Day 3 - the only way is up... well, not really.... but, the fark ups just roll on
So... pig gets up after another broken nights sleep with the pigs tent pegs not holding into the soft wet earth..... shit.
Up at 4am, on the road by... 6 or 7 in the rain.
Now, a fully laden pig and sled is about 100kg all up... so, in the wet, the f*cker is a bit hard to stop quickly (as we found out), and there are lots of metal grates and man hole covers set in the pavement (usually below three inches of water so you can't see them) and once out of control... is completely gone. So, yukkuri desu (slowly)
A quick breather under a bridge to avoid the rain and check a map, and a couple of school kids appear on bikes. Apparently saturday school (yes, you read that right) is called off if it rains too much? Well, that's what the pig was left thinking.... (his japanese is shit!). but they gave him some solid directions and rode along with him for a while chatting... was nice.
not long after leaving those school kids behind (still raining) the pig was riding along when suddenly the sound of gun fire erupts, honestly. There was a clay target shooting range, and there was no sound as the pig approaches, pig rides near shooting range - range opens!!! Shit himself he did..... stopped and watched a whole heap of japanese men shoot (well, shoot at and miss) orange clay pigeon thingos....
We found a sign pointing towards route 18 and a bipass as well.. but route 18 looked cooler on a map, and then the hills started..... Oh, f*ck the pig - up and up and up and up... there are more than 150 curves on route 18 as it winds its way up to the ski fields!!! Ye, its f*cking high.... There was alot of granny gear action, lots of walking... and lots of pauses after a few hours. There was no shelter from the rain (except some old rail tunnels that were f*cking cold as and had been converted into a walking trail.... with a set of f*cking steps made from copper logs and gravel at the end - just to challenge the pig!!!
We FINALLY crested the hill at about 4pm after 1000 meters of climbing and started the downhill rolling, smiling like a mad f*cker.... except, without the pig having to spin them cranks, being wet and in a ski area, his core temp dropped.... fast. The pig could not hold onto bike any more, and the planned camp site was 9 more kilometers and unknown number of hills to climb...
Saw a sign for a hotel, and just went there..... The hotel is a f*cking expensive ski resort (currently using their interwebs to type this) but there are two halves... the expensive and the f*ck off extreme expensive, we went to the f*ck off expensive half first without knowing. Pig really didn't want to step into the spotless clean nice foyer as he was dripping wet, shivering and just soaked to the core.... but, they insisted (the whole time the pig is bowing and apologising in shiveringly cold japanese about his state, everyone else in the hotel is dressed to the nines). When they showed the pigs the prices, the pig chose the cheaper of the two (about three times the difference) - which was a few kilometers away. The lady at reception asked where the pigs car /motorcycle was and where the pig had been, pig points to bike and explained what and where the pig had been... the service was bumped right up a notch.
They put the wet surly and soaked pig in a bus, and drove the shivering pig to the "cheaper" side, where he was met with great enthusiasm (someone had called ahead and told them what the stupid pig had done). The shivering pig was told by the staff to go shower and then come back to pay for his room.
Getting a room key and a quick shower, we raced back down stairs and fixed up the bill and sh*t. The staff are all checking Im OK, all the time!!! I had an meal at the restaurant (expensive, but superb 7 course chinese meal) and then bought shit loads of chips and chocolate and eating them now.. need to consume more calories during this ride we think...
currently the bike is outside, in the middle of the car drop off area being watched by the hotel staff who told me not to lock it, it would be fine... still might run down and lock it though... However, there are stairs, enemy of pigs legs tonight
The biggest problem is that the pig has suffered some (you'll hate yourself for reading this bit)severe arse chaffing... So if there are any remedies anyone can offer..... PLEASE HELP.
Tomorrow should, should be easier
S
more in a few days when we gets some more intamawebs
irate:
