October 18, 2024
Day 23: Nagano to Matsumoto
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I'm not sure whether it was the effect of the rest day, or that we're actually getting stronger, but today's big climb didn't seem all that difficult. Maybe what we're achieving is mental toughness.
The air was slightly warm even at our 7am departure time. I kept the windbreaker on for a while, but I didn't need it at all. We said farewell to our funky lodging and tried to blend in with the morning car and bicycle traffic.
We observed that the high school kids on their mamacharis could keep up with us for short distances. At times we were simply part of the pack.
A funny thing happened while we were twisting and turning our way out of Nagano, towards nearby Chikuma. I had to take a pit stop, and I spotted an A-Coop on the corner. We agreed that we could use this opportunity to buy a few things and have second breakfast. I popped in, went to the restroom, scouted out their little dining/sitting area, and returned to my wife with the news. She also used the restroom, and we discussed what to buy. It was at this point that we realized that there were no customers, only staff, who were scurrying around setting up shop. My wife asked someone whether they were open. They were not. They just happened to have the front door open for whatever reason. I feel like we could have sat there until they opened 45 minutes later, and no one would have approached us. I'm not sure why they didn't shoo us out. It's like we were ghosts. Bizarre.
A river bridge led us out of Nagano the same way one greeted us into town two days ago. The traffic lightened a bit in Chikuma, but it was still hectic. It wasn't until we started ascending that things calmed down.
Luckily for us, the traffic dwindled to almost nothing as we worked our way up the foothills. Most drivers must opt for the nearby expressway. A rail line is also nestled in this corridor.
As for us, we just kept ascending. We soon enjoyed a panoramic view of the valley below.
A lone road cyclist passed us up about halfway to the summit, then again in the other direction just as we did reach the top. He must not have been doing the below "around the mountain course", since he had doubled back.
After an easy descent to a plateau, we discussed lunch options. On my phone, I found a restaurant a few kilometers down the road thar looked like our kind of place. When we reached it, we knew we had hit the jackpot.
The food was tasty, cheap, and plentiful, and the staff were super kind. Free coffee and a "small discount" for making my stir fry without meat were the icing on the cake. They were even giving away pawpaw fruit, but since neither one of us knew how to eat one, we declined.
A second, shorter climb led us to two tunnels. They were on an uphill slope, so we were happy to find adequate sidewalk space on both. A third, downhill tunnel had an unusable sidewalk, but since we could coast through it, it was much less stressful to ride.
After a very long stretch between a rail line and a river, we reached our destination for the next two nights. At less than half the price of other area hotels, I was expecting the worst, but it's actually in great shape, and the staff are top-notch. We and our bikes are very comfortable here. We ate konbini food in our room, then walked to the nearby train station to check out its shops.
So far, other than the castle, Matsumoto seems like a cookie-cutter mid-size city. We'll have tomorrow to see what else makes it unique.
Today's ride: 73 km (45 miles)
Total: 1,502 km (933 miles)
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