It was just a perfect day. I'm glad that I spent it with me.

What a perfect weekend! Saturday I woke up freezing in just the goretex cover for my sleeping bag under the roof of the Naeba Shrine in Akiyamago. I happened to be in Akiyamago for volunteer fire brigade trumpet practice the night before, so intended to use the opportunity to make a two day ride up a dirt road/hiking trail that is the only direct route to Gunma, where we will be meeting customers on the 19th. I wanted to make sure the trail had not been washed out in the last downpour a week ago. It was not until morning that I remembered I was signed up for the annual Sakae Mura Ekiden relay race. I decided instead to use the rest of the day to check our some other routes, inns, and hot-springs that have been closed for the winter and we had not had a chance to visit in the fall.

A quick breakfast at Deguchi-ya, an inn run by a local hunter (also trumpet teacher/former trumpet brigade leader) and his wife, and a couple of fresh hand-made onigiri rice balls later, I was on the road riding deeper into the valley toward Kiriake - as far as the road goes. From here, instead