The thing about living in Korea is that you can ride in just about any direction and still find something out there to pique the interest. There’s plenty of beauty, and with a history several thousand years old, little treasures right there along the roadsides. If you take the time to dig a bit, it can make for quite the trip.
My recent ride to the fortresses of Ganghwado did a lot for me in that respect. Even my ride yesterday had some interesting things to see. So now I’m left planning the next big one. There are quite a few places to choose from. Eric and I have talked about lapping Ganghwado – it’s 50 miles around the big island, but there are two smaller islands to the west of it that could add another 30 miles or so.
Or I’ve looked at a map and thought it would be kind of cool to ride up to the DMZ someday. Problem with that is it’s about 115km one way, and I’ve got to get back. But I’ve considered the train. Maybe take the first train up on a Saturday morning, ride from Yoido to the DMZ, turn around and come home. Either way, it’s a long trip. Six hours either to or from the DMZ, plus the ride from the Han River would be nearly 30 miles (another two and a half hours). Throw in an hour and a half on the train, and your day is done.
There are some rides to the east of here that make some hefty climbs. Climbs don’t intimidate me anymore. I’ve taken the biggest climb in the area and survived. Of course, that was with Chris, and seeing him outpace me on a single speed kind of serves as extra motivation. Not that it made me faster. No. It made me not give up.
So here I am, working my way into the season, feeling pretty good. In the best shape I’ve been in in years. And I’m wondering where I can go. Where can I expand my horizons a bit and explore? I’ve got some ideas. Does anyone else? What would you like to see? Let me know, and stay tuned.
