Kazuno to Aomori
June 12, 2023
It looked to be a ride like all the other rides at first. I was wrong. While it started in an ordinary way with a ride on a somewhat busy road out of town and through the inevitable rice plantations, thing began to change after the first climb. On the down side we began to encounter tour busses that seemed to stop at exactly the spot that we planned to, However, at the bottom of the mountain at Lake Towada we came upon a coffee shop known for their apple pie. If there ever were something that could stop a cyclist on a downhill glide it is fresh apple pie. We stopped, we ate and it was delicious!
We turned from Lake Towada to follow the Oriase River Gorge downhill for about ten kilometers. The gorge is fantastically beautiful with dozens of fairy like waterfalls feeding the clear mountain stream that flows from the lake. It is a popular tourism destination and appears to be on the ‘must stop and see’ list of every tour bus in Japan. During my passage through the gorge I counted 16 parked busses and another eight busses coming into the gorge from the direction ahead of me. While there were people everywhere, hiking, taking pictures and at least one plein-air artist capturing a scene, I was able to take my time, stop where I wanted and enjoy what natural Japan had to show me.
With the waterfalls and rapids behind me, I turned and began a trek uphill for over 700 meters into the mountains. It was a long climb and I rose quickly into the low clouds, heavy with moisture. Surrounded by white mist I pushed my way upwards feeling the pressure in my ears build and pop from time to time. The fog that surrounded me gave everything a surreal, Twilight Zone quality that was both mysterious and beautiful. Eventually, the pedaling became easier and I could see I was headed downhill for a long and fast glide through switchbacks and hairpins that were both fun and more exciting than the best roller coaster. As the grade lessened and my speed slowed, I found myself in an open valley with low vegetation and a surprising display of wild flowers. The mist was slowly lifting and my downhill speed increased until I was once again flying at highway traffic speed the remaining downhill grade with the wind whipping at my face and a smile on my lip as well as a shouted, “Ya-Hoo!” as I hit sixty kilometers per hour.
