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| View from our rooms |
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| Thanks to Ying Chang for making sure we get a room with mountain views and facing the morning sun! |
Thinking that our climbing ordeal was over, the mountain
pass still had another few kilometers of climbs in store for us! Totally unaffected by
the thin level of oxygen, Christoph was at his best elements again. As for the
rest of us, we did not try too hard!
At the trail head to Shimenshan Peak, we made a short climb
to enjoy the flowing vistas. Unprotected, the wind was extremely strong at the
viewing points.
Cruising downhill later, Rhododendron was in full bloom, a sign of spring!
Sadly, we only found them, up high in the mountains but none beyond Dayuling. It
was also at this tunnel crossing which connects to Zhongbu Cross Island Highway
that we found George, stranded with his first tyre puncture. He would survive a
total of 3 punctures today, thanks to heated caliper brakes rubbing on tyre rims.
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| Beware of overhanging branches...there's lots of caterpillars enjoying bungee jumping as well. |
Further downhill, moss covered rocks, fern and mists gave an almost eerie
atmosphere. Liken to Silent Hill settings, we escaped the fourth dimension into
sunshine and CPC petrol station for glutinous rice dumplings instead!
Striking
up conversations with fellow cyclists on their way up, it seems this is the last
station for food support. A mere 15 km to the peak may be a short distance on fuel powered
vehicles but certainly not when you are relying on pedal power to get you to the top on steep gradient and thin air!
We had hardly digested our dumplings when we rolled into Bilu Tree Café,
located right next to the Giant tree itself. The food wasn’t great but the
selling point was definitely the tree house and the views that came with it.
Our mouth gaping conditions continued downhill, all the way to Lushui
Wenshan Trail and Baiyang Trail, both at the Taroko Gorge National Park.
Needless to say, the Gorge itself was spectacular and mesmerizing at the same
time.
We lost count of tunnels; some were made out of concrete whilst the ones cut through giant boulders left us wondering about traffic conditions during peak
seasons as some were so narrow, it only allowed single lane traffic.
After our tea break at the 7 Eleven, Tian Xiang Recreational Area, we hit a
road block. This meant an hour’s delay on our side. Clearing fallen rocks off the road was one
thing but waiting for traffic on the opposite direction to advance on the
narrow single lane road before our passage was just as time consuming.
We were fine at the road block until it started to rain! Later, we had to ride downhill in light drizzle with tour buses and cars tailing after us on
a narrow road which virtually hugs the hillsides. When it
was all over, we veered into Changuang temple, aka Eternal Spring Shrine to
give thanks for our safe passage!
We arrived in Xin Cheng as evening approaches. Against a dark gloomy sky, the
colossal cement factory at the fringe of the town was frightening.
Just before we turned into Starry Inn, our stay for the night, we made a
short detour to Xin Cheng’s Taroko Station. Situated just 500 m from our hotel, we
bought our train tickets for our next day's travel.
When tomorrow comes, we will bid Christoph farewell while welcoming the rest
of the LTF Spring Ride Team. Hence for tonight, we made merry with dinner at
the night market, finishing it off with supper outside our hotel. What good
luck, to have a night market right at our doorsteps!
Photo credit :
KC
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Starry Inn, Xin Cheng
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