Day 10 - Shimamaki to Kamoenai - 92kms
This morning it was still a little grey outside, but hopefully not so wet like yesterday. I left the lovely hostel at around 6:30am.
Took a couple of hours for the grey clouds to shift and the blue sky to return. It actually worked out really well. As when the blue sky returned I was riding along some stunning coastline. I also had to go through a few pretty long tunnels. One of which was over 3km long. The tunnels are generally well maintained. Some have sidewalks, a lot don't. But the drivers have always been fantastic. Today I spent about 12-14km inside tunnels! I arrived at Kamoenai just before 3pm. It's a pretty cute seaside village. I rode up the hill to the campground. Pleased to say the climb up was worth it. It has great views right up the coast. Once I was setup I rode back down the hill to the onsen, which is about 2km out of town. I'm really enjoying my onsen time after a good ride each day. Today it was nice to have some great weather to enjoy. Hopefully it'll last for a few more days now. |
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Day 11 - Kamoenai to Asarigawa Hot Spring campground - 90kms
I left camp just after 6am today. Roads were so very quiet, I had most of the tunnels to myself. Again I am following the coast which is still very scenic. My first stop was at Cape Kamui. I had a walk out to the lighthouse and was rewarded with spectacular views up and down the coast.
I continued along the coastal route to Shimamui Coast. Where I had a short, sharp hill climb to get to the start of the walk. The walk took me through a tunnel they had carved through the hill. On the other side I was then able to walk down to the beach. There were these massive stone stacks just offshore. I was really enjoy the scenery. After spending a little bit of time down by the water, I walked back up to the bike. The ride would take me over a small set of hills to the other side of the coast. On the downhill section I noticed a sign saying cafe 1km ahead. I pulled in and found an awesome ice cream shop. Seems very popular with everyone. I picked a blackberry and rhubarb. Yummy choice. I spent a bit of time here chatting to some of the local Japanese. One of the locals was with his daughter, who is about 4 years old. He said that she seems to be allergic to seaweed. We both agreed not the best thing to be allergic to in Japan! I rejoined the coast. Views were still good and weather was great. The original plan was to get the train to Sapporo from Yoichi. But as I was a day ahead I decided to ride on until Otaru. The roads were certainly getting busier and a couple of the tunnels were a bit yucky. Thankfully they were short ones. I arrived at Otaru by 3.30pm. It was pretty but very touristy down by the canal. I looked at my maps and noticed a campsite about 5km out of town. I headed there. Grabbed some dinner on the way, as usually the campsites just have drink vending machines. I arrived at the campground at 4.30pm. I am staying at the Asarigawa Hot Spring campground. I was a little surprised to see that it was busy. I forgot it was a Saturday. I found a spot and got a ticket for the onsen in the fancy hotel across the road. It was, as usual, great to soak at the onsen. The campground is a bit squashy, but the ride, generally was great. Tomorrow I'm planning a hill climb to take me into Sapporo. |
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Day 12 - Asarigawa Hot Spring campground to Sapporo 62kms
Enjoyed a good sleep last night. When I woke up there was tons of blue sky. I was riding at about 6.30am and am following Route 1. This route takes me up pass a couple of dams and through some big ski resorts.
I have to say the climb up was pretty special. The views were just amazing. Barely any traffic. Just a few cyclists and motorcycles out for their Sunday morning rides. I stopped numerous times to enjoy the views of the mountains. A couple of them still had a little bit of snow on their peaks. Once at the top I joined the road down to Sapporo. It had a nice, gentle downhill gradient which got me into Sapporo by 11:30am. As it was early and I couldn't checkin until 2pm I headed over to the Sapporo Beer Museum. The museum is housed in a beautiful old brick building. They had a nice exhibit of old memorabilia from the brewery. But the main reason most people come here is to sample the beers! I headed down to the bar and ordered a three beer paddle sample. I hadn't eaten much before. So by the time I had finished the tasty samples, I was feeling a little light headed! So I grabbed a bite to eat. After I rode over to my accommodation. I'm staying at the Unizo Inn, which is pretty central. It's a nice clean place where I'll be spending a couple of nights. Tomorrow I'll be having a rest day. There are a few nice things to do very close to the hotel. Looking forward to a bit of a sleep in. |
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