Back Roads: Nantou San Ceng Lane to Nantou Lane 12...I Think

The hills of Nantou are alive with the sound of cyclists screaming down gnarly grades and I wanted to get in on the action. The area around Jiufen Er Shan is covered with small lanes and farming roads that can lead to euphoric adventures or a long day of grumbling in the saddle over humidity and climbs to no betel nut farm in particular.



I chose San Ceng Lane (三層巷) to climb and then I thought I could explore the neighborhood or loop on to the Caotun side of the mountain and coast back on Nantou Route 14 a.k.a. Gukeng Ln. (股坑巷).



A funny thing happened as I followed a tourist trap to the God Tree of Ping Ding (坪頂神木). I sat around with no real inspiration and then got bored and left. I was slow rolling down and passed a small road that disappeared from my periphery in a flash. Inspiration had suddenly struck and I was soon climbing back to the little road. It had a white sign that I think was marked the "12", but I can't recall. It all happened so fast.



Soon  I was surfing some of the finest switchbacks in Nantou. I am not sure what the map shows, but this thing is nasty. A pretty road with some flowers and okay pavement... but NASTY!


Eventually the road settles down into some smooth, shaded one-vehicle paths that are alive with the chirping of insects and the clatter of birds in the trees. It was all quite serene.



Eventually the road glides into some pretty agricultural area of the kind that is disappearing from Taiwan all too quickly.

This is definitely a road I would like to try biking in the opposite direction after a dry spell.
It just looked painfully delicious going down.

Cycle Route 4193081 - via Bikemap.net

Cycling Seniors Setting Off For Sun Moon Lake: A Warm Formosan Welcome for Andrew and Alison

About four years ago I was contacted through this blog regarding a proposed bike trip around Taiwan. This is not too unusual. I often field questions and provide advice to would-be travellers to help them better plan a trip around Taiwan. Personally, I enjoy the process of collaboration and, as a long time resident, I also share a sense of deep pride in my home and its potential for cycling. I would hate for someone to leave Taiwan feeling disappointed or underwhelmed. I know how much I enjoy cycling Taiwan and I want visitors to feel the same sense of excitement. I think of it, in some measure, as soft diplomacy. Moreover, I really enjoy meeting great new people.

More times than I can count, I have spent hours in correspondence and plotting routes for strangers to make their cycling trip a bit more than simply following the largest and ugliest highways around Taiwan. And more times than I can count, I never hear any more from the people again.

It is in this light that I was pleased to see a message in my Inbox from Andrew Jacob of Toronto as he was ready to resume his plan to cycle Taiwan with his lovely lady, Ms. Alison Cohen. They also hoped to meet me on their way through Taichung.

We decided to make a day of it, so I was joined by Michael Turton from The View From Taiwan in guiding these two wonderful people to Sun Moon Lake.

While looks may be deceiving, Andrew is over seventy and Alison must be about thirty-five... *wink
They were hauling between 15-17kg a piece and were ready to plod their way through the foothills of central Taiwan.




We hit the Highway 3, which wasn't my first choice, but the easiest choice for tolling up to the lake. On our way we ran into a couple industry guys fleeing from Taipei Cycle to circle Taiwan in just a few days.



After enduring the buzzsaw of scooter racing on the Highway 14, we eased off onto the Nantou Route 6 in a pleasant respite from a major arterial.



The Nantou Route 6 is relatively smooth with a couple of old tunnels that once served regular traffic into the Puli Basin.



Strawberries are still in season, so we stopped for a sample at a roadside stall.



The plan was to take the Route 147 to the Route 131 and then up toward the lake. After a pitstop for lunch, we were on our way.



Andrew and Alison rolled steadily along and we pretended not to see the occasional *non-hill.



The Route 147 is a quiet, shady lane that cuts behind Jiufen Er Shan and really only has one significant climb.



We eventually hit the final ramp and pushed our way to the top.



After blasting downward through hillside farms beneath tall trees and betel palms, we had landed on the 131.



An enjoyable day of cycling doesn't have to have the highest climbs, longest distances, quad-busting speeds, or pad your Strava numbers.

A great day of cycling is often one that is punctuated with chatter, stories, thoughts and laughter. This was one of those spectacular rides on a roads that linked between people as well as places on the map.

In a little postscript to our ride. Andrew wrote to tell me of their experiences with Taiwanese hospitality and having complete strangers come out of the blue to offer them fresh fruit and lodging.

So if you happen to see Andrew and Alison out on the road, be sure to wave and even see if you can join them for a few kilometers. You won't regret it.



Andrew's Adventure Blog: http://rollingbicycletours.blogspot.tw

Michael's Post on our day: Here

Exploring Nantou

I had originally planned to head into Nantou city along along the Route 139, but the route is not marked upon entering downtown Nantou, so I wasted enough time that it just wasn't worth continuing with that plan.

Ordinarily, I would be a little upset without tasting the meat of the ride through the hills to Jiji, but since I rarely spend much time in Nantou, I had seen enough to explore a little.

I crossed the Lumei Bridge. The bridge in its current form was completed in 1997, but was actually a modern conversion of a much older bridge.

Just on the other side of the bridge I noticed the remains of a bamboo palisade with a stone wall inside. It may be the remains of a family compound, military outpost, or even a satellite village of the Hoanya speaking Sarva group of indigenes.

Just around the corner I found the traditional market and a park.

The park is home to a new croquet court.

It is also home to the only remaining segment of the snake kiln from Shuili. The original kiln was destroyed during the 921 earthquake, but one segment was recovered and moved to its current location in Nantou.

On my way home, I stopped to take pictures in a community built from traditional mud bricks. Unlike more famous structures that use fired red brick that arrived in Taiwan as ballast for ships, the majority of Taiwan's Qing era buildings were constructed using sun-baked bricks composed of mud, rice husks, and water buffalo dung. The husks and dung gave the bricks a type of waterproofing while holding the bricks together. The walls were then covered in a lime paste.

Last, I stopped by an old playground to get a picture with one of the antiquated concrete animals that used to be the highlight of Taiwanese playgrounds for earlier generations of children.

Hill Climb Equation:136+100+21+133+14+136=Pain

This morning I decided I was going to do some climbing and find the fabled passage between Hsin She and the 136. I got a late start and the thick morning haze just held the heat and humidity to the ground. It was the least comfortable type of heat.

I took off through Taichung to the Route 136, Taichung's fabled hill climb. Just after the Bat Cave I took my detour and headed up into the mountains of Taiping. I remembered some of the roads that cut through the county from my earliest days riding a scooter in Taichung and I thought the road up Jiu Tong Shan 酒通山 might lead to the other side near Hsin She. I climbed up in that humidity and was not liking it at all. Finally, I found my road and was off on a smaller, more interesting road down the other side.

The road to 中和 is not very well kept and I was reminded again why I got a CX frame. Even with 25c tires I just cruised over the ruts, cracks, bumps and mud.

The climb was higher than I thought and offered up some fantastic views of the valleys below.

I finally emptied out in 中和 right behind the elementary school. If you decide to take that road, it is the right.

I decided to keep climbing as it was still early, so I headed out toward the Highway 21 to Guo Xing. The climb was steady and I felt like I had been neglecting my climbing skills as of late, so I did it at a steady and not a hard pace. If only I could magically keep the Big Bike Club on their side of the road.

I was having the most sublime descent off the mountain, just totally in the zone and keeping my speed up. I was tracking well into the corners and having done that route enough times I know exactly where the palm husks are always laying in the road (every time). And then... and then... I crept up on a slow moving car. I hate that. I was eventually able to pass the car and then I encountered a tour bus. I could only breathe the fumes for so long before I found an opportunity to accelerate around him. I felt kind of smug with the feeling that the driver must have been surprised to have been passed by a bicycle. I kept my distance from the bus as he shadowed me into Guo Xing township. He would creep up on the hills and I would lose him on the flats. The bus kept me hammering at some good speeds all the way out before I pulled over to check out some fruit. Not long after I stopped, the bust pulled up and stopped too. I expected to get some crap about passing busses or frightening the driver, but instead, the driver opened the door and had his assistant give me a coffee. I thanked them and they were on their way.

I followed the 133 to the 14 and although tired, I kept a good pace out on the Puli Basin. My mind wandered to the ride ahead on the 14. I have done it dozens of times and it is a long, flat, windy ride with a few cars. It isn't bad, but I am sick of it. I am especially sick of the two little hills near Caotun. I just hate them for their ability to sneak up on you and they are annoying and not fun. So, to avoid the hills, I turned onto the dreaded 136 and somehow found the energy to put a good climb together for 3/4 of the ascent. As I neared the top a great roll of thunder ripped me from my zone and a light rain started to fall. I took refuge under a makeshift carport and waited 20min. for the rain to abate. I was more worried about the descent on wet roads.

Eventually, I made it out onto the road again and slid off the mountain back to Taichung without incident. No great distances today, but I claimed three rough peaks in a single ride.

I just wish I didn't climb like a sprinter.

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