A Day of Contrast
Taiwan Stage 2 – Hengshan to Miaoli 55 Km (Mon 12 Nov 2018)
Weather: 20⁰C min – 28⁰C max, overcast and hazy
“No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings” ~ William Blake
Having to wait until 9 am for breakfast did not phase me because the ride today is only 55 Km and check-in time in Miaoli is not until 3 pm. It was therefore after 9:30 am when I started winding my way up the hill out of Hengshan.
Following Provincial Highway #3 for the first 20 Km, traffic was heavy and the roar of traffic was monotonous. Like most of the West Coast of Taiwan it is a highly built-up area, with mostly drab shops and houses lining the roadside. Having said that, there is always something of interest to look at, whether it be tumble down buildings, ramshackle sheds crammed with a variety of interesting junk, or ubiquitous ornate temples.
Although the road was busy I never felt unsafe riding on the marked lane (shared by motor scooters and cyclists) on the shoulder of the road. Having a helmet-mounted rear vision mirror helped though because it enabled me to take more of the road when speeding down hill.
After travelling about 7 Km I got a bit of a scare when my Garmin indicated that I only had about 20 Km to go (instead of 50 Km that I was expecting). It appeared that the GPX file was corrupt, so I started looking at fallback options, such as following the RideWithGPS route that I had downloaded to my smartphone. Then I remembered that I had stored back-up copies of all my GPX files on my phone, so I connected the phone to the Garmin and successfully copied the file across.
Traffic relief came when I turned off onto a less busy (but still dual lane) highway. In contrast to the first 20 Km I was treated to lovely fertile, undulating, countryside. Luxuriant tropical vegetation (including banana plants) lined the hillsides and there were lots of market gardens and orchards (predominately oranges and persimons). Bouganvillias, hibiscus and other brightly coloured flowers added a nice splash of colour.
Like yesterday the weather was warm and steamy, causing me to drip with sweat when climbing. However, today I remembered to wear my headband and made sure that I did not apply sunscreen on my forehead, unlike yesterday when my eyes were stinging and watering so badly I had to keep stopping to wipe them.
Seven Eleven stores are everywhere in Taiwan and provide air-conditioned comfort while enjoying a refreshing drink, icecream, or other sustenance. You can even get a reasonable cappuccino there.
The final 20 Km was different again, winding on quiet country roads through peaceful Miaoli County hill country. No traffic to worry about here, the only danger being over shooting the S-bends on the mountain descent. There were a few little hill towns, but these were deserted too. Ahh, blissful solitude!
No perfect bike paths today, nevertheless another safe and enjoyable day of riding.
Great photos but the road seems lonely at least you are enjoying your ride. No more demonstrating where rashes are. This was the highlight of my day ?!!!! Happy?? Under the blue sky with no☔️
Keep taking great care as you ride along. Seems a little more dangerous traffic wise.
Is your blog still secure, considering your Garmin became corrupt? The reason I ask is that our Internet Security put up a red notice saying that the site was “not secure”. Maybe that is no indication on your side of things.
Lots of love and remember that I am praying for you.
Nancy xo
Hi Nancy.
The corruption would have happened when I was copying the GPX file from my computer to the Garmin device so is not internet related.
Earlier this year many websites around the world moved from Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol to Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) which is more secure. For a website such as mine that does not contain any sensitive information or handle any monetary transactions, this is not so important. So don’t worry about the red message! One day I will get around to making the move from HTTP to HTTPS.
I have no reason to be concerned about riding on the roads in Taiwan because the Taiwanese are used to cyclists and very respectful of them. It feels much safer than riding in Sydney.
Love,
Kevin
I have a strong memory of the abundance and quality of the fruit in Taiwan…ate masses of it. Glad you’re enjoying the ride, lumpy isn’t it ?
The tour has exceeded my expectations so far, even if it is a little hilly. Yes the fruit is so fresh, and lots of interesting food too.
Glad you can now appreciate how beautiful fruits can be when you eat just a little!!.
Happy that you have completed the ride without a hitch.