The paddy fields are turning greenish-yellow. It was such a typical autumn weather and perfect day for a leisurely bicycle ride. The cool breeze takes away sweat and evaporates it quickly. The route started in the parking lot of Iseo 이서 township office, passing through the rural area outside the south Daegu, navigating around the winding roads in the countryside. In antient times, a tribal country, whose name was Iseo guk 이서국, was located around Iseo and Cheongdo 청도 area.
Cheongdo eupseong 청도 읍성 fortress. Eupseong refers to a walled town surrounded with a fortress wall. Local government offices, governor's residence and commoner's houses were inside. That was built in 1590 in order to defend itself from a Japanese invasion and has been recenty restored after having been abandoned for ages.
View of reservoir from the crest of Seonggok 성곡 dam near Punggak 풍각. In the north Cheongdo, a Buddhist temple, Deok 덕, is nestled in the middle of hill, overlooking the railway bridges on the way between Busan & Seoul. Historically, a castle used to be located around the hill range surrounding the site of the temple. In those days, Silla 신라, another tribal country in Gyeongju 경주 area sit to the east and the two had struggled to seize regional hegemony, resulting in military tension and continuous battles. Finally, the last battle between Silla and Iseo armies was fought here. After fierce fighting, Silla army captured the castle in 297 A.D. and then the tribal country, Iseo, was collapsed.
