Today is bittersweet, a bit intimidating and exciting at the same time. It is bittersweet to leave Yubari Forest Youth Hostel. To say the experience has been unique and meaningful, as well as an affirmation of why we travel, sums up how we feel.
The Last Breakfast! Steamed eggs, eggs on a bed of asparagus with cheese, fresh bread, salad and veggie soup with a rich brown broth. Delicious and we enjoy understanding where our food comes from.
We met this lovely couple at breakfast, Mineta Tachibana and Kayoko. They are on their honeymoon…we wish them well in their life together. He had lived in Toronto for a year working at a hotel. He told us that he had attended a Blue Jays baseball game (baseball is very popular in Japan) and gone skiing in Banff.
One of the elements of daily life in Japan is the bath, which we will sorely miss when we go home. First you cleanse yourself at your own station, sitting on a stool using the plastic bowl or hand held shower then you immerse yourself in the deep tub, usually set to 41.5 degrees. It is hard to describe how good you feel after this ritualistic bath.
Miho and her mom Sachi.Ko came out to bid us farewell. They truly put their heart and soul into this hostel. Miho explained that she has been running this Hostel for twenty years. She drew up the plans and she hired a carpenter who brought her dream to life.
After leaving the hostel we came upon this heron nesting site…very busy place with parents coming and going trying to keep up with feeding their young.
We promised ourselves that we wouldn’t stop at Seicomart as we have had a great breakfast and coffee. However, we do need another bottle of cold water for the ride…so a very brief stop. We know that today will be a challenging, long ride so we have gotten an early start.
We know know that this area is rich with wildlife…deer, fox and bear. Should be an interesting day as we will be riding primarily in densely forested areas with no services or towns.
A Good Samaritan was waiting for us by the road holding out a bag for us. He had bought this assortment of cold drinks for us to help us on our journey. 😺
In 1947 this valley and a town were dammed and flooded to create a reservoir. This reservoir provides the city of Sapporo and other areas with their water supply.
The colour of the water is striking. We don’t know why, but we often have cloudy skies here. There is no rain predicted for today and it is shaping up to be a hot, humid day.
A lovely view and striking sky. We don’t know enough about this reservoir to talk about the history of the town which was lost to this reservoir. Will do some research later.
We couldn’t believe our eyes. Our Good Samaritan is back and loaded with another bag of food for us. He was strategically positioned and waiting at the top of a hill with a big smile and his arm outstretched. We love Japan and it’s people!
This is not the first time we have been gifted with cold drinks or treats while cycling in Japan. Locals seem to understand the challenges and respect our willingness to explore their country in this way. We are humbled by their true generosity.
The sign was accurate..as soon as you exited the tunnel, a sharp 90 degree turn.
We are baffled by the extensive construction and road building in this area. Hwy 452 out of Yubari is in pretty good shape and there is very little traffic. Since it is located near the lake, perhaps there is planning for this area we don’t understand.
We have the option of camping tonight on the lake…about 5 Km along the lake on the right side. It is tempting as there is an onsen nearby. But we have decided to ride on to Furano as neither of us are feeling comfortable camping in wilderness with many bear. It will be another 45 Km.
There used to be a much needed rest stop at the lake but it is has been left to deteriorate. All that is left is a T-Rex statue in the wilderness.
We have passed beyond the body of the water that is the reservoir, we are now riding at high elevation above Lake Katsurazawa. We had hoped to picnic by the lake for lunch, but it is not accessible to us.
What an incredible sight to see this fox trotting along the side of the road…knowing we were following, it turned around and gave us a meaningful stare.
Now, on to the snake. We looked it up and it could be in the viper family or more likely the aodaishoa rat snake. They grow up to 10 feet in length. If bitten by a snake in the viper family a percentage of people die and others need hospitalization for a week and a month of rehab. This fox knew what to do as you can see it had bitten off the head of the snake.
A beautiful animal, the fox that is. This photo shows the size of the load it is carrying back to the family. When cars would drive by, the fox would retreat into the bushes, but it seemed to understand that we were not a threat and proceeded along the side of the road…the most direct route back to its den.
We are riding on 452 most of the day and until we passed the lake, the traffic was very light. When we turned right after the lake, the traffic was horrendous…huge trucks, cars, motorcycles and little to no shoulder. It will be a rough 45 Km as we will be faced with many hills.
We continue to be amazed by the dense vegetation in Hokkaido. There is truly not an opening anywhere. For lunch we pulled off to a tiny opening for a lunch break and watched the traffic go by.
Dylan from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is out for a tour as well. He lives and works nearby. He is the first Canadian and one of the few cycling travellers we have seen. When he responded “no worries”, we knew he was Canadian!
We have lost count of the number of tunnels we have entered today. The upside is that it is cool and a welcome relief from the unrelenting heat and humidity of the day. The downside is the loud roar and echo from vehicles. Today a couple of the tunnels were close to 3 Km long. Incredible engineering.
During this 90 Km ride today, we encountered one rest stop and it was special. First, when Mary Ellen got off her trike, a man who works there rushed over and shook her hand acknowledging our effort in getting there. Plus there was a bathroom, picnic area and these beautiful waterfalls.
As we were preparing to leave, a group of motorcyclists joined us. Most of the fellows were from Alaska and they are travelling for 2 weeks with a guide. They had just landed at Chitose Airport near Sapporo the day before, picked up their rental motorcycles and now they are here.
Today has been an epic day on so many levels. Riding 90 Km in heavy heat and humidity with unending climbs, heavy traffic for the final 45 Km made it a challenge….and we are bone tired. However what I am remmbering as I write this is the kindness of strangers, the incredible scenery, the fox, the downhills.
Tonight we will sleep in Furano, a beautiful town that is a ski area in the winter and in the summer is known for its vibrant fields full of flowers. We found an inexpensive Guesthouse which we really liked and all is good.
Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles) Total: 1,800 km (1,118 miles)
