Songnisan

Erika and Simeon have both been fighting colds. I have a bit of a sore throat, which is how their colds started. It was pretty inevitable that I would get it. Nevertheless we took off today for Songnisan, a place two hours away that Dan and Erika enjoyed on a previous visit. The scenery getting there was spectacular with hairpin turns and sevral tunnels. Erika was very proud of herself for finding it on GPS and following the instructions to get there.

'San' means 'mountain' as you may have noticed from our previous hike to Yeonginsan. 'Sa' means 'temple' and Beopju-sa, established in 553, was our destination at Songnisan. From the parking lot behind a street lined with restaurants and tea shops, we followed this river upstream.

The temple gates were guarded by a lot of mythical creatures. Simeon foudn them especially fascinating.

As soon as we passed through the gate, he made a bee line for this statue. I'm afraid it reminded me of Nebuchadnezzer's golden image we read about in the Bible story book the night before.

Erika had raved about the scenery, mountains surrounding the temple. We weren't disappointed.

Erika checked her email while I went around taking way too many photos.

Simeon walked the whole way there (maybe a mile or mile and a half). After running around to explore, he found some rocks that made perfect cars, and we just sat under the tree and admired the view.

The giant Buddha dominated the scene from every angle.

There is a wonderful network of trails to various temples and peaks. I'm sure the views would be awesome on a day like today. But without Dan we weren't prepared to attempt them with Simeon even if he is a good walker. Another time. We had to head back to Peongtaek.

The kids are loving this beautiful country, and we plan to be back to explore some more in 2016. 

Yeonginsan

An outing to Yeonginsan, the mountain near the town of Yeongin about half an hour from here. Erika took me there in March when all was brown from the winter. Now it is lush and green. We enjoyed the gardens.

This time we hiked along the road since it was less steep and we were managing a three-year-old. Lots of switchbacks with mirrors to help you see approaching vehicles, mostly school buses with gangs of kids Simeon's age.

He enjoyed the sculptures that were also drinking stations. We refrained from using the communal dippers. When Simeon saw this picture, he immediately informed me that there were ants.

We took a trail to one of the peaks. Simeon is quite a trooper. He walked most of the way, except when he had trouble listening to the command 'stop!' and had to ride for a while. (We were on the edge of a cliff.) At the top was this monument. 

All info was in Korean so we have no idea what the monument was, but there were some fun sculptures at one end.

And great views between that peak and Yeonginsan itself. (Hmm. Looks like this was the steep part when Simeon needed help listening)

And we did make the top!

Where it started to rain. But it was a fun day.

Simeon's nap consisted of 45 minutes in the car. He needed extra attention in the evening when we all played dinosaurs and made this video of a favorite from VBS.

Hiking at Magoksa

Labor Day is a day off here too, at least for American military, so we went hiking. I got in my desired 10,000 steps. 18,000 actually. 7 miles and 48 flights of stairs. Erika said she saw an article about things to do in Korea that said something like "If you don't mind going straight up, hiking in Korea is awesome." Very true.

We drove about an hour away to Chungcheong and did two hikes. One was on an app Dan had. He says everything he has ever done from that app has been a well-organized hike on a well-marked path. This one wasn't. We drove up a narrow road like a British one-lane with passing places except the passing places were few and far between and instead of a hedge at the side, there was a drop off. Erika was very nervous. I was feeling the same, but not as expressive. It seemed to go on forever, up the mountain and through a farm, but at least we didn't meet anyone. Funny thing was that on the way back down it was only a few hundred yards and not so steep! 

The path itself became less and less distinct, but with Dan's phone we knew we were on it or slightly off and eventually found the water fall. There was hardly any water, but several man-made platforms (stone retaining walls) as if for camping or picnics.

We hiked through what we eventually decided was a chestnut orchard. The trees had these green spikey balls on them and there were lots of dried up and cracked open ones on the ground. The nuts inside were what made us decide they were chestnuts. Chestnuts (among other tree nuts) are one of Simeon's allergens. He got mild hives, but mostly we managed to keep him from touching them. Hard since he was eager for his new plastic dinosaur to romp in the leaves.

The surprising thing was how much walking Simeon did. He's getting heavy to carry and Daddy only put him on his back in the steepest places. Otherwise he was off on his own (with Mom frantic that he would topple over the edge!) Quite a trooper. His new dinosaur got pretty dirty investigating what he could eat and had to be washed in the stream.

Staircase number 2

We had stopped for bathrooms at a shopping center that included a billboard map of a local temple with hiking trails, so we went there next. Much more civilized, but also much more elevation involved. By 'civilized' I just mean there were other tourists and the path was plain. I gave up before the top. I had already passed my 10,000 steps when we came to a staircase whose top we couldn't see. Before you judge me, know that we had just climbed another in hopes of a lookout, but the view was obstructed by trees. I sat to wait while the others investigated the view. When they didn't come back and a bunch of old people came down, I decided I was rested enough to take it on. More trees at the top. No view. The path was more level, so I walked on, vowing not to take on another staircase, but when I came to a flat rock good for sitting I stopped there. I pulled out my phone and read from my devotional book, praying for Korea. We had passed a couple shrines where people lit candles and paid to hang prayers from the ceiling. 

A temple half way up the mountain

There was also a very ancient Buddha carved in a rock part way up the mountain where people were bowing on their faces. I felt sad for them. In the village we could see a cross on a building that we assumed was a church. I prayed for their impact on the community. 

On the lower slopes we found a couple rest shelters, but alas, none where I waited.

Simeon "resting" in one of the shelters

The others returned. They said eventually the path descended again before climbing another peak. The top of this one was closed in with trees so I was glad I hadn't pushed further. 

Simeon loved the colorful entrance to the actual temple area.

