Ibike Korea People-to-People Program
Photo essay:
Seomjin River - Gurye to Iljung
The is a wide variety of scenes and objects that catch your eye along the way -- most don't get photographed. It is amusing what prompts a stop and the effort to get the camera out:
You know you have gotten to a pretty rural area when motor vehicles, bicycles and the Korean gothic farmer are sharing the same path and there is still no traffic.
In the same area there were these devilish figures. I believe they are the mascot of a local agricultural corporation.
More functional were a couple of "rice rakes" that are used to mix and turn the harvested rice while it dries.
Seomjingang Trail, Gokseong, Korea
The
railroad through Gokseong has a new alignment these days, so they use the old
tracks and right-of-way to celebrate the railroad heritage of a bygone era.
There station (left) has been restored, the tracks are used by tourist for
rail-biking, and bridges (right) in town are decorated to commemorate the
heritage.
Through
the morning fog were some duck peering out of their prison. Ducks are not a
major menu item in Korea so the sight of a duck farm is rare.Year-by-year solar voltaic panels are becoming increasingly common in Korea. The economy of installing them must be good because a number of barns in this area had their south facing roofs complete covered by them.
The
northern third of the Seomjingang Trail is again almost entirely separated from
major roads. For a long stretch it pass scores of rice fields.
But
to add contrast to the scene, in an otherwise agricultural valley midway between
Gokseong and Sunchang, is a massive tire factory looming
across the river. Sunchang is known for its Soybean Festival and famous for its
red pepper paste, but it is also home to a Kumho tire plant and
proving grounds (test track). Kumho Tire Co. is headquartered in Gwangju. Other
parts of the Kumho Asian conglomerate are Asiana Airlines, Kumho bus company,
leisure, logistics, chemical and industrial. Kumho also manufactures tires in
Georgia, USA. Many of the companies use the same inverted red "v" for their
logo.
Some of the
non-motorized-only infrastructure of the trail is particularly impressive, like
repurposed railroad bridges and
tunnels, and specially built non-motorized suspension bridges.In the middle of the old railroad bridge a glass-floored section has been added and cantilevered out over the river (far right) so you can look directly down into the clear water -- if you have the nerve to bicycle or walk over clear space.
In 2016, a variety of art was added to the Hyangga Park railroad / bike bridge and tunnel (below).
In
Yudeung-Myeon, 2.5km north of Hyangga Park, the 25km long, Megasequoia (Dawn
Redwood) Trail connects the Seomjingang Trail with the Youngsangang Trail, 4km
east of Damyang. The trail is routed along Gyeongcheon (stream), farm roads and
low traffic volume rural roads.
Some
of the most beautiful and relaxing sections of the Seomjingang Trail are the
25km of wild areas between Songjeon (after passing the Kumho Tire Factory) and Iljung.
The river winds through narrow valleys, the water is crystal clear, the hillside
vegetations is lush and dense. Hints of fall color diversify the palette and the
environment is much more car-free.A favorite feature in this section are meandering fish ladders that are built through several of the weirs (far right).
As
they often are, a chicken factory can be spotted from the road but is isolated
up on a hill and a good distance away from any village or other human housing.Much closer to the trail there is the occasional red pepper field. These are definitely ready to be picked, but I won't recommend grabbing one for an appetizer.
Both the meat and the spice for the nights stew might likely came from the local producers.
The
northern terminus of the Seomjingang Trail is Seomjim Dam. In the Korean River
Trails Passport one of the certification points (where you can get a unique
stamp for your passport) is Seomjin Dam. The certification points are generally
red boths. It looks like it has been a long dry summer because the reservoir
behind the dam is quite low.
Damyang, Upper Youngsan
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