Kirkpatrick Homecoming

SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2010

I've been looking forward to this day for the last year. We had such a good time up here at this event last year, and I was excited to get over there. It's held at Camp Shaub, a former summer camp. The place is has been re-named Camp New Hope. It sits at the head of a small valley, or cove, as they're called around here, and is one of the prettiest places I've ever seen. On the way in you pass by the Test Farm run by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. There are a few houses dotting the surrounding hillsides, but not much else. There is a baseball diamond, a pool, and some other sports facilities in the valley floor, and the large dining hall sits half way up a steep hill, with the camper's cabins up the slope in the woods behind. The dining hall is where our event is held. It is a large rectangular room, wood floored, and wood paneled, with large windows on three sides, a large stone fireplace at either end, and a large covered deck off the long side, overlooking the valley. On the back side, there is a large kitchen, utility rooms, and the restrooms.

We arrived a little before ten to find a few folks already there, loading in equipment and supplies. Uncle French Kirkpatrick and his wife Judy were there. His band, The Unexpected, were there bringing in instruments and sound equipment. Aunt Ruth and her husband Jerry Henson were there, also. Jerry and his gospel group were also loading in equipment. All the ladies had covered dishes, which were being set out on a couple of long tables in the dining room, and also on the counter in the kitchen. More people were arriving by the minute, and before long the place was abuzz with activity and chatter.

Not having any way to cook, we had not brought anything to eat. It wouldn't be a problem, though. There was more than enough food to go around. I brought up my camera case, the guitar and the ukulele, and settled in.

The turn-out was about half what it was last year. This was rather disappointing, but, we made the best of it. None of my immediate family was here, nor any of my first cousins, aunts or uncles. I was the only one representing my branch of the family. I am related to these folks through my mom, Ruby Dean Kirkpatrick. Her father was Riley Dee Kirkpatrick. His father, my great grandfather Will Kirkpatrick, had about thirteen or more children over the course of two marriages. There are a lot of Kirkpatrick descendants scattered among the hills around Haywood County, and a good many of them show up for this event.

Grandpa Will and several of his children had a band back in the 1940s and 1950s called The Kirkpatrick Family Band. Uncle French Kirkpatrick, pictured above, is the only one of them still around and playing music today. I met him up here two years ago, when we were too late arriving, and missed the family reunion. He and a few others were cleaning up and putting away chairs and things when we arrived. He took the time to sit down with me, though, and played and sang a few songs for me on his banjo. What a treat!

This year, as everyone was getting settled in and things put into place, I was sitting off to the side with my guitar. Uncle French came over to join me for a bit, and asked if he could play my guitar. I'd never seen him play anything except the banjo, so I thought this ought to be interesting. It turns out that he is an excellent finger-style guitarist, and had no trouble navigating around that wide necked classical guitar of mine. I was amazed! He sat there and sang & played, just for me, about four or five classic Jimmy Rogers songs. Again, what a treat! I wish I'd thought to pull out the video cam. At least I got a couple pictures of him posing with my old cedar topped classical. I sure wish I could spend a lot more time around this wonderful man. Not only is he a fine musician who I could learn a lot from, but, mainly, he is just a warm hearted, intelligent, fun loving, god fearing man, and I took and immediate liking to him the first time I met him.

By this time the food was all set out and ready, and we were called to eat. Everyone lined up with a plate, and we made our way slowly along the servings. What a spread! These mountain folks sure know how to cook. There were so many great choices, and no way to sample everything. We sure tried, though. Somehow we also found room for dessert later, after the music started.

After everyone had a chance to get a plateful or two down, The Unexpected started the music. They are: Harry Robbins on vocal and guitar, French Kirkpatrick on vocal and banjo, Jerry Stamey on harmonica, and Ray McElroy on bass. Scotty Rollins did an excellent job running the mixing board, keeping everything balanced. They played nine songs, opening up with "I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound", and closing with "Waiting On The Far Side Bank Of Jordan". Somewhere in the middle they played this instrumental, "Cripple Creek", with French Kirkpatrick's daughter Alison Bumgarner doing a great barefoot clogging dance. Now, that's fun!

After The Unexpected finished their set, Jerry Henson and his gospel group came up to sing and play eight or ten great gospel songs. This is the real deal, folks. These people sing from the heart, they sing from the soul. I am still working on editing the videos I made of them, and will include the links to their videos with the others below when they're done.

The party started trying to end around two o'clock, but it took us untill after three to get everything cleaned up, packed up, and loaded into the cars. It was hard to leave, and there were many long good-byes. We had several invites to come back home to spend the afternoon with several of the uncles and aunts, but politely declined. We had plans to head back up to Cataloochee Valley for some more exploring and elk sightings before it got too dark.

