Day 3. Up and down and calling it a trip

The last day started early, as most days on the road do. We were awoken to the sound of birds chirping and the flowing of the river right next to us, my favorite kind of alarm clock. Even though we had a ways to go on that last day, we didn’t rush too much to break camp and get on the road. We wanted to enjoy our last morning in the wilderness and not rush to get back to reality.

After we broke camp, we headed to our route home. The route consisted of heading downhill to the coast then back up over Seoraksan Mountain and to the car in Inje. The ride to the coast was one of the most fun rides I have done. We started going uphill; just a little, then we entered the tunnel-o-fun! This tunnel was long but all downhill. It was so fun to be able to not touch the pedals but still be flying at 65kph (40mph), and not even try! Once we were out of the tunnel the fun continued. We were still up about 400meters and we had to go all the way down to sea level. As we flew down the mountain, I was enjoying every second of it but I just kept thinking that we had to go back up the same amount of meters we were going down.

The trip down was great, with great views of some of the most beautiful mountains Korea has to offer. We landed in the city of Sokcho, right on the coast of the East Sea. It was early in the morning and the skies were clear and the sea looked endless. We were able to ride along the coast for a bit but decided to get off the busy road and head for the back roads and the mountains. We were at 12 meters above sea level and needed to climb up past 800. I knew what was coming but I was enjoying the view, the outdoors, and being free on the road too much to care.

The climb up started innocent enough, slow and gradual. But once we hit Oseak, the base of Seoraksan, the pain started in. Since I knew the climb was going to be slow and painful, Jared and I set off at different speeds. He attacked the mountain and I popped in my headphones and charged up the mountain with some help from the music in my ears. I had climbed that mountain before, but this time it was a lot harder than I had remembered. It was hot and sunny and the mountain seemed more relentless than ever. But one of the many things I love about riding in Korea is the encouragement I get from complete strangers when I’m biking. Those people driving up and down the mountain will roll down their windows and shout supportive words at me. It’s in Korean but I can usually get the gist. As little as these words may seem, they actually do help as I am struggling up mountains.

After we make it to the top, I was really struggling. It was very hot, I was running out of food and water and all I wanted to do was be off my bike and in an air conditioned car. Unfortunately we still had one more climb to go before we made it to the car. We flew down the mountain we had just climbed, only to ride threw a valley for a few kilometers and have to start climbing again. I knew once we were finished with the climb it would be nothing but downhill to the car, I just had to make it up and over the last mountain. Jared wasn’t struggling as much as I was so he was off to power up the last climb as I fought through my own pain, soreness, and hunger with my headphones doing their best to pull me up the mountain.

The climb seemed to go on and on and after every turn, I was hoping to see the top but it seemed as if the mountains goal was to swallow me whole. After what seemed like an eternity, I saw the top and Jared cheering me on as I finished the last climb. I was more than thrilled to see the top and to know the car and food was right around the corner. Even though it was all downhill to the car, it was still a struggle and like all days and trips, the last 10 kilometers was the hardest 10k’s of the whole trip. Once we saw the car, I thought I would be thrilled to be off the bike and get into some air con. But surprisingly, I was a little sad and wasn’t ready to be done with the trip.

Once we got to the car we were able to get everything off the bikes, had them loaded on the car, and were on our way home in less than half an hour. It was good to be cool again and get some food and water but I definitely wasn’t ready to be back in reality and go back to work the next day. This was my first 3-day bike trip and it was more than I had thought it would be. I was learning why cycle touring was so addictive.

Day 2 on the bike. Mountain climbs and War memorials

Waking up to birds singing was a great way to start the day. It had been a long time since I had slept in the wilderness and it was a great feeling. The early morning hours brought fog throughout the mountains but it didn’t take long for it to burn off and bring crystal clear skies. We weren’t in any rush to get on the road. We had an idea of where we wanted to end up that night but one of the great things of cycle touring is that plans can, and will, change. It took us about an hour and a half to eat, change, and pack everything up. One thing I love about camping is that you find a piece of land to call home for one night, then just like that it’s all packed in a few bags and strapped to your bike.

We left the Peace Dam feeling rested and ready for the day. We were very excited for the day ahead, we had planned to make about 120k’s with a few big climbs, and as you will find out, it was a bit ambitious. The day started with a bang. As we were making our way to the mountain, we passed a few groups of Korean cyclers who had just come down the mountain we were about to go up. We got many, ‘good luck’ and ‘way to go’ looks and cheers from them, since they knew what we were about to go through.

The first climb of the day was full of switch backs and great views. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be but it was still challenging. It was fun to climb up and be able to look down on to where we were staying the night before. Like all the ups, the downs are always the best part. We had a great downhill that took us through the country side of the mountains. As we have biked this spring, we have watched the rice patties being planted. Some by hand others by machine. As we made our way down the mountain, we had great views of the rice patties and could see they had started to grow. The farms we were passing by on this trip were much larger than the ones we had seen on previous trips and the rice fields seem to go on and on. I don’t know why I do, but I just love the rice fields and seeing them during the day is always one of my favorite things.

We rode through the farm villages and rice fields for quite a bit before we started the “real” climb of the day. I knew it was going to be a tough one but the incredible weather and fabulous scenery made the mountain seem a bit smaller. At the foot of the mountain both Jared and I stopped to put in our head phones. Most of the time when we are riding, we ride next to each other and talk but going up mountains is a different story. I don’t know what it is about music, but it can put you in a different frame of mind. It can give you a lift you didn’t even realize you needed. And without a doubt, it can help you to keep moving your legs up a 1000meter climb (for those Americans, that’s over 3,200 ft!!!)

Thankfully the area we were riding in wasn’t too populated and consisted mainly of military bases. You see, we were riding about 5k’s from the North Korea/South Korea boarder (did I forget to mention that). Oh yeah, that was one of the highlights of the trip. Jared purposely made the route to get us close to the DMZ and he definitely succeeded in that. Because of this, the traffic on the road was limited to minimal cars and military trucks. As we continued to climb the mountain the traffic thinned even more. See most people would drive through the tunnel built to bypass going over the mountain. But going through the tunnels is cheating so needless to say we opted out of going through the tunnel and went over the thing.

I don’t recall how long we were climbing for but I think it was close to 2 hours. Of course we would stop and take quick 5 min breaks to chug some water and inhale gummy bears but the majority of the two hours was spent on the bike. As we got closer and closer to the top the road seemed to get steeper and steeper. I swear at one point by front tire was going to come off the road it was so steep! Regardless, we both kept our legs going and charged on. At long last, we reached the top. It was a spectacular view of the farm villages below and the military bases that lined the boarder. We were busy taking pictures of “Beware of Mine” signs when a young Korean solider came out to talk to us. The poor kid knew little to no English but knew enough to say “camera, no.” We figured this would happen but we wanted to play the foreigner card and get as many pictures as we could before they came out and told us to stop.

Once we put the cameras away we really took in the view, and it was a pretty remarkable one. The sign on the road said we were at 1,050m, which still the highest I have climbed and the view from that high is just spectacular. After enjoying the view and relishing in the fact that we just climbed that many meters on a bike we got ready for the best part, the downhill!! With headphones back in we both took off down the mountain. The 2 hour climb up was well worth it and made the downhill seem to go on forever.

We came down into a small farm village and decided it was time to get some lunch. At this point we knew there was no way we were going to make our 120k goal for the day, nor were we going to end in the city we were aiming for. Like I said earlier though, that is one of the great things of cycle touring. It doesn’t matter if we don’t’ get to where we “planned” on going, as long as the day ends with a place to sleep, some food, and the satisfaction of a knowing you control the day, and not the other way around, the ride is a success.

