![\"yosean001.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/seanholland.net\/seanmisen\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/yosean001.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Yoshie and I took a four day bicycle trip around eastern Hokkaido last week.\u00a0 On two folding bikes, we covered over 200 kilometers, went through two national parks, rode along two oceans, conquered two 2000-foot mountain passes.\u00a0 We saw five foxes and dozens of deer, bathed in four different hot springs, and saw the Russian-controlled island of Kunashiri.\u00a0 We managed to avoid rain during our ride, but got only one sunny day.\u00a0 We skipped Notsuke Peninsula because of driving rain, but caught the local festival in Shibetsu that night instead.\u00a0 We climbed Shiretoko Pass on Saturday in spectacular weather, with lovely ocean views, and Kiyosato Pass on Monday through a pine forest of dense fog, made spookier by the unnatural man-made rows of trees.<\/p>\n
It was a leap of faith for Yoshie, who had never done anything like this before.\u00a0 To convince her, I insisted I would carry all of our supplies myself, in my bike trailer.\u00a0 I also consented to staying in a bungalow on the second night, and a youth hostel on the third, instead of camping the entire trip.\u00a0 Anyway, it was great fun, and I think by the third day, after a small amount of strife, we worked out a good travelling relationship.\u00a0 For me, I worked at staying close together on downhills and climbs, making sure to signal turns and moves on and off of the main road, as well as hollering the number of rear-approaching trucks and buses on narrow sections in Shari and Nakashibetsu.\u00a0 Yoshie did a good job of letting me know when she needed to stop, when her rear brakes weren’t working at all (!), or simply putting up with a boyfriend who is used to riding alone and making stupid turns, quick decisions, and completely random stops for dumb photos<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here’s a rough map of the route:<\/p>\n