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Letter 54
Friday 04.10.13 97,35 km
I leave at 8.10am. I should have changed the front brake shoes yesterday, but
something came up. It'll have to wait till later in the day. Time runs quickly
in these hostels, where there's always people to talk to.
After 14 km things are coming clear. The road follows a river, so it will
hopefully be a staedy climb?
The japanese knows how to make things comfortable
The climbs are somewhat irregular in the beginning, but now, where I've gone a
little more than 25 km I've come to a serious one. It started being 14 degr.,
and has now raised to 17 degr. A thin sun - no wind. Perfect. The altimeter says
1050 m, so something is happening.
I get to the tunnel before I expect to. This tunnel that should be toll road
according to Google Earth. But it's not and I don't see anything about bicycling
prohibited, so I go through the 2430 m without problems.
Then it's time for a banana - no two! The altimeter is now at 1370 m, so I
avoided the last 300 m.
On the way down to the "midway-valley"
Then it goes down to the "midway-valley". Anf there's the explanation, because
not until now the toll road starts and disappears into the mountain. When I
again take a close look at the map, I realize it wasn't just a little
colour that had come off. It was the tunnel I passed through that was
white. As usual it's just me that just see half of it.
Route 158 has to go up across the mountain to "Abo Pass" and it starts at once.
In a short time I'm on a monster incline, where I some places am under 5 km/h.
But I'm already at 1415 m! The road goes in the forrest - and there's no traffic!!!
But I have to admit, that it's steeper than I'd feared. Some few breaks and then
I'm on again. But now the altimeter says 1610 m, so I getting nearer. The
forrest is about to turn yellow here. I stop at some beautiful birches. They
look like some we saw in the "Arboret" in Hørsholm (north of Copenhagen), where
there were a lot of japanese trees.
Then comes a spot with a view. Down at the bottom of this valley, there's a
meadow with a beautiful pattern where the colours brown, yellow and green mingle
and it's surrounded by woods scattered with dark green conifers. It's so nice. A
faint rattling in the leaves and a distant stream - that's all.
The meadow in the valley
And then suddenly I'm on top, I think. Anyway it's the border between Takayama
City and Matsumoto City. The altimeter says 1720 m and I've gone 44,14 km, it
seems to fit. A naked mountain ridge ahead with a little snow at the bottom.
That's the real Alps. There's a small parking lot, where an elderly japanese
couple are having lunch, and I decide I will too. And there are some nice red
coloured trees in my field of view. And to the right some half naked peaks also
rise.
Abo Pass - the border between Takayama and Matsumoto
And the mountain ridge in a closer look
Then it goes down in hairpins. On this side there are a lot of parked cars, it's
apparently fine to go hiking from here. The road is bad so it's with the brakes
on all the way.
Then we meet with the toll road and down it goes through one tunnel after the
other. It's the wildest descent I've ever encountered. It's a little like in an
amusement park. I expect arms with swords to come out of the wall any moment. I
don't have to move my legs, but concentrate on keeping me in the "car" because
it goes down with 40-50 km/h.
After about 10 tunnels - some of them long - the road spilt up and it goes up -
just for short, but my legs die immidiately. They're not easy to get going again.
Then down again through one turning after then other. As long as I go fast the
cars are not that annoying, because I drive in the middle of the road, so they
have to wait overtaking till there're noone on-coming.
When I'm just about to go into another tunnel a monkey jumps across the road.
It's the first time I've seen them in Japan. There are more of its relatives at
the road side, but I go too fast to stop and take pictures. But we all know what
a monkey look like.
Fortunately a Road Sta. turns up, so I can calm down a bit and soon after the
road leave the mountains and the rest of the way, it goes more or less straight,
but it feels like all of Matsumoto have decided to be out in the mountains
today and now are on their way back. And now I can't keep them behind me...
The first hostel, I enquire about is fully booked, but the second has a vacant
bed. At 5.30pm I've been to the supermarket at the station and have found it:
Backjacker Matsuyado. I cannot read the sign, but she said something about a
small gate and that fits.
When I've emtied the Coke I also bought, I'm going to take a shower. There are
no other guests than me just now, but 3 will arrive later. I wasn't until I was
in the station in the T.I. that I felt how tired I was. Couldn't even remember
from which city I started this morning.
I eat Sashimi this evening. It's not that it's something I know, but the
supermarket had none of the usual pre-prepared dishes - only some with fish. I
never saw that before, but you never know... The supermarket in Takayama had no
beers... But next door there was a shop selling alcoholic stuff. Maybe it also
belonged to the supermarket, who knows?
But Sashimi consists of china raddice grated very fine, almost like threads, so
it looks like super thin spaghetti. It doesn't fill your stomach, you feel
you're only eating fish. Three kinds: salmon, the fat tuna and the normal tuna.
I think. It's her that looks after the house now the owner has gone, that tells
me about it and what it's called. I forgot there were also some leaves looking
like lemon balm but tasting a little different.