WHERE'S MY PANCAKES!

A 100km ride today again…luckily the sun was out and it was warm outside. I stopped by the Honma residence nearby which is supposed to be a place of interest in the city…they were a wealthy family in the area and they also have an art museum nearby. However, I was too cheap to pay and go inside, so I just took pictures from the outside. Yesterday I caught a glimpse of a big mountain behind the city but since it was clear this morning it really stood out. Chokai-san is a big volcanic mountain that stands alone and demands to be seen. It was still covered in snow.

The good thing about riding main highway routes is the many restaurant options you have. I found a McDonalds along the route and got pretty excited since it was 10 minutes before 10:30. I ordered a Big Breakfast Deluxe again. After getting my food, I sat down and opened up the box with my breakfast. Something seemed to be missing, it looked half empty…it was then that I realized my 3 pancakes were missing! I told the cashier lady and she brought me out my 3 pancakes. A big breakfast makes such a big difference when you’re riding all day. I’ve been kind of skimping breakfast but now I make sure I eat a big meal especially on days where I ride over 100km.

I got to ride with Chokai-san in the background all day as I went all around its base from the south to the west and then north. It can be a good thing riding main highways because the grade is steady so you don't have to worry about crazy climbs. But the bad thing is the traffic that prevents me from riding on the side of the road. Sometimes I had to ride on the sidewalk which really slows me down. The curbs in Japan are brutal. They don’t smooth out the curb ramps on the corners that meet the street so every time I go back onto the sidewalk I have to slow down so I don’t ruin the wheels from the speed bump like curbs.

Not much scenery other than the mountain all day, the main highway was boring but the weather was really nice and there was only a little wind. I stopped at a pay phone to call several places in Akita where I would be staying tonight. I found a business ryokan for 4300 yen near the highway so I reserved a room. I’m starting to get pretty good at finding places, well I guess Google Maps deserves some credit too. I stopped at a nice park with a lake for lunch. The cherry blossoms here haven’t bloomed yet, several more days perhaps. I made a PBJ sandwich and drank a coke as I enjoyed the scenery.

The afternoon wind gets real chilly up here. It is nice during the day, but as soon as the sun starts to set, it gets really cold really fast. By the late afternoon, it was pretty windy and made for a crappy ride but II made it to the ryokan around 6:00pm and checked in. I headed to the super market nearby after dropping off my stuff to look for dinner but I decided to eat at a restaurant inside. The display case made the curry rice look really big but in reality it was shady portions…I got suckered. It didn’t even fill me up, I had to go back to my room and make another PBJ sandwich to eat along with a banana and pudding. I bought some more food at the super market for tomorrow morning that was discounted. I took a bath and relaxed a bit while I worked on my blog...my usual routine these days.