2008-07 Taiwan High Speed Rail

While on his last visit to Taiwan , Ray was able to ride on the bullet train from Taipei to Kaohsiung with a couple of local employees of Advantek. In the past, travel between these 2 cities consisted of a short plane ride and all the airport hassles that went with it, or 6 hour bus ride. The new train connects the two cities in about 1.5 hours, with many trains throughout the day. We arrived at the train station about 8:00 AM and were on our way about 10 minutes later. The bullet trains travels over 280km/hr (175mph) and have various classes of travel. The one-way ticket costs about $40.

The train roughly follows the west coast of Taiwan, although not close enough to view the ocean. The first 30 minutes going south are through a series of tunnels cut through the mountains. Then the remaining hour is along the coastal flatlands. The flatlands are densely populated as the entire stretch seems to be filled with one city after another in the distance. Along the way are various temples with intricate roof decorations interspersed between the cities and the fields. The tracks cut through vegetable farms, rice paddies, and what I think were fish farms. In one area, the vegetable fields were all covered with netting to help protect the vegetables from birds and other predators.

When we arrived in Kaohsiung, an interesting sign at the pickup and drop off point was translated as the “Kiss and Ride” area. That makes sense for your loved ones, but not necessarily for business acquaintances. On the way back to Taipei, we ate lunch in the train station in Kaohsiung at a fast food restaurant called Mos Burger. It was pronounced "moss", so I was expecting something along the lines of a mushroom burger. Instead they had various meat options all on a bun, including ground beef, pork, fish, and their specialty--octopus. I had the spicey hamburger, made that way with jalepenos. The sides include standard french fries or deep fried prawns, so I had the prawns since that is not on the menus back home

Coming back to Taipei, we arrived at the main Taipei Railway Station, which is right across the street from the hotel that I was staying.

2008-07 Geocaching

Ray has started to do some geocaching again lately. Geocaching is like a hi-tech scavenger hunt, using GPS units to zero in on the locations of the cache. Containers called caches have been placed all over the world for people to hunt down and then log their visits. Coordinates for the geocache are placed online along with hints and information for the search. Canisters that are used for caches can be anything from a small pill bottle to giant pickle jars. Most caches contain a paper for listing your visit at the site, but some also contain trinkets that you can exchange for trinkets you carry, and others contain items called travel bugs that are moved from one cache to another. The travel bugs have serial numbers and are traced online as they move across the US or the world. There are over 600,000 registered caches world wide. Once you return home you can log your visit online.

Although he did his first a couple of years ago, Ray got started again on a trip to San Francisco where he went looking for various caches with one of his workmates. It was a great way to see the city and get some exercise. The San Francisco caches were all in the city, along roads and in parks. A lot are hidden in plain sight, but blend in with everything else around them, so unless you know they are there, you will not see them. This one was attached to a plastic ivy leaf that was mixed in with all the live ivy growing along Lombard St.

After returning home, he went looking for some of the local caches in the parkland directly behind the house. There are at least 5 caches in the park. Some of the caches can have multiple steps where you find a new set of coordinates in the initial location and then have to move to the new location to actually find the cache. Sometimes the second set of coordinates is given on a piece of paper, but sometimes the cache owner has made a puzzle that must be figured out to find the next stage. In one case, a stone was at the location of the initial coordinates that have a series of lines and dots on them. The challenge was to determine what these symbols meant and how to convert them to longitude and latitude for input into the GPS. Some research on the Internet provided the information and the next location. A concrete dragon head tucked deep in the park was the cache location.

Trinkets can be items such as golf tees, happy meal type toys, items with city or town names, foreign coins or currency. Generally the value is minimal and they are small in size to fit in the cache canister. One interesting item Ray found was a stamped aluminum commemorative piece created from the scrapped airframe of the first UPS airplane.

At the tail end of soccer season, Ray, Hailey and LeAnn pursued a couple caches near the soccer fields were the kids were playing. Ray and LeAnn had hoped to do a little geocaching on RAGBRAI, but time and location did not allow.

Geocaching is fun family activity that can be done by all ages, either alone or as a group. You can learn more about it on http://www.geocaching.com/

2008-07 RAGBRAI Bike Ride

Ray and LeAnn both ventured out to ride on the RAGBRAI bicycle ride across Iowa this year. Our brother-in-law John and neighbor Mike (thanks for all the planning, phone calls, emails, and coordination) along with 2 of his workmates (Shannon and Michele) made up the riding team this year. We rented an RV again this year for the overnight stops. Mike’s friend Matt (thanks getting us the best parking/camping spots everywhere) was our driver and support crew.

