The Flyin' Liz Ryen: (#6/9) Hot springs, mountains, castles, temples, oh my!

13 Sept

Up to more ski areas! I decided to go up to Mt Zao, a ski area and onsen village. I knew it would be a steep grind up there so I found a camp ground almost up at the summit.
Once I got there I found the campground was closed, so I pitched my tent on the porch of a bungalow and watched a man fishing for the rest of the evening. Once it grew dark, a heavy mist rolled in, so thick I couldn't see across the lake. I feel asleep early with plans to ride up and catch an early morning onsen.

Always at the top of a hill, the onsen was fabulous! A short walk down stairs and I was in my own heavenly pool of milky water that soothed sore muscles and turned my silver rings black.

I had the outdoor pools to myself for most of my soak. I have bathed more on this trip than I regularly do at home, not that it helps when I sweat so much every day.
A zippy ride down through the cedar forests back to town and back to my southward trudge.

My campground for the night was once again closed. This time there was a sign saying that there had been a bear seen on July 25th and so the camp was closed for the rest of the season. Angry, scary bear signs were posted so once again I had a nice quiet place to spend the night.
I needed a new bike lock since I forgot to buckle mine down after one of my pit stops. I stopped at a tourist info station and the woman called around to find a shop for me. I ended up getting picked up in the owner's truck and brought to his shop (also his house) where I was able to buy a new baby pink bike lock. He then invited me in for tea and much, much later, sent me off with cup o noodles for dinner.

Kitikata, a small town known for its brick and mud store houses was a nice coffee stop before heading up into the mountains to Bandasahi national park.

The plateau was created when a volcano blew and now is full of little lakes and hiking trails. I walked the Gosheki Ponds trail, where every pond along the way was full of koi and a different shade of blue or green.

I camped next to a beautiful lake and was up with the sunrise and 48 degrees- by far the coolest temps of my trip.

By 9am, the temperature was back up to 75 and humid. I saw my first castle and was happy for the stop.

The castle was built 600 years ago and the view from the top was mountains in all directions. It was significant due to the part the area played in Japan civil war 150 years ago.

The castle was full of stories of samurai fighters and restoration history... And photo opportunities.

The next day I made it to Nikko, 150kms north of tokyo and come full of temples and shrines.

All of the images I had of temples and Japanese buildings were crowded into a wooded hillside. The temples were stunning. Every twist in the path opened up a new vista of pagodas, lanterns, and lacquered stairs leading up to incense filled rooms.