Forumosa Camping Trip Weekend! (July 17/18)

[maoman]

On the weekend of July 17/18, Vanessa, Trudi, Izzi, Gustav, and I will be celebrating the great outdoors up in the mountains of Miaoli. Vanessa and I might be up there for the night of Thursday July 16th already, but we will definitely be there for the 17th and the 18th. It's a beautiful campground, and not that far a drive from Taipei or Taichung. (MJB, I'll trouble you to chime in with the appropriate directions, please?)

Feel free to join us if you are into a mellow weekend of family, friends, social drinking, playing in mountain streams, sleeping in the great outdoors, etc. Feel free to bring your significant others and your kids. Don't bring your dog unless you are reasonably sure of his social graces, ie won't fight with other dogs, won't use the side of a tent as a toilet, etc. You'll need a car or a well-packed motorcycle, a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, food, booze, utensils, cooking equipment, swimwear, etc. There are stores/simple roadside restaurants within twenty minutes of the campsite, if I recall correctly, but nothing within walking distance. There are some outhouse style toilets, and there is running water for washing, but you'll need to bring your own water for drinking.

We've done one of these weekends before, and it was a lot of fun. Hopefully we can have just as much fun this summer!

Click the image below for the video.


Click the image below for the video.


Click the image below for the video.

[redwagon]

Oh hell yes.

[TwoTongues]

If I'm not in the US and if I can reel my better half back into to the country that weekend, I think I may finally be in. Will advise in a few weeks.

[sandman]

I see those pics and think: "yes!" Then I think of spending two days running about after a toddler followed by a night or two on hard ground and a certain person's moaning about this that and the other and I think: "Naaaaaaah!" Is there water for swimming/splashing around in there?

[zender]

I notice the little one chewing on a stick.

Are you bringing food this time?

[maoman]

I notice the little one chewing on a stick. Are you bringing food this time?

I am neither a spendthrift nor a wastrel. Anyway, she gets only the freshest, best-quality sticks, hand-hewn from mother nature's woodlot.

[zender]

Are you in some kind of competition with the father of the two-year-old boy who chain smokes two packs a day?

And where do I sign up for this competition? I have some unorthodox parenting methods, too.

[maoman]

Is there water for swimming/splashing around in there?

Yes, and I think I'm going to bring an inflatable pool or two. One for my feet while I drink cold beer in the shade, and one for the kids to splash around in.

MJB, what's the swimming situation there like now? Since it's going to be a July weekend, we're definitely going to need a place in the mountains with shade and water!

[Mr He]

Would love to go, looks lovely.

I will be thinking of you while sailing down Canal L'este.

[MJB]

Is there water for swimming/splashing around in there?

Yes, and I think I'm going to bring an inflatable pool or two. One for my feet while I drink cold beer in the shade, and one for the kids to splash around in.

MJB, what's the swimming situation there like now? Since it's going to be a July weekend, we're definitely going to need a place in the mountains with shade and water!

There is a nice clean mountain stream with a number of swimming holes just a few hundred meters from the campsite. If you are into river tracing than this is a good one, with huge boulders, and a steep enough descent that it's pool to pool with waterfalls in between. The campground itself has no running river water through it, but does have piped water and sinks.

To get there by car, simply take the number one freeway south to the Miaoli exit, take a right at the offramp, go down about 1.5km until you see signage for the No #72 expressway going east. Take the 72 until the end, where it butts into the Provencial highway 3. Go south to the first intersection after turning right (less than 200yards with a large 7/11) and take a left onto highway 62. Note directly after the left turn the road splits, stay right and up.

You'll pass through an area of strawberry patches and then end up driving up the right side of the river valley. It's windy and narrow in places, take your time. Keep an eye out for your next obvious landmark, which is a bridge where the main road crosses the river and you end up on the left side. 20minutes or so. You'll pass through several small villages on the way, don't be distracted and follow the natural flow of traffic.

Once you've crossed over to the other side of the river, there is a small convenience store on your right hand side, about 150meters after you cross the bridge. If you need ice or last minute items, this is the last stop. Continue up the valley for approx 1.7km, and looking down on your right you'll see a large, green truss bridge going back across the river. Take the hard right to access and cross the bridge. There will be a large wooden resort on the right (very obvious). Ignore it and take a left after the bridge where there is a unsealed tiny road heading steeply up the mountain.

The road rises steeply for about 2km, and there are a couple of bumpy sections that require care. Eventually you'll end up in front of a farmhouse, (to which the campground belongs. The road continues past his place for about 100 steep yards, and ends in the campground.