🎵 on the road again….

June 28, 2023

Despite a rocky start here at the Hotel Route Inn, Susukino we have had a good stay here. Being in such a rough area, we finally found a solution to store our trikes and Barry found his way back to,the hotel. The Onsen cured all ills we may have been feeling and we feelrefreshed and determined to make it beyond Sapporo city limits today.

But first we get the complimentary breakfast buffet which is always very good at Route Inn Hotels.

Women in Japan dress elegantly in loose fitting clothing that drapes beautifully. I liked her modern approach to a traditional garment.

Yes, we are going past Shigakuso Outdoor Store, but lucky for us, they are closed today!

Weeks ago we rode the dedicated cycle route from Sapporo to Kitahiroshima and we are happy to revisit this lovely route.

The creators of this route have take great care to make it welcoming with rest stops, good signage and clear guidance on how to, co-exist on the route with walkers, joggers, skateboarders, etc.

The underpasses are beautifully tiled with different designs.

It is lovely to be riding in a green belt in a big city.

Rest areas along the route are plentiful

We last rode through here in the spring…this time we get to see different flowers along the way.

Bliss to ride over a busy road with no cars, only another cyclist.

We stopped for lunch and this woman, Keiko, wanted to chat. She is learning English from a tutor and she speaks very well. Her daughter has been living in Vancouver, Canada and is also learning English. We had a great visit.

So many beautiful flowers along the route, and this Allium caught my eye.

This route has it all…bountiful nature, town access for provisions, open fields.

More of that stuff we are allergic to….but it is pretty, right?

Liked the signage for a road crossing -very clear.

A solar powered toilet…must check this out.

It was confusing, gave one a lot to ponder, and it somehow worked…kind of.

A few days ago while riding against a fierce headwind Barry’s Azub flag and flagpole was blown off of his trike. He didn’t notice that it was missing until the end of our ride.

We often talk about our fondness for Michi-no-Eki’s for car routes….this is a trail side Eki for bicycles with bathrooms, cold water, electricity and rental bikes. When we came through before, it was locked up so we didn’t stay. The field behind would make comfortable camping, but we prefer to have a bathroom available nearby.

We will give this new shorter route a try as our other route has now finished at Kitahiroshima.

Our new bike route with shelter across the lane.

We are riding through farms and alongside their fields…better than the road with huge trucks and traffic

Potatoes are flourishing and ready for harvest soon.

Lovely surface on the route for riding. Arigato!

Unfortunately, the route creators have a few glitches to work out. We arrived at the road and we couldn’t figure out where it continued, so we had to ride on the road. It was great while it lasted.

We have arrived at Maple Camping Ground outside of Chitose. Their sense of humour is immediately evident with this sign.

The campground is on the site of a former golf course and it is very pretty. It is mostly geared to tenters and the services are limited to toilets, a building for cooking and a clubhouse.

As the clubhouse closes at 6:30, we rushed to get a few things charged before they locked up. Hopefully Barry’s bike battery will be good to,go tomorrow.

Lovely soft grass and I think a few foxes in the night who attacked our garbage…soft growls were heard close by. It is always a conundrum how to cope with garbage here as the policy is that you take it away. There are rarely garbage bins. We had put our minimal garbage in a cement burning bin, but it still attracted them. Better there tha. In our tent.

Campers are super quiet and respectful here. This lady and her two wee dogs were our neighbours,

A quirky and character filled club house…how did they get the car inside?

Today's ride: 48 km (30 miles)
Total: 2,236 km (1,389 miles)

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