武陵農場 Wu Ling Farm

A week before the winter break was over, we headed to Wu Ling Farm for a weekend get-away. Wu Ling farm is a recreational farm that really isn't a farm anymore, because they no longer grow any produce. It was built by the government back in the 50~60s as a place for the veterans to give them something to do and learn after their retirement, as well as being a resort for civil servants. Over time, tourism became more important and the farm is opened to the public. It is situated along route 7B, at around 2000m/6000ft in altitude and sits in a valley plain.

20 years ago we came to this place. According to my sister's memory, they were growing a lot of cabbages. Cabbages are specially tasty when they are grown in high altitude. Now, they grow flower trees such as plum and cherry blossom. This area is protected. There is a special species of salmon in the stream that is endangered and highly protected. Approaching the stream will get you some pretty heavy fine... that is, if they catch you!

So what my memory of the place was 20yrs ago? I couldn't recall... until my uncle mentioned that back then, they bluffed me that there's tigers at night. The next morning, I claimed that I saw things outside the window in the night and was sure they were tigers... I was 5.



Many of the mountain routes in Taiwan are pretty beat up due to abuse and weather. The roads are typically carved into the mountain walls, making the slope unstable. Route 7B is no exception. The road condition wasn't good. Many parts of the road were distorted and probably very unstable.

Workers rebuild collapsed road as they let the traffic through.



Driving past a village with vegetable farms on the valley plain.


This is the main stream that ran through the area. I cannot remember the name of the stream, but inside are fish and wildlife protected by the state. Seasonal birds reside here too, but only in the summer.





This species of fish maintain its position in the river against the stream. They feed on water plants that grow among the rock bed. When they get a bite, they rotate their bodies to "twist" and break the plant from the rocks. From the above, it's like flashes of light shining from the water because their shiny scales reflect the sunlight when they flip their bodies.

Entrance to the park





It's winter, therefore it's also time for both the Plum and Cherry blossom. The park is planted with both types of trees, forming a park with flower tunnels through the lines of trees.





Cherry Blossom (Japanese National Flower)




Plum Flowers (China's National Flower)






"Wax" Plum because it has the texture of wax, a rare species.




More from the park area:







That night was special. No romance here, but very well could have... it was a starry night and I can never pass an opportunity to capture some star trail photos.



The first photo was taken with a 20mm lens at F2.8, with exposure of about 20min. The second photo was taken with the same setting at about 8 minutes. Clouds were moving in fast, so I had to abandon the second shot. Nevertheless, it's interesting to see some meteor showers in the photo too.

The next morning was going to be fun, because there's a long hike ahead of us. Long? Not very long, just 2 hours/4.2km uphill. But considering I was carrying my camera gear with tripod, it was still manageable.

Road to the trail:




At the trail head, there were these stray cats who seemed to know exactly what to do. Each of them got their own spot against a slope retaining wall facing east, the rising sun, and enjoyed their morning sun bath! They don't care about people, cars or buses pulling right in front of them... as long as they get the sun light.



So we entered the trail, which also leads to "Peach Mountain". Peach Mountain is one of the 100 peaks that are above 3000m tall in Taiwan, but regarded as the most difficult one to conquer.

Peak of Peach Mountain













So what makes this trail so desirable to hike? Well, of course there's a reward... people don't work unless there's something to have at the end. In this case, it's the negative ions... WHAT?

Yes, negative ions released by a waterfall, the tallest one in Taiwan. Last year, they did a survey on Taiwan's waterfalls to see which one releases the most negative ions, and this one ranked third. What does negative ions do? Makes you feel special I guess...




Rainbow and water pellets at the foot of the fall.









So back we hiked, another 2 hrs/4.2km. This time, it wasn't much easier because our knees are taking the toll as we hiked downhill.

National Forestry station


Road back to the park area:


So back at the park area, there was a bunch of bird perverts... no, lovers, spying... no, watching birds with 600mm lens. I wonder if they are so powerful that they may just see through the birds...


Oh, and my 300mm lens did not too bad of a job too!





Kitty kitty kitty....



Last but most importantly, there's this really cute dog patrolling around the park. The tour guide said he was an abandoned pup at the park. The park rangers then kept him around and gave him a sweater for the winter. He's a very old dog... you can see from his eye. He's just chilling, enjoying good life.



Off we left, back to the hectic city and the undesirable urban chaos.