I’m back home after an adventure. I took a bus from the south of Korea where I live to Incheon in the North and got on the 4 Rivers Bike Path to cycle to the south in Busan. It’s a kinda wonder of the world, the government here spent 6 billion putting it in place.
633 kilometers by the book but by my app on my phone, 689km. I got lost so many times, even just the 1.5 hours from downtown Incheon to the start line. But I made it, one pedal push after one pedal push. Here I am at the start.
I’ve always loved the combination of freedom and self-effort that a bike gives one. Whatever the many failings of my father, he always got me a bike and wanted me to put some fun between my legs. I wrote a piece about one of my first bikes here.
One of the nice things about a journey is the “unknown”. I don’t advocate people over-preparing. Set out, get on with it, figure it out on the road. And boy, I did! Got the saddle sores, learned so much.
It was for me, a more spiritual journey, a time to shut off and not think too much. Of course, I sang most of the way. The trail for hundreds of kilometres was empty and I was alone with the river, the sky and the possibility up ahead.
Basically my trip schedule went like this:
Day 1. 5 hour bus ride to Incheon. Assemble the bike and get to the start line, cycling through Icheon. Started at 3:30 pm. Rode 4 hours to Yangsun Island, east of Seoul. Got the big city out of the way. So, a half day. All went well, 30kph avg. and only rode an hour in the dark along the mighty Han river.
Day 2. Cold, freezing rain. ALL DAY. Started at 6 am. I rode 40 minutes, through some beautiful tunnels and my spoke broke! Had to walk an hour to Yangpeong. Nothing open. Found a bike shop, waited, so wet, cold, almost ready to die. Then I spied a sauna. Korean saunas are the bomb. I got warmed up, hands tingling toward new life. Finally found a bike shop an hour later and got the bike a bill of good health. Still raining cats and dogs - set out at 12:30 pm. Made it to Chungju a wet mess. Not a great day but that’s it, it is an adventure, baby!
Day 3: Mountains, watershed. Early start. Beautiful, dry day. Got lost for 1.5 hours heading west on another trail system. Oh well! Over the big climb of the trip, the watershed and viewed the cars below zooming through the mountain. Descended to join up with the Nakdong river, Korea’s largest. Great day, got to Gumi. 270k, lots of elevation. Incredible scenery.
Day 4: Another beautiful 250 km day. But tough, no bike climbs but innumerable shorter, very steep ones. Passed by the large city of Daegu but you aren’t too close to it. Arrived an hour outside of Busan.
Day 5. 1 hour gentle, ceremonial ride to the finish line on an island in Busan. Even found a footbath at the finish line! Then a day of recovery. Nice hotel, all the luxuries. 4 hour bus ride home to Mokpo, Monday morning. I put on the LA Dodgers cap that I found by the side of the road on one of the dozens of bridges you cross on the trip. Perfect souvenir!
The path has certification “booths” that you can get a stamp in and after, apply for a certificate with your passport all full of stamps. Not my cup of tea, but I can see how some might like it.
It was a wonderful time, to test myself, to be myself. To connect with something larger than myself. During the ride, I kept thinking about others maybe wondering, why, why do you do this David?
Well, first reply would be the trite Everest retort, “because it’s there”. But I don’t think that is correct. I think that is the conqueror’s attitude. My own answer is “because I am here”. We do things that challenge us (and it doesn’t have to be something as large and gradiose as my trip) because we exist and the challenge is a way of confirming, acknowledging our own beingness - a way to say and stamp upon the earth, “Damn it, I am here!”
I’m left with lots of crumbs, memories from time’s table. Mostly the kindness of others. The guy running out to give me an umbrella and a moon pie. An old lady smiling at laughing as I wolfed down my P&J sandwiches. The army kid who said I had a cut on my face and who stuffed a small tube of anti-septic cream in my hand along with a Hersey’s chocolate. The laughing group of Malaysians at the top of the mountain on their little Brompton’s, doubting my age and saying I was pulling their leg, the young girl out with her father on a bike, screaming “Dae-han-min-guk (대한민국) - kinda like - Korea is Great”, it echoing through the tunnel we were riding through … so many other fun memories.
In the coming days I will write more on several aspects of the trip. I’ll just say this, like Doris Lessing says,
“Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.”
Bike Tripping