We rode 2 days this year across the middle of Iowa, both in terms of east/west and north/south direction. We started in Jefferson and rode almost 60 miles to Ames the first day and then almost 80 miles from Ames to Toledo the second day. Our route mainly followed the Lincoln highway (US 30), one of the first complete routes across the US.

We arrived in Jefferson on Tuesday evening and ended up with a parking spot at the very end of the county fairgrounds. This was a quiet area, except for the trains rolling through town and blowing their whistles all night long. It seemed as if trains went through every half hour or so. This was the case along the whole route. It was amazing how busy the train tracks were in this area, with coal, tankers and boxcars going both directions at all times.

We walked downtown and had a bite to eat (a recurring theme you will read about over and over again) and listened to some music before heading back to camp. On the way back, we walked through a very dark area and looked up to see a brilliant sky full of stars. You can see so many more stars out in the country than you can in the city. The moon came up and washed some of them out, but it was a beautiful sight.

We left Jefferson about 7:00 AM and headed east. It was a clear day with light winds (although from the east), relatively cool and flat terrain. There was only one hill to speak of, and it was a killer. A lot of people had to walk their bikes up the last few hundred yards. During the day we heard and saw a lot of ambulances going back and forth, which surprised us, but when you consider the number of riders (estimates range from 15,000-20,000 each day) and the varying skill levels and speed, it is easy to understand how accidents can happen.

We stopped about every 10 miles or so for refueling, either food or beverage or both. The towns along the route all have lots of food and drink to benefit the local community sold by community groups, schools, churches, scout troops, etc. Although the bike ride does not have a specific charity sponsor, everyone along the way benefits. The ride itself follows a different path each year and has been in every county in Iowa at some point in time. This was the 36th ride.

As we rode into Ames, we went right through the Iowa State Univeristy campus. There was a lot of open space and it looked very pretty. The campground was about a mile form campus in the football stadium lot. We arrived early on Tuesday due to the short route. We went over to another tent campground which had portable showers. These were individual showers in the back of a converted container van, 12 showers to a container and 2 containers on sight. It sure was a better set-up than last years open air showers in show barns!

Across the street from the stadium were the large festival grounds for the evening which included the food stands, bike stores and entertainment venue. The featured acts were Styx and The Nadas, and the concert was a benefit for flood relief which devastated a wide area in Iowa. RAGBRAI was also selling bandanas to benefit the flood relief. The crowd at the concert was very large, so it appeared to be a success.

We again got up and got going about 7:00 on Wednesday. It was another clear day, but the winds were a little stronger (again in our face), but the terrain was much hillier, one hill right after another all day long. The 20 extra miles and all the hills slowed us down, but we all made it in by 5:00.

We noticed during the morning that the food lines were a lot shorter than Tuesday (and last year), so we were able to walk right up for a giant breakfast burrito at Farm Boys, which usually has a very long line. We never did figure out why that was the case. There were probably a lower number of riders that day as Tuesday was extremely large due to the short, easy route and its proximity to Des Moines allowed a lot of people to come for that one day. The good thing on Wednesday was it seemed like we heard and saw less accidents.

Our destination on Wednesday night was Tama-Toledo. We had a nice long decent into Tama through the river valley. We saw some signs of flooding in the valley. Matt had done some scouting around town and befriended a local who allowed us to park the RV in front of his house and set up our tents in his yard. We were just a block from the courthouse square where the festivities were centered.

We hit the food lines at their busiest time, so it took some time to eat. But by the time we finished eating the lines for pie and ice cream were short and quick, so we topped off our tanks with some great home made pie and ice cream. Small little John Deere popper engines were used to crank the ice cream, and they always sounded like they were ready to stop running, and made a loud popping noise every few seconds.

There is a great amount of trust and friendship on this ride. Everyone is willing to help out someone in need. Local stores would set out power strips for anyone to use for charging cell phones. Many farmers along the side of the road would have drinks or food and just have a free will offering, no set price. Food and beverage prices were reasonable, and there was plenty of competition to keep it that way. Schools opened their doors for space, cooling off, or rest.

It is a fun experience and well worth the time it takes to prepare for the ride. I would recommend everyone try to do some portion of RAGBRAI sometime in their life. Not every segment may be easy, but it is doable. You see young kids riding, and you see 70+ year olds riding, many doing the whole week. It is not a race, so you just have to know your pace and work to that.

2008-07 Fourth of July

We had a full day on the 4th this year starting with the parade and ending with the fireworks. The pragde lated about 2 hours and was filled with politicians this year since it is an election year. In between we enjoyed a barbeque, root beer floats and games such as ladder golf and bean bag toss. Ray and John went over to the community center where they were having a classic car show with lots of cars from the 60's. The weather was good this year, so we did not have to worry about any rain.

