Must have been cooler overnight, as first night in the sleeping bags (by now they’d come out of their bags and I tended to use mine as a duvet only). But soon another hot and humid day…
Another camp visitor at breakfast time. Well, we were the visitors – this one probably a local.
Out of Nukabira to spend the day getting deeper into Daisetsuzan National Park. First riding around Lake Nukabira reasonably flat and surrounded by lush forest. Rail remnants on both sides of the lake, old bridges the most visible. We’d heard all about the famed Phantom Bridge – a large viaduct on the other side of the lake that can only been seen when the lake is really low, usually later in the winter and early spring before the snow melt. But climate being what it is and the summer being really hot and dry…
We soon spotted it from afar.
Rachel towering over me as I muck around taking photos.
Further down the highway, we found a small walking path into the woods for a better view of the bridge. Crossing the former rail bed, it wasn’t far to the lake edge (well, what is normally the edge of the lake).
Looks a prime candidate for a rail trail.
Very tempting to ride along it, but previous experience reminds us that it might be blocked or a bridge out quite soon. Alas.
Back to the highway to find we may have entered a Mad Max world. What is this?!
Many deer around happy doing their thing next to passing cars and cyclists.
Oh, it’s a mower; even we could pass this.
Except one poor young deer got a little close to the traffic; Rachel showing her veterinary side and helping it off the road – little else to be done for it unfortunately.
Leaving the lake behind, an hour’s pleasant, forested, gradual climbing along the valley floor took us to the foot of the climb to Mizuyna Pass – the highest paved road in Hokkaido. Beautiful climbing and views back over the wild caldera. The civil engineering was striking too as we rode over some large viaducts to get to the top. Well, top of the road – of course there was a tunnel to avoid the last bit of the terrain.
Rachel’s photo.
But before the tunnel, a bonus – an unexpected, and open, cafe!
Very cute outside and in.
Coffee art was also top-notch, I’m told.
Also our introduction to cheese-on-doorstep-toast.
Recommended for hungry cyclists, or in general. I’m still disappointed I didn’t find a similarly excellent jug to buy and bring home.
To the tunnel! Relatively short, but cut out over a hundred metres more climbing.
Thirty kilometres mostly descending flew by.
Spotted a lot of these fake-trees – we assumed for avalanche control.
Flattening out a bit.
Water levels definitely low.
Rolling into the small alpine village of Sounkyo – only a few steep streets and some big empty waterways, we certainly wouldn’t be seeing any flash floods.
Jian, who we’d met a few days ago, told us of a hostel that offered half-price for long distance cyclists – couldn’t turn that down with the weather that was around. Having checked in and had lunch, we rushed off to the ropeway (cable car) to ascend out of the gorge to hike around a little in the cloud.
Typical flood control weir, barrier that we saw all over the country.
After the long cable car, a short walk to a long chairlift – starting to cool down exposed up here.
Village visible just, route of the chairlift obvious.
Suddenly up in the sub-alpine.
And with a bit of walking on the rocky trail, into the alpine.
The cloud kept blowing through, so at times we got a bit of a view of the plateau and then volcanic peaks and craters.
Heading for those buildings, a small lodge and even smaller store (!).
A good little base for further exploring; but we only had a few hours – so return to Sounkyo we must.
From the roof of the ropeway top station.
Most of Sounkyo village.
Jian recommended a ramen restaurant for dinner.
That was an excellent day with the varied riding, lifts and hiking taking us to great places.
Morning visitor; better outside the tent, as with all other creatures.
This stretch first up another highlight of the Japan riding, following a creek down to a sealed road by which time it had become more of a river.
Used to sunflowers being tall…
But rawan buki was a new one. A large field, with a pleasant path through it, of these single stem plants with a broad leaf on top towered over us.
Roadside cheer squad?
Still finding some nice gravel.
Starting to see some old rail infrastructure.
More campground companions, about eight centimetres long.
Farewell to the Ezo Rider house, a great spot a day off the bike. (Learnt much later that Ezo is an old word for Hokkaido.)
That’s a different way of loading logs on a truck, don’t think I’d ever see the like in NZ
Occasional peaks of mountains off in the distance. The closest one being Mt Oakan, the volcano which formed the caldera lake Akan.
Another abandoned building, just past the road summit – an old roadhouse, or visitor centre? Nice to stop for a bit.
Long galleria to break up the arboreal view.
Sneak peak of Mt Io and Lake Kussharo, showing further signs of volcanic activity.
New friends in the toilet block – which is not where one really wants to meet new friends.
Start of the trail to Mounts Mashu and Nijibetsu – no hiking for us today though.
I was surprised to see a sibling of my gravel bike (RLT9) – the bike I planned to ride around Japan, until I decided to go Mongolia too. It belonged to Jen (Xian?), a Chinese American who we kept bumping into over the next week.
Jen’s photo.
We very quickly lost those five hundred metres.
Our stuffed bear numbers now thankfully far surpassing our live bear views.
As well as throwback pedallos, this beach had hot water – one could make little pools or just warm feet in the sand.
Easy going road.
Started out a gentle path.
Fascinated by woodpeckers, although most of why is lost in a snapshot.
Still more geothermal activity.
The crowds started to thin as the afternoon approached its end.
Trying to fit in back at the rider house.