SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th, 2006
WAKKANAI to REBUN
38km 3h:44m
The morning dew was everywhere, soaking the tent and the picnic table down. I skipped breakfast today and just boiled up some water to drip through my coffee filter while I packed up. It was only 5k to the ferry terminal down that steep hill I climbed on empty last night. The ferry from Wakkanai to Rebun was fairly pricey (3410yen) when compared to the $10 it costs to roll from Vancouver to Van Island by bike. It was a pretty uneventful ride, except for my happiness at getting out of Wakkanai and already at Rebun by Day 5. An older lady asked me, "Can I talk?", when I had maps strewn about and iPod half in. I obliged but all she really did was mispronounce Saskatchewan over and over.
The ferry reminded me of my first ferry going to Victoria in 2001, and again in 2002 with Ood and Jerry while they got tanked and spilt chips all over my car, good times. That road trip was awesome, for one reason, because Chang ate MacPoulet with me and I caught it on film. The last time I was on Van Island was last October for a quick trip to Nanaimo after a few days in Vancouver and Whistler, another great trip that was.
When we docked up I took the south road first to the point where it ends (see picture above). You can tell that this area certainly hasn't been caught up in tourism like other parts of the island. The road is one lane, narrow, running along the ocean, with old wooden houses lining the way. From the end I rode up to the small village and into the Seicomart. It may seem like I always go to Seico, because I do. Convenience stores in Japan are unreal. You can get fresh meals (bentos), sushi, onigiri (rice balls), groceries, the usual junk food, plus booze (which you can get individually in as many as you want), and not expensive either. I recalled being stuck out last night at Wakkanai with no drinks/food so I stocked up on four tallcans and some food this time. The coastal rode heading north is beautiful and so quiet. I noticed the absence of the truck tires humming by me right away, a stark difference to yesterdays jaunt. The towns seem nearly deserted and half the buildings are shuttered up. It took some time and a few wrong turns, but I found Kushu Lake Campground. It was nice to set up before 1pm for once and dry everything else. The camp manager insisted I take a cling wrapped fish as a 'service' after I checked in...I tried to refuse but when he found out I had salt and a frying pan, he insisted. It ended up being pawned off on another camper later on.
Remember the Muppet Show? Now think of those two old guys that heckled the entire show from the top balcony. Their names were Statler and Waldorf in case you're racking your brain trying to remember. I found their Japanese counterparts today. These two roll in with huge tripods and cameras to take a fun shot of the lake signboard with them in it. One of them hung upside down on top of it arms outstretched, I don't know how he didn't slip a disk as he's in his 60's. I started talking with them and it turned into about a full hour long conversation in Japanese about my bike, trailer, their fishing, their photos. They loved the fact that I quit my job so that I could bike tour around for a while. A little while later while I was frying my corn on the cob and sipping a Heine, I was called over to their mini truck. They had converted a mini K truck box into a full kitchen suite with cupboards etc, but barely enough room for one to sit cross legged inside of it and cook away. Their second vehicle was a van in which they'd sleep and carry gear. They're from Kyoto on a road trip. Anyways, Statler gave me a huge grilled Salmon! Anyone who knows me, knows I ate my first ever fish when I was 24 yrs old (5 yrs ago), a victim of growing up on the prairies I guess. Now I dont mind the odd fish, and after boiling up KD and curry the past week I was primed for a feast on the salmon, it didn't disappoint.
Yet again, I was in bed by 7pm when I heard rumours there was going to be super heavy rains coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment