Day 23. Saturday, August 7, 2010. Lake Nojiri to Shinshimashima Station
What happened to Days 2 - 22? Who is Iida-San? Those questions may be answered if I ever get this iPhone figured out. It's bad enough tapping this out with one finger, but doing so AND then losing it makes for a grand waste of time I might otherwise spend going forward and seeing things.
Left George's cabin above Lake Nojiri at 5:20 after a fast b'fast of juicy, sweet pineapple slices plus cereal and yoghurt. Made it to Route 18 easily enough having memorized the way coming back from dinner with George and family at Trattoria Terla on Rte. 119. Turned left and headed slightly downhill. I'm sure every loaded bicyclist poses the same question: How long will this last until the first upgrade? This morning's answer was 5 minutes. As my legs weren't warmed up yet I coasted to the moderate grade, dismounted and then walked the bike up hill for 5 minutes. An aside about the bike: unlike a certain Welshman who did not cycle "3,000 miles" through Japan a few years ago, I have not named my bicycle though an eavesdropper might think its name is "Pig" as in "Move you ******* pig!" No, for me it's just a machine.
Anyway, after the 5 minutes on foot I was rewarded with a downhill coast of at least 5 km. Beautiful, high mountains in the distance, green valley below me. The beauty of the mountains was enhanced by the fact that I knew I wouldn't have to cross them. At the bottom of the slope I caught up to modern Japan. Route 18, now called the "Apple Line", proceeded straight into Nagano City lined not only by actual apple orchards but also by every sort of modern commercial ugliness that can be imagined. People have to make a living I suppose and besides, we all come to ignore the ugliness surrounding us. Perhaps I'm bitter because the apples weren't ripe enough to steal yet.
I pulled up to Nagano Station at 7:30, found a Starbuck's and attempted a blog entry while sipping a latte. Having sighted a Mac in the station I rode over, ordered the calories of my customary second b'fast and was delighted to discover that power for this iPhone was available that I wouldn't have to surreptitiously tap.
And now it's 9:30. Time for a long draw on the water bottle and to set out on Route 19 over the hills to the valley Matsumoto is found in. Let us hope that Reiko of Stafford is correct in describing the interval as beautiful. If not... well, I've got to cross the hills anyway, don't I.
1:00 pm. 75 kms from Nojiri, maybe 35 km to Matsumoto. Been playing tag with several uni bicycle circle groups since leaving Nagano. Got a photo of one group of 2 guys and 2 girls. Inside the 7-11 at Shinshushinmachi one of the girls, nearly in whispered Japanese, said she had been to Portland, Oregon in high school. When they asked me what country I was from I asked them to guess. Somewhere in Europe they thought. Good guess as we all know Americans are blond and no more than 25 years old.
So far the ride on Route 19 has been pretty easy. Nowhere have I had to walk the bike. The scenery isn't bad either and, as the temperature is 32, the river the road's been following looks pretty inviting. Pity my swimming suit is buried in one of the bags. Looks like I'll have to do without it. "It" is an interesting word, is it not? Time to finish the "tsunami" soba I ordered at this "michi-no-eki".
8:57 pm. Shinshimashima Station, 14 kms from Matsumoto on the Kamikochi Road.
Homeless? Certainly not! Then why am I planning to spend the night on a bench outside the station (Not just any bench mind you, but one which slopes in slightly preventing you from rolling out of "bed" too easily AND with an overhang for protection from the rain!
Let's go back a bit. My plan was to make Matsumoto by 5 or so and check into a business hotel. Then I modified it by pushing on up the Kamikochi road if possible. The next day's plan was to cycle the 47 km to Kamikochi Iriguchi ("entrance" to the Kamikochi valley) and on towards the summit of Abo Pass. I'd heard about a cave onsen ("hot spring") near there.
When I arrived in Matsumoto it was obvious from the crowds and yukatas that there must be a pretty big matsuri ("festival") going on. That was the first thing I asked at tourist information. The girl replied that it was Matsumoto's Bon Odori festival. Given the crowds I saw it must qualify as one of the biggest street dance parties in the country. The bad news was that she said every hotel and minshiku in Matsumoto was fully booked. I asked about any places on the Kamikochi road - thought I'd be able to pop back into the city on the train for the festival and start tomorrow's assault on the Abo Pass with a kind of running start. The girl told me there were 3 minshikus at the end of the local train line from Matsumoto Station, namely Shinshimashima Station. Naturally, when I arrived here after dark at 8, the friendly 7-11 guy stated that there weren't any minshikus here! Hence the bench.
People I met/saw today. One: a neighbor of George's at Lake Nojiri. As I was laboring to push my laden bicycle up a steep gravel road he says "Ah, on a great adventure!" I should have invited him to push the bike while I told him all about it. Second: one of several groups of college kids on summer holiday bicycling tours. The one in question consisted of 2 guys and 2 girls (see above). It seemed more like a punishment tour. The young man who was the leader didn't seem like he was enjoying himself. Well, if the truth be told, neither did Adolf after a while. It appeared that one of the girls might have been game for adventure. Hey, they too were going to Kyoto. Third: a woman, child and a small yipping dog I'd have loved to kick - the dog that is. I was still on Route 19, which, by the way turned out to be an easy ride, I stopped at a 7-11 for a frozen lemonade (brand named "Sacre") when a VW pulled in. The humans got out but the non-human stayed put barking at anyone who came anywhere near the car. So annoying was the dog that an older Japanese man actually started barking back! When they exited the store the woman remained outside to smoke a cigarette in her revealing summer dress. Perhaps she was in dress rehearsal.
Back to the homeless. As a temporary member of the group, I'm torn between wanting to be noticed, i.e. offered a bed by some charitable person, and being invisible, i.e. left alone. Ordinarily, who would want to be ignored? Some people cannot tolerate it even to the point of being deliberately rude to get attention (I have someone in mind..) I suppose we all do something to get attention, but imagine someone for whom attention means being driven away from his intended place of rest for the night. The homeless could have no greater sympathizer than me at the moment.
Now, if that 7-11 2 minutes down the road is still open... Tomorrow into the Alps!
January 16, 2011: The first paragraph was written before I had begun putting my paper diary entries onto this blog hence the reference to the reader's unfamiliarity with Iida-san whom I met at Lake Saroma YH on Day 2. I started publishing, or thought I was publishing, this blog on this the 23rd day of my trip from Cape Soya to Cape Sata.
The reader will notice that my writing style changed from this date. I found writing became much more fun. Perhaps it was the thrill that someone else might actually bother to read what I'd written. Maybe it was due to the predicament I found myself in on the night of August 7th: no decent bed on the night before the beginning of what I knew might be the worst cycling day of the entire trip, namely the tunnel-filled road uphill to the entrance of the Kamikochi valley. Imagine Oliver Hardy looking squarely at Stan Laurel, arms akimbo, saying "This is another fine mess you've gotten us into!" At this point I could only laugh.
A more detailed time line:
5:20 a.m., left Lake Nojiri
7:26, arrived at Starbuck's across from Nagano Station
11:55, arrived at 7-11 in Shinshushinmachi on Rte. 19
3:35 p.m., at 7-11 on Rte. 19, 1.5 km north of Tazawa Station
6:00, at Mosburger in Matsomoto Station
7:20, at convenience store on Rte. 158 at Rte. 48 near Niimura Station
8:05, at 7-11 at Shinshimashima Station on Rte. 158
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