Here are links to the music videos I made this day:

"I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ROQVOq0i0

"This Land Is Your Land"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdqqVqz9VLs

"A Minute Of Your Time"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW3vTQg0qkU

"Greenville Trestle Line"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffcua4yysUU

"Watermelon Time In Georgia"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XxpEhzBl30

"Cripple Creek"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28OMOpiMTxg

"Nothing Brings You Down Like Your Hometown"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjngbVukjm0

"It's Raining Here This Morning"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUvRAg-Sq4Q

"Waiting On The Far Side Bank Of Jordan"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsEANYKAAb4

Texas to North Carolina

Day 1 - Dallas to Nashville - Thursday, July 1, 2010

It was just a long day spent driving. We pulled out of our driveway at 07:25. Drove up I-30 to Mount Vernon, where we gassed up. Crossed into Arkansas and drove thirty more miles up to Hope where we stopped just after 11:00 for an early lunch at Taco Bell. Back on the road we made it to about 45 miles east of Memphis before we had to fill up again. Next stop was Nashville, where we arrived around 19:30. We had had trouble with the A/C blower motor a lot of the way. It started off fine, but after a while the fan stopped blowing on the low settings, and would only blow on high. I checked the fuse, but it was fine. Will have to get it checked when we get to Waynesville.

Used the Yellow Pages Ap on my phone to find a Cracker Barrel in Nashville, and called them from the road. They told me that there were three hotels near them, but when we got here, there were about seven. Checked into the EconoLodge for 60.00, deposited our stuff in the room, then went around the corner to the Cracker Barrel for dinner. Spent the evening catching up on e-mail, and phone calls. Sorry, but no pictures from today.

Day 2 - Nashville to Waynesville - Friday, July 2, 2010

We left the EconoLodge in Nashville about 09:25 and had a rather uneventful trip over to Knoxville. I felt we needed some cash, but couldn't locate a branch of my bank. We decided instead to stop at Wal Mart for a few items, and do a debit card cash back transaction. We found a Wal Mart on the western outskirts of Knoxville, but it was hard to get in and out of it, with all the holiday traffic and the convoluted interchange. Drove on over to the east side of Knoxville and stopped for lunch at Wendy's, then filled the gas tank, and hit the road again.

From Knoxville over to Asheville, NC the way gets steep and curvy. There are usually a lot of big trucks on this highway, and today was no exception. You have to really pay attention to your driving along through here, what with the four-wheelers wanting to drive eighty miles an hour and all the trucks going very slow up the hills and very fast down the hills. I had the cruise control set on sixty-five and had to do a lot of negotiation to get through there.

We finally made it to the state line, and started a long gradual descent, following the course of a river off to the right. Up near the state line on the west bound side, there was some construction. They had one lane shut down, and the creeping back up this caused was more than fifteen miles long. Very nasty to be going west bound today.

We exited the interstate highway at exit 20, and made our way over to Waynesville, and the Super 8 Motel. We had reserved the room a few days ago, so they were expecting us. We got checked in, unloaded the luggage, then headed up to Cataloochie Valley in Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Cove Creek Road leads up to Cataloochie Valley. It cuts off of Hwy. 276 in a valley floor near the interstate, and starts off pretty strait and level. There are houses and farms along the way, and the road gets steeper and more curvy as you go along. After about five or six miles the pavement runs out and it's a gravel road. It keeps going up, steeper and steeper, and the turns get tighter 'til you get to the top of the pass at what's called the Cataloochie Divide. This is the ridge top that encircles Cataloochie Valley, and marks the boundary of the National Park. There is a National Park entrance sign there, but nothing else, no guard shack or ranger station. From here the road starts going down, and is about like the road coming up. After about four miles of gravel switch-back you come to a paved park road, and the going gets easier. It's about three miles from this point down to the valley floor. Every now and then there is a break through the trees and you can see some very spectacular mountain scenery.

Cataloochie Valley is a long, narrow valley, almost isolated from the surrounding countryside. Up until the 1940's there were about 200 people living here. They were farmers and hunters. When the National Park Service bought up all the land for the park, they left a lot of the buildings intact, to serve as examples of the life here before the park. There is a school, a church, several cemeterys, farm houses and at least one very nice barn. These buildings are maintained by the Park Service, and you can go in them to look around.

The main draw in Cataloochie Valley seems to be the elk. The federal government re-introduced the elk to this part of the park a few years ago, and now there are over a hundred living in the valley. There are some naturalist volunteers who keep tabs on the elk, and know exactly how many there are. Somehow they get a count each year after the calving season. All the females have ear tags with a number. The males, with their massive racks of antlers are amazing to see. There are several large open meadows in the valley floor, and the elk like to come down there in the late afternoon to graze. They come right up to the road sometimes, and visitors can get very close to them. Visitors are not allowed to get within fifty yards of the elk, but sometimes they are grazing on the lawn of the ranger station and you can park there and get pictures from just a few yards away. It's pretty incredible.

