THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st, 2006
RISHIRI to WAKKANAI to CAPE SOYA back to WAKKANAI to HWY 106 RESTSTOP
94.2km 5h:18m riding time
Ever slept with a strobe light above you? I did last night. The coin laundry shelter, while being a haven from the wind and rain, also has a motion sensor controlled flourescent light system. If I layed as still as possible, then had to scratch my head, BOOM the light would come on. I was scared to turn over. In other news, the typhoon that has thrown up season high waves here actually took an abrupt and unexpected hard right turn over Hokkaido before hitting us here. It went over Asahikawa and on into the ocean.
Since we were packed up fully last night, the getaway was a breeze today. I was riding by 645am and the 15k to the terminal was actually a perfect wake up. On the ferry Yuki and I started to talk routes and look at the maps, but the sea had other ideas, rocking the ferry back and forth. For a guy who never saw the ocean until I won a free trip to Mexico when I was 22, the ocean still wigs me out fairly regularly. It must be the fear of the unknown, and especially the power the ocean wields. We slept on the floor for part of the 1h40m ferry trip, then said goodbyes from the dock. He had to go get a new rear tire put on his motorbike, the one he has has no rubber, no wire, no tread at all in some places, and he has duct taped a loop of tape around the tire to make it last a bit more.
I was full of optimism, and took off towards Cape Soya, Japans northernmost point. It was about 31kms to get there, and felt pretty smooth, a bit of a tailwind but lots of sun too. At Soya there werent many tourists either, since the wind had picked up considerably and was close to Fort Macleods "rip the car doors off" type of wind. I took a few pictures (like the one above) and turned right around, unable to even open my bag for a snack. The return to Wakkanai was.... easily the lowest point of the trip. The wind sapped everything from me. It was unrelenting, it was giving me a facial for 2 and a half hours steady. I could go perhaps 10km/h for long stretches, thats like a slow jog! I cursed, I stopped and dropped my head to my handlebar to contemplate why, and then Id look up the coastline and see how far it was to go still, and drop my head back down deflated. Im not exagerrating here, it was hell. I wished I had not chosen an out and back route today on a bike tour. I wished I was anywhere but here, stuck in a headwind, going towards a city (Wakkanai) that I don't care for whatsoever (from here on in it will be called ShitHole). The wind reminded me of growing up, of all the hats I lost to the wind in AB, and of the fact that wind is a big reason why I moved out of soutehrn AB. It saps your energy, no saps isnt the right word, it drains, it STEALS your energy. A hill, I can handle. A hill is a challenge, and at some point in your trip or your life, you can reap the benefits of that hillclimb by enjoying the downhill. A hillclimb is a metaphor for life. Then what is wind? I arrived at my beacon of hope, the Seicomart on the outskirts of Wakkanai and walked in broken down. I had snotsicles frozen all over my face and my cheeks were caked in salt from my sweat that insta-dried.
Re-nourished and re-charged, I decided I didn't want to climb that big hill up to ShinrinKoen (day 4 camp), because Id feel like I did nothing today but come across on the ferry. After a quick supply run I searched out route 106. When I crested a hill and saw ahead the islands of Rishiri and Rebun, and the ocean, I was stoked. From here, I knew there were no campgrounds within reach, and also that Id be pedalling a solid 100k and 10 hrs today, but I was so happy to be back on the coastline heading home. Route 106 is unreal, so beautiful. At 5pm I hit upon a rest stop with a sign pointing inland 9k to a campground. But my gas tank was empty, I knew I was roughing it in a parking lot again tonight, right here. Watched the sunset between Rishiri and Rebun (see pic below) and then talked with a 52 yr old Japanese guy from Sapporo. He showed me his entire cell phone photo collection. Weird? Yes. I don't mind talking with someone after pedalling so long alone. We chatted about photos and bikes for a good 45 minutes, then he said, "do you like sausage?". This may be a gay bar pickup line, I dont know, but then he pulled out a couple of freeze wrapped sausages (salami) and gave me some baby cheese to eat them with. I think he just wanted to talk to someone too, and to contribute somehow.
I set up my tent on the roof, a terraced deck. The wind had other ideas though and I had to set up next to a vending machine on the ground. Starving after the long brutal day, I curled up in a stairwell and fired up my stove to cook some curry and rice which took all of 30 seconds for me to inhale. Just exhausted...
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