SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th, 2006
REBUN ISLAND
42.2km 2h:47m
Ahh the long awaited 'easy' island days are here finally. I slept in a bit and cooked up a mean egg sandwich and sipped coffee while reading after. By around 1030am I was packed up having decided to give the islands other campsite a try. While giving my trailer pins and QR's another once-over, I could feel I had a pinch in my sock, or a bunched up part. Might as well fix it now before I get pedalling, I take my bike shoe off and realize my sock is fine, just as a huge beetle (looked like Mushiking!) parachutes out of my shoe and scurries off. Wonder how long he'd have lasted if I'd left him under my big toe.
I'm realizing that I'm far more used to bugs after a week of camping. I have managed to NOT kill a single one so far. No I'm not turning into a devout Buddhist, but this is their territory. I'm sleeping in the grass/dirt, which is their home. Even if they get in my tent, I just get them back outside. So far Im being tolerant, we'll see how long that lasts. Crows on the other hand, they're like rats with wings. It doesn't help that kids throw scraps of food for them, and they have been stalking me down at each camp. I barely left my dinner tonight to wash something and one was swooping in already. That said, I give crows full credit as they're definitely at least twice as smart as most Granum folk.
I biked to the northern tip of Rebun, the tourist sight called Cape Scoton. It's a main sight for any bus tourists on the island, complete with the group photo bleachers and 5 minute photo stop. Back along the main road, I decided to head across to Nishi Ue Domari. It was a grunt of a climb, then a swift down to a small fishing village. The lookout from above was beautiful (see picture above). Once back on the main road I stuck to the coastline heading back south towards the ferry (and tonight's camp). I took some side roads through old seemingly deserted towns, but just when you'd think a house was abandoned, someone would walk past the window or come out of the front door. I saw old men and ladies laying out todays kelp on the rocks to dry. I loved making eye contact with a few of those old guys, because just for that one second they're looking into your life and trying to figure out what you're about and what you're doing, and at the same time I'm thinking the same thing.
I arrived at the campsite by 3 and set up right away. This camp has the wooden platforms which gives a better shot at a level sleep, but the downfall is you can lose things in between the 2x4's, which Im prone to do. Sure enough, just as I was lifting my biking shoes to move them out of the way, they caught on that pain in the ass PIN from my trailer (the all important one that I can not lose). I heard it catch and go up in the air, but couldn't see it. Then listened to it rattle between to boards and fall to the ground, with no idea exactly where at. I crawled under the foot and a half crawl space trying to find it to no avail. I had to give up after the worms and spiders crawling around with me were getting edgy.
The spot was perfect, leaning back with a great meal of potatoes and pasta, and sipping a tall Asahi.
Tugboat working hard at the NE coast of Rebun.
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