Riding to the heart of 921

Saturday morning I drove out to Nantou with my friend Drew and met up with Todd Alperovitz from The Daily Bubble Tea in Chunghsing Village. From there we began climbing....

Here is the route we took (an interactive version may be found at Bikemaps.net). We started by climbing up Jiufen Ershan, about 1000 meters, then went down 300 meters to the memorial area for the 921 earthquake. We then descended from there to 147, which runs north-south in the area northwest of Sun Moon Lake. On 147 we climbed back up to the ridgeline at around 700 meters, and then descended again to 131. From there it was downhill all the way to Chunghsing Village. Great ride, over 90 kms of lovely farms and imposing earthquake damage.

Nantou county is a major producer of betel nut.

Along the way there were plenty of bugs...like this lovely butterfly...

...and this harmless whip scorpion, who went into his defensive posture when he saw us.

Looking back. The ride up Jiufen Ershan was extremely steep, pretty much 7-10% grades the whole way.

Drew and Todd confer.

We stopped for a rest, and watched this spider wait patiently as this butterfly exhaust itself struggling to get free. Scientists recently found the world's oldest spider web.

Nearby caterpillers struggled to come forth from a cocoon.

At the summit of Jiufen Ershan were several tea farms.

Beetles grab a meal.

Along the crest of Jiufen Ershan is a set of natural and human memorials to the awesome power of the 921 quake, whose epicenter is near the top of the mountain.

We rode along that rode on the left there at the bottom of the ridge. When the quake hit, the whole face of the mountain slide away, 10 hectares in area, and fell into the valley below, where it dammed two rivers. That's right, the flat area there is a gigantic landslide scarp. The government immediately constructed a spillway to prevent flooding. Brave fellows, whoever those workers were.

A couple of hundred meters from the epicenter are some extremely disturbed chunks of strata. Here Todd poses. There's a small eatery where a simple lunch can be had. The owner has pictures from the quake aftermath there, which is happy to explain to you.

Very disturbed.

A few smashed buildings remain.

Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.

Drew and Todd contemplate the view. We descended from here through lovely farming scenery to 147.

Two species say hello. At 147 there is a small deer paddock in the village of Nangang ("south port"). Nangang township's symbol is the deer.

Taiwanese love to use old styrofoam containers as planters.

Not a good day for photos, but you can get a sense of the gorgeous valley that 147 pushed through.

Todd and friends.

147 linked to 131, another lovely ride through farms. We took 131 downhill to Nantou past the reservoirs at the top of the Choshui River....

....and stopped in Shuili for slushies. Todd and Drew looking great after a wonderful ride.

Shuili market.

In Shuili local kayakers were out practicing.

Further down Rte 16 Drew spotted this boundary stele dating back to the Qing period.

The famous leaning tower of Taiwan, a relic of 921, which you can see from Highway 3 on the way through Nantou. The area is littered with such sights, and the maps and tourist spots advertise a "921 Earthquake Tour" of them.
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