Several buildings and a new one under construction. Nicely landscaped surroundings, and not yet filled with tourists. I sat on the steps of the main hall for about 1/2 hour listening to the chants.
Woljong-sa
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Then down to the park entrance where we had a good breakfast/lunch of tofu/vegetable stew and kim chee and coffee.
Then we rode separately to Chimbu and on to Chongson. Traffic on Highway 405 was light and the scenery--narrow valley, rocky walls and fall color was nice. Cloudy most of the day, so the color was not bright. Traffic picked up at the 405/42 intersection and was moderate for the last 10 km into Chongson. One hill just before Chongson.
We got into Chongson at 1530 and got a nice yogwan set back from the street and very quiet $13. A 3-generation family operation with grandchildren wandering around the hallway.
Dinner of rice and veggies and kim chee. $5.
There is a new friendly computer store next to the yogwan. After supper I used the phone line of the store to log on and send messages. [This ended up as my favorite method of getting on the internet while in Korea. Most of the computer guys spoke a bit of English, and I had no difficulty explaining what I wanted to do. Just about every small town had at least one computer store.]
75 km for the day. Weather cloudy to scattered. Temp 40F up to 65F. No wind except for some gentle up-valley breezes in the PM.
Weather partly cloudy and cold overnight. Temp 45 at 0900
The ride south on Hwy 429 was a rolling climb with 3 or 4 hills 50 to 100 m. Near the crest of the grade, a new tunnel has been punched through. Since we have a lot of time today, I took the old grade, bypassing the tunnel. It added about 200 m of climbing and about 45 min. Nice views of the adjacent valley, but the clouds had moved in and the light level was poor. The tunnel is about 300 m , wide and well lit and light traffic.
I got into Sabuk about 1130 and Kohan at 1245. There I met Peter and we had lunch of tofu and veggie stew plus the following kim chee side dishes: cabbage, bean sprouts, zucchini, radish(daikon), plus 2 more unidentified, plus fish and rice. All for $2.50 each. But no place for a nap.
We left Kohan at 1330. A few drops of rain, but not enough to get wet.
Then a big hill: 9 km with an 800 m rise. Fortunately a good road with light traffic, and helped somewhat by a brisk tailwind. Temp about 45F.
I got to the top about 1530. Elev. 1270 m. Cold and windy. I made a quick descent into Taebaek, but slowed a bit by the stiff crosswind just below the pass. Got into Taebaek at 1600, where I met Peter in a coffee shop. We got a good yogwan down the road from the station for $19.
The valley up from Sabuk through Kohan and on up and over the pass is a big coal mining area, mostly inactive it appears. Narrow valley-bottom towns, great piles of waste rock, acid streams, shacks and shanties, abandoned towns, etc. Just like West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.
Taebaek on the other hand, is a pleasant place pop 75k (?) and obviously doing a lot to modernize and improve.
Dinner of veggie and tofu plus about 20 side dishes all for $6 each beer included.
65 km for the day. Weather cloudy to partly cloudy, 45 to 60F. Strong west winds.
Stacks of rice straw
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Then we went up the valley a bit and turned off on highway 427 and left the traffic behind. We climbed up into a forested valley with no traffic except for a few loggers driving to work and some hikers going to the trail heads. Quite a bit of logging--of what look like fir. Cut into short lengths, presumably for pulpwood. Some of the conifers are changing, so they are probably tamarack or yew(?).
I got to the top of the pass at 1000. The sign says 830 m but it must be wrong since I read somewhere that the station where we started this climb was at 870, and we had climbed about 300 m since then. Anyhow a nice pleasant climb about 6 pct and no traffic.
Then a nice long down hill--about 25 km. Steep at first then gentle to level where 427 joins 416. We went through a narrow rock-walled canyon with mixed pine and deciduous with a torrent rushing down. Unfortunately impossible to photograph due shadows and back lighting.
After 416 turns to the east, the valley gradually widens out into a flat floor. Farming -- garlic in the high elevations and then peppers and then rice as we went down the valley. It looks as if today is the day to plant garlic. Several groups were out--with a certain amount of ceremony and tradition I think, since at least 2 groups were using a hand plow to prepare the final furrow, even though they had mechanical equipment available. Several big areas on the riverbed were covered with drying rice and many homes had red peppers spread out to dry. Persimmons ripening on the trees. Lots of food to look at along the road.
I got to the coast road junction with highway 7 at 1230 and met Peter. We had a big lunch of tofu stew with several kinds of kim chee and rice and fish. We stuffed ourselves for $3. We ate in a popular roadside joint at the intersection. Left south bound at 1330.
Drying red peppers
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Then we headed south on 7. I stopped off for a while at the Nuclear Power Plant info center for the Uljin plant (actually at Pugu). Some colleagues of mine worked on this plant in the early 80's. The place was jammed with high school groups. I was looking for some project-specific info in English. Not found.
I met Peter at Chukpyon, a sizable town, at 1500. We decided to head south a bit more, and found a yogwan about 2 km south of town. An excellent place--big Korean- style rooms, modern and clean, but with a small table and chairs, and an ocean view-- back about 20 m from the beach and quiet and mostly empty. All for $19. The best room yet. Cable TV with CNN and NHK.
I had a nap and we got together at 1800 for some soju and a discussion on plans. Then we went down to the restaurant next door and had a superb meal of eel and huge helpings of the usual trimmings for $12 each, beer included.
We went shopping for breakfast materials and turned in at 2100.
68 km for the day. Weather perfect--45-65F no wind, scattered high clouds.
