Day 3: Headed North, Headed Home, Against the Wind

Day 3:  Headed North, Against the Wind

I was awake far before my alarm even thought about annoying me.    It had rained throughout the night, sometimes heavy and the wind was really blowing at times.   I thought I was in for a long, wet ride north.  88km against the wind in the mountains wasn’t going to be easy, especially with loaded bags.. It would be miserable if I was also soaked.  But, some rays of light through my window was telling a different tale so I grabbed my camera and headed out the front door.     

Not a bad way to greet the new day. 

My original plan of cycling back up to the airport on the west coast of the island needed to be reconsidered. Two days of cycling through unexpectedly "bumpy" terrain left me with heavy legs.  And the weather forcast predicted headwinds which meant that I had to settle for going back up north more or less the same way I came down.   The good news was that I could take a little more time and see some of the scenery as I my new route freed up some time.  

I had scheduled a 7:30 breakfast so that I could get up the coast (about 5km) to catch the first ferry to the main island at 8:40.   Despite some regret at having to leave my little island hideaway i was eager to get moving.   No matter how much traveling I do I’m always antsy on days where I need to be at the airport.   So, I thanked my hosts, promised to be back again and casually rode up to the small ferry port of Ikenma.

Saying goodbye to Kakeromashima

My transport approaches dock with my destination in the background.  

This color Blue will stay in my memory for a long time. 

This time my bike got a more dignified seat for the ferry ride. 

It was hard saying goodbye to that blue water…   

When I set out North the weather was sunny and getting warm.   However, after the first ridge I crossed things turned dark and stormy.   Although I was able to dodge most of the squalls, the roads were mostly wet making for a sloppy ride.   

On my trip down it was all about the clock and trying to arrive at my Inn before all daylight vanished.    On the trip back up I could take a slightly more tourist route which I did.   It meant a lot more climbing as I choose to ride over some passes instead of ducking thru the tunnels like a mountain troll on 2-wheels.    The views were magnificent, but by this time I had seen so many wonderful hidden coves and lagoons that I simply could marvel in them.   

Remember how at the beginning I said “what could go wrong?”.   Well, so far things were going well…  too well..    The universe (AKA Karma), needing to keep things in balance, decided that I needed to be humbled a bit.   On one of my detours up one of the mountains to avoid the tunnel my only mild mishap struck.   After reaching the summit it was time to enjoy the coast down.   With loaded bags on the back, handling isn’t as nimble as I’m used to.   And, those seldom driven roads were covered with a very slick veneer of moss.    I wasn’t going all that fast (maybe only 10kph) when my front wheel decided to just go out from under me on a corner.   Down I went, not too hard but enough to get a very mild road rash.   The real casualty was some pretty deep scratches on the face of my brand new Apple Watch!   Mutha-#$!@% was heard echoing around those mountain valleys for a bit…    

With my tail between my legs and feeling like I had poked fate with a stick one to many times I set my mind to just getting to the airport.   My body was more than tired (in a good way) and I was totally satisfied mentally. It was time to wrap up this trip.

I arrived at the airport at about 13:00 for a 15:40 flight.   This gave me time to get my bike packed up in its travel bag (which I had stored in a coin locker)  and myself cleaned up as best I could.    A couple of the local taxi drivers, with nothing to do decided that I needed adult supervision while I disassembled my bike and packed things up.    They still couldn’t quite understand why I would willingly ride a bike all the way down there and back when they informed me numerous times about the frequent bus service.   My Japanese isn’t good enough to explain the way a cyclists brain works.   

I mentioned it before at the start of the post but it’s worth repeating again.   If you are traveling with your bike and you have the option, you should check out JAL.   The bike flies for free, but more importantly they take the time to carefully make sure that they know which side is “up” and if the bag needs to be laid on it’s side where the delicate parts are (rear derailleur)  I’m going to continue to trumpet this service as much as I can so that maybe other airlines will also understand that it’s a service that really builds loyalty.  

In Summary, If you are ever in Japan and have a few days to spare, Amami and Kakeromajima should really be on your destination list.   It sounds cliche, but it really is a hidden gem in the pacific which is a cyclists paradise.   If you are the fully laden camping style of cyclist, or the hammerhead that likes to rack up distance and vertical meters, this place has it all just waiting for you.   The locals are seriously friendly and the place isn’t crowded with tourists of any stripe.   In fact, now that I think of it, I only saw a handful of non Japanese people there the entire 3 days.  

If you are interested in going, drop me a line and I’ll share any info with you which you want..   Buy me a few beers and you can even get me to go as your personal guide!