Little did we know when we were coming down the mountain that we were dropping into an area that was known as the “Punch Bowl” during the Korean War. The Punch Bowl is a basin along the DMZ in Yanggu, which is where were cycling. The basin area owes its name 'Punch Bowl' to its geographical appearance, resembling a bowl for punch. Surrounded by high hills, some with peaks above 1,000 meters, many fierce battles were fought here during the Korean War because of its strategic location. The Punch Bowl area is famous for a hand-to-hand fighting during the War during a lack of ammunition.

As we were cycling along we saw a small war museum and decided to stop. It was there when we learned where we were and all the fighting that had taken place in the area. It was incredible to think about those soldiers hiking up the mountains in the dead of winter not knowing who was also in the mountains hunting them. I have been to the War Museum in Seoul but it was a much more intimate experience to see the museum in Yanggu and be able to be in the area and experience it firsthand.

After we left the Punch Bowl area, time was getting on and we were tired. Since we knew we weren’t going to get to our original destination we just looked at the map and decided to ride for a bit longer and look for a good spot to camp. After managing our way around a busy highway and taking a wrong turn, we were finally riding right next to a river. We found a great spot to camp that was just off the road and a perfect place to not be seen by cars. We decided to call it a day after about 100k’s and just over 6 hours of ride time. It was still a little early and we could have pushed on but there was no point and by being done early, we could get cleaned up in the river and still have time to enjoy the camp site.

After a quick rinse and a good dinner, the sun was leaving us and we were pretty tired. It had been another great day and I was sad we only had one day left on the bikes. But falling asleep to the sound of the flowing river was a great end to a great day.

3 days on a bike...why not? Day 1

We work a lot in this country. The life of a private school kindergarten teacher may bring great pay and good experience but it also brings little time off. We are given 10 days off all year; 5 days for summer break and 5 days for Christmas. Very rarely do we get to enjoy 3 day weekends. This year though, we have been blessed. We had a 5 day weekend in May, which I enjoyed with my parents during their visit. And we were lucky to have another long weekend in June. It was the celebration of Korea’s independence, which meant we got a Monday off of work. Jared and I took full advantage of that day and decided to go on a 3-day bike trip around the mountains of Korea. We had a general idea of where we wanted to go and the ground we wanted to cover, but one of the glories of cycle touring is not having an exact plan and just going where the road takes you.

We had decided to not use the luxury of hotels this trip and wild camp along the way. I was so excited because I hadn’t camped since my last boundary waters trip in 2001 and I had forgotten the feel of the wilderness.

We headed out of Bundang early Saturday morning and headed for Inje, our launching point. It looked as though the weather Gods were smiling down on us and we were greeted with sunny, clear blue skies. We parked the car in a big parking lot where we knew it would be safe for the next few days. We have become pretty efficient when it comes to packing and unpacking the car on bike trips. It doesn’t take us too long to get everything off and out of the car and our bikes loaded up and ready to go. We had planned to set off around 9:15-9:30 and we were just about on schedule until we got on our bikes and started riding. See, this was the first time I was riding with both my back side bags and when I pedaled, my heel was hitting my bag. We had to stop before we even got out of the parking lot and readjust my bags. About 20 minutes later and after several test runs, my bags were right where they needed to be and we were all set.

The day was a relatively easy day for us. We knew we had one big climb at the end of the day but the road until then was pretty forgiving. We were only on the busy highway for about 8km’s until we turned off onto a very quiet scenic road. We were both pretty surprised at how quiet the road was. The road was relatively new and it seemed odd that there were no cars on it, but we weren’t complaining. We rode on the road unassuming for a big portion of the morning/afternoon. It was great to be able to stop along the way, take pictures, eat lunch, take quick breaks and enjoy the journey, which is the whole point of cycle touring.