We spent about two hours there, and got some great pictures of the elk. We were a bit unprepared, and Ok Hwa's camera battery died. She forgot to bring another one, so her picture taking session was cut short. I promised to bring her back tomorrow. We'll get an earlier start, and make sure we have everything we need.

After we left the park, we drove over into Maggie Valley, a beautiful, small town where there are a lot of tourist hotels, RV parks and such. We found a great place to have dinner, The Grizzly Grill. It is attached to a great, rustic hotel, Smoky Falls Lodge, nestled into the trees by the little creek which flows through town. Their specialty is slow smoked BBQ. We had the buffet, which had most of the BBQ items on it. The pulled pork was amazingly good. I think we'll be going back there for dinner again tomorrow night. That is if we have room left in our bellies after all the good food at the family reunion.

Here is the link to today's slide show:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/NC%20Trip%2010/Nashville%20to%20Waynesville/?albumview=slideshow

Shotgun Party

On Friday, June 18 I arrived to the studio on KNON Community Radio's "Texas Renegade Radio" show to find my friend and the show's host Mark Mundy spinning his opening tune, "The William Tell Overture" (theme song of "The Lone Ranger" TV Show). It was a fun surprise to find a band in there also, tuning up. The three piece band was Shotgun Party from Austin, Texas. The band members are Jenny Parrott on guitar and vocals, Andrew Austin Petersen on bass fiddle, and Katy Rose Cox on fiddle and vocals. Jenny Parrott also writes all the band's original songs. What a cool group of very good musicians they are. They were in town to play at the Allgood Cafe on Main St. in Deep Elum that night, and had stopped by the station to give our audience a little taste of the live performance.







After the introductions, they launched into Jenny's song "Touched His Heart":









Now, that was fun, but the next song will knock your socks off. It's the classic Harry Woods penned "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", made famous by Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson, and others:





Man, that was some wicked fiddling by Katy and Andrew!


They finished up the in-studio set with another song by Jenny, "Paints A Yates":









We went out to the Allgood Cafe later that night to see the full version of the live show. What a fun night of music, along with some great food from the kitchen of the Allgood.







So, there you have it, a handsome and charming group of very talented young musicians, who write good songs, pick great songs to cover, and put on a killer live show - what's not to love?







We also bought a copy of one of their Cd's at the show, "Mean Old Way", pictured above, and it's equally good.

Great, fun music live or via recording, you wont be disappointed. Listen and enjoy!







Here's the links:







http://www.shotgunfiesta.com/







http://www.knon.org/







http://www.allgoodcafe.com/

The Journey Home - Wednesday & Thursday, April 21 & 22, 2010

On the day we left for home, we were up and ready to go early. Mrs Kim was leaving again, also, heading back to her sister's house for some more work in shutting it down. We were going to catch the 12:00 bus together for the ride into town. As we were heading out, Pa was all smiles and friendly, shaking my hand and bowing. I got the impression that he liked me, or was just happy to see us go. Anyhow, it's always sad leaving and saying good-bye. I was genuinely sad to be leaving. I like these folks a lot, and the valley is a great place to live. I could be comfortable here.

The ride into town was a bit crowded, and Ok Hwa and I, with our suitcases next to us, got a lot of stares. Mrs. Kim sat in the seat in front of me, and as we approached our stop, I leaned up and gave her a hug, saying a parting "Anyhasao" and "Kamshamnida", Hello and Thank You, about the only Korean words I know. She understood, and gave me a smile and a squeeze of the hand in return. Mrs. Kim and I are pals.

So that was it. We hopped off the bus, waving good-bye from the curb, and she was gone.

We were able to flag a taxi pretty quickly. We put our bags into the trunk and climbed inside for the short ride over to the bus terminal. At the terminal we got lucky. The bus to Seoul was just about to depart as we bought our tickets. Within ten minutes we were pulling out, heading up the broad boulevard towards the freeway.

The Koreans have the best roads I've seen anywhere, and the freeways are especially nice. The trip over to Seoul is a comfortable ride through a beautiful countryside. The big mountain range of the Korean peninsula hugs the east coast, so it is a quick, steep ascent as we head out of Gangneung up to the pass, then a long, gradual descent down to the west coast and Seoul. The trip takes about three and a half hours, and is broken in the middle by a fifteen minute stop at a service plaza. There are restaurants, a convenience store, and various food and gift vendors there, and a chance to get out and stretch your legs a bit, and use the restroom.

