We’re coming up again on that time — the anniversary of the start of the Korean War is in less than a week (72 years ago this week). I always like to explore a bit and do a little history every time that rolls around. Last year, I discovered a treasure trove of Korean war-era maps on line and followed some of the old roads and battles. That endeavor included tracing the north Korean advance and US/ROK retreat and delaying actions over the first few weeks of the war. It was then that I made my first trip down to the little district of Jeonwee, the area around which the Battle of Ant Hill took place, and where stands now a monument to that battle.
I’ve always wanted to go back — that area is so beautiful, peaceful, and rural. I’ve covered many miles around where I live, and many of them “rural” too, but they just don’t have the feel of this place. I might sum it up just by looking at the railroad crossings — no longer tunnels or bridges, but in many places, single-lane roads that actually cross the tracks, manned by a public servant of some type who walks out of his shack with a flashlight wand to make sure everyone’s paying attention to the gates when a train passes. Not much different than the way it’s been done from before the war. Except for the gate being automatic and the flashlight being electric (I have been around long enough here to remember when the gates weren’t always automatic).
I’ll be going on a trip over the next couple of weeks, and so I wanted to get a good, special ride in before I left. With light winds out of the south, Ant Hill was the natural choice as a destination. It was a bit tiring — the bigger climbs were on the backside of the ride — but, as usual, well worth it. Put in 84 miles, and enjoyed most every one of them…
I’m already thinking about my next ride down there, where I can skip the monument and grab that unique little loop in the river. There’s a bike trail on the other side that I’ve just gotta see.
