Bicycle: 61 km
Total ascent:1,215 m
Riding time: 4:12 h
Average speed: 14,6 km/h
Weather: some clouds but dry, 15 C
When I was in this area a few weeks ago in Shibu onsen, I found an interesting place on Google maps. A gondola going up to lookout point where one can see, in the right conditions, a sea of clouds below. However, when I was here the last time the conditions were not right. Actually, the lookout point was in the clouds for that entire day. Luckily, they have a live feed on YouTube where one can check the current situation. So I didn’t go back then but now that I’m back in this area I planed to go today.
As I am staying currently, also in a ski station, the first thing to do was going down hills, all the way down. And then it was all the way up to the next ski village: Ryuo. And up and up.
But on a quiet road with not too much traffic. Admittedly this picture was from a specially quiet road so quiet that I was ringing my bell just in case any bear was around.
The climb up seemed endless and the valley station of the gondola definitely wasn’t in a “valley”. But rather very much up a hill… only that the mountain behind was even higher. 1,770 m to be precise.
When I finally arrived I parked my bicycle and started my prep what to bring, what to leave with the bike, when I heard an amount that the next gondola is going to leave soon. And I just about still made it. On the mountain the first thing, before enjoying the view was to get lunch in a rather trendy panorama restaurant. After lunch the obligatory pictures of the view …
… and then I made it to the next gondola a few minutes later, and returned down back to my bike. From there it was mainly downhill until it wasn’t. Until I needed to cycle up again to Nozawa onsen. On the downhill I passed through an Apple plantation (and other fruits: pears, grapes, kaki…). So many apples that the air was thick with the smell of apples.
I knew the whole time that the climb up to my ski hotel was waiting at the end of the day and I was very apprehensive of it and unsure if I would have enough energy to get up there. However finally it was easier than yesterday. Maybe because I already knew how the road would evolve and there isn’t any crazy steep section.
Nozawa onsen was one of the several places where the Olympics of 1998 were held, apparently the Biathlon events. However they also have a ski jump arena.
As yesterday the owner of the lodge drove me down to the village where I returned to the only onsen in town with a rotenburo to wash and relax and then to have dinner.
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