fell off a bike

On the way to Sindong 신동, lost balance when mounting a bike in front of the crosswalk and fell off a bike and experienced some mechanical problems in rear derailleur soon. Had no alternative but to give up cycling further. On the return home, dropped by a familiar bicycle shop and found that the derailleur hanger got badly bent. Realized yet again great care should be taken to prevent accidents every moment while biking.

The above photo shows the site where a cyclist fell off a bike before entering the crosswalk when the traffic light changed from red to a green. On the way home, passed by a crosswalk around Sangin 상인 junction and through a high school and its playground. 

intense rainfall

It was good enough to resume cycling after two-week absence. Last weekend, it rained so heavily that couldn't go outdoors. The weather forecast said it is unlikely to rain, but got caught in a sudden shower of rain for half an hour around Beolji 벌지 village.

This month torrential rains also pounded parts of Daegu. The Nakdong riverside is still covered with mud and the nearby playgrounds are partly cleaned up. An artificial wooden cycle bridge over the shore of the Nakdong river could be seen around Dasan 다산. The last photo shows that it rained at the hill pass named Beolji-jae 벌지재.

into the deep valley

Perched on the northeastern side of Mt. Gasan 가산 at an altitude of 901m, two mountain villages, Gasan and Eungchu 응추 offer natural beauty plus views of the vibrant rural communities. Mt. Gasan is 23 km north of Daegu, whose peak, 10 km to the east, is connected to the summit of Mt. Palgongsan 팔공산 by ridge. The cycling route is all paved, a good mix of some steep uphill and downhill sections.

Handeum 한듬 is a mountain hamlet in Gasan. The highest ridge at the backdrop runs up to the very summit of Mt. Gasan not too far away to the south. Buddhist temples used to grant the temple-owned lands to tenant farmers, who had paid the landowners certain percentages of harvested crops. This village is thought to have been formed by a group of tenants living here. Actually, a Buddhist temple named Daedunsa 대둔사 stands on a hillside behind the village, which is believed to have been built during Shilla dynasty(57 BC ~ AD 935).

On the way to Gasan from Hyoryeong 효령, looked around the rural views. Cycled across the western side of the valley and reached at Daeyul 대율, aka Hanbam 한밤 village where stone wall alley has been well conserved. Traditional stone walls had usually been built without using any mortar in the rural areas, but it is getting even harder to see them in the countryside these days.

rainy season

The rainy season has come back again. Sunny and partly cloudy for the weekend. A scorching heat wave continued to sweep through the country. Contaminants adhering to camera lens caused blurry photos on the phone.

Mt. Geummu 금무산 in the middle is 4.8 km southeast of Waegwan 왜관. US army named that Hill 268, after its height in meter, also known as Triangulation Hill during the Korean war. Back then, it saw fierce fighting between US army 1st cavalry division and the 7th regiment of North Korean army 3d division on August 9 to 10, 1950. The NK army division had been the first to enter Seoul at the beginning of the war, but later its attempted crossing of the Nakdong river from south of Waegwan had ended in failure, suffering around 700 casualties including up to 400 killed. About 1,000 men of the 7th Regiment had crossed earlier the river to Hill 268. An estimated 300 survivors recrossed the river to the west side the night of August 10 to 11.

The Nakdong river had turned muddy after a couple of days of heavy rain. Crossed a bridge around the Waegwan's south side and then reached a junction where they can continue onward into downtown.