Something I always wanted to do was ride across the islands and bridges connecting Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu (Japan's main Island) and Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku (Japan's 4th largest Island). There is a 70km long cycle path clearly marked by a blue line along the road.  This year's Golden Week holiday is not so long. Only a week for me. So it's the perfect chance to stay in Japan and do it, as this time of year is not too hot and not too cold. 

I originally planned to go on April 30th, as it is a normal working day and I thought I could avoid the mad traffic of Golden Week. However, to my dismay the forecast was for rain on this day so I changed plans and decided to ride on April 27th and 28th. I put my futon and bike in my car and as soon as I finished work at 8 pm on Friday I was out the door. What the......!!! Unbelievable!!! Flat car battery and a big thunder lightning storm going over. Not a good start. Call The JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) guy. He comes and works his magic and I'm on the road at 8:30 pm. Driving along with lightning flashing all around me when one goes off directly above me. So bright I was blinded for a second. Looks like it's going to be an interesting night. About 20 minutes into my journey, I go through the tunnel at the top of Yoza Pass and come out into a different world. Big Full moon and clear sky. The rest of the way is under the big bright full moon lighting up the country side for me.
8時に出る予定でしたが車のバテリーが上がっていた。JAFを電話して、雷の中に8時半に出発した。与謝峠を越えて、空が満月で明るかった。トンネルの向こう側と比べて別の世界みたいだった。

冬が戻ってきたみたい。雨が降ったりやんだり、風が強い、９℃です。ゴールデンウイークの一人旅のために体力をウップしたいです。今日のコースは二つの峠を越えるコースです。上宮津→大宮峠→野田川、石川→地蔵峠→宮津、滝場

It's as if winter has returned. Raining on and off, windy and 9℃. I want to increase my stamina for Golden Week solo trip. Today's course goes over to mountain passes. Kamimiyazu→Omiya Pass→Ishikawa, Nodagawa→Jizo Pass→Takiba, Miyazu.

I was really happy with the Maxxis Advantage Kevlar 60a Mountain Bike Tire (￥4,068) that I put on my bike last week. However, today's ride will mainly be on asphalt, so I want to try out the Schwalbe Land Cruiser MTB Tire (￥1,968) which I bought at the same time as the Maxxis. It's a hybrid tire and and relatively cheap at (￥1,968). Both tires had good customer reviews at Wiggle

先週付けたMaxxis Advantage Kevlar 60a Folding Mountain Bike Tire(￥4,068)に満足です。しかし、今日は主にアスファルト道路だから、Maxxisと同時に買ったSchwalbe Land Cruiser MTB Tireを使ってみたいです。ハイブリッド・タイヤだし、￥1,968で安いと思います。Wiggleで両タイヤのカストマーレビューはよかったです。

It's a beautiful spring day. It's a perfect day to take a photo of Amanohashidate from Mt. Myoken. The path to Mt. Myoken is found at the top point of Jizo Pass between Kanabiki Waterfall and Takigami Park.

素晴らしい天気です。妙見山から天橋立の写真を撮るのに最高の日です。妙見山へ登山口は金引きの滝と滝上公園の間にある地蔵峠の一番上の点にある。

The long winter hibernation is over. This emaciated snake was lying across the middle of the road waiting for the sun's rays to warm it up. Didn't move an inch. About 1.2 meters long.
長い冬眠が終わりました。この日差しを待っているやせ衰えたヘビは林道のど真ん中にいって、全然動かなかった。長さは1.2メートルぐらいだった。

What a stunning day. It doesn't matter how many times you ride the Sugiyama course, you never can get sick of it. Took 200 Photos. It's going to take a while to make this blog. But what a fantastic day it was.

最高の天気です。何回杉山林道のライドをしていても,けっして飽きることはありません。写真を200枚撮りました。今日のブログを作るのが大変でしょう。しかし、最高の一日でした。

The spring winds are a little strong today, but I want to do some training for my plan during the Golden Week holiday. So for the first time in a long time I decide to ride around Kunda Peninsula...Half way around....MAMA MIA!!!

春の風がちょっと強い日ですがゴールデンウィークのプランのためにトレーニングをしたいと思うので、久しぶりに栗田半島を一周することにしました。....途中....何だこれ!!!

Since the Cherry trees are full bloomed, I decided to go to a place I hadn't been to for years. That is Miyazu Sports Park. Lots of cherry trees line the road there, so it is a really beautiful season to visit. I took the following loop route. Central Miyazu →Yamanaka→Shingu→Kunda→Miyazu Sports Park→Haji→Central Miyazu. Today I saw a few paths leading into the mountains so next time I'll go and see where they go.

桜が満開だから何年ぶり通っていない所に行ってみたいなぁ。それは宮津運動公園です。桜の木が沢山あって、本当にきれいな時期です。中央宮津→山中→新宮→栗田→宮津運動公園→波路→中央宮津のループ・ルートです。今日、山に行く林道をいくつか見て、今度その道はどこに行くか見に行きたいなと思います。

It was a beautiful spring day. I decided to go for a ride along my regular weekday morning course. That is, ride across Amanohashidate and on the way back, push my bike while walking along the seashore. Then on the way back home, I went here and there to take some photos of the cherry blossoms.

気持ちのいい春の日でした。平日の朝によく行くコースが今日も行くことにしました。それは天橋立を渡って、帰りはバイクをプッシュしながら、ビーチを歩いて文殊に帰ることです。そして、家に帰る途中あっちこっちに行って桜花の写真を撮りました。