100km to Kumamoto: Day 4

Tonight's campsite in Kumamoto

Saying Goodbye to the Hiwatashis

Tonight, our unbroken streak of comfortable, secure places to sleep, I’m happy to say, continues. Although it’s not quite as overwhelming as our surprise homestay last night, finding a secluded, dry, and reasonably quiet field just off the highway while still within city limits is quite nice. Now that camp is set up and dinner eaten, there’s time to reflect on the day.

Breakfast with the Hiwatashi’s was just a continuation of the amazing benevolence we had been fortunate enough to enjoy last night. After eating (a bit too much), we went outside for the all-important photo op. We ended up leaving (a little heavier than we came) near noon and setting out for Kumamoto. Then, we turned around and went in the right direction. Then, our hostess came driving up with a few things Scott had forgotten. Then, I nicked a pole with my pannier, and we had to stop to fix that. Finally, we actually managed to make it out of the city and get on our way.

The day itself was a reasonable mix of good and bad. The good: gyoza for lunch and ice cream on sale. The bad: Andrew’s rear wheel has a broken spoke that will need brief bike shop attention, and camp had to be set up in the dark. But we made our mileage (kilometreage?) goal, crossed into our second prefecture, from Kagoshima to Kumamoto, and had our first +100-km day! And since we’re going to fit a bike shop, a ferry ride, and another big chunk of kilometres into tomorrow, I’m leaving you with that and going to bed.

Rider Condition:

Crash: Tired and Happy
Calves: Feelin’ Good in the Neighborhood
Spock: Optimistic