Xizhi to Wuzhishan climb

3:55 p.m. - Crossing the Keelung River near my apartment at the start of a ride, looking at the mountains I was planning to climb. I knew I would generally be up in those mountains because the road I was going to come down on ends in Neihu District straight ahead.

Sick of bitching and moaning about being old and in bad fitness and suffering on climbs, so after the previous 55 mile ride - long for me - I decided I was ready to head up the bigger climbs I'd been avoiding and just go for it.

4:29 p.m. - Township road 北29 in Xizhi 汐止 (seizure?), pausing to take in some scenery which gradually appears approaching the mountain, away from the urban grit and grime. 10 miles to get to the beginning of the climb and still nervous about being able to get it up up it. It's also called Xiwan Road, Sec. 3 because it connects Xizhi and Wanli townships, but I wasn't going to Wanli which would mean descending on the other side of the mountain range. 

4:31 p.m. - Still approaching the base of the climb. Wuzhishan (Five Finger Mt.?) Scenic Area is where I'm headed, although I don't know if it's a specific peak. To me it's just one general mountain range. In fact, I think roads on the Qidu hills climb in Keelung further east might connect to the roads on this climb.

4:35-4:36 p.m. - I have a fetish for ruins and dilapidated buildings, makes me wonder what once was there. The first time I saw this I was descending this road at, like, 3 in the morning when I did night rides after work. It just looked cool and I knew I'd be back.

(What it looks like many years later (no more than 10) - future ed.)

4:39 p.m. - One last apprehensive pause (not too late to turn around) to look up the mountains and the 2,000 feet to which I was about to climb.

4:52 p.m. - Guangxiu Zen Temple 廣修禪寺. I passed it on the way up but didn't see it as I was focused on the climb.

Something sad a little further on, I came across an obviously domestic dog that was injured and lost, possibly abandoned. He may have gotten injured while in the wild, probably for a few days already. I figured he was domestic because feral dogs stay away from people. If a dog barks and chases, that means it has an owner. I saw a motorscooter slow down approaching the dog and the dog made moves to jump on and only a domestic dog would do that. He even limped across the road over to me and sniffed my glove but unfortunately I didn't have anything to give him.

5:37 p.m. - Photostitch at the top of the climb, Wuzhishan scenic area at 2,000 ft. Taipei is surrounded by mountains, but there are lowland corridors running along the rivers away from Taipei. This is the corridor that heads east out of Taipei to the coast. Xizhi (and maybe a bit of Taipei) to the right of the photo and Keelung to the left. 

5:38 p.m. - Extreme zoom to Keelung and the Pacific O. Or the Philippine Sea to be exact. Clouds wandering lonely as . . . William Wordsworth? Peter Gabriel? Rael? I think that pointy mound might be Keelung Peak which I've shot on rides through Ruifang to the coast.

5:42 p.m. - I came up the road in the top pic. Turning right at the T-intersection in the bottom pic would be a little more climbing before reaching the road that descends to Wanli. I turned left to the immediate descent to Neihu District. A modest 27 miles total took me home.

Nearly had a head-on with a car on the descent because of another stupid driver (redundant?) in front of me. I won't go into it, but unlike in California, Taiwanese drivers don't know and don't even have a glimpse of the concept that if a bike comes up from behind on a mountain descent, they're going faster than you. Slow down and let them pass because a skilled bike handler WILL PASS YOU. It's a matter of how dangerous you want to make it for them and others. Unfortunately Taiwanese drivers still have a shrimp dick complex and the idea of being passed by a bike is threatening to their ego or entitlement in using a motorized vehicle.