080515-Mach 199 to Chongam

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Date: 080515-Thursday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR, Older Greg - Honda 750 Magna
Terrain: Highway and secondary
Curves: Nice mix of constant sharp and soft curves
Grade: Mostly flat
Difficulty: 7/10

GPS Trip Data:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 3:41:48 1:30 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 1:59:31 0:48 pace
Distance (km) 146.67
Moving Speed (kph) 73.6 avg. 199.2 max.
Elevation Gain (m) +535 / -553
Temperature (°C) 16°C avg. 16°C high

Distance Data Total (km) % of Total
Distance 146.67 100
Ascent 6.73 4.6
Descent 6.05 4.1
Flat 133.88 91.3



Description:
This time around I followed Greg due South over some of the most brilliant terrain I've seen to date in Korea. You have to pay your dues on bland, open stretch of highway for the first 40km or so, but the payback is ten fold once you're finally able to veer-off into a mountainous valley. The country road snakes its way through farmers' fields, along side a meandering river, and every now and then steep mountains expose their sheer granite faces from behind the lush green foliage.



There is hardly a meter of road which follows a straight line. The curves vary from gentile to tight while elevation remains fairly consistent. Unfortunately, slightly raised black stripes of asphalt stretch across every corner however, even at 120km an hour, they are barely noticeable. If anyone knows what purpose these stripes serve I'd be eager to know.

Eventually the road opens up and passes through a small town but this is no where near the end of the journey. Only 5km away lies another stretch of twisty highway, this time overlooking the West Sea and a chain of Korean islands just off the coast. In addition to curves, there are now decent rises and dips along the way. We chose to turn around at the port in Chonggam, backtracked a ways, and hit up a new beach for a beer and some Ramion noodles. Greg and I both agreed that the return route along the costal section somehow felt far better in the corners.



After a short rest on the beach Greg and I choose a new path to return to Iksan on. The fist section of highway contrasted nicely with the previous sections, now we could open our bikes up to around 140 and enjoy some big, wide bends. Alas, all good things must come to an en, we joined up with the bland, open highway we began on and weaved our way through the traffic back into Iksan.

Motorbike, Rides, South Korea, Routes, Paths, Review, Google Earth, KML, KMZ, Greg, Hyosung, 650cc, GTR, Honda, 750cc, Magna

--------------- www.comatosed.ca ---------------

080502 - Ride to the Ridge

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Date: 080502-Friday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR, Older Greg - Honda 750 Magna
Terrain: Highway, secondary, soft pack, gravel
Curves: Good once in the mountains
Difficulty: 6/10



GPS Trip Data:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 1:44:23 2:12 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 0:55:43 1:10 pace
Distance (km) 47.41
Moving Speed (kph) 51.1 avg. 168.3 max.
Elevation Gain (m) +479 / -489

Description:
Having scouted the area previously, both on wheels and by satellite, I noticed a road that cut across the mountain ridge to the north east. Eager to see it first hand, Greg and I set off on the adventure. It's a slightly challenging one and a half hour round trip that begins in Iksan and takes you through a beautiful mountain pass to a lake. After the lake, the going gets rough and slow on the mountain ridge only because our bikes weren't designed to be ridden off road.

After taking in some great views at 200m above see level the ridge descends quickly back to sea level and reconnects with the main road. Highway 27 can be taken as a quick route back into Iksan city. I wouldn't ride that ridge section more than once on a sports bike (unless I was showing it to someone else), however, it would be ideal route for an enduro or a nature walk.

Motorbike, Rides, South Korea, Routes, Paths, Review, Google Earth, KML, KMZ

--------------- www.comatosed.ca ---------------

080417 - Round Trip Reccy

Date: 080417-Friday
Starting Point: Iksan, South Korea
Riders: Greg - Hyosung 650 GTR
Terrain: Highway, secondary, soft pack, gravel
Curves: Good once in the mountains
Distance: 70km
Difficulty: 4/10


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Description:
A simple one hour round trip that begins in Iksan and takes you through a beautiful mountain pass to a lake. The path cutting across the mountain to the north is about 8km long and mostly made up of large gravel. I wouldn't ride that section on a sports bike again however it would be ideal for an enduro or a nature walk.

After visiting the lake the path cuts back through the mountains and into Iksan. There are some nice tight turns in the mountain. Not to much change in elevation and the corners don't last for long. Nonetheless, a good distance and duration for the rider who just wants a quick get away in the middle of the day.

