Last Night I had planned out a route to ride up to a Buddhist Shrine in the mountains near Pyeongtaek. As I rode to breakfast at Bacon-N-Eggs (http://www.bacon-n-eggs.com) I noticed that just down the street there were about 30 bikes lined up and a bunch of riders standing about. So I order my breakfast and while it was cooking I set out to find out what was up. I had stumbled upon the American Steel MC annual Poker Run.
Having never been on a Poker Run, I thought WTH. I went back and finished my Breakfast (English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich and Coffee) and went to go register. What I quickly learned was that I would be the only Triumph in a sea of HD Bling. There were a couple sport bikers in the mix. What I also learned was that there were a lot of the local MC folks: Boozefighters, Streetbikers United, Road Rats, and the Host American Steel. I thought to myself, this should be interesting.
I was told the route would be about 80 miles total and there would be three intermediate stops. Lining up I was put at the back of the pack with the Independent Riders, even while I am a Member of a Club, I am the only one in Korea and it was not an issue worth pushing. Starting out of Anjeung-Ri about 70 Bikes rode 2 by 2 parade style on Highway 45 though Pyeongtaek and NE Towards Yongin.
The first stop was Gosamgeo Reservoir, a Manmade lake in the Central Mountains. the ride there was mostly Highway/Freeway speeds. and a lot of variable speeds. Riding with a giant group like this was a lot like riding on the back of a caterpillar. catch up only to slow down only to have to catch back up. I was glad to get off the highway and onto secondary roads. While the roads here are narrow, they are not unridable. Once we all arrived at the reservoir, the view is spectacular. like any mountain lake in Oregon. Locals were out fishing. and enjoying the day.
The road to the next stop was a winding secondary road to the opposite side of the Reservoir. On thing I saw was that on the opposite shore was a empty fuselage on a CH-47. I intend to go back and check it out.
The road we were on continues to Juksan where it merges onto Highway 17. This stretch on asphalt from Juksan to Jincheon. we stopped there and I got gas. so far that it the most expensive 2/3 of a tank of fuel I have put in this bike. 17000 Won ($15.00 US) for about 2 gallons (7.6 Liters) of gas. I think I'll be getting gas on base from now on.
Highway 34 between Jincheon and Hajang is a super twisty mountain road with pristine tarmac that was lined with Sport Bike and Motard riders on one end and cops on the other. three lanes (two uphill, one downhill) and rivals some of the canyons I've ridden in North LA. ther only bad part was that I was bunched in with all these HD guys. Again, I'll have to come back to this stretch.
Arriving back into the valley, it was a straight shot back to the start. as far as the poker run, I drew a pair of 8's, didn't win anything, but didn't care. had a chili dog and checked out everyone else's junk. a lot of chrome and a lot of HD bikes that I cannot identify. Among the Sport Bikers was a Buell 1125R. One of my co-workers noted that it seemed that everyone was interested in my bike and that how could I spend the day answering questions about it. The fact is that if you ride something different, people are going to ask questions. there is no reason to be an ass about it. I told him that I used to get bent over it because I never saw my bike as anything special, but have come to accept it because it is obviously special to others. (I still think my junk is the coolest junk on the planet).
All in all it was a really good day, a fun ride. no crashes, nothing broken and no speeding tickets. I am glad I altered my plans.
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