I can't even begin to describe how strange it feels to be so close to the goal of this trip. As I sit here now, in Sapporo, Japan, a mere 300 km (190 miles) and 3 days from reaching the northern tip of Japan, I am so darn excited that I want to just start riding now and not stop until I get there. But I suppose patience has it's place in all things, so I will pace myself!
It is also exciting to think of some things coming to an end. For example, yesterday was my last unbelievably difficult day of the trip. Unfortunately, it was also the most beautiful and nostalgic ride of the trip, through wonderful, mountainous, Japanese highlands. It was hard to enjoy the scenery while huffing and puffing up 20 MILES of climbing. That's right, ladies and gents, 20 MILES of non-stop, uphill climbing. The bright side? On the other side of the mountain, it was almost 20 miles of pure downhill!
Again, though I shouldn't really be complaining, because being here in the north of Japan, and especially in the mountains reminds me of my lovely old hometown in Colorado. Seeing aspen trees and feeling cold mountain air breeze by my face as I flew down the mountain was definitely getting me feeling a bit homesick for much of the ride. Bright side alert: now that my goal is physically within my reach (and the terrain should be relatively easy), I get to enjoy the last few days of this incredible experience without a care in the world.
The unfortunate news for my blog followers is I won't have access to a computer for the last few days (my plan ride back to Fukuoka is on September 17th so you can expect something around that time). I'll still have my phone so be sure to be on the lookout for facebook posts.
Well, I'm off to finish my grand adventure! Next time you hear from me, I'll be able to proudly say I have ridden my bike across an entire country! Shazam!!
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| In a few short days, I'll be proudly standing here! |
Great work Dylan. Go get some soup curry in Sapporo, you won't regret it! Then go chill in Odori Park right downtown.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your 3 day itinerary stops set as, day 1 Rumoi/Obira? Day 2 to Shousanbetsu (try as hard as you can to camp/onsen here, you wont regret it, the rotenburo overlooks the ocean and your tent/tarp). Day 3 to Wakkanai then Soya Misaki? Enjoy it, there *may* be internet cafe's along the way now not sure, I was there in 06 and 09.