The weekend started with dinner with LeAnn's mom and her sisters to celebrate the end of her stay up here in the cities recoperating from knee replacement surgery.

Mariah did not join us this year as she was running in a 12 mile run around Green Lake out in Spicer, MN this year with a couple of her friends.

2008-06 Taipingshan Forest, Taiwan

Along with his co-workers, Ray visited the Taipingshan forest national park and Sandie Falls near Taipei, Taiwan. Taiping means welcome, and shan means forest in Chinese.

We took a bus ride of about 2 hours from our hotel to the entrance to the national park. Along the way we followed a very wide river that was almost empty, despite the fact that it had rained for almost a week prior. In one of the towns we stopped and met a delivery truck which had our box lunches on board. Our first stop was at the main entrance to the park. They had a couple of cars from a train that used to run in the area.

As we worked our way up the mountain in the bus, we stopped at a tree along the side of the road that was about 2500 years old and still growing. It was bundled up with rope to help keep it from splitting. It had many hollows and gaps in it. Many of the upper limbs have broken off over time.

We arrived at the top of the mountain at the visitor center and had to climb a long string of steps to get to the train station for the next leg of our trip. The train was a narrow gage train that had an engine on each end and passenger cars in between. This allowed the train to go back and forth without turning around. The train is called a beng-beng train for the sound it makes as it makes it way down the track.

The train ride took about 20 minutes to reach the trailhead for the hike down to Sandie Falls. There were 2 trails at the trailhead, one to the falls and another shorter loop around the train station area. We opted for the trail to Sandie Falls. As the map indicated it was about a 2.7km round trip, or about 1.6 miles.

As we started downhill the trail was smooth and not to steep, but as we got farther down the trail, it got a little rougher and was paved with stones. We noticed the trail was marked with distance markers from the top every 200 meters and as we saw the 1.2km marker we felt we should be close. Then we saw a sign that said we still had 1.4km to go and should asses our ability to continue. It was then we realized the trip was 2.7km each way. Oh well, we decided to keep going. The last 800 km were very steep with the stone path became a series of wooden steps, but by now we could hear the falls and were anticipating viewing them.

The forest was very dense and beautiful, with lots of ferns on the ground and moss on the trees. There were plenty of natural resting points along the way created by trees, rocks and grounds. These would be more important on the way up!

Once we made it to the falls, we found them well worth the effort. The top falls were over 70 feet tall and fell into a large clear pool. Below that was a series of 3 smaller falls that emptied into the river bed below us. The cool water felt good as the temperature was much warmer down at the falls than up at the train station. The group was spread out over about 20 minutes as they arrived at the bottom. After our stay and photos, we headed back up the trail to catch the train back to the visitor center and our bus. We knew now what would lay ahead of us and figured it would take about 1.5 hours of climbing as the trip down was about an hour. We had about 1200 feet of elevation to climb.

The first 800m upward were very difficult due to the many steps and required multiple rest stops. Once we made it to the stone path, the ascent rate was much faster. The group I was with regrouped at a rest station about 400m from the top and made it back in time to catch the next to the last train out.

The hike was a challenge, but well worth it in the end. When we returned to the hotel, some of us went to the hot spring pool which was filled with small fish that nibbled at your feet and toes to give them a good cleaning. It was hard to keep your feet in the water as it tickled so much.



While in Taipei City, we went downtown for dinner and saw the Taipei 101 building, one of the tallest in the world. It is styled to look like bamboo with the joints every 15 stories or so.

2008-03 Arizona Vacation

We left early Easter morning for a spring break trip to Arizona. Mariah wasn't with us as she was with the Spanish club from school on a trip to Madrid, Spain. She spent 3 days in the Madrid area sightseeing and then was with a family in a small town for 5 days.

We celebrated Easter at LeAnn's mom's house. Her sister Yvonne and her son Chris joined us along with LeAnn's nieces Beth and Laura and her boyfriend Matthew. It had been snowing up in the Twin Cities since Good Friday, so it was a real treat to get off the plane and be greeted by 85 degree weather.

On Monday, we went golfing on the desert course next to Lois's park. The ball will roll along way down the hard packed desert ground, but you just don't know which direction it will bounce. That evening we went to Barleen's Arizona Opry dinner show with Lois and Yvonne. It is a family run show where the performers are all multi-talented playing many instruments and singing. Some of the instruments were from famous musicians (Al Hirt, Doc Severinsen and others), and some were unique, such as a 7' tall saxophone. The music was from all genres, so everyone heard something they were familiar with and could enjoy.

