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Japan 2006
Hokkaido Vagabond Tour!
Hotsprings, Beer Machines and Rider Houses...
A week on Japan's northern island, motorcycling with a truly motley crew.
Japan: The size of California with half the population of the USA.
Hokkaido literally means "north", "ocean", and "way", but conjures up images as the "last frontier" to all Japanese. It makes up 20% of Japan's landmass, yet only has 5% of the country's population. It is the only island which has its own native culture, the elusive Ainu people.
The Vagabonds
Ken
Hobbies: Drinking, saving lives, being Scottish and riding naked.
Kyle
Loves to ride dirt bikes when track time is available, loves riding Triumphs the rest of the time.
Dee
Retired and thoroughly happy, this vagabond may pursue a new career in photography....
Pete
Nurse by trade, this searcher excells at having a good time,
all of the time....
Lee
Posing as a professional photographer and writer during the daylight hours....in actuality, he is just a motorcycle bum. (I am afraid there is no cure for his ailment.)
Phil
Acting as guide, this man knows which way is up.
Akiko (left)
Support Car Commander
The only true motorcycle vagabond worth your time. She kept the whole trip together with patient efficiency. Without her, we would probably all still be there.
The first day, and the gang wasted no time getting to the Sapporo Beer Brewery...
There, we enjoyed an all-you-can-eat conveyor belt of Sapporo Beer and lamb barbeque.
Here is the Kawasaki Kaze crew. They were the best rental agency I have ever worked with (outside Alaska, of course)!
Our bikes. All Kawasakis, they ranged from 250 to 750 cc in size. Some of them do not exist in the United States, like the Red W400 in front. All were basically new! Though, my Zephyr already had 169 kilometers on it. I made a complaint immediately.
A small (non-political) reminder....
We waisted no time enjoying the twisties the first day. Once you get out of Sapporo, the winding country roads go in all directions.
It is, in all respects, a motorcycle paradise.
Scary
You can always tell by the eyes what bears are going to do. In this case, one can see that this particular bruin wants to tickle-fight.
Lunch vagabond style.
The roads are clean, and on this sunny day, virtually to ourselves.
Late afternoon twisties in the mountains.
Kyle and Dee, son and father, loving the narrow Hokkaido roads.
After a long days' ride, "Kanpai!!"
A volcanoe steams in the background.
Our first night out, we stay at a backpackers hotsprings resort. In back, there were a variety of hot pools both inside and outside. Also, a row of beer machines greeted you along the way....
The accommodations were not fancy, but the vagabonds did
not seem to care.
The next day promised to be a good one as we rode along the
Tokachi Range.
Dee rounds the corner of some one-laned tristies. So narrow, you had to make use of the mirrors, like the one behind him.
The back side of Daisetsu National Park, and the scenery was terrific!
How did we get to Wisconsin??
The vagabonds jungled up.
Snorkestra.....
Pete glides through Akan National Park.
We stop to soak it all in.
More cool natural things. A sulfurous mountain is the backdrop to the right stuff.
Ramanaria.
The epic Shiretoko Peninsula, north-east Hokkaido.
A shinto shrine off the side of a country road.
Ken has some fun on the beach.
Until he gets stuck...
Akiko made friends with some bikers, who invited us to their house for a barbeque.
Though, saying "thank you" was more difficult than expected.
We stayed one night at my friends cabin. They run an outdoor school near the small town of Ochiai, and rent this out to travellers, including vagabonds.
Ken practices his fire starting skills.
A Hokkaido Fox quirrels away a donut.
The gasoline station attendants were so helpful, it fealt like we had stepped back into the '50's.
We rode the coastline most of the last day, and went through dozens of tunnels.
Riding the Hokkaido coastline was fantastic.
Back in Sapporo, we enjoyed a dinner of Yaki Niku.
End Pic
Be Happy, even when confronted with suspicious circumstances.
This Vagabond Tour was a scouting trip for an Aerostich Tour, to be run during the fall colors in late September, next year. For more information on this exotic tour, featuring exceptional winding roads and fantastic hotsprings, please check in at Aerostichtours.com
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