Good morning from the sea in Akita.
So, as usual, we left the inn at 8:00 a.m., which is not early at all for a touring rider, but we rode from Sakata to Akita along the coast.
About 100 meters before this photo point, there is the entrance to the Chokai Blue Line. You can run up to an altitude of 1,000 meters from the sea.
My greatest enjoyment in touring is lazily driving along scenic roads.
At the beach, we took a break from the heat with a nice breeze, but as we climbed higher, the heat left and the air was cool and refreshing.
As it was a three-day weekend with good weather, there were a few cars, but not enough to cause a traffic jam. The view was spectacular in no time.
No, this is a nice road. Now I want to drive it from the other side.
Cool off at a waterfall in the Motodaki underground stream
After cooling off with the mountain air, let's cool off with the water.
This waterfall does not have a river on top of it, but rather "water seeped into Mt. Chokai over a long period of time, and 50,000 tons of it gushes out of the 30-meter-wide rock face every day.
The road from the parking lot is well maintained, and there is a clear stream flowing beside the road, so you can take a nice walk to relax your body hardened by riding form, and this is also a recommended touring point.
Soft ice cream at Tazawako
After cooling off in the mountains and waterfalls, we'll invade Iwate... But the lower the altitude, the hotter it gets... We had a motsu-ni (stewed pork cutlet) lunch at a roadside station on the way, and built up our stamina.....
We drove through the open landscape. But Tohoku is a big place. The plains are wide open and the wind is blowing, so as long as you are running, you can forget about the heat.
As we trotted along, we arrived at Lake Tazawa, which is said to be the deepest lake in Japan. There were many people bathing by the lake. So, people in this area swim in the lake, not the ocean.
The path around the lake is well maintained, so we took a break for soft ice cream as usual while enjoying the cool breeze coming from the lake.
Melon flavor with Kawasaki color..
Encountering thick fog on the Hachimantai Aspite Line
Next up was the second scenic road of the day. Hachimantai Aspite Line.
The first ascent from the Akita side is a little rough, but we gain altitude comfortably while enjoying the forest. The top of Hachimantai is rumored to be spectacular, so we enjoy the ride.... He's acting a little strange... (davista-style)
If that's true, the view from here must be amazing....
So, I can't see anything because of the fog.
This is the border between Akita and Iwate prefectures, and it was very foggy. And there was a strong wind... It was a little scary to drive.
But we couldn't just stay here. We went down a little while burning the hazard and found .... As with the ascent, the fog was only near the summit, and visibility was quickly restored.
A bad night: Day 2
I was so relieved to get off the mountain that I took the expressway to the inn to avoid repeating yesterday's mistake of not being able to eat local food because I arrived too late at the hotel.
We arrived at the inn while there was still daylight. Our room at the business hotel, which looked like a merchant's inn, was a Japanese-style room.
I thought I'd like to eat meat today, so I searched for a barbecue restaurant or steakhouse near the inn, but .... There are no good restaurants....orz
I finally find one restaurant that looks good, but... It was the middle day of a three-day weekend, so it was fully booked.....Yeah, I ate at a convenience store again today and fell asleep in my hotel room....
Today's mileage was just under 400km. We finished the second day with a lot of fun for the distance.
So, as usual, we left the inn at 8:00 a.m., which is not early at all for a touring rider, but we rode from Sakata to Akita along the coast.
No, this is a nice road. Now I want to drive it from the other side.
We drove through the open landscape. But Tohoku is a big place. The plains are wide open and the wind is blowing, so as long as you are running, you can forget about the heat.
As we trotted along, we arrived at Lake Tazawa, which is said to be the deepest lake in Japan. There were many people bathing by the lake. So, people in this area swim in the lake, not the ocean.
The path around the lake is well maintained, so we took a break for soft ice cream as usual while enjoying the cool breeze coming from the lake.
Melon flavor with Kawasaki color..
The first ascent from the Akita side is a little rough, but we gain altitude comfortably while enjoying the forest. The top of Hachimantai is rumored to be spectacular, so we enjoy the ride....
This is the border between Akita and Iwate prefectures, and it was very foggy. And there was a strong wind... It was a little scary to drive.
But we couldn't just stay here. We went down a little while burning the hazard and found .... As with the ascent, the fog was only near the summit, and visibility was quickly restored.
We arrived at the inn while there was still daylight. Our room at the business hotel, which looked like a merchant's inn, was a Japanese-style room.
I thought I'd like to eat meat today, so I searched for a barbecue restaurant or steakhouse near the inn, but .... There are no good restaurants....orz