Lake Toya to Lake Shikotsu
June 18, 2023
Today was our last full ride before tomorrow’s short ride into Sapporo and the process of packing up the bikes and heading home. Today was our last day to stretch our legs over one last 500 meter climb and 78 kilometers of riding. Overall, an easy day but still a bit more work than tomorrow’s run to the finish.
The ride, while pretty, was not really all that distinctive from many of the other rides I have done so far. We did begin with a nice ride along Lake Toya with a view of Mount Yotei, a still active volcano, in the distance. No worries about eruptions. The last time Mount Yotei spoke its piece was around 1500 BC. Since then it has decided to keep its mouth shut.
Supposedly we are in bear country but you can not prove it through my experience. I have seen signs such as the one advertising that bears are not to be trifled with as well as one that seems to indicate that they do not appreciate tires being tossed on them.
Our last on route destination is at a resort on Lake Shikotsu, which appears to be popular with Japanese tourists. Our hotel is Japanese traditional, which means no showers in the room and bed rolls on the floor. They also seem to use some bean bag type filling for their pillows. The rooms are set up for living during the day and magically transform themselves in to sleeping spaces while we eat dinner. This has happened every time we have had this style of hotel room and I suspect house elves are involved.
Lake Shikotsu is a cold water, spring fed lake with a view of two active volcanoes, Mount Eniwa and Mount Tarumae. Mount Eniwa last erupted around 1700 (AD) while Mount Tarumae has a more active past with a 1982 eruption. Mount Tarumae is classed as an ‘A’ rank volcano and was voted, Most Likely to Erupt in the Near Future by the Japan Council Of Active Volcanoes. From a distance it seems pretty peaceful and I decided to not bother it as it appears to be sleeping.
