May 8

Yeoju - Suanbo

And..... day 2 is in the books.  It was a lovely sunny day; temps mostly in the high teens, low 20s.  Except for that pesky (mostly headwind) wind in the afternoon, it was pretty much the ideal cycling day.  

Here was the view from our room first thing this morning.

For the day - we were on quite a bit of dedicated bike path and the rest was designated bike routes on quiet roads.  The condition of the path ranged from excellent to needs-a-little-repair-work.  Coming out of Yeoju first thing this morning it was excellent.  

Hangang River Cultural Centre

There was a huge campground very close to the hotel.  Not much in use right now, but it probably gets well used in the summer.  

We were cautioned about this...... At about 3.8 km there was a steep descent where we were advised to walk our bikes.  Duh; yes!

Another day of many, many bridges.  I'm amazed at the differing architecture of all of them.  Here's a sampling.

Not sure where all the stairs were going to.

The simplicity of this one was a nice contrast.

The city we were in last night (Yeoju) is apparently famous for its rice.  We saw many, many rice fields as we left the area.

For much of the day we rode through incredibly lush areas and lots of agricultural activity.  Lots of fields (corn was the only thing I recognized) as well as a lot of greenhouses - in additional to the rice fields, of course.

We rode past this group of young girls rehearsing a routine set to music.  Lots of parents and cameras about.  Another group out playing "park golf".  

I found this sign interesting.  We were riding along a pathway, perhaps on a berm.  But - metal fences on both sides and the river really wasn't anywhere close to the path.  But - being very cautious, I suppose.

I'm guessing this was some type of fishing pond.  Old car seats positioned around the perimeter.  

We went through a bit of an urban area shortly after lunch.  I'm guessing it was Chungju.  There were some great outdoor sculptures there.  Here are two of them.......

And another pathway structure close by.

An interesting aspect of the TDA lingo is that all the noted places for coffee or snack stops are denoted "Coke stop", apparently originating in its Tour d'Afrique roots.  Since I'm not a coffee drinker I often don't stop at these, but this morning's was just after a construction zone and the worker directing traffic insisted that I go in; he was really adamant that I not go any further down the road.  Anyway - it was a great stop with a patio out in the back with a lovely view.  Perhaps I'll have to try a few more "Coke stops".  And besides - I ride on my own all day.  I guess I should visit with folks a bit during the day.

A little waterfall near the end of the ride.

 So apparently Suanbo is known for pheasant.  We saw a few on the way into town.

And we went for pheasant dinner.

I'm not sure what all the dishes were (and there were many!), but it was all very tasty.  Nightfall by the time we came out.

And that's a wrap for day 2.  Longer and hillier day tomorrow.  My legs were tired today, so hopefully I'll make it through tomorrow.  

Stats for the Day:

Garmin:  92.89 km.  2039 feet up.  1499 feet down.

RWGPS:  94.0 km.  1244m up.  1086m down.  Hmmm....

Suanbo:

There doesn't seem to be a Wikipedia listing, so don't have too much advance info.  Suanbo Hot Springs is a Special Tourist Zone.  It is a small hot spring town tucked into the mountains of Chungju, best known as a quiet base for hiking Woraksan National Park. "Suanbo" derives from the phrase 'water bath from inside a rock'.  Other highlights include a temple (containing at 1000-year-old pagoda), an insect museum, and a Catholic cathedral.