Pulling into the Gangnam Express Bus Terminal in Seoul, we had two objectives: Check on the Airport Bus for in the morning, and find a hotel. It took us a while to find the Airport Bus. They had moved it from where it was last year. Adjacent to Gangnam Bus Terminal is the sprawling complex called Central City. It is a shopping mall attached to another bus terminal attached to the Hyatt Hotel attached to a subway station. A lot of stuff in one location. Last year we caught the Airport Bus from here, after buying our tickets from a ticket counter here the night before. We tried to do the same now, but were directed out to the street to where the local city buses stop. That seemed odd, but we went on out there and were met by a helpful man on the curb there. He had a small covered bus stop there, and helped co-ordinate people coming and going via the Airport Bus. Speaking very good English, he informed us that the Airport Bus stopped here every fifteen minutes from about six A.M. onward. We were to show up here with fifteen thousand wan each, in correct change, and buy the tickets from the bus driver. This guy was even further helpful by getting us a taxi, and telling the taxi driver where we were going, directing him to the same district of good, medium priced hotels that we stayed in last year. They called it Hotel City last year, and we recognized it when we got over there. It's only about a ten minute ride from the bus stop.

In the Hotel City district, we found our way back to the same hotel we stayed at last year, the Hotel New York. Checking with the desk clerk, we discovered that they had raised the rates by fifty per cent. The same room that cost us fifty last year was now seventy five. I told her "No, Thanks" and we left. There were plenty more hotels nearby. Just down the block we came to the "Luxury, Designer, Boutique" Hotel FL. We got a room here for fifty. This was really a nice hotel. The room was super clean, modern and sleek, with a new desktop computer with broadband Internet, 42" wide screen flat panel HD TV, mood lighting, towels, robes, slippers, etc. Most of these hotels are "Love Hotels", set up for trysts between young lovers. Upon checking in, we were given a small shopping bag filled with stuff, including disposable toothbrushes, tooth paste, razors, body oils, and enough condoms to last us a month. The bathroom was super nice, but still had no shower curtain. The space age toilet had a control panel to operate it. It was all in Korean, so it took me about twenty minutes to figure out how to flush it.

After getting settled in and resting a bit, it was time to go get some dinner. I was very keen on finding that same Chicken & Hoff restaurant from last year. It wasn't hard to find, either, just a block over, and a block up from our hotel. We went in and everything seemed the same, but slightly different. I guessed that maybe it had changed hands, and the new owners had changed the name. It was now called Chicken Biangi. The food was just as good as I remembered. We had two platters of that fantastic honey infused chicken, and went away stuffed.

Exactly as last year, the afternoon and evening we spent in Seoul before our departure for home was a cool and wet one. And also exactly as last year, it was the only time during our trip that we saw any rain. We took our umbrellas with us to dinner, as there were intermittent light showers. I found it to be rather refreshing.

On the walk back to the hotel we stopped at one of the many little convenience stores nearby for drinks and snacks. I picked up a couple of Heineken beers for a nightcap, and some canned coffee and some cookies for breakfast.

Since our hotel had a fast Internet connection, I was able to plug into it and check my e-mail. It's the first time I had been able to get on-line since we got here. I spent the rest of the evening catching up on e-mail, and balancing my check book.

We were up the next morning at six, and showered, packed and out on the street by seven. One block down, and one block over brought us to the main avenue and a taxi ride back over to catch the airport bus. When we got to the bus stop, that same helpful man from the afternoon before was there, helping to make sure that everything went smoothly. He helped us stow our bags in the baggage compartment below, and we got aboard. We purchased our tickets from the driver, as instructed, and got into our seats. The trip out to the airport takes about an hour. It was an overcast and rainy morning, and traffic was heavy on the road out to Incheon.

At the airport everything went smoothly. The line to check in at the Korean Air counter was very long, though. That was the only tough part. We made it through security easily, and on the secure side we made our way down the long corridor to the departure gate. We had about an hour to wait, so I left her there and went in search of a gift shop. There was a very fancy one, featuring exquisite products of Korean arts and culture, but they were somewhat expensive. Around the corner from that one, however, I found a more down to earth shop with some very nice, reasonably priced items. I spent about forty-five dollars in there and came away with three very nice gifts.

I hurried back down that long corridor again, to our departure gate. I knew she would be getting anxious for me to return. There was an excellent snack and coffee shop right at our gate, where I was able to get good fresh coffee and a sandwich for breakfast.

A short while later the call for boarding began. As we headed out the walkway to the aircraft, there was one final security check just before stepping aboard. This one was quite thorough. They wanted to actually look inside every one's carry on bags. Finally aboard, there was one final hurdle, the jostling for space in the overhead bins. We settled into our seats, and could relax at last for the long thirteen hour flight back home.

