Day 1: (73 K) Wakkanai - Soya Misaki - Numakawa

(07/30/06)

Things got off to a slow start this morning as we waited for the owner of a local cycle shop to check each of our bikes. He was kind enough to come out in spite of having a family funeral later that day. Next was a reporter from the Asahi Shimbun doing a brief article about the ride.

(Bike maintainence workshop)

Finally, Emily and I led the way to Soya Misaki only to lose two thirds of the group somewhere in Wakkanai. Figuring that they'd catch up sooner or later, we headed on to the cape. On the way, I got to chat with Mary, a true blue Minnesota farm girl with the accent to prove it. Granted, she is an exceedingly well traveled Minnesota farm girl, having lived in both rural Japan and Nepal.

Soon after, the rest of the team arrived; we took group photos and headed south to Numakawa, where we found a welcoming patch of grass behind an elementary school. A few people even slipped into the greenhouse-like school pool for an after dinner swim while I tried my hand at some nighttime photography that didn't quite turn out.