Half-Fast Mike
Lanterne Rouge-et-vert
- May 22, 2007
- 4,644
- 3,700
Today I went for a ride on my bike and collected 13 new tiles. I could end the story there, but I'm not gonna because there's a story that's dying to be told.
My route was based heavily on @Karl's ride, "Gravel galore" from July 2019, so I had a good idea what I was in for. Gravel = yay! However, I prefer the gravel to be at street level, whatever that might be for the time being, rather than towering over my head.
My plan was to park my van at Lake Tanzawa then head west, picking off dead-end rindō and their associated tiles as I go, before returning via a long, gravelly downhill ride.
The new leaves are so verdant. Really beautiful scenery all day.
The first rindō excursion was tough and long but uneventful. On the way upriver to the next, turning a corner, I found what looked from afar like a serious deal-breaker.
Oooooh shit.
Based on Karl having been able to spin through this spot without stopping, in contrast to my four-minute dithering, I conclude this is a new problem; perhaps from last year's typhoon(s)? I was almost ready to turn back, but took a closer look just in case. It was very very sketchy loose rubble and rocks, and bits of trees. Many rocks succumbed to entropy, tumbling into the river bed below, as I scrambled across with my bike. But we made it.
Phew. There were several more landslides later on, but none as dodgy as this one.
Obviously no vehicles are getting into this area. As @sean-e noted above, this encourages the wildlife. I saw my first bear in the wild! Only a little one, mind. If its mom had been around, I could have been in real trouble.
And this girl, not long after...
Some of the rindō made for very dodgy cycling, even without landslides. Plenty of dismounts to push on the way up this one (the 'road' is on the right), but a lot less on the way down thanks to my sure-footed Niner.
As I said, my plan was to do the rindō and then roll back down to the van. The landslides - and a construction site that entailed 500 m of hike-a-bike to circumvent - had made me reconsider this. My turnaround point was to be the junction of gravel-land and route 147. I reasoned that it would be easier and safer to just hit the road and ride back a slightly longer way 'round. I could even get a couple of extra tiles!
Here's the gate - the exit from Narnia:
So, some of us - notably @luka and @joewein and maybe others were discussing this gate a while ago - maybe here on TCC or on Facebook - wondering whether the road goes through from R147 to Tanzawa-ko, as a potential springboard for a r76 adventure up-and-over the increasingly-sketchy Inugoeji. As noted above, the landslides make this a very dodgy proposition at the moment; although most of it is nice, hard-packed gravel or dirt, there are short sections that could result in a slow, painful death.
I enjoyed the long, steep downhill, and didn't mind the climb back up to the lake at all. Much safer and more sensible than trying to retrace my steps.
And here's the result... 13 new tiles, and cluster expanded by 9. Some gaps to fill in, soon.
Exploring Tanzawako West (+13T) - Half-Fast Mike J's 71.2 km bike ride
Gravel galore indeed - 45 km of it, give or take. Slight mortal peril in the form of a landslide completely blocking the road. Quite the adventure.
www.strava.com
My route was based heavily on @Karl's ride, "Gravel galore" from July 2019, so I had a good idea what I was in for. Gravel = yay! However, I prefer the gravel to be at street level, whatever that might be for the time being, rather than towering over my head.
My plan was to park my van at Lake Tanzawa then head west, picking off dead-end rindō and their associated tiles as I go, before returning via a long, gravelly downhill ride.
The new leaves are so verdant. Really beautiful scenery all day.
The first rindō excursion was tough and long but uneventful. On the way upriver to the next, turning a corner, I found what looked from afar like a serious deal-breaker.
Oooooh shit.
Based on Karl having been able to spin through this spot without stopping, in contrast to my four-minute dithering, I conclude this is a new problem; perhaps from last year's typhoon(s)? I was almost ready to turn back, but took a closer look just in case. It was very very sketchy loose rubble and rocks, and bits of trees. Many rocks succumbed to entropy, tumbling into the river bed below, as I scrambled across with my bike. But we made it.
Phew. There were several more landslides later on, but none as dodgy as this one.
Obviously no vehicles are getting into this area. As @sean-e noted above, this encourages the wildlife. I saw my first bear in the wild! Only a little one, mind. If its mom had been around, I could have been in real trouble.
And this girl, not long after...
Some of the rindō made for very dodgy cycling, even without landslides. Plenty of dismounts to push on the way up this one (the 'road' is on the right), but a lot less on the way down thanks to my sure-footed Niner.
As I said, my plan was to do the rindō and then roll back down to the van. The landslides - and a construction site that entailed 500 m of hike-a-bike to circumvent - had made me reconsider this. My turnaround point was to be the junction of gravel-land and route 147. I reasoned that it would be easier and safer to just hit the road and ride back a slightly longer way 'round. I could even get a couple of extra tiles!
Here's the gate - the exit from Narnia:
So, some of us - notably @luka and @joewein and maybe others were discussing this gate a while ago - maybe here on TCC or on Facebook - wondering whether the road goes through from R147 to Tanzawa-ko, as a potential springboard for a r76 adventure up-and-over the increasingly-sketchy Inugoeji. As noted above, the landslides make this a very dodgy proposition at the moment; although most of it is nice, hard-packed gravel or dirt, there are short sections that could result in a slow, painful death.
I enjoyed the long, steep downhill, and didn't mind the climb back up to the lake at all. Much safer and more sensible than trying to retrace my steps.
And here's the result... 13 new tiles, and cluster expanded by 9. Some gaps to fill in, soon.