Dylan's faithful followers can see him featured in this weeks Columbine Courier - Sept14 edition!
http://www.columbinecourier.com/content/columbine-grad-riding-bike-across-japan-help-victims-quake-tsunami
Can't wait to see you home in a few weeks, way to go Dylan! Love mom, dad, Hana
Monday, September 12, 2011
Only 3 days left!!!
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! |
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The 10 Day Home Stretch!
I find that the closer I get to finishing this whole adventure, the less I believe it is actually happening. I suppose there are enough things to keep me busy during the day, that I don't have much time to think about where I have been or where I am going. According to some random guys math on a bike forum I was just looking at, there are about 280 pedal strokes for every mile traveled. That means I have successfully made about 440,000 circles with my feet so far. A lot can happen during so much geometry practice and it's tough to keep track of it all!
I must say, though, that I am a bit happy to be done with Honshu. Much of my trip was punctuated by small victories/accomplishments that made the distance easier to contemplate, but from Himeji all the way to Aomori, it was just a monstrous 950 mile trek! Oh, and the roads were narrow and rainy. But everything else was amazing. I am not sure if touring by bicycle just adds an extra spice to everything you do and everyone you meet, but it seems like the nicest people on the planet, Japanese and foreigner alike, live in Japan.
While taking an impromptu rest day in Hachinohe, I had the most wonderfully nostalgic time with my couch surfing English buddy Joe. Hachinohe is not a particularly large city, though it does have a bit to offer in terms of things to do and places to see. Though Joe had a bit of a knee injury to contend with, and work the next morning, we decided to venture out to some street-side bars and see where the night would take us. Probably not for Joe, but for me the night was headed straight for good old fashioned American and Japanese nostalgia.
I should first explain that one of the few things that I truly miss from America (aside from friends and family, of course) is cheese. Japan has some cheeses, though it is usually something less flavorful like mozzarella or processed beyond the category of cheese. Furthermore, any other cheeses are just too expensive to be an option. This is where cheese senbei comes in. Traditionally, I believe senbei referred only to a rice cracker of some sort. In modern times, though, almost anything that is relatively flat and about the size of a sand dollar can be called senbei, whether it's fish, seaweed, candy, bone (yes, bone) and others. That night I was able to partake in the joys of a cheese senbei. Basically, this senbei was just some fried cheese with more cheese melted on top of it. A heart stopping dish, both medically and emotionally.
I must say, though, that I am a bit happy to be done with Honshu. Much of my trip was punctuated by small victories/accomplishments that made the distance easier to contemplate, but from Himeji all the way to Aomori, it was just a monstrous 950 mile trek! Oh, and the roads were narrow and rainy. But everything else was amazing. I am not sure if touring by bicycle just adds an extra spice to everything you do and everyone you meet, but it seems like the nicest people on the planet, Japanese and foreigner alike, live in Japan.
While taking an impromptu rest day in Hachinohe, I had the most wonderfully nostalgic time with my couch surfing English buddy Joe. Hachinohe is not a particularly large city, though it does have a bit to offer in terms of things to do and places to see. Though Joe had a bit of a knee injury to contend with, and work the next morning, we decided to venture out to some street-side bars and see where the night would take us. Probably not for Joe, but for me the night was headed straight for good old fashioned American and Japanese nostalgia.
I should first explain that one of the few things that I truly miss from America (aside from friends and family, of course) is cheese. Japan has some cheeses, though it is usually something less flavorful like mozzarella or processed beyond the category of cheese. Furthermore, any other cheeses are just too expensive to be an option. This is where cheese senbei comes in. Traditionally, I believe senbei referred only to a rice cracker of some sort. In modern times, though, almost anything that is relatively flat and about the size of a sand dollar can be called senbei, whether it's fish, seaweed, candy, bone (yes, bone) and others. That night I was able to partake in the joys of a cheese senbei. Basically, this senbei was just some fried cheese with more cheese melted on top of it. A heart stopping dish, both medically and emotionally.