Slide Show: http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/The%20Journey%20Home/?albumview=slideshow

Chillin' In Gangneung - Monday & Tuesday, April 19 & 20, 2010

Our trip is winding down, and we are thinking about preparing for the journey home. We spent these two days not doing much. Both days we went into town on the 12:15 bus, just to get out of the house, and do a little light shopping.

Actually, on Monday I did a bit more than light shopping. We went over to the D/C Dollar Store, where I spent about fifty-five dollars on some gifts for folks back home. They were bulky and heavy, so we had the bright idea to go to the Post Office and mail them home. A friendly and helpful young man there helped me get everything packaged up. He had to do some custom work on one of the packages, but eventually he had everything ready to go. The young lady behind the counter figured it all up. It was over one hundred dollars to mail this stuff back home. I wasn't surprised, but I was hoping it would be less expensive.

With the heavy lifting out of the way, we were now free to take it easy. The rest of Monday, we just strolled the market area, picking up a few food items for back at the house.

Tuesday morning before we went into town, I was bored enough to watch one of the movies I brought with me. It was "Stagecoach", with John Wayne, Andy Devine, and John Caradine. What an excellent movie.

In town, we had coffee and a donut in one of the nice coffee shops, then wandered the Jungang Market for a while. I followed one of the little lanes all the way south 'til we came to the river. It was only three blocks away. At the river there is a levee with a street running along the top. There is a passageway through the levee at ground level, to allow people and cars to go from one side to the other. Through the passageway on the river side, there is a parking lot, and a walkway along the riverbank. Looking back at the passageway from the river side, I saw a large metal door elevated up above the passageway opening on this side. I guess that if the river reaches flood stage, they can lower this door to save the Jungang Market from flooding. The river at this spot is wide, but not very deep.

After a little more browsing, we headed over to the bus stop. There we had one of the dollar hamburgers from the little stand there. They were small, but quite good, and definitely worth the dollar. We were just in time for the 15:00 bus back to Sacheon Valley.

Here's the slide show: http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Chillin%20In%20Gangneung/?albumview=slideshow

KORAIL Seaside Train - Sunday, April 18, 2010

I'd been interested in the idea of the Seaside Train since seeing it in a brochure the other day. The brochure was in Korean only, so I wasn't positive about all the particulars. Basically, it's a sightseeing excursion, by train, down the coast from Gangneung to Samcheok, and back. The distance is roughly sixty kilometers each way, and the transit time is about eighty minutes each way. There was a schedule included in the brochure, showing departure times of 08:40, 10:30, 12:00, 14:15, 16:10, and 17:40.

We got to the station just before 11:00, planning to get aboard that 12:00 train. The friendly, helpful ticket agent told us that the 12:00 departure was from the other end, in Samcheok. The next departure from Gangneung would be at 14:15.

We had over two hours to kill, so we started walking back through town towards the Home Plus store. We were taking our time, following an indirect route, just exploring the neighborhood. The day was overcast, with that north-east wind coming off the sea, cooling things down again.

As it was a Sunday morning, there were not many people out on the streets. We made it back to the Home Plus building in about thirty minutes, after doing some window shipping along the way. Inside the Home Plus, we wandered the isles on several floors looking at things, trying to kill some more time. This is a big store, and has pretty much anything you'd need.

A little after noon we went up to the sixth floor restaurant mall to get some lunch. Most of the small restaurants up there were doing a brisk business. We browsed through them for a while, trying to decide, and finally went with the Bob House again. Ok Hwa loves her some Bi Bim Bob. Inside, she surprised me by ordering the Bulgogi instead. I went with the Beef Soup. This place prepares exquisite meals. They are beautiful to look at, and delicious to eat. Our lunches cost 5,500 wan each, a little over five dollars American. A bargain in either country. If you're ever in the area, I recommend them highly.

We made it back to the station by 13:30, and bought our tickets. Our first class seats cost us 30,000 wan each for the round trip. There were a lot of people in the station now, and more were arriving by the minute. They were all here for the Seaside Train.

The boarding call was at 14:05, and we all streamed out to the waiting train. There were a lot of families with young children, and young couples, and the atmosphere was friendly and lively. There were assigned seats, and we found ours quickly. This train has a unique seating arrangement. All the seats face the port, or left, side of the train. That's the sea side of the train on the way down and back. There are two rows of seats. The one in back is slightly elevated, making it easier to see over the backs of the seats in front. There is a clear walkway along the right, starboard, side of the cabin, behind the two rows of seats, and there are big windows along each side, giving great views in either direction.

All those people who were at the station when we got back had evidently snapped up all the front row seats. Our seats were in the back row. The view was not as good from back there, but it was still very nice.

So, off we went, easing out of Gangneung. It was a smooth and comfortable ride. We were seeing the city from an unfamiliar vantage point, elevated from the streets along the raised railway. We passed over our everyday bus stop there on the main drag, and by the Jungang Market, then crossed the river into south Gangneung. Pretty soon we were out in the country, and then rolling along down the coast.

