Back roads, Japan Style

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We woke up to rain on Saturday. We ate in the communal dining room at the lodge, with bicyclists from all over the world. We left around 9:00, and took the back roads most of the way back to Matt's place. The drive was spectacular, and there were almost no cars on most of the roads. The foliage was just past its prime, but the rain really brought out the colors. It cleared part way through the morning, and we had good weather until we descended back onto the Kanto Plain and into Tokyo. We went over three main mountain passes, down into valleys in between, where there were towns and small cities. At one point we were in the clouds on a tiny road climbing high into the mountains.....! I was hoping to see monkeys, but no luck...

At the end, we drove some of the mountain roads that Matt rides regularly on his bike...pretty impressive! We got home around 5:30, and Wendy made a curry dinner for us!

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Photos

Road sign: An apology for road work
The icon is bowing....

Giant apples
These were too big to hold in one hand! Each one cost about $8.00!

The "lost in the clouds" road..
We were afraid the road would end, as it got narrower and rougher....it finally turned into a two lane road again....

Looking down to the cloud-covered Kanto Plain
This is where Tokyo is located.