Wulu Gorge called us to us once again - we, and our bikes, once again obliged.
We have done this trip multiple times now, once biking from Yuli (north of the gorge), once walking from Haiduan (mouth of the gorge) and scootering (from Hualien).
This time we took our bikes further south to Taitung, and pedaled along a half-finished road through the Coastal Mountains and popped out just in time to pop into the Central Mountains and head up the gorge. When we arrived in Wulu Village, after 83km and 8 hours on our seats, we were tuckered enough to immensely enjoy some coffee and the hot springs. We earned our pleasures!
Starting out in Taitung at the (what we have come to call) Orchid Hotel. We got in late on a train from Hualien (you are only allowed to take your bikes on the slow trains, so what would normally be a 2 hour trip turns into a 3.5 hour trip if you want to bring a bike...but its all worth it in the end!) and crashed.
In the morning as the warm Taitung air lapped against us (and the sky cleared!) we went straight to the bikes and hit the trail. We knew about a road called #197, saw it on the map, and it all looked good. We just had no clue how to get from the hotel to this road. So, we took a shot at what we thought would be the right route, crossing over a creek, a bike path and then linking up with a main(er) road. Main for Taiwan mountain roads....but this quickly turned into a curvy, up and down, rough and landslide filled route. Totally Taiwanese. Totally amazing. The road was secluded and quiet and in parts broken by landslides and rockfalls. We saw some cool birds and I got to see my second mongoose!
We followed this road through the mountains until it took us to the city of Guanshan. Here we were able to grab some lunch and regroup, and confide in our leg muscles to keep them going - what we expected to be the easy part of the trip turned out to significantly harder and longer, and we knew that the second leg ahead of us that would take us up the gorge was definitely a gargantuan task. So, already tuckered out and cursing the approaching uphills, we ate some noodles, guzzled some water and hit the road. Just a bit further, legs, don't fail me now!
And then, almost immediately, were hit by a big humble pie. Wagon. Jet. Jumbo jet. A humble jet.
You see...we had just finished a tough bike ride at this point, and we did have a tougher second half of the day ahead of us. We knew that we were going to be tired when we arrived in Wulu, and we let a few complaints trickle our now and then. We thought that we deserved a pat on the back for what we had accomplished already, and what we were to accomplish. We thought we were the bomb, and that the road engineers put in those approaching hills just to make out life tough. Irrational thoughts poke through when you get low...
It was then, right at the moment we were feeling the most knackered, we came upon a race of some sort. A marathon. No. Not a marathon. An Ultramarathon. We biked the next 35km along side a stream of people that that were in the midst of a voluntary 100km non-stop running race.
Our complaints stopped immediately. The road ahead looked easy...enticing. As we made our way up the gorge we passed people who were 5 or 6 hours into a race that had no end in sight. We passed people who cheered for us, while they had the real task ahead of them. It was a non-stop ride of us giving them a thumbs-up and a "jia-you" (go, go, go!!) with them giving us a thumbs up and a "jia-you" in return. Some looked haggard, some looked spry. Kudos to all.
Once we arrived in Wulu village and settled into a room (camping is pretty much out of the question as the road is cut into the mountain side and if you want to pitch a tent you are probably going to require bivy gear and a little bit of trust....) and downed coffee while soaking in a hot spring. Epic end to an epic ride, legs buzzed, bodies tired and sore and minds wobbling a bit from exertion. Thoughts of the ultramarathoners made us feel better, and impressed.
Then, once the evening hit, the highlight came. A chance to poke around in the mountain forests for critters of the night. Night hikes have become our "thing" while in the mountains and this night we were out to find more cool insects, but this area is known for owls, and we have heard tales recently of flying squirrels...so our real sights were set to the higher canopy and trunks looking for these. So off to the forest we went, across a suspension bridge in the darkness of the night, up the mountain trail looking for eyes looking at us.
No luck. Crazy critters all over the place, but no squirrels or owls. But a fun attempt as always.
The next morning was fairly routine...wake....eat....saddle up...say goodbye to Wulu and head down the gorge. This is the easy part....almost 95% downhill. Just sit, fingers readied on the brakes, and go.......
Train, home, pizza, sleep.
