June 29, 2021
June 29th
north from Zhubei
A banana that's been mashed up with a fork is spread on a lightly toasted blueberry bagel that's had honey dribbled on it. It should get me down the road for a while. At least as far as the local train station.
I ride away from home at gone 8:20 and have ten minutes to wait for the 8:59 when I get to the station and I buy the day's newspaper and a large, hot latte from a convenience store located in the ticket hall. A one-way for me and the bike to Zhubei comes to NT$72 - that's less than US$2.50.
While I've cycled south to Zhubei a few times, this is the first time to do it the other way. Previously it's been a case of simply following my friend Ralph's instructions, but this ride will have a very slight difference. Because when following someone's wheel you often don't recall a lot, I've made Google-maps screenshots of my planned route to save me getting lost. Hopefully.
The carriage only has two other passengers and my bike is propped in front of me and it only takes me ten minutes to get through the newspaper.
I thought it was a 30-minute journey south to Zhubei, but it's actually 40.
Once off, a laminated A4 notice on the door to the elevator (below) makes me smile while waiting for it to take me up. Taiwanese love idioms, but it's the couple of typos and grammatical errors that remind me there'll always be work for me here.
The road down to the riverside bike path from the station is straight and there's a Louisa outlet about halfway along it where I buy a large cappuccino. A swallow's (?) nest is stuck a few metres up a wall right outside the sliding doors and it is surprising to me that the birds consider it safe in such a public area. Two of them have their heads sticking out the top. Maybe they're chicks.
I enjoy my hot coffee while sat on a bench atop of a huge, flood-defense barrier. The river is a way away and after fives minutes I set off along the elevated path running along the barrier, but unfortunately there are obstacles here and there and eventually it just seems best to drop back down to the street-level path and keep a lookout for some steps that'll take me back over it and onto a small lane.
Tall blocks of apartments overlook the river and no doubt they're not cheap, what with Zhubei being a commuter place for well-paid tech workers employed in the nearby science park. It's where the chips and whatnot in your electronic devices are likely designed and developed.
After around 7km of cycling, my bike gets lugged up the steps and then down the other side of the concrete barrier and I start pedalling along a narrow route that's devoid of traffic. There's not a lot around here and this is fast becoming countryside, with just the odd, old farmhouse here and there.
One typical modern concrete home has some of the original brick buildings right beside it and I detour down its drive and get to the gate where I take a snap. The owner sees me and he must be about 75 or more and comes out to see why I'm photographing his property. My language skills are simply not up to the task of explaining why and after a few hand gestures I give him a wave and ride away.
There are a couple of forks in the lane and I opt to take a right at one, but the paved surface dies out pretty quickly and tall grass encroaches on the sides of what is now a bumpy track. After five minutes it ends at a rudimentary bridge made with sheets of metal, and once over that a concrete path leads me back to the lane. It's been few-minute detour.
The edited screenshots I made are loaded onto a small tablet and when I made them a parallel track around the 10km mark looked interesting. It only runs for a couple of kilometres and it's quite possible it gets used by trucks transporting gravel - my guess is it's dredged from the nearby river bed.
As luck would have it, when I get close to the fork in question, three of these 16-wheeler beasts roll up behind me and after letting them past and seeing them take the right-side path, it tells me to stick to the lane. It's quiet.
The sky is mostly covered in cloud, which is a relief. It's still at least 30°C, with a decent wind blowing from my back. If it'd been sunny, the ride would be a killer.
My bike gets carried up to the top of another flood defense wall as the roughly 3-metre wide concrete top gives a better view, with a range of peaks far over to the right.
A set of basic, concrete furniture (a round table and a handful of squat stools) has been placed on the top of the barrier and green beans are drying in the sun. They clearly belong to a house adjacent and a chained-up black dog is barking at me from its yard as I take a bird's eye snap.
My bike then gets returned to the lane, because there're more obstacles up visible ahead and, besides, it's not too far now to where I want to veer off on a side lane, one that's new to me.
My 7" tablet gets brought out for the first time when my memory of the planned route becomes a bit vague. A flick through the screenshots soon tells me where to go and I ride up a ramp and over the flood wall then cross a simple concrete bridge.
