Autum Bike Riding

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle." ~Earnest Hemmingway~


So about a month ago we bought bikes!
We could only walk along the same couple miles of river dodging other Koreans that are getting their exercise as well, before we had the desire to find out just what does lie around that river bend that we couldn't see by car.
We have been biking almost every night after Lyle gets home from work, and I am sad the weather is starting to turn cold and we will have to put them away for a season.
I brought the camera with me last week and here's some pictures from our little ride.

One thing we discovered is "Pumpkin Bees" You can't really see this guy on the sunflower because he blends in so well, but their bodies are orange and black, some of them are quite large...and they do sting.

Here's Lyle striking a pose while I take a picture of all the flowers along the bike path. Along with the bikers and walkers, this narrow road also had an occasional car driving along the 8 mile path. Koreans can squeeze into a small area better than anyone I've ever met.


A few elderly people collect boxes and cardboard to earn extra money form recycling. The rules of the road are they have these people have the right of way...tough way to make a living at any age.


The one and only horse we have ever seen in Korea. (Horses take up too much space.) This guy was riding along the river and hollered at us because we were "Migos" translated-- Americans.




Did I mention horses are few and far between? So you improvise and go for a cow ride.


Regarding this picture and the seven women and children in the small wagon, refer back to my previous comment that Koreans are great at fitting into small spaces.


Rice fields in Sangju just about ready for harvest.


I tried to get Lyle to do this, but I think some of the romance has turned into practicality...like keeping our balance, and not falling off the bike.


A farmer getting ready to start up the ol' tractor and take off.


Farmer doing that never ending job...weeding.


Gloves...check. Hat...check. Arms covered...check. Face covered...check. The legs...who cares!
It's all about sun protection. They don't want their skin to be dark, the whiter the skin the prettier you are.