March 24, 2014 — Wufen Mountain
Wufen Mountain sits along the boundary between Ruifang and Pingxi. At 757 meters above sea level, it has both second- and third-order triangulation markers and is listed among Taiwan’s Minor Hundred Peaks. The spherical weather radar station near the summit is one of its most recognizable landmarks. [Source: Wikipedia]
I had recently discovered that this was one of those peaks you could reach by car, so I found a free day and brought Lisa and Belle along.
The real surprise was the hiking trail stretching straight across the ridgeline. From a distance, it looked like a miniature Great Wall XD
After leaving the freeway at the Ruifang interchange, we still had about forty minutes of twisting mountain roads ahead of us—enough to make anyone carsick.
Good thing we came by car… A friend once told me he had ridden all the way up here with a cycling group @.@'"
I bet he would turn on me immediately if I asked him to do it again XD
Apart from the dizzying bends, the route was easy enough to follow once we set the navigation for the Wufen Mountain radar station. We drove all the way there only to discover a dead end—surprise! After backtracking a short distance, we finally spotted the trail entrance. Phew…
The viewing pavilion was only about 120 meters from the entrance.
On a clear day, the northern coastline is visible from here. Today everything in the distance was wrapped in haze, and we could only make out the faint shape of an island… Maybe—probably—Guishan Island? ~.~'"
It had been brilliantly sunny below, so we did not expect the wind on the mountain to be this strong. With the kids along, all we could do was stare longingly at the trail. We would have to come back with warmer clothes next time T.T
Once we came down, I really did not want to retrace all those winding roads, so we kept going toward Pingxi instead.
Along the way, we passed a garden café called Monet Garden. We stopped to rest and, more importantly, repair everyone’s empty stomachs…
After some food and a good break, everyone had their energy back. Lisa even entertained herself by spraying loofah facial mist onto her face XD
And then we went home…
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