April 30, 2022
Extreme crossover episode: 상주보[Sangjubo]-칠곡[Chilgok]
There are many advantages to sleeping in a developed campground like this, despite it not being an "authentic" experience. No bugs, for one. No marauding animals. Lights everywhere until they turn them off at 10pm. Warm showers. To top it all off, it was just cool enough to have a pleasant sleep.
The only thing missing was breakfast. There were shops nearby, but none of them opened until 9:30 or 10. We slept later than usual, but not that late. We ate a couple of granola bars that left us unsatisfied. We were headed into a farming area with no shops to save us. Not a crisis, but far from ideal. We grudgingly packed our stuff and started today's tour.
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We explored the grounds of the nearby natural history museum in hopes of finding an open shop. No luck. Then it was off to 상주보[Sangjubo] and the next stamp.
We had seen videos in which the retaining walls near the top of a steep hill were scrawled with "scratch graffiti". We found it (or at least one of them) this morning.
During my first trip to Korea in 1998, we visited my father-in-law's burial mound to pay our respects. It was a new experience then, but many years later, seeing them on the road no longer piques my curiosity. Still, I noticed this one and snapped a photo. I'd love to be buried next to a bike path.
Also on this hill was a sight for sleepy eyes: an advertisement for a 슈퍼[shyupeo], which is not a supermarket at all, but more of a mom-and-pop convenience store. We found it. We bought stuff. We ate. We drank. It lifted our spirits.
Next stop: lunch! There's a street with lots of options a few blocks south of the 낙단보[Nakdanbo]. Sunyoung craved Korean Chinese food, so we found a place and ordered our usuals: 짬뽕[jjambbong] (seafood stew) for her, and 짜장면[jjajangmyeon] (black bean paste noodles) for me. We agreed that they tasted so much better than what we could find in the U.S.! Sorry we forgot to take a photo, but I guarantee you we'll order these items again, and they won't look any different.
We backtracked to the weir and got our second stamp of the day. The scenery was breathtaking.
We found a nice spot to relax after all the heavy labor of eating and stamping. These little rest areas and restrooms are so frequent along the river that there's always one nearby when you need it.
A couple of American guys we met this morning warned us about some construction on the trail and a detour. I couldn't understand exactly where it was or what they recommended we do about it, despite there being no language barrier. During our rest stop, a Korean couple approached us and gave us more detailed info. They said that since it was the weekend, there would be no workers there, so we could sneak through. It sounded dicey, but we also weren't too keen on a detour of undetermined length and elevation gain.
We ignored the detour signs, slipped through the jersey barriers, and enjoyed a lovely smooth surface for a short distance:
Then we saw the construction workers. Looks like they were putting in some overtime. We sheepishly approached. They waved us through. Whew!
The rest of today's ride stuck along the riverside, and a decent tailwind allowed us to crank out some kilometers with minimal effort. We soon reached 구미보[Gumibo], where I obtained a beautiful specimen of a passport stamp.
Soon afterwards, we reached the big city of 구미[Gumi], which I only know as the KTX stop before 대구[Daegu] when traveling south. We considered stopping there for a snack, but ultimately decided against it. Like in other Korean cities, the river is lined with paths and parks. The bike path alternates between that and the street level above. There was only one street crossing the entire way. Awesome!
We settled into a groove as we counted down the last few kilometers to our destination just past 칠곡보[Chilgokbo]. Two cyclists with panniers (not common here) approached us. Usually we give such "old school" tourists an extra wave and words of encouragement. As they drew closer, I recognized their faces. It was the couple whose videos I watched to learn more about the 동해[Donghae] (East Sea) path! We stopped, they stopped, and a long chat ensued. They're on their way to 안동[Andong], which is not just a historic city, but also home of the elusive final stamp of the 낙동강[Nakdonggang] (Nakdong River) path we're currently on.
Their names are Matt and 유진[Yujin], and they have created lots of videos not just about cycle touring, but also about surviving and thriving in Korea. They're a sincere, energetic, and humble couple. Cycle touring seems to attract these kinds of souls, and it's why we talk to fellow travelers enthusiastically even when we're dog-tired from a long day in the saddle.
As my dozens of readers know, I don't shamelessly promote every business or entrepreneur who crosses our path. But please feel free to check out their web site, which has links to their media.
Back to our regularly scheduled programming of collecting stamps. Yep, we bagged four today! 칠곡보[Chilgokbo] doesn't have the flair of some of the other weirs, but we're not playing favorites.
We ended this lovely day by visiting a 분식[bunshik] (street food) shop. We ordered the "special" 떡볶이[ddeokbokki] (rice cakes, ramen, and dumplings), 야체김밥[yachaegimbab] (veggie roll), and 쫄면[jjolmyeon] (spicy noodles and vegetables).
We tried to reserve a site at the nearby campground only to find they were all booked up. Instead, we're staying at a motel. Not that we're complaining!
Today's ride: 78 km (48 miles)
Total: 412 km (256 miles)
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