080214-Documentary Night

Tired of Korean TV? All your friends on FaceBook too busy actually working? Wanna learn stuff you'll wish you hadn't? Come check out one of tonight's documentaries:

Our Daily Bread - Unser taeglich Brot (2005)
Manufactured Landscapes(2006)

Cast your vote at 2100, majority wins.

Start Time: 2100
Location: Sahara's House -- Call/Text me for specifics

Previous Nights
080207 - The Revolution Will Not BeTelevised (2003)

Some questioned the neutrality of this documentery, it was largely pro Chavez yet produced in part by the Scottish Film Board. Everyone could agree it was nice to see people get angry, take peacefull mass action and change things.

Further Discussion: I got kinda drunk that night and only remember the last three hours of dialogue revolving around photography and motorbikes...

080124 - A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash(2006)

"Oil is the excrement of satin" or something to that extent. Aside from that opening line, a well done documentary which does a good job of explaining just how cheap and energy laden oil really is when you compare it to human exertion. (Put a cup of gas in your car and it'll take you, four friends and a bunch of luggage a few kilometers. Ask a rickshaw driver to pull you the same distance and for 20 cents and you'll probably be cursed at in a language you don't understand... maybe even spit-on.)

Further Discussion: Oil industry in Canada, Living in Chemical Valley, Being a tradesman and making mad cash...

Safari 3 Crashes - How to Revert to Old Safari 2.0

OPTION A - Spare me the sob story and just give me a solution:
OPTION B - I wanna read about your problems and see how you came to a solution

OPTION A

The Safari 3 Crash Fix - Revert to Safari 2:

1. Download Safari Application from:
http://rs18.rapidshare.com/files/16056640/Safari.zip

2. Extract zip file

3. Back up current Safari Application (HD:Applications:Safari)

4. Quit Safari

5. Move downloaded Safari application to Applications folder and click "Replace"

6. Open Safari and enjoy relatively crash-free browsing! :D


OPTION B

The Problem
So I made the fatal mistake of upgrading to Safari 3.0 a few days back. At the time I had also just installed Speed Download. Every time I quit Safari it crashed. Every time I closed a window Safari crashed. Often when I opened new tabs Safari Crashed. The point I'm making is that Safari 3 crashes a lot.

Initially, I figured Speed Download was part of the problem. I uninstalled the program and was sad to learn if fixed nothing. Many other Safari 3 users have reported displeasing performance. It is the first Apple update/upgrade that has actually forced me to revert to an older version.

The Search for a Solution
I wasn't the only one searching for a Safari 3 fix. Many users wanted to revert to an older version but is wasn't as simple as one might think. Apparently Safari 3 came with an uninstall option packaged with the .dmg file, not anticipating any problems, I must have thrown it out in a desperate attempt to create space for music and movies. Nor could I download the package again from Apple servers. My only options are Safari downloads for XP and Vista or the security update package bundled with Safari 3 which I presume has no un-install option.

Many people have gone to sites such as www.oldversion.com to try and get older Safari versions but none of these worked for me as the installer detected a newer Safari on my drive and thus wouldn't let me reinstall. I was so eager to get Safari working again that I just trashed the application, in the hopes an older version would install once it was gone, and I didn't even think to make a backup of the application. Now I was really screwed.

The Fix
In the end I found a rapidshare link with just the Safari 2.0.4 application, no installer. I downloaded it, threw it into my applications folder and everything is running smooth again!

Directions:

1. Download Safari Application from:
http://rs18.rapidshare.com/files/16056640/Safari.zip

2. Extract zip file

3. Back up current Safari Application (HD:Applications:Safari)

4. Quit Safari

5. Move downloaded Safari application to Applications folder and click "Replace"

6. Open Safari and enjoy relatively crash-free browsing! :D

Switzerland Reunion

Your Slave - I'm beginning to lose the connection with air travel.


No Shit


Shock - This is the cost of coke in a Swiss airport.


Leave Your Saw at Home - Saw this while riding a Swiss Tram


Hello - My Sis on her mobile


Thinking of You - Clair loves pinapples and makes smothies to die for


Hello Cheess - Ahhhhhh, plentiful cheap cheese!


Discreet Apple Store - They wouldn't let the big glass and aluminum box into Switz


Maditory Shot


Dinner at Sant Lucia

Tiger N BearPaw

Today Amy (Tigger) introduced me to her sister. She has the most creative hat I've ever laid eyes on. This photo should be placed next to adorable in the dictionary.

Korean Won vs Canadian Dollar

This really isn't good. I'm not happy about this at all :( My student loans just went up by around 20%