One of the joys of wild camping is knowing we don’t have to get to a hotel at any certain time. All of our trips before this one we had a hotel booked and we would feel as if we needed to arrive by a certain time as to not worry the hotel owners (in Korea, if you aren’t at your hotel by around 5-6, the owners will text you or call you to see if you are coming.) We would also want to get to our hotel by 5 or 6 so we would have enough time to unpack, shower, and get some place to eat. Wild camping is much different. Although we have a tent to set up, we don’t have to worry about showering or finding a restaurant to eat at.

Since the day had brought great weather and even better roads to ride on, we made it to our “dinner stop” Hwacheon, earlier than expected. Originally our idea was to stop in Hwacheon, eat dinner, and ride the last 30k’s to our camping spot at the Peace Damn. Instead of eating dinner in Hwacheon, we stopped in a street market and picked up things to make for dinner. Me being the health freak that I am, picked up veggies, ssamjeong dipping sauce, tofu, and a few rolls of kimbap (rice and seaweed wraps.) Jared also picked up some kimbap and other snacks for dinner. We also picked up what we would need for breakfast the next morning. Since we weren’t sure when we would see our first town in the morning, we made sure we had enough water for the night and the morning.

The last part of the day also brought the big climb of the day. We had about a 400 meter climb to get to the Peace Damn and our camping spot for the night. Jared and I had done this climb about a month earlier and so we knew what was in front of us, and I was less than excited to take on this mountain at the end of the day. As we attacked the climb we both put in our headphones and took off at our own pace. I knew the climb would take about an hour and all I was thinking about was being done and eating dinner. It amazes me how much music helps when climbing mountains and before I knew it, we were half way up the mountain and taking a quick break before conquering the rest of it. After the break, we set off on our own again. Even though I had a fully loaded bike, this climb seemed easier than when we did it a month earlier on an empty bike. Maybe all the riding, mountain climbing, and weekend trips we had put under our belts since that ride gave me the biking legs I needed to power up that climb. Just when I thought I had about 15 more minutes of climbing, I heard Jared shouting. At first I thought he was just yelling for no reason but then I saw what he saw, the top. It came sooner than I thought it was and it was just as happy as he was.

Both of us were impressed with ourselves once we hit the top. We were both expecting a harder climb than it ended up being. We happily made our way down the mountain and to the Peace Dam. The sun was starting to set so we wanted to get some place soon so we could set up the tent and eat dinner. We weren’t sure if it was legal to camp on the Peace Dam so as were making our way to the Peace Dam; we kept our eyes open for back-up camping spots. Once we arrived at the dam our worries were put to rest. Others were already there, tents sent up and ready to camp. This brought a bit of relief, knowing we wouldn’t have to go out looking for a different place to sleep.

The Peace Dam was built to defend South Korea from North Korea. See, North Korea has built a dam holding back a river that could flood South Korea. If North Korea would ever decide to attach, they were going to blow up the damn and thus send the river flowing into and flooding South Korea. Knowing this, South Korea built a huge dam to defend against this. It is quite odd to see a huge dam not damming any water but I guess it is better to be prepared. Our camping spot was right next to the dam and next to a bunch of old war tanks and one fighter jet. What better way to demonstrate peace than to have a bunch of tanks from the Korean War. Of course we had to go and take a look and get some pictures. It was pretty cool to see them. They were open and you could look down inside them and see how they drove them and what they saw as they sat in them.

Once we checked out the tanks and took our token pictures, we set up camp. It didn’t take much to set up the tent and get our things ready for the night and next morning. After the tent was set up we had our dinner. We went back to the tanks and ate dinner on the tanks. By this time, the sun was well set and it was getting dark. Even though it was only about 8:30, we were both tired and ready to call it a night. Once we were back to the tent it didn’t take long to get everything packed up for the night and out of harm’s way. We made sure to pack any food in our packs and off the ground so no ants or other insects would be crawling on it all night.

We had covered about 107km that day with a total ride time of about 6 and half hours. Even though it was pretty easy riding (until the last part) we were pretty exhausted. The sun and heat also take a toll on you as you ride and it didn’t take long for both of us to pass out that night. It was a great day and we knew we had even bigger challenges in front of us for the next two days.

