May 20

Aso - Beppu


I'm so glad we had wonderful views inside the caldera last evening.  A bit more cloud cover this morning, and threats of rain.


This little guy (Kumamon) is a well-known mascot of the Kumamoto Prefecture.  Very cute and on every trinket you could imagine in the gift shop.


We could see these in the distance from our hotel, and then we rode by them.  Not sure exactly what they are............


We were on pretty flat terrain inside the caldera for about the first 10 km.  Lots and lots of rice paddies and some other agriculture.  


Our first climb of the day (RWGPS identified 11 distinct climbs throughout the day) was up towards the rim of the caldera.  Another challenging climb.  I have decided that 8-10 is the new 5-7.  At home most of the "big" highway climbs are between 5 & 7%..  Here the baseline seems to be about 8-10%, with many shortish stretches steeper than that; oh boy!  I believe the top of the rim is finally coming into view.


It really was a beautiful climb.  Lush vegetation, and beautiful rolling hills everywhere.  Alas few pictures as I tried to keep making uphill progress.


Once we got up towards the top, there was a magical quality as we were enveloped by mist.  Rain was threatening, so I pretty much had my camera away.  The landscape we could see, though, was amazingly beautiful!

At about 22 km we were alerted to "tree art".  Again - amazing and beautiful, and so much!  What a lot of work and creativity!  Here's just a sampling.







Oh - and I feel right at home!


Thought these places looked interesting.



I mostly had my camera tucked away, but here's a sampling of the scenery.



Although the clouds and mist compromised the views, it was a nice relief from the heat of the last few days.  The temp was about 20C all day, and extremely humid.  The drizzle picked up after lunch.  I think we all got a bit wet, but for me - I was happy for the break from the heat.  





For a while we were accompanied by the constant sound of running water pouring through cement ditches on the side of the road.  I'm sure it was all associated with the rice fields.  I'd love to know more about how that system works.  

From time to time today we used little back roads.  Here's one.


After a lot of downhill after lunch, we had one last climb to get us up and over the last hills into Beppu.  Just when I decided I couldn't pedal any more, I got off the bike and looked to my side to see this collection of solar panels.  Not in the usual uniform formations.  Also - probably not generating a lot of power on a day like today.


Back to sea level by the end of the day.  I arrived at the hotel along with 6 or 8 others.  Pretty much the tail-end gang.  The shower sure felt good.  Dinner was a buffet, and I'm sure I ate too much yet again.  This trip so far has not been a weight-loss experience for me!  Probably won't make it to the onsen tonight.

Tomorrow starts out with a ferry ride (about 3 hours) to Shikoku Island.  Then cycling for 72 km.  


Stats for the Day:

Garmin:  91.44 km.  4710 feet up.  5910 feet down.  It's an old Garmin and it sometimes does odd things with a lot of cloud cover.  For example - after lunch today every time we were climbing, it showed a negative grade and the ascent number didn't change while the descent number rose.  So - we did waaay more climbing than these numbers indicate.  Also - I'm not sure that the mileage accumulates while I'm walking the bike.

RWGPS:  93.4 km.  1999 m up.  2467m down.



Beppu

Population:  115,000

AI Summary:  Beppu, located in Oita Prefecture on Kyushu Island, is Japan's premier hot spring (onsen) resort city, famous for producing more geothermal water than any other place in the country.  It is iconic for its "Hells of Beppu" (spectacular viewing springs) and unique bathing experiences, including mud, sand, and steam baths.  It is home to more than 2,000 onsen (hot springs)!!


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