Ninety-Nine Peaks [九九峰)], view the large.
On Saturday, I went with Da-xiang, a family friend to the hot springs of Taichung County’s Guguan [谷關]. The first part of our journey was spent on HWY 14, which will probably be much more pleasurable to cycle on once the monstrous HWY 6 is completed giving motorists a faster option to Sun Moon Lake.
I don’t know how all the strawberry fields, betelnut stands, and cafes will cope with less traffic coming through.
We continued on HWY 14 until turning off to head towards central Guoxing [國姓].
It was shortly after taking the picture below that we had entered Taichung County:
If you look very closely, about a third from the left, near the top of the mountain, you may be able see a white house: That’s the goal, after that it’s mostly downhill until the relaxing ascent to Guguan.
Here’s a picture taken near the top, the road below is the one we traveled up. It was starting to get hot during this unseasonably warm February.
This was the only picture I stopped to take during the journey down. I took it because you can see Shuei Mountain[雪山] in the background.
After stopping for lunch at a restaurant that had more flies than customers [and that’s not counting the two sheets of fly paper on the table behind us with no extra space for flies to stick on], we were back on the road heading towards Guguan along part of the Central Cross-Island Highway [中部橫貫公路], passing farms and great scenery along the way:
There’s a handful of suspended pedestrian bridges in the area, too. This is part of the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area [參山國家風景區].
Stopping for a break, before the final stretch to Guguan:
After riding for about 75 km, Da-xiang and I met up with his wife, Cathy, her sister, and mother at Guguan. They drove up there and arrived about an hour earlier than us. After a brief rest and a couple refreshments it was time to soak in the hot springs.
We went to the Yidou Japanese-style Outdoor Hot Springs [伊豆日式露天溫泉]. The resort has seperate baths for men and women, but private baths and rooms are also available. This was my first hot spring experience [which is outlandish considering I worked in Beitou for 2 years]. After one trip, I’m already sold on hot springs. While relaxing in the springs I didn’t feel like I had just spent half a day on a bicycle.
Here’s a map of the route we took:
hot springs are one of my all-time favorite pastimes to enjoy, Todd (except for bathing caps. however going to hot springs like the one you mention can have it’s embarrassing moments. once i was introduced to a gentleman who was accompanying a group of us to some hot springs in Taipei. 20 minutes after meeting him i was sitting in a pool of hot water with him. just a *tad* awkward to put it politely.
i’d love to go on a ride with you sometime and end up in one of those hot springs. i’d get a private room and stay the night though. return the next day. 🙂
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Great ride Todd. Beautiful scenery and great weather – you got a great day for it.
MJ can ride in his fully optioned trike
MJ – Luckily it wasn’t busy so there was a lot of space between people. If I drove up there with my wife I would prefer a private room and spend the night. If I ever ride up there again on my bike I would definitely spend the night and ride back the next day. Better wait for the weather to cool before heading back up!
Craig – Thanks, I’m thinking Jiufen Ershan next time.
Dennis – I’m not sure how well the trike handles hills, but it’s not too steep if taking the route from Dongshih to Guguan.