where the roads end

earlier sunrises. more riding.

It's still a bit too cold here.  In the mornings when I wake up, the temperature is hovers around the low 40s.  It's not freezing cold by all means, but it's still cold enough to make the early morning rides a bit unbearable.  Especially considering that in the afternoon, the temperature is in the low to mid 60s.  On the bright side, the sun now rises just after 6, so I can look forward to longer rides and perhaps even starting my day even earlier.  I should enjoy the chilly weather while it lasts because before long, summer will have arrived.

Great times and even better food was had in Chikugo City.  Here are some pictures of the wonderful meal prepared by a wonderful chef.  On the menu for this night: Kalua Pig, Salmon Poke, Lomi Salmon, Chicken Luau (using spinach), and chicken adobo.  For dessert: Guava Cake (my absolute favorite), chocolate haupia pie, pineapples (no apples or pens here), and cornbread.  It was delicious.  I ate a lot.  We all had good times.

I've spent nearly three years in Iizuka and have ventured to many places by bike.  It turns out, there are many smaller mountain roads that exist everywhere.  Literally everywhere.  While maps may only display the main roads, older mountain passes exist.  These are the roads that are amazing to ride.  These roads are closed off to cars and are not maintained.  Many of these roads look like they were never safe to drive on at any point.  My theory is these are the original mountain roads that cars used many years ago before the larger highways were built.  It costs more money to tear them down, so it makes sense that the government just leaves these roads.  It's a bit scary to ride these roads alone because of the monsters that lurk in the japanese mountains (in reality, wild boars and deers), but perhaps the strangest feeling is the sense of being completely alone.  Every so often the thought pops in my head that, if I feel, no one would find me.  Although that's a cold-hard truth, the sense of adventure continues to drive me to find more roads like this.  I've found a mapping software that displays these old roads, so I plan to explore more in the coming months.

I didn't want to go, but ended up going to a Girls Festival in Yanagawa City.  Along with some other  JETS, we went on a boat ride through the canals of Yanagawa and ended up in the middle of the festival.  A neat experience that was worth doing, but will likely never do again.  We ended the day with Unagi, not salmon skin rolls.

While in the area, I decided to take the opportunity to explore more roads by bike.  Chikugo and Yanagawa are generally flat areas (the largest plain in all of Kyushu).  I saw a mountain in the distance and decided to ride towards it.  I found the mountain, found a random road and realized it was being "guarded" by a dog.  I'm afraid of dogs and it was probably going to be a friendly dog, but I didn't take any chances.  I ended up finding another road in the mountains and I was really pleased at what I found, another old mountain pass.  This road seemed especially dangerous as it was exposed to a stream but it was great on a bike.  The bamboo creaked so it was a bit haunting, seeming as though there was always something or someone in the forest somewhere.  If anything, it makes me ride faster so I enjoy it.

A night spent in Chikugo meant more delicious food.  Mexican food, cheesecake, kulolo (yes, kulolo), and strawberry coconut pancakes.  They were all incredibly delicious.

Finally, I got back on Zwift (a virtual cycling trainer).  Basically, you attach your bike to a stationery trainer, hook up a speed sensor and power meter, and then math happens so that you virtually ride against people from all over the world.  I still have major issues with both hardware and software, but it can still provide some good and hard-fought times.  I took a screenshot because I was 2nd.