The tracks do not run right along the coast the entire way. Occasionally the line has to go around a mountain, or some seaside development, but most of the way it runs as close as possible to the beach. There are numerous tunnels along the line, also. One, in particular, seemed like it was about two miles long.

About ten minutes into the trip, we emerged from a tunnel to find ourselves right in front of the Unification Park we'd seen the other day, with the Warship and the Submarine. The driver paused here for a couple of minutes, to give everyone a chance to get a picture, then we were off again, running down the coast. A short while later we pulled into the beautiful seaside park at Jeongdongjin, where we had spent some time with our newly met friends the other day. There is a landing here, where the train stopped for about ten minutes, allowing everyone to get off and stretch their legs. Supposedly, this is the closest train station to a beach and ocean anywhere in the world. Everyone who had a camera was out making pictures of the train, the beach, and their loved ones. I joined in, getting some nice photos.

Under way again, we next rolled through the town of Okgye, with it's busy port, then by the beautiful seaside campground called Mangsang Auto Camping Resort. In addition to it's cabins and campsites, they have a section that looks like a mini trailer park. This is a bunch of nice, small travel trailers, permanently situated. I guess you rent these like motel rooms. The idea is to back your car up to the trailer hitch and park it there. This gives the illusion that you've pulled your own private travel trailer out here from the city. A fun, and clever idea.

The next town down the line was Mukho. This is where Ok Hwa was born, and spent her young childhood. She was pretty excited, and made sure to point out a couple of beaches where she used to swim and hunt for clams. Many of the beaches along through here are framed by rugged, rocky outcroppings, which extend out into the water. Lots of these jagged rocks stick up from under the water for many yards out. Swimming amongst this stuff must be tricky, at best, with the waves trying to push you against the rocks. She said her little brother got his head smashed pretty badly like this once, when they were very young.

An interesting feature of the coast here is that any undeveloped waterfront, away from towns, public beaches, ports, industrial complexes, etc., is fenced with heavy chain link fencing, topped by barbed wire and coiled razor wire. Every few hundred yards or so, there is also a small, concrete, camouflage painted military look-out post, bunker, or sometimes a gun emplacement. All this is to guard against infiltration by North Korean spies, or even worse, invasion troops. These people live with the ever present threat of North Korean aggression. It's a strange sort of relationship, because they also consider the Northerners to be their brothers, and long for re-unification. All this armed preparedness over here makes our lives in the States seem pretty relaxed by comparison.

Continuing our excursion, we next rolled through the busy town of Donghae, with it's industrial area and port. This town is about the same size as Gangneung, but not nearly as nice, from what I could see.

A few kilometers south of Donghae, we came to the charming seaside village of Ch'uam. There is a big, beautiful park here, right by the tracks, with a landing for passengers. The village is nestled between two small, steep mountains that frame a beautiful view of the sea. About half or more of the passengers on our train disembarked here. This was a mystery to me, but it became clear why later in the day. They all waved good-bye to us on the departing train, and began descending a long wooden stairway into the village below.

About ten minutes later we rounded a mountain that was between us and the sea, crossed a wide river, and came into the city of Samcheok. This is where the trip ended, and the train headed back to Gangneung. This was a pretty dismal looking little city, in my opinion. We pulled into the tiny station, and everyone got off and went inside. There was nothing in there except a ticket window , and a small waiting room. The restrooms were in another small building next door. Out front of the station, there was a broad avenue with cars whizzing by, and not much on the other side except the river. Our side of the avenue was taken up by the station and rail yard. Not much of a destination. There was more to the city than this, but it was on the other side of the river, with no way to get there except by taxi or bus. The only interesting feature to this place was that mountain. The townspeople must have been busy planting, because a large portion of it was planted in cherry trees, which were just now coming into bloom. Also, both sides of the river were planted in cherry trees. Aside from this, there was nothing of interest here. All of us passengers just sat around the little waiting room looking at each other.

After twenty-five minutes or so, the boarding call was given, and we all headed back out to the train. It was sitting right where they had left it earlier. It was only four cars long, and the car on each end, in addition to being a passenger car, had a driver's cab on the end. They never had to turn the train around. The driver just walked to the other end of the train, climbed into the cab there, and drove it back in the other direction. Pretty ingenious.

For some reason we were assigned different seats in a different car on the way back. They were still first class seats, no different than the ones we'd ridden down in. Anyhow, we were headed back now, and after about ten minutes we came back to that nice little village, Ch'uam. All those people who had gotten off the train earlier, now got back on again. They were the smart ones. They had spent the last hour in a charming little village with a park, a beach, shops, restaurants, and so forth. We had to tough it out in that boring little waiting room. Someone should have said something about this to us. Oh, well, we'll know better next time, if there is one.

So, we did the trip in reverse now. It's not as interesting on the way back, because you've seen it all before, very recently.

On the way home from Gangneung Station, we hit our usual shopping spots in town, picking up a few essentials for back home. And, again, Ma and Pa were waiting for us on the little front porch as we pulled in. We're starting to get real settled in here. It's a shame we have to leave in a few days.

The official website of KORAIL (English Version): http://info.korail.com/2007/eng/eng_index.jsp

A slide show of today's pictures: http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/KORAIL%20Seaside%20Train/?albumview=slideshow

Lunch With Brother - Saturday, April 17, 2010

We got the news late yesterday that Ok Hwa's big brother would be visiting today. He was due to arrive on a train from somewhere at 13:45. It would be a short visit because he's very busy. He's the busiest guy I know, and I don't even know him.

We caught the 10:00 bus into town, and made our way over to Gangneung Station. I've never been to the Station before. It's a small, but very nice train station. There is a Tourist Information booth out front, where I picked up some more brochures in English. In 2001, during my first trip to Korea, we stayed in a hotel about one block from this train station. Back then, we arrived by bus, and so never had an opportunity to visit the train station.

Since we had about two and a half hours to wait, I suggested that we find a coffee shop nearby, to have a cup and a comfortable place to rest. Right out front, there was a little street of small hotels, where we found a second story coffee shop overlooking the train station. This was an old place, not one of the trendy new coffee shops. It was very nice, though, with low coffee tables and big upholstered couches. We settled into a couch by the front window so that Ok Hwa could keep an eye out for her brother. The coffee was 2,000 wan a cup, about a dollar-ninety American. We ordered a cup each, and then later I ordered another. The coffee was not bad, although I suspect it was instant.

After we killed as much time in there as we could stand, we hit the streets for a stroll around. We still had about an hour and twenty minutes to wait. We headed down this little street of small hotels, and it all looked familiar to me. When we got to the end of the block, we saw our old hotel that we'd stayed at in 2001. It's a six story building, and now I remembered taking a picture of this little street from the roof of the hotel. I also remember seeing all the trains coming and going over in the switching yard at the station.

This whole area, for blocks around, is filled with small and medium-sized hotels. It's a remnant from the days when most people traveled by train. There are still plenty of people coming and going by train, but the bus system has overtaken most travel nowadays. The inflexible train system can't compete with the speed, number, and versatility of the buses. Plus, the Koreans have been building and re-building their highway system non-stop. The Express Bus Terminal is about a mile to the west of here, and there are a number of nice, new, more expensive hotels over there.

We made our way back over to the Station, and just settled in for the wait. We still had almost an hour to wait. We watched a couple of trains pull in. All the disembarking passengers poured out through the Station to the parking lot out front. There, they were met by waiting friends and relatives, and quite a few of them got onto several tour buses that were waiting for them there. Gangneung, and this whole upper east coast area, are a popular tourist destination. Many people come here in the summer for the beaches, but it's a little cold for that right now. Even this early in the year, though, there are lots of great things to see and do around here. The cherry trees are starting to come into bloom now, there is the whole Gyeongpo area, which is a tourist Mecca, and there are two national parks in the mountains close by. So, it was a beautiful Saturday morning, and many people were out to enjoy it.

The 13:45 train finally arrived, and the passengers began streaming through the station. We were standing just outside the front doors, keeping a lookout for Big Brother. Finally, near the end of the line, here he came. I recognized him before Ok Hwa did. She was still looking past him, towards the last few people when he came right up to her and playfully tapped her on the nose. She was so surprised! She did not recognize him at first. It's been years since she's seen him, and he's gotten older. She was still looking for that thirty year old guy she remembered from her youth. He's fifty-six now, the same age as me, and looks it. His hairline has receded a bit, he's wearing glasses, and the years of smoking have taken a toll on his facial complexion. Still and all, he looks pretty good. He was dressed to perfection, in a nice dark gray suit, a black cashmere sweater in lieu of a dress shirt and tie, and very nice black dress shoes. He looked like he was ready to do some business, but he never did say what kind. To me, he's an International Man of Mystery.

We decided to get some lunch, and began walking over into the downtown area. A few blocks over, we settled on a restaurant, and went on in. This was a traditional, take your shoes off, sit on the raised floor type of restaurant. We sat down, and Brother ordered beef soup for all of us. He and Ok Hwa began catching up then, and I was not able to follow most of the conversation. Brother knows some sign language, of course, having three deaf siblings. As usual, Ok Hwa was talking almost non-stop. She was trying to tell him everything she has done, seen, heard, thought, or felt since she saw him last, all in about five minutes flat. He was laughing, trying to tell her to slow down a bit, but there wasn't much chance of that.

