Gorgeous day riding country roads. Got pulled over by a cop. Had some amazing soba.
NOTE: Dearest reader, if you have been following my blog, I am ashamed to say that I stopped posting sometime in 2018 because I got lazy. It is now 2025 (:shock:) and I am FINALLY recording everything down again. My details and memory will be a bit fuzzy but I will do my best!
Overview
CYCLE
| DISTANCE | 54mi |
| ELEVATION | 2900ft |
| START | Asahikawa |
| END | Lake Shumarinai |
| TRAVEL TIME | 8hrs |
Schedule
| 09:00AM | start riding |
| 01:00 PM | soba for lunch in Horokonai |
| 03:00 PM | arrive at Farm Tomita in Nakafurano |
| 05:00 PM | arrive at campsite |
Logistics
FOOD
We had some amazing soba noodles at a small town along the way. We were expecting a grocery store at the town before the campsite so we could cook dinner but it was empty when we got there. We awkwardly walked into a hotel at the Lake and the woman in there agreed to make us some curry!
LODGING
Stayed at the campsite at Lake Shumarinai.
ROUTE
Original plan was 80mi to the coast but I was too tired so we cut it in half and cycled 50mi to the lake. Gorgeous country roads with few cars.
Travel Log
This trip had been pretty exhausting for me personally due to the wind and rain we had been having. The original plan was 80mi to the coast today but I was able to negotiate James and Robert into splitting that into two days. So we instead went to Lake Shumarinai that is 50mi away.
On the way, we hit another gravel patch and tried to take it. But after going uphill for what felt like forever, it ended up being closed so we had to go back down to the main road. Ended up being a sunny and gorgeous day on country roads.
At one point we were cycling farm roads and we could see the roads spread out in every direction. No cars in sight. So of course we rolled a stop sign. And like out of a cartoon we get pulled over by a cop! At first he was really stern and angry, but once he realized we were stupid tourists, he softened up and forgave us. We were given a warning, but he was actually quite nice and gave us some directions and bid us a safe journey.
Meet New Zealand couple Steve and Jeanette. We would later meet them again at the campsite and talk with them for a bit.
For lunch we stopped in a small town and had some soba. It was a popular stop for motorcyclists and cyclists and the owner asked if we could draw a picture for his wall.
After another 25mi, we were supposed to hit a grocery store however the town was empty. We hoped there would be food by the lake since there was a hotel there. Once we got there, we walked in and asked the woman running it if we could get some dinner. It seemed like she was closing but I think she took pity on us and agreed to make us some curry. And said we could shower there for 1650yen. Amazing.
