Japan Summer 2024 - Day 21

June 18, 2024

Yufu to Minamiaso 96 Km

Start 6:56 AM Finish 6:02 PM

Total Duration 11:06

Moving Time 6:54

Stopped Time 4:12

Ascent 1,690 m

Descent 1,987 m

Tour Total 2,221 Km

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/191897001

I had gotten lucky last night. The rain had been heavy, and I had managed to stay dry. I got up in the middle of the night to rotate the devices charging at the outlet. It poured all night long.

This morning I was back on Julia's route and could see how they had broken it down. Perhaps it would have been wiser to have not gone around the coast and headed straight to Beppu. I could have spent the night there, and then the next night in Yufin. Yesterday and today were long hauls. It's probably best to not second guess. I was lucky to do the sand bath yesterday morning.

This morning when I departed there was a slight drizzle, and it was forecast to rain for only the next hour. I was wearing my short sleeve-jersey, gilet, bib shorts, and poncho. There was steam coming out of the ground near the lodge. Oita is known as the Onsen prefecture. I pedaled back up the hill to the highway. Once back on route I saw a deer run across the road. Last evening I'd seen a dead fawn being devoured by a large black crow (karasu) out on the road.

After reaching the highway I immediately came to a rest room facility, where I could have slept last night. There were electrical outlets, toilets, and vending machines. That said, it was alongside the highway and hardly private. The overhangs weren't nearly as good as where I had slept, and I felt lucky about where I ended up. I grabbed a Georgia Coffee latte from the vending machine.

I passed, what appeared to be two hedgehogs standing in the middle of the road. They had fled by the time I retrieved my camera. I finally spotted my first Japanese cow. It wasn't a real cow. It was an effigy. There was a nearby stall where I spotted a large white horse and some ponies. It was the first livestock I'd seen in Japan. I then passed two more large cow effigies. I still hadn't seen the real thing.

I spotted a roadside sign for the Yami farm, which advertised food and an onsen. I turned off the highway to investigate. There wasn't a restaurant and the onsen didn't open until 10 am, so I kept going.

The weather was clearing. It was gray all around me, but to the east it was clear and much brighter. These bike tours are like threading a needle. The downpour last night was strong. Thank goodness I found the perfect spot to sleep.

Back out on the highway, I passed stacks of plastic covered hay. The surroundings reminded me of the US midwest. I then passed an activity and glamping facility. I wasn't sure it was open. I removed my poncho and strapped it to my rack. I stopped at a road station that wasn't open yet. I was getting hungry.

I kept climbing and passing various cafés. They hadn't yet opened nor had the resorts or saunas. Motor traffic on the road was light, and it was still misty. The road pavement was wet. I passed another steam vent that had been harnessed. The air smelled like sulfur.

I was working my way up into the clouds. There was a slight mist, but it didn't bother me on the climb. It kept me cool. I was at 4,200 feet and the condensation made it hard to use my screen.

I reached the top of 1330 m. Makiko Pass. There was a huge parking lot with only three cars. The service center seemed to be closed. It was foggy, and the sun was trying to break through.

On the other side of the pass the sun finally broke. I donned my gilet and poncho for the frigid descent. I could see a town below and hoped for food services. I stopped at Farmers restaurant where I enjoyed two helpings of Beef Borscht with bread and salad. I ordered a beer and was asked if I was driving. I replied that I was on a bike. In addition to the beer I had plenty of iced tea, hot tea, and water.

After lunch I continued forward on the route. It was much warmer and sunny and I donned my arm protectors. I passed a corn stand that featured two American flags. I then saw a field with a dozen cattle. I liked Aso. It had an expansive wild west feeling to it. I rode though verdant grass and shrubs. The beautiful rolling hills were surrounded by ginormous mountains. It seemed wild here and one of the first place I'd seen in Japan without agriculture.

I then rode down into the wide valley of Aso which was filled with rice patties and surrounded by mountain ridges. It had become hot and sunny and I removed my gilet and donned by UV arm protectors.

In town, I stopped at the Aso shrine, which has some impressive wooden architecture. I then rode through the sprawl and got on the next route segment which would take me to Kumamoto. I stopped at the Aso road station for a ¥430 self serve soft serve ice cream and then started the climb.

I rode through a densely packed Cedar Forest, and then climbed above the tree line to grass fileds where cattle were grazing. It was sunny, with just a few wispy clouds in the sky. The breeze was cool. There was a penned-in area of horses on the hillside, and a number of motorists had stopped to take photos. I made it up to the top of the mountain and could see the smoking caldera in the distance

I intended to ride all the to the crater, but it was closed because of recent activity. It wasn't my first bike tour volcano, nor my highest. I summited 4200m Volcan Toluca in Mexico, which was also active.

The long switchback descent included a long tunnel. I continued down into a valley filled with agriculture. It was nearing 5pm and I was looking for camping options. There was a nearby campground, but the Shirakawa Spring piqued my interest. I went to a nearby convenient store for some provisions, and then returned to the spring. There was a price of 100 yen to bottle water from the source, and I noticed a nearby shrine. Visitors were photographing themselves scooping and bottling the water. Downstream I found picnic tables and a bathroom where I could charge my devices. The plan was to camp here beneath towering cedar trees next to the gurgle of the Shirakawa River. In addition to the mosquitoes, there were lighting bugs.