TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2006
SAPPORO to ATSUTA - 51km 2h58m
I finally pulled away from the house by about 1130am, the trailer feeling awfully loaded, and the bag within it was crammed as tight as possible. A great feeling to be heading out on the road, north to a place I've wanted to see and explore ever since I landed in Hokkaido 2 1/2 yrs ago.
Getting out of Sapporo with full gear loading me down, that was a challenge to start with. I rode the 12 up to route 5 where I turned north. It eventually turns into route 231 which goes up along the coastline. Rather than dodge school kids and grannies on the sidewalk I stayed mostly in the mini bike lane, but its usually crammed with cars or taxis. At one point I could see a bus pass me, start to pull in to the left to pick a person up, meaning I wouldve been cut off harshly and had to somehow bunnyhop up on the curb. He showed shocking courtesy though by actually stopping IN the driving lane and letting the people walk the extra 4 feet. I was sure to give him a small bow and a wave after.
Once I got up to Ishikari and had a view of the ocean, my odo was reading about 25k's. It was a weird feeling, having no idea whatsoever of where I'd be sleeping that night. I got to a small town called Atsuta and inquired about the campsite, only it was closed for the season. An old guy on a bike told me I could pretty well set up anywhere and suggested the sunset viewpoint lookout. I took his advice and relaxed back while the Kraft Dinner simmered, Day 1 reward.
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