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| It was too dark for a good picture, so imagine this with even more cheese! |
After that nice delicacy, we walked out in search of a nice outdoor pub. We walked along a street that was literally lined with small lean-to shacks that housed tiny kitchens and could seat about 8 people each, which had a wonderfully summery feel to it. The place we finally settled on had a man from Miyazaki prefecture (southern Japan) that we were able to talk to. After I told him that I had come from an area near Miyazaki and that I very dearly missed Shochu (basically rice vodka), he insisted that we drink some together. I am not sure if I actually missed Shochu, but since 6 of the 8 months I have been here have included drinking Shochu exclusively, you eventually build up a taste for it. For the record, and those that know me well know this, I truly hardly ever drank in America...but if you plan to come to Japan and make friends with Japanese businessmen, well let me assure you that your main source of hydration will usually have some hard liquor in it.
At any rate, it was an absolutely wonderful night, and a further testament to the wonders of couch surfing and the kindness of Englishmen.
I have finally been able to make a Google map that doesn't look awful, though it is not yet annotated with my nightly stays, but I will do that when I get the time. At the very least, it is a true representation of almost the exact route that I have taken, as well as the exact route that I have left. So I start the countdown to Cape Soya right here and right now! T-minus 9 days until I have successfully ridden across this crazy, interesting country! Estimated date of completion: Friday, September 16th
View Japan Travels in a larger map
View Japan Travels in a larger map
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Wrap it Up like a Present!
Hello, everyone! It has indeed been a VERY long time since my last post and quite a bit has happened since Sept. 12. However, I wont spend too much time apologizing for my absence...as there is nothing I can do about it now. Except, of course, try my damnedest to finish with a little style.
Looking back across the past few months, I cant tell you how many things I would do just a bit differently if I had the opportunity. At the same time, I wouldn't really change a single thing, because if I had gone through this whole adventure and done everything perfectly, then it wouldn't have been much of an adventure! At the outset of my blog, I had these wild hopes that I could take a few days worth of travel and condense them into a sort of illustrative, thoughtful blog post that would encapsulate the true feeling of being on the road. I do not think such a feat is impossible. However, attempting to do so while on the road turned out to be impossible (for me). As such, I must confess that a day-by-day chronology is, in fact, the best way to recount a trip like mine.
Therefore, from here on out, the rest of my posts will be daily musings and anecdotes. My goal, after all, was to portray, for anyone reading, the feelings, trials and tribulations of someone embarking on a quest greater than themselves. It follows naturally that if you would like to give someone a daily sense of things, you must provide a daily account of events!
I haven't yet organized my pictures, so I will be doing that today so in my next post you may experience the full grandeur of a day in the life of a bike tourist (embarrassingly the first full day account yet provided!).
Looking back across the past few months, I cant tell you how many things I would do just a bit differently if I had the opportunity. At the same time, I wouldn't really change a single thing, because if I had gone through this whole adventure and done everything perfectly, then it wouldn't have been much of an adventure! At the outset of my blog, I had these wild hopes that I could take a few days worth of travel and condense them into a sort of illustrative, thoughtful blog post that would encapsulate the true feeling of being on the road. I do not think such a feat is impossible. However, attempting to do so while on the road turned out to be impossible (for me). As such, I must confess that a day-by-day chronology is, in fact, the best way to recount a trip like mine.
Therefore, from here on out, the rest of my posts will be daily musings and anecdotes. My goal, after all, was to portray, for anyone reading, the feelings, trials and tribulations of someone embarking on a quest greater than themselves. It follows naturally that if you would like to give someone a daily sense of things, you must provide a daily account of events!
I haven't yet organized my pictures, so I will be doing that today so in my next post you may experience the full grandeur of a day in the life of a bike tourist (embarrassingly the first full day account yet provided!).
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