On Tuesday we went out to visit Yvonne in Anthem and spent the afternoon out on the patio enjoying the sun and watching the golfers go by. Yvonne's daughter Jenny was also able to come out on Tuesday and spend the day with us.

Wednesday was spent at the Safeway International LPGA golf tournament. It was Pro-Am day, so the golfers were more relaxed and would sign autographs and you could take your camera and take pictures, which you can't do during the regular event. Hailey got some autographs, and we marveled at the skill and consistency of the pros. The event was at the Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The course is in the flatlands below the mountain, so has a beautiful backdrop. Plus, being set up for the pros, everything was manicured and set up for picturesque views.

Thursday, we had planned on going to a baseball game between the Cubs and Brewers, but it was sold out and the scalpers were getting 5x face value for even the outfield lawn seats. Next time we will go and get our tickets beforehand. That evening, we went to Organ Stop Pizza and had dinner with Lois, Beth and Laura. Organ Stop Pizza has a large Wurlitzer organ that is the center of the entertainment. The organist plays continuously throughout the evening taking breaks about 30 minutes. It is all family style seating and during busy times, you kind of have to hover around waiting for people to leave to get some table space.

Friday morning we went to the flea market, which is all under an open air roof. The kids got some ASU sweatshirts. This flea market has both new and used items. That afternoon, Ray went golfing with Chris and a family friend Dave up at Troon North, where Chris works. Troon North is a very nice public course near Pinnacle Peak. It is surrounded by expensive homes and desert landscape. Afterwords, we stopped for a beer at Greasewood Flat, which was an original stagecoach stop. All the seating is outdoor at picnic tables. Open fires are spaced around the seating area to help keep it a little warm. It cools down nicely in the foothills.

Saturday we relaxed and soaked up the last of the Arizona sun and our last trip to the pool before heading back up north, and preparing for more snow on Monday. At least at this time of year it melts away quickly when it comes.

2008-02 Gudrun Bergh 1904-2008

Ray's grandma, Gudrun Bergh, who we knew as Nanny, passed away peacefully on Valentines Day, February 14th, 2008. She was 104 years young. I marvel at the changes in life that she witnessed in those 104 years. From cars and airplanes to TV to space travel. From coal furnaces to and wood stoves to oil burning and natural gas to natural gas. From ice boxes to refrigerators. I'll remember her cooking Malto Meal for me and grandpa for breakfast, all her Christmas cookies, and eating around the big dining room table, or on TV trays in the living room when we had really large gatherings. I remember the stuffed sock monkey in the bedroom that always scared the bejeeberz out of me. I will remember my kids calling her Grandma Little since she was so tiny.

Her funeral was Monday in the church she was baptized in and became a lifelong member. I was honored to be one of the pallbearers

We had gotten together in early January to celebrate her 104th birthday. Her brother Roald also was able to attend the party

From her obituary:

Gudrun Fredrikke Ager Bergh, 104, a lifetime resident of Eau Claire passed away on Thursday, February 14, 2008, at the Syverson Home.
She was born January 5, 1904, in the family home on Chestnut Street to Waldemar Theodor and Gurolle (Blestren) Ager as the second of nine children in the family.

Gudrun married Milo Bergh on August 14, 1929, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Red Wing, MN.

She began her schooling at the Norwegian School (located on Fifth Avenue and Hudson Street) for her first year of classes before attending the Eau Claire public schools. After high school she attended Hunt’s Business College in Eau Claire and then worked for several years in the offices of Samuelson’s Dry Goods Store and the Midelfort Clinic prior to her marriage.

Gudrun lived independently in her own home past age 100 at which time she fell and broke her hip. She has since then been a resident of the Syverson Lutheran Home in Eau Claire. She celebrated her 100th birthday at a party given by her daughters at the Ager House where she had been born 100 years earlier. Her hobbies included crafts, crewel embroidery, Norwegian needlework, reading, organizing photo albums, and her Norwegian heritage. She thoroughly enjoyed a trip to Norway in 1983 with her daughter.

She was a lifetime member of First Lutheran Church and, in younger days, was active in youth groups, choir, Ladies Aid, and church circles. She also had been a member of Luther Hospital Guild, Eau Claire Women’s Club, Order of Eastern Star, Sons of Norway, Nordmanns Forbundet, the Ager Association, and the Eau Claire Camera Club. Gudrun is the last surviving member of her Sewing Club which had about a dozen members and was organized when she was a teenager. The group retained close friendships throughout their lifetimes until 2000 when the last other surviving member died.

We will all miss her