Again, the route is devoid of vehicles. Admittedly, this is a weekday, but weekends are probably the same.
After two kilometres there's a left turn onto a farm lane that heads straight to a village congregating around an intersection that has a convenience store. It's lunch time and I'm certainly ready for something when I arrive.
My appetite isn't great, but cold drinks are needed and after looking at what's on offer I just buy a banana and three bottles and drink two of them and stick the third (water) in a cage on my bike and set off.
A stream runs down through this one-street village and I stop just the once to take a snap of an old shop that's clearly been abandoned. Maybe the modern convenience store just across the junction is to blame.
The road climbs from here. It's gentle at first and the wind is still blowing from behind me.
The road soon narrows once it goes past a large factory complex that seems very quiet and it becomes a country lane. It also gets steeper and my lowest gears get used... a lot.
During roughly an hour of slow climbing, I lose count of the cars that pass by. It could be two, or it might be three. It's doubtful a police car will come along any time soon and my face mask isn't worn much and mostly dangles from one ear.
My top is soaked and most of the water gets drunk when I pause for a much-needed breather and let my body temperature drop.
I eventually get to a false crest and it turns out to be another kilometre or more before the top is actually reached. The lane undulates for a short while and there's a rare gap in the trees that provides a panoramic view of the distant mountains and my tripod gets set up for a snap with me silhouetted against the now mostly blue sky.
It feels good to have cooler air waft over me as the lane drops me down towards Guanxi and I bear left and head towards the centre of town, and then take a riverside path. Not wanting to tackle the next climb without more drinks, it seems wise to ride to some local shops, so that's what I do before getting back on the path.
As I follow the small river upstream, a large bug on its back wiggling its legs in a vain attempt to right itself. It looks a bit nasty, with a set of what look like pincers sticking out from its head, but I flick it over onto its belly and soon after it takes flight and circles my head before landing on a nearby tree.
It's then I notice the tree is covered with these bugs. Some are crawling up the bark, while others are sat on branches. The biggest are a few inches long.
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https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Japanese_rhinoceros_beetle
2 years ago
I've just read they sometimes use that forked prong to flip other males over.
Maybe those grooves in the bark are their handiwork, as it seems they feed on sap.
2 years ago
The path ends and a lane bends left and takes me past a derelict house. At the gate is some yellow bamboo with green lines here and there. It's unusual to see as most is olive green. The thicker stems are 10cm or more in diameter.
Th efront door of teh place has gone and as teh roof looks pretty safe, it seems OK to walk inside. There are wicker baskets and remnants of wooden furniture scattered around. At the end is a room that looks like it was once a cafe, with lots of metal stools and a few long dining tables. Looking through the green insect mesh on one window, I see my bike and decide to take a shot of it as there's not much inside to photograph.
A lane takes me to a highway, which I go directly across onto route 28 - another quiet route that's just a lane. The incline is OK for perhaps a kilometre and then it gets more difficult.
A junction has me slightly confused and really my screenshots should be used, but instinct tells me to go straight and I take a snap after a couple of minutes of me riding towards camera and shortly afterward the lane reaches a farm house where it ends. back I go to the T junction, thinking it's just as well this dead-end was only fives minutes of wasted time and wasn't too taxing.
The 28 is a nice route that hemmed in by trees that provide a decent amount of shade from the sun. It's not as long as the first climb - maybe just a few kilometres in length. It gets steep near the top, and again I have to pause and wipe away sweat and take a drink. The last of the now warm water in my stainless steel bidon goes before reaching its top.
I drop down and reach Route 3 and ride along that for a short time, until reaching a left turn near the top end on a long drop to Shirmen Dam. I was here earlier this month and now I am retracing tracks of mine all the way home.
Having cycled this way a few times recently and knowing it so well, the inclination to stop for photos simply isn't there. Fatigue has set in, as it's been a long day with some serious climbing involved and by the time I get home it's 5:00 and Debbie has been wondering where I've got to.
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 414 km (257 miles)
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2 years ago
2 years ago