The food came then, giving us a break from her non-stop chatter.The food was quite good. When we were done eating, we lounged there on the floor, talking some more.

Back on the street, Brother led the way, as we continued walking away from the train station. I did not know what time he had to leave, and didn't know how to ask, so I just followed along. The two of them were talking, and Ok Hwa got out of him that he was going in search of his wife's old house. Although the brothers and their spouses all live over in Seoul now, this is their old home town. He must have first met her and dated her here, before moving to the big city. Ok Hwa also found out from him that he and the wife are no longer toghther. I think she just got tired of his International Man of Mystery routine, and gave him the boot. He must be missing her. I would. She's a beautiful, charming, hard working woman. So, a little bit of nostalgia for Brother, since he was in the area. Why not go by the old house and think back on those golden days when they first met, when everything was magic? A few blocks later we found the place, a modest, but nice little house. It's just a couple of blocks off the main drag, tucked in between some office towers and a few medium sized hotels. Gangneung City is like that, with little single family houses, or even blocks of them, scattered throughout the high-rise urban jungle.

We went back out to the main drag, and stopped by the Dragon Pond Monument there. It is a small pond with a monument and house in the middle of it. It honors an old legend of a good man and his horse. The horse supposedly jumped into the pond and became a dragon. It forms a nice small park, giving a break from the urban concrete and steel.

We said our good-byes to Big Brother there by the Dragon Pond Monument. He was headed back over to the train station. International Men of Mystery have tight schedules, apparently. Ok Hwa and I were giong to do a little shopping before heading home.

On the way back up the main drag toward the Jungang Market, I stopped to take a picture of a large, beautiful Cherry Blossom tree in full bloom. It was in the courtyard of what looked like a school, behind a stone wall. I was shooting the picture from the sidewalk, through the railing at the top of the wall. Some young high school aged girls were just then walking through the gate into the school yard. They were all dressed for school, in matching plaid skirts, white blouses, and sweaters. I thought this was odd, it being a Saturday, and all. It seems that Asian kids take school much more seriously than we do. Anyhow, a group of eight or nine of these girls saw me and asked me, in perfect English, if I liked their tree, and would I like to take a better picture of it from inside the wall. When I asked if it was allowed, they said sure, no problem, come on in. They were very friendly and inviting, so we followed them on in. They were keen to know where I was from and what brought me to Gangneung. I introduced them to Ok Hwa, telling them that she was my wife and that we were here visiting her family. They seemed amazed by that. There were many questions back and forth, and they seemed in no hurry to get into the building. They were clearly enjoying our little visit, as were we. I asked them to pose in front of the Cherry Blossom tree, and they were very happy to do so. When I complimented them on their excellent English, they said that they had a great English teacher here at the school, and he's American! They seemed to take great pride in that. What a great group of young ladies. Gives me hope for the future to have met them. We said our good-byes and Ok Hwa and I headed on down the street.

Over by the Home Plus building, we were stopped at the intersection waiting for the light to change. We spied, across the street, a young American looking couple. As their light changed and they started coming across toward us, we ducked into a little convenience store there on the corner. A moment later, they followed us in, and we struck up a conversation. They looked to be about thirty years old, and were both very attractive and friendly. They said they were from Canada, and that they lived here in Korea, working as English teachers in a private academy. They said it was a pretty lucrative business to be in here. When I asked whether one needed to know much Korean in order to teach English here, they said no, not really. Well, what a deal! If I ever need to start a new career, I'll know what to do. They asked what we were doing here, and I told them about this being Ok Hwa's home town, and all. It turns out that they and I were fans of a lot of the same music artists, and we talked about the music scene in Canada and Texas for a while. We were getting along famously there in the little store, and I would have liked to talk with them a lot more. This was only the second time I've had anyone to talk with since we got here. I should have gotten their name and phone number, but I didn't want to appear too forward. We said so long, and Ok Hwa and I continued on the the Jungang.

In the market, Ok Hwa was still trying to find the perfect hand bag, or back pack or something, for her mom. She never did find anything she liked, though, and eventually gave up the search. Thank goodness.

On the way home, our timing was off again. We had another forty-five minute wait for the bus to come along. This business is getting old. I talked her into going for a stroll around the area, to kill some time until the bus arrived.

Finally done with our day in town, we arrived back at the house to find Ma and Pa waiting for us on the little front porch. It seems that they are looking forward to our arrival each day, now. I guess it's nice to have something, or someone, to break up the normal routine.

Here's the link to today's slide show:

http://s594.photobucket.com/albums/tt23/allenhare/Korea%2010/Lunch%20With%20Brother/?albumview=slideshow