Ya know, Houston and South Korea both have very iffy weather. But, I believe it is on its way to warming up for good round these parts so I figured why not get out and start exploring. I went through http://www.adventurekorea.com and found a great first trip for me that will challenge me to get up too early on the weekend but seems like it will be worth waking up for.
I’ll be going caving and ferry riding. I’ll have pictures and commentary after Sunday 
Date: Sunday, March 07, 2010
Time: 7:30am – 8:30pm
Destination: Chungju Lake, Gosu Cave, and Dodamsanbong in Chungcheongbuk
A Bit of Information: *Gosu Cave
is a limestone cave situated in Danyang-gun. This extensive cave is 1,300 meters deep, and is well known for its beauty. The name Gosu comes from the fact that in the past, the area was filled with thickets of tall grass. Rough stone instruments were excavated at the cave entrance, which revealed that this area was home to the prehistoric human beings.
Inside Gosu Cave, the temperature remains around 15℃ throughout the year. There are reportedly about 25 different kinds of animal life inhabiting within the cave. Some of the rocks resemble animals or human figures, such as Lion Rock, Octopus Rock, Eagle Rock, and even the Virgin Mary Rock. About 120 various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites found here are valuable remains to researchers and scholars. As the cave is colder than most would expect, and you have to often move along holding onto metal railings, it is highly recommended that you wear warm gloves in the winter.
*Dodamsanbong Peak
Eight areas designated as the most beautiful sceneries in Danyang, are Haseonam, Jungseonam, Sangseonam, Sainam, Gudambong, Oksunbong, Dodamsambong, and Seokmun. These areas were visited many times by numerous scholars during the Joseon Period (1392-1910), and contains many historically and culturally important relics. The most famous of the eight is Dodamsambong Peak. Three Rocks create a large S figure as it stands tall in the middle of Namhangang River. This is the only place in the world where you can see such three longest rocks protrude in the middle of a river. The following legend still lives through this day; among the three rocks, the big rock is called Nampyeonbong, Janggunbong the rock on the right side is called Cheobong (or Adeulbong), and the rock on the left is called Cheopbong (or Ddalbong). According to the legend there lived a couple who loved each other, but had no child. They found a mistress because they wanted to have a baby, but once she had the baby, she began to mistreat and taunt the wife. The heavens saw them, and turned all of them into stones. The way the rocks stand next to one another is very interesting.
If you go to the opposite side of Dodamsambong, there is a small pavilion called lhoyangjeong. It was built to comfort the locals who lost their homes due to the flooding caused by Chungju Dam. When you look down from the pavilion, you can take in the entire Dodamsambong at once. If you walk in opposite direction from lhayangjeong Pavilion, a stone gate appears. As there is a big hole in the middle of the large stone, you would think it is artificial, but it is a natural rock.
