back to the place

Circuit from Cheongtong 청통 has become a favorite cycling route on its own through familiar rural scenery. Came back here after almost one year and cycled along the roads and riverbank paths around Yeongcheon 영천, starting off from Cheongtong township office. Passed through small towns like Geumho 금호, Imgo 임고 and Hwanam 화남. 

On the way to Geumho, passed by Pungrakji 풍락지 reservoir constructed in 1933 in the north of Geumho. Water sports like water skiing and wakeboarding has been operating here and national competitions also took place.

The cycling path runs around Geumho on the way to Yeongcheon, which is seen in the distance under the blazing hot sun. 

a baking hot day

In a hot weather, tried to maintain adequate hydration to prevent heat exhaustion while cycling. Ssang Ssang ro 쌍쌍로 was on the cycling route. Two villages, Ssangrim 쌍림 and Ssangchaek 쌍책 are connected by a road called Ssang Ssang ro. Ssang 쌍 means a pair or twins. Ssangchaek is said to derive its name from the names of two villages, Ichaek 이책 and Chochaek 초책, which were incorporated in 1914 under Japanese occupation. Chaek 책 means a book literally.

A park golf course along a cycling and walking path around Goryeong 고령, which was located on the way to Ssangrim 쌍림. An eye-catching wall mural of a rice cake mill in Ssangchaek 쌍책, a typical farming village in Hapcheon 합천 county

Arrived at Chogye 초계 where the meteorite impact crater was produced 50-thousand years ago, and took a rest at the township office, and then headed up the path along the Nakdong river on the way back.

on a rainy day

It's been raining on and off all day. Planned to go cycling in spite of the rain, drove to Ugok 우곡 village, parked at the township office and started cycling southwards in the clockwise direction. 

Ugok primary school opened in 1933 has 33 students and 10 teachers now. Out of all the students, only one is in the 6th grade(12 years old). The number of students has dropped significantly, as it decreased in other schools across the nation. The image on the right shows the Nakdong river and riverside village. The rain started picking up after arriving at the river bank. Looking back southwards, a bridge across the river spanned the cycling route.

On the way to Goryeong 고령 from Deokgok 덕곡, approached the 3-way intersection. Goryeong is straight ahead, and proceeded northwards uphill along the road and crossed a mountain pass down to Goryeong. Haeinsa 해인사 Buddhist temple lies around 39km away to the west.

heating up

Sunny sky and hot temperature are making it feel like summer already. The asphalted paved surface is heated up more by solar radiation. It's been about one year to go cycling around the rural areas in Gunwi 군위 and Uiseong 의성 county. Ubo 우보 and Uiheung 의흥 are in Gunwi, Gaum 가음 Uiseong.

On the way to Uiheung from Ubo, turned left for Gaum, headed up north and then crossed a hill pass down to Gaum with towering mountains in the background. An uphill stretch southwards to Gunwi dam awaits after your passing through the village of Nakjeon-ri 낙전리. Riding uphill is always a challenge. 

Gunwi dam. A lack of rainfall persists long enough and has brought water levels down to less than half its average level.

just after the main pollen season ended

The pollen season is nearly over. Cycled leisurely around the countryside and along the riverside path after a month's absence. It was tough to start riding again after a month absence, but managed to cover a distance longer than 90 km.  

Gaejin 개진 village and the road to Goryeong 고령 and Ugok 우곡, which runs up the hill pass in the distance. A river flows near Ugok village. A traditional pavilion is nestled into the edge of a cliff on the opposite side of the river, which flows into the Nakdong river. You shall discover the peaceful landscape from the riverside between Ugok 우곡 and Gaekgi 객기.