Supper was at a chain called Seong and Cook where Dan has enjoyed their pizza although the pizza in this one was entirely different. It was a sort of deep dish made with puff pastry. Very good but not anything like traditional pizza. It was a second floor restaurant open to the city. Right downtown Cheonan with buses,  tall buildings and city lights. 

Simeon had only maybe 40 minutes of sleep in the car. The restaurant manager made friends with him and brought him a free order of fries, sprinkled with what we think was powdered sugar. At least, he didn't have a reaction to them. Erika has never ordered fries before because of what might have previously been fried in the oil. Something with a wheat breading would leave traces to be picked up on his fries. Simeon loved them and flirted with the man constantly.

I was in bed within 10 minutes of getting home. I woke at 3:29 as I have been since arriving, but had no trouble getting back to sleep. Only woke again at 6:15. Hopefully I am over the jetlag hump. :-)

Day 14: Anchorage, AK

128 miles
10AM-2:30PM

Thank you, Lord, list:
A day to relax and catch up with e-mail
that it is only misty and not hard rain
a chance to stretch my legs
bike paths
unseen views

It's raining. Given the fabulous weather we have had, we have no right to complain. Yesterday as we drove into Palmer we could see the shadows and lower slopes of mountains on all sides. We had intended this for a laundry and regroup day, but since the B&B had coin washing machines, we threw stuff in last night to have the day free. But this morning even the shadows of mountains are invisible. We slept in, and didn't get going until 10. We had considered driving up route 1 through the mountains that we will miss by taking the ferry tomorrow, but the clouds make that pointless. So we drove to Anchorage just so we could say we had seen it.

The kids could do worse than be stationed here. It's a nice city. Lots of bike paths. Mom suggested, given their love of outdoor sports, that they would probably take up cross country skiing if they did live here. It's totally surrounded by sea and mountains to climb. We drove through the downtown and explored a couple neighborhoods along the shore. Houses are probably expensive, but not ostentatious. At Earthquake Park there was a panorama picture to identify points on the horizon, including Mt. McKinley (Denali). Yeah right. Here is the view of Anchorage from there. I think if it weren't raining, you would see mountains in the background.

Mom and Steve dropped me at the Coastal Trail and continued their explorations with a plan to meet up at Kincaid Park. The rain was off and on so most of the trail was viewed from beneath an umbrella.

Knowing they were waiting for me, I didn't dawdle. Of course, the distance was much longer than it appeared on the map. In the end it turned out to be about 4.5 miles. I had to remind myself I was hiking in Alaska--on an asphalt path...within sound of the airport...but IN ALASKA! Then I came upon this.

Definitely not Wisconsin.
And after 4.5 miles... Is that frisbee golf?!

Cold pizza for lunch leftover from Steve's dinner last night, some of the best he has ever had. Too bad Alaska isn't a foreign country. Naps, popcorn and a relaxing evening on the schedule!

Afghan update: No driving means no knitting. I was going to photograph it on a set of antlers I found here at the B&B, but they are outside and it is raining, so forget it.

Day 10: Haines Junction, YT, to Delta Junction, AK

432 miles

8:40 AM – 4:30 PM Alaska time (which is 5:30 by the time we got up)

Thank you, Lord, list:

We reached Alaska safely!

The privilege of making this trip

Morning light

Breakfast in the woods

No bears on the trail

Today was a low mileage day, so by 6:30 AM I was on the trail by Dezadeash River on the edge of Haines Junction, YT. By the cobwebs in my face, I was the first person through. It was not a very demanding trail—level along the river—but a great chance to stretch my legs. A little more than one and a half hours including devotions and a leisurely breakfast of granola bars and dried fruit with my thermos of tea on the steps of an overlook. This was my view.

The lady at the visitors’ center said that you just need to be noisy so bears hear a human coming and get out of the way.

“Especially when you come around a bend,” she said.

So I called out “Here I come ready or not!” a few times. That seemed a bit boring, so I sang a couple praise songs. I even tried the “Hallelujah Chorus,” but that doesn’t work real well solo when you are out of breath from walking. I did see a couple footprints that I have not yet identified.

It was a glorious morning, and even if it wasn’t a taxing climb like the ones in Korea, I WAS HIKING IN THE YUKON!

We were on the road a little after 8:30. The valley was wide; the mountains distant; foliage was mostly scrubby black spruce. Not a remarkable day after yesterday’s road to Skagway, except for the stretch around Kluane Lake.

The road on the Canadian side was not fun. The freezing and thawing of winter had made the same mess as Highway 70 in Minnesota—some really crazy dippsydoodles. Somewhat better in the US. Lots of this fireweed along the road sides, so called because it is the first vegetation to return after a fire.

Border crossings have all been simple. They want to know about drugs, alcohol and firearms. Canada wanted to know about fruit, but apples with stickers on them are fine. Mom could have gotten through with a birth certificate, but she didn’t have that with her either.

“Facilities” along the road are mostly long drops, but generally not bad smelling. Sometimes there is graffiti. Once Steve saw where someone had written “Never again.” That makes me sad. We are fantasizing out army family being stationed here, giving us an excuse to come at least once a year!

And we continued our tradition of one bear per day. This one was brown--a grizzly, I'm told--and much less quick to escape into the brush at the side of the road. As a matter of fact, when we looked back, he was cavorting in the middle of the asphalt.

After last night’s simple but comfortable accommodation, tonight is a luxury cabin outside Delta Junction when the Alaska Hwy officially ends. Tomorrow is on to Fairbanks to pick up Mom.

Afghan update: Not as much progress because of the bad road, but it felt good on my cold hands this morning. BTW, this picture was taken at 8PM. It won’t get dark here tonight at all.

Lodging: Garden B&B