Saturday, November 07, 2009

Club ride and other pictures

I want to share some pictures but don't really have enough for a post on one subject.

One of Kwandongwife's co-workers belongs to a cycling club. Through her, he invited me out for a ride today. It was a beautiful and scenic, but short ride and I didn't feel overwhelmed.

I did run into some trouble near the beginning as the other riders all had mountain bikes and, though they stayed on farm roads, some of them were rougher than my tires prefer. Strangely, the rear tire lost air but wasn't punctured. They provided a pump and we were soon riding again.

The fall leaves have mostly fallen but there were frequent flashes of colour as we rode. The photo below was taken at he entrance to Seorak Dong, Seorak National Park.

Here are some of the cyclists. I had fun but did they really need to remind me to suck in my gut for every photo?

Before the ride, other Coasties were competing in a Jokgu tournament. I didn't stay long and my battery was fading so I only took a few photos. Here, a coastie has just kicked the ball over the net.
I learned a little about the dynamics of the game. Players in the back spend most of their time being ready for the high-speed shot, the 'spike' in volleyball terms. Near the net, the players wait for the ball to be somewhat controlled and sent forward. One of the forwards, in this case the one with the blue towel-scarf, is the 'spiker'. He mostly ambles around, waiting for the others to set the ball up perfectly so all he has to do is drive it with great power. Most of the time he appears very relaxed. I think the photo below catches some of that languor and apparent laziness. Oh, the man with no scarf doesn't have his hands in his pockets, he is wearing black gloves.
This photo is from Friday and was taken at my university. Clearly some students will be traveling. I am greatly amused, and cannot clearly explain why, that they are taking two gas heaters with them. I guess it is because they are so large, bulky and annoying to move. Note also the traffic batons and huge pack of toilet paper - they are prepared for road emergencies and mild food poisoning. Oh, there is plenty of beer out of sight, behind the ramyeon and water boxes.

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