The approximate location of Gaekgi river dock 객기 나루터 by the Nakdong river and a Buddhist temple, Musimsa 무심사 in the middle of the hill on the other side of the river. This river dock had been one of the nodes within transportation and logistics networks along the Nakdong river since ancient times. Historically, the Japanese army landed here and pushed on towards Goryeong during the Japanese invasion by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1592. Until the early 1990's, this river dock is said to have been used, but now can't find any trace of the pier as the construction of new riverbanks altered the waterway.

around rural areas

Pollen season has begun and typically reaches its peak in late April and early May. Cycled along the riverside path and through the scenic and peaceful countryside of Goryreong 고령 last weekend.

Gaegyeongpo 개경포 in Gaejin township 개진면 was once one of the public docks for transporting grains and salt along the Nakdong River, which had been the major traffic route since Shilla dynasty(57~935). Gaejin area is one of the leading potato producers nationwide.

Reached the junction where three roads diverge; one branching off westwards to Goryeong and northwards to Gaejin; and the other proceeding southwards to 우곡 Ugok. Cycled past a sports park with baseball fields and crossed the suspension bridge dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists on the way to downtown Goryeong. It sits leisurely against the backdrop of Goryeong.

brainless idiots everywhere

Litter left on a subway ventilator, Daegu, South Korea. Disposable cups discarded by brainless idiots are the main culprit of street garbage.

Who's ultimately to blame for problems with single-use cups?

after one-year hiatus

It feels as if autumn is growing deeper. Returned to Jeokjung-Chogye 적중-초계 Basin once again after a one-year hiatus. The area seemed unchanged recently. However, the road running southward over the southern pass around the basin is under construction, having been widened and straightened.

It was a beautiful day for cycling. Began heading uphill to cross the mountain pass in the southern part of the basin, with the winding road leading to the pass.  Nabuti-Jae 나부티재 hill pass, located between Gungryu 궁류 and Bongsu 봉수 areas, awaits ahead. Took a picture of the inner basin from the winding uphill road heading south.

Gungryu is a typical country village with a peaceful landscape. Back in 1982, however, a tragic massacre took place in that remote mountain village. A drunken policeman killed about 62 villagers before committing suicide with a grenade. He carried out the worst recorded shooting rampage in history until 2011, when Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway.

On the way back, the autumn rural landscape was peaceful and the riverside cycling path also felt calm and quiet just as it was one year ago.

R.I.P.

A renown ski climber, Hilaree Nelson, fell from the summit of Mt. Manaslu, one of the tallest mountains on 26 September. Her body was located two days later and then flown to Kathmandu. She got traditional Nepalese funeral and buried in Nepal.

Foggy memory of the past

Geumho 금호 bus station used to be crowded with villagers and townsmen until 80s. Last weekend, it was really quiet and only the blurry memory reminded someone of something they've forgotten. Everything has been changed except the the location, so it was hard to trace back to the past to find out what it looked like.

Geumho railway station had been also busy with commuters and villagers until 80s. It was closed in 2007 due to a lack of passengers. Amid a jumble of faded memories, Geumho still remained as a warm-hearted village where a youth often took a walk in the snow-covered fields around the town during tough times.

mom's hometown

At the end of last autumn, cycled around padyatri's mom's hometown, the far northern region of the province surrounding Daegu 대구. Mom's parents lived in a small village near Hwaseo 화서 when she was born, in which she had witnessed the historical moments like the independence from Japan and the Korean war. The grandparents now rest in peace at the nearby hill with a good view, and the uncle and aunt below them, too. 

Parked at Hwaseo township office in the morning, and headed southwards towards Hwanggan 황간 along the typical rural road. It was a little bit chilly, chillier than Daegu. Passed small villages and arrived at the bottom of the mountain pass. Like other people, Mother had to cross the high mountain pass named Subong Jae 수봉재 on foot to travel to and from Hwanggan, where a railway station is located. She doesn’t remember how long it took to walk from her village to the railway station. However, she said that sometimes she had to spend a night at a relative’s home in a village along the way. For her son, about 2.5 hours were enough to reach the station from the township office by bicycle. The high mountain pass is currently under construction to lower its elevation and widen the road.

It was the second visit to Hwanggan, whose railway station, the Catholic church on the hill, and downtown seem to be the same as before. The quiet town scenery keeps a visitor warm and secure as ever. 

On the way back, ran eastwards to Chupungryeong 추풍령, which has the highest altitude railway station on the Seoul-Busan railroad line. A water tower still remains at the place where steam locomotives once stopped to refill water. And then, headed northwards and passed through three villages, Modong 모동, Moseo 모서, and Hwadong 화동, and finally reached the graves nestled in the hill where the grandparents, uncle, aunts, and elder cousin sister are buried. 

Ganggu 강구 & Okgye valley 옥계

Everyone has their own memories of childhood.  Memories may fade as the years go by; however, they remain in his life as a bunch of faded pictures. He had lived for a few years in Ganggu 강구 when he was a child. Ganggu, meaning the entrance of the river, is a typical fishing harbor located at the eastern coastline of the peninsula. Actually, the river called Osipcheon 오십천 flows through Ganggu. 

This harbor village has changed a lot since the eastern highway from Pohang 포항 to Samcheok 삼척 got fully paved in 1979.  Since then, tourism has grown steadily, thanks to demand for high-quality seafood and travel opportunities. Most Koreans often picture the image of snow crab 대게 when they think of Ganggu. 

Have already planned to cycle around Ganggu, Okgye valley 옥계, and Yeoungdeok 영덕 since last summer. Drove to the township office of Ganggu this past October and started cycling toward the Okgye valley in the west. To come to Okgye valley from Ganggu, you should cross a mountain pass and reach the junction where three roads diverge; one is for Dalsan 달산 and Yeoungdeok in the north, the other Okgye valley in the south.

Turned on the right to approach Juwangsan national park 주왕산 국립공원 in Cheongsong 청송 county via Dalsan. On the way to the mountain top pass, a typical rural scenery attracts a cyclist along the road. There is a gradual ascent to the foot of the mountain, and then the road sharply drops off into a steep slope that is a leisurely zig-zag road up to the ridge. The first bit of relief from the steady uphill climb comes from halfway up the mountain. The road sign marks the top of the mountain pass where you can rest. There is a steep descent to the village below with no guardrails. padyatri experienced a unique, dangerous thrill on the way down because the road was in poor condition for cycling.

One of the famous local specialties here is the apple, whose orchards are easily seen from the road. Peach orchards are also found. Then, apple-picking season was in full swing. A villager offered a cyclist passing by to try some apples when he stopped taking pictures for a moment. They were golden apples being picked on that day.

Okgye valley is a famous tourist attraction in the summer. The RV camping site and campground are spotted more often along the path near the valley. This valley used to be the end of the dusty road from Yeoungdeok 영덕, and then it was not a tourist spot at all. Only a few people knew the value of Okgye Valley and enjoyed its natural beauty and scenic landscape. People believe nature has a healing power. That's why it is where we come from, and we belong. An old pavilion built over 200 years ago sits on the rock, overlooking the valley. On the way back to Ganggu, rode on the road, looking down the river, Osipcheon. 

around Geochang 거창

It has been about one year since cycled around Hapcheon 합천 lake. On the threshold of winter, started a short bike ride to get around the lake and Geochang 거창. Arrived at Geochang sports complex and started cycling east to get close to the lakeside. Geochang surrounded by three national parks has its own natural attractions like Suseungdae rock 수승대. In the morning, it was a bit chilly as in the last year.

Hwang river 황강, passing through Geochang drains into the Hapcheon lake on the north-west corner of the lake. The road along the river runs east and connects to the lakeside.

Besides, you can select another route between the mountains and the river valley to reach the lakeside from Geochang. To access this route, you should cross a mountain pass, not as easy as it seems. But for your sweat and toil, you will be rewarded with beautiful views and scenic overlooks.

A large dam leads to the submergence of the land area, including the bridge. An old bridge resurfaced as the lake was drained. There seemed to be two people fishing on the old, broken bridge. The above photo was taken from the newly constructed bridge over the lake. In the picture at the top, you can view the new bridge from the other side.