What I have been up to all these weekends!

I have been very lazy in my blog posts lately and I have good reason for that: I am so dang busy!! With summer here, there is rarely a weekend when Jared and I stay in town or just hanging out at home. We take advantage of the wonderful landscape Korea has to offer, the wonderful weather, and the luxury of having a car. The past 2 months we have taken every chance we have had to get away and go biking. Since I met Jared, I have started biking much more than I ever thought I would. I am still running, but my running shoes are getting a much needed break (well, mini-break.)

He has introduced me to the world of cycle touring. For those of you who don’t know, Jared and three of his friends cycled from China to London in a six month tour. The trip ended with only him and one of the original starters but it was an epic adventure and something he has brought into my life. Cycle touring is something done by those who want to see and experience the places they are traveling through. It is not done to get from one place to another in the fastest amount of time, which is actually the exact opposite purpose of cycle touring. I never knew how beautiful Korea was until I saw it on a bike.

We have taken many weekend trips through the mountains, farm villages, back roads, gravel road, and small towns Korea has to offer. I have struggled up mountains just to enjoy the views from the top, and the fantastic ride downhill!! I have ridden through small farm villages and seen farmers tilling their fields with a cow, workers planting rice paddies by hand in the pouring rain, and I have experienced how kind and generous people can be. Numerous times on our adventures, random people have stopped and given us snacks, or candy, or to simply offer us words of encouragement.

Cycle touring is something completely new to me but it has become quite addicting. We went on one weekend trip last Halloween, but after that it got too cold to be out biking. I had such a great time doing that; I couldn’t wait to get more rides under my belt. As soon as the weather was warm enough this year, we were off.

Since April, I have endured riding in the mountains, a 281km 17 hour ride, numerous weekends up mountains, around lakes, through villages, and on gravel roads. I have probably seen more of the country than most Korean. In my short time cycling Korea, I have already seen so many wonderful sites and have had many wonderful experiences; it’s hard to pick just one that is my favorite. The gravel roads we traveled on for 30kms, which went up and down and up and down was a great test of concentration and patience. But it was also well worth the trip around the lakes to see the view of the lake from the highest point.

There was also the small farm/country road we went on/up to see how the farmers of the country live and work. It was so great to see that side of the country; especially since I live in a very wealthy area near Seoul. It is always humbling to see how some people live day in and day out. How hard they work to earn a living while we are living in luxury apartments with everything we need at our fingertips.

Then there was the weekend Jared and I invited two of our friends along so they could have firsthand experience as to what it is Jared and I do every weekend. They were very new to the sport of cycle touring (much like myself) but they had the motivation and spirit to throw all hands to the wind and just go with what we threw at them. The first day consisted of constant rain, up huge mountains, and a “Jared detour” thrown in for fun. Through it all, both of them were extremely good sports and ready for anything else we could throw at them. We ended up cutting our day a bit shorter than expected but it was not due to our two newbies. More to the fact that it was raining, we were wet, getting hungry, and just ready to call it a day. We spent that night how we spend most nights after a day of cycling, at a restaurant eating so much wonderful food and enjoying some much deserved soju. Unfortunately that day’s ride had taken its toll on Suzie and was unable to ride all the way back to the car the next day. She caught a bus back and the rest of us powered our way over some mountains back to the car.

It was a fun weekend, even though it hadn’t gone as planned. And the two “newbies” were no longer newbies. They earned their big kid wheels that weekend. They have since been cycling with Jared and I a couple times and have plans to do join the crazy world that is cycle touring.

In the few short months I have been cycling, I have learned a lot about myself, about what the world has to offer, and how easy it is to just get on your bike and see that world. We currently have a few plans in the works but until then, we will continue to truly enjoy the life we get to live in Korea and all their mountains and roads, some not so paved roads, have to offer.