We awake to driving rain. The weather so far has been wonderful, the intense monsoon rains (when certain areas can get upwards of 30 inches of rain in a month) having ended a month or so ago. But nonetheless, today will be wet.

As we begin riding, we notice that the rain amplifies the rich smells of forests, farms and orchards we pass. The lush vegetation has many shades of deep and glossy green and the surrounding hillsides are shrouded in mist. The birds seem happy with the moisture, especially the highly vocal magpies whose distinctive chatter we hear frequently. We pass small persimmon and apple orchards, the persimmons recently picked and the apples large and near harvest.

In Chungju, we make a wrong turn and end up on a multi-hour detour that takes us on a long and steep climb into the mountainous Gyemyeongsan Forest along the Namhangang River, with views of the forested peaks of Waraksan National Park and eventually the massive Changju dam. It’s beautiful but also pouring rain. Using cell phones for navigation presents a major challenge in the rain and we get turned around trying to find our way back to the Four Rivers trail and continue climbing along the river above the dam and eventually circumnavigate the entire Gyemyeongsan Forest. We are drenched and tired from the extra climbing, but we’ve been through this sort of ordeal many times and we regain the trail three hours after our wrong turn. Allegra’s cell phone appears to be a casualty of the rain however.

As we ride towards Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park, we have one more serious climb. As we approach the bottom, we see other cyclists and exchange words of encouragement. A pair of hardy old Korean men, one red faced from exertion and cycling with his jacket open, exposing a bare chest, give us an especially enthusiastic, almost primal sounding cheer – “HEYYYYEAAAAAAAIII”. Along the climb, we slowly pedal into a pine forest and by the top we are enveloped in mist. I imagine that on a clear day the views would be outstanding, but today it’s a sheet of white. We are soaked and tired.

We make it to the little town outside Mungyeongsaejae Provincial Park an hour later, find a comfortable hotel and enjoy hot showers. We string a clothesline up in our room to dry our stuff and head out for a well deserved meal. We are not disappointed. At a family run restaurant that has been open since 1974, we eat a delicious meal of green onion and octopus pancake, grilled deodeok (the root of the purple bonnet bellflower), glass noodles and fresh herbs. It tastes miraculous.