(The following entry is from my paper diary, hence the quotation marks. Comments may follow at the end. These are written after the completion of the trip.)
Day 18: Monday, August 2, 2010. Tsuruoka YH to Shibata
" Left YH at about 5:30. Continued south on Rte. 7 along the coast. When I reached Gatsugi, I took the coastal road which had much less traffic, especially trucks, than Rte. 7. It's Rte. 345. I made a number of short stops for pictures.
The air wasn't hot yet and there was no head wind. Almost ideal bicycling conditions. I stopped at a salt-maker/coffee shop for a picture when a shellfish hunter asked me the usual questions. He was friendly enough. When I reached the michi-no-eki at Kuwagawa I bought a broad-brimmed hat to replace the 'gay cap' which just wouldn't stay on my head. It was a good choice because near Kashio village I took a side road that was only a little bit inland and it seemed much hotter.
I rode into Murakami around 12:15 looking for a place to eat lunch, but didn't see anything promising. Shortly after, I was back on Rte. 7 with its traffic. I stayed on the sidewalk whenever possible. Lunch was a rather large mabo-ramen at a michi-no-eki. I drank quite a bit of ice water, too.
I stopped at a 7-11 across from Kanazutsu Station for a break and set out again only to find my rear tire was flat not 100 m from the 7-11! Again, when I tried to remove the tube, the valve broke off. Luck was with me one last time because I had 1 spare tube remaining. Understand that this operation was accompanied by some shouting on my part. With no spare tubes left I decided to return to the 7-11 and ask if there were any bike shops between there and Shibata. Again, in a demonstration of goodwill,
Mr. Kano, perhaps the swing manager, found a bike shop for me and telephoned. I thanked him, even shaking his hand with the one I had just changed the tire with, and biked to the jitenshayasan. There was an old woman there who told me she didn't have the type of tube I was looking for. I rolled on along a local street through the village of Karazuka. Snapped a picture of a house built to resemble a castle keep!
The ride back on Rte. 7 was unrewarding scenerywise but it was the shortest way to Shibata which, the 7-11 clerk said, had lots of hotels. I considered the YH north of Shibata but dismissed it as unlikely to have a bike shop.
I passed a shop after entering Shibata, but the old man there couldn't help. I followed his directions to another bike shop, but quit after realizing I'd be getting farther from the station. I stopped at the ekimae koban, but the cop was 'on patrol'. As it was after 5, I decided to try the Dai-ichi Hotel in front of the station. What a sight I have must been coming into the lobby. However, they confirmed that there was a room available for 5,800 yen. I considered that a decent enough price. Again, I asked a clerk about bike shops and he found one that might have French tubes. He was very helpful. However, I decided by that time to stay a second night in order to go into Niigata City to find tubes. I asked Akemi to scout for me on the Internet.
Next I went out to find dinner. It's funny, but I was warned about the loose bungy cord earlier by another biker. Just after I gave up going any farther out on Shibata's rather long shotengai, the bicycle suddenly slowed. The bungy cord had indeed fallen and wrapped itself around the gears of the rear wheel! I walked it back to a koban, went inside and asked if they had a knife to cut a bungy cord. The three youngish cops, 2 men and 1 woman, eventually understood the problem and helped me remove much of the bungy cord with a bolt-cutter. However, pieces were so tightly wedged that I'd have to take it to a bike shop. The police were able to give me directions to one just a few minutes away on the main street. So ended the day. I would indeed have to remain in Shibata another day and hope the repairs wouldn't be too complex.
I almost was able to make my first blog entry that evening. Called Akemi and the kids.
Total distance: 120 km"
A more detailed time line:
5:30 a.m., left Tsuruoka YH
6:15, in Iragawa area on Rte. 7
6:35, arrived in Atsumi Hot Spring on Rte. 7
7:55, on Rte. 7 about 2 km north of Fuya Station
8:35, arrived in Gatsugi on Rte. 345 near junction with Rte. 7
9:00, near Kangawa Station on Rte. 345
10:45, at Sasagawa michi-no-eki
12:00 p.m., arrived Murakami on Rte. 345
1:25, lunch at michi-no-eki on Rte. 7 about 1.5 km south of Iwafunemachi Station
3:10, at 7-11 on Rte. 7 across from Kanazuka Station
about 5:00, arrived at Shibata Station
Additional photos:
Taken between Tsuruoka and Gatsugi:
Taken between Gatsugi and Kuwagawa:
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