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| Tokyo Direction from the Rindo between Itsukaichi and Wada |
Tristan, Jerome and I planned a half day January ride on the 15th. Jerome overslept, and so Tristan and I went to Yanokuchi to join James M's group "long slow distance" ride. We stayed with them to Itsukaichi area, said our farewells and announced we were going to loop over the road I have always called Daigo Rindo and back, for an earlier return. [
As noted by Manfred below in the comments, Daigo Rindo is actually the closed forest road that goes up Wada, and the loop between its base and Itsukaichi is actually Bonbori Rindo.]
Fumiki said "but isn't there lots of gravel".
Yes, there is. Err, there WAS, the last time I rode it, in the Spring with Laurent.
Now the gravel stretch is beautiful, smooth asphalt.
A good ride was had.
Wow, no more excuses then for avoiding the most gruel approach to Wada! I did Daigo on my very last ride on 1 October (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/118224238) - it was still gravel. Though now that I come to think of it, there were some marks indicating the gravel stretch was being measured for construction activity...
ReplyDeleteI did it on Jan 3 and the new road quality and beautiful scenery by clear weather got me back there with others a week later. The road is mostly dry on both sides of the climb (i.e. no black ice yet)which makes it a nice route in winter.
ReplyDeleteBut Wada rindo was filled with debris the last time I went there (late last year). I haven't checked it yet this year.
I did a 30km hike yesterday, starting at Jinba Kogen Shita bus stop, walking up the road to Wada Toge and then onto Daigo Rindo for a few hundred meters until turning off towards Daigo-maru, the mountain (and then hiking along almost the entire mountain ridge until Kazama Onsen, which is just below Tomin no Mori: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149010133). The last bit of Daigo Rindo just before Wada Toge is still unpaved. So I guess what you must have been referring to is not Daigo Rindo, but the rindo that leads from Itsukaichi up to Iriyama Toge and then down to the base part of Daigo Rindo, correct? I remember the gravel stretch not far from Itsukaichi, and it is nice to know it is gone.
ReplyDeleteHi Manfred:
ReplyDeleteI always thought that Daigo Rindo WAS the forest road over to Itsukaichi, since that is the name I was once told, and I don't think it is marked on any of the maps I use (Google, etc.) nor can I read the relevant characters. The gravel I was talking about is that near Itsukaichi. Yes, the gravel at Wada Toge has not changed.
A little online research reveals that Daigo Rindo is indeed the name for what I have called Wada Rindo, and is named for the Daigo-gawa, 醍醐川, which is the stream that flows down that little valley and eventually into the Asagawa.
And the other forest road to Itsukaichi is 盆掘林道 ... maybe Bonbori Rindo? See:
http://esprit.weblike.jp/area/river-daigogawa.html
I'll revise the post so it uses the proper names. ... but won't bother to go back and revise posts from last year about riding over these two roads.
I'll check my hiking maps for the name of the Rindo over Iriyama Toge. Daigo Rindo runs up along the Daigo river, and leads towards Daigo-maru, which I have just climbed (nice views, but not as great as some of the later parts of the ridge).
ReplyDelete