{"id":4760,"date":"2013-08-06T11:01:55","date_gmt":"2013-08-06T09:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=4760"},"modified":"2020-01-02T05:49:01","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T10:49:01","slug":"let-your-gps-be-your-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/08\/let-your-gps-be-your-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Let your GPS be your Guide!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAre you sure we\u2019re headed the right direction?\u00a0 Looks like this road is meant to be closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to the GPS we just head straight up this road and we\u2019ll hit the lake in 10 kilometers.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shortcut. Trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019d heard those words before.\u00a0 Trust me<\/i>.\u00a0 Famous last words before we plunged into disputed tribal territory in Kenya, set off into Egypt\u2019s empty Sahara desert and rode into a violent summer storm in New Zealand.\u00a0 My trust reserves had been just about depleted.\u00a0 But, hey, it\u2019s Japan\u2014what can go wrong in the world\u2019s safest and most orderly country?<\/p>\n

Well, for starters, we could always collide with a bear.\u00a0 This was, after all, Hokkaido.\u00a0 A few days back we\u2019d made the acquaintance of an honest to goodness bear hunter!\u00a0 44 creatures had met their demise at the end of this man\u2019s shotgun.<\/p>\n

Hailing from Montana, I nurture a healthy respect for these animals.\u00a0 Sure, I realize we humans are not a bear\u2019s top choice when it comes to supper, but when berries are scarce I\u2019m sure a couple of aromatic cyclists (we hadn\u2019t had a serious wash in several days)\u00a0would do.<\/p>\n

\"\"
This guy has killed 44 bears! He must be a Hokkaido legend. We ran into him by chance when we popped into a mechanics shop in hopes of borrowing a couple of tools for minor bike repairs. He’s got about 20 blood thirsty dogs tied up at his shop. They went WILD when he dragged out the “training head.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mind began to race through other potential risks.\u00a0 Bandits: highly unlikely.\u00a0 \u00a0This was not the Guatemalan highlands, after all.\u00a0 Death by dehydration: impossible\u2014the trail appeared to follow a meandering stream and we were boy-scout prepared with our First Need XL Water Purifier.\u00a0 Death by starvation: again, I gauged this one as near impossible.\u00a0 Our bright red panniers were stuffed with more provisions than an average Japanese family of four consumes in an entire month.<\/p>\n

Well, then, the only real risk was bears.\u00a0 And perhaps hunters.\u00a0 Those foreboding signs on the gate were obviously cautioning would-be trespassers of some imminent risk.\u00a0 Perhaps the sign translated into:\u00a0 Deer Hunters at Large: Enter at your own risk!<\/i>\u00a0 Or worse yet, NO ENTRY: Military Exercises in Progress<\/i>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sometimes it’s great when you can’t read the signs (I imagine some of them say NO CAMPING right next to the spot where we’ve pitched the tent) but other times it might be downright dangerous.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was simply no way to know.\u00a0 The alternative was to backtrack to the highway.\u00a0 And that would mean tunnels most likely.\u00a0 After two months in Japan, I consider myself something of a tunnel tackling virtuoso.\u00a0 I\u2019d jam down on the pedals and fly through the short ones, thus reducing the chance of being caught inside slammed against the tunnel walls when two trucks hammering along in opposite directions attempted to squeeze by.\u00a0 Unless traffic was particularly heavy, I\u2019d normally make it through without confrontation.<\/p>\n

Longer \u00a0tunnels (over a kilometer) required \u00a0tougher tactics. I\u2019d set a steady pace, hugging\u00a0 the tunnels edge and vigilantly tracking the traffic .\u00a0 When a large vehicle \u00a0appeared in my rearview mirror, I\u2019d boldly take my place in the center of the lane hogging up so much space only the most lunatic of drivers would dare to pass.<\/p>\n

I had no intention of becoming Hokkaido road kill.\u00a0 I\u2019d wave my right arm wildly in a backwards \u201cstay the hell where you are\u201d motion.\u00a0 When I deemed overtaking safe, I\u2019d nudge over to the right again and wave oversized vehicles past.\u00a0 This system worked reasonably well.\u00a0 But now and again some hot head in a hurry driving a 20 ton truck would over take on a blind curve.\u00a0 I\u2019d witnessed more than one near miss.\u00a0 These always left me a good deal shaken up.\u00a0 Life was tenuous on Hokkaido\u2019s tunnel laced highways.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve yet to have the experience of being charged by a ravenous bear but \u00a0conjuring up images of \u00a0terror in the tunnel came surprisingly easy.\u00a0 The \u00a0choice was clear; we gently slid the bikes under the barrier and pedaled merrily on our way.<\/p>\n

The forest was humming to the sound of cicadas, almost drowning out the gurgle of the fast-flowing stream.\u00a0 We biked along at a brisk pace, knowing nightfall was on its way.\u00a0 The incline was gentle and we were making good time.\u00a0 Gradually the road became bumpier and my nearly bald tires struggled on the rough surface.\u00a0 After awhile the road took on the air of a dry river bed and pushing became more practical than pedaling.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Liberated from the highway! This was a great felling to fly along through the thick forest–I’m often reminded of the New Zealand landscape and even the Yukon when the foliage turns to pine trees at higher elevations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
It was a pretty amazing ride most of the way. The really rocky stuff was a bit of a challenge. I think it’s time for new tires. I’m still sporting some second hand rejects we got from a host in Tokyo and they’re wearing mighty thin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAre you sure the lake\u2019s this way?\u00a0 We haven\u2019t seen a soul and I\u2019m afraid this trail will soon peter out into nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust me.\u00a0 We\u2019re on the right track.\u00a0 Another 10 k\u2019s or so and we\u2019ll be at the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you said we\u2019d be there in 10 k\u2019s two hours back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, well, maybe it\u2019s little longer than I thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell just check than damn GPS and make sure we aren\u2019t lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, yeah, the uh batteries seem to be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWHAAAT!?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Well, as you probably surmised, we made it out alive and found the lake. We’d planned on camping there but it was jam packed with weekenders so we forged on, eventually setting up camp on a bike path. Luckily it was well after dark before we stopped and since the Japanese are relatively late risers no early bird cyclists caught us blocking the path. In all truth it was a pretty nice spot to spend the night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAre you sure we\u2019re headed the right direction?\u00a0 Looks like this road is meant to be closed.\u201d \u201cAccording to the GPS we just head straight up this road and we\u2019ll hit the lake in 10 kilometers.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shortcut. Trust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[197,49],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nLet your GPS be your Guide! - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/08\/let-your-gps-be-your-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Let your GPS be your Guide! - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cAre you sure we\u2019re headed the right direction?\u00a0 Looks like this road is meant to be closed.\u201d \u201cAccording to the GPS we just head straight up this road and we\u2019ll hit the lake in 10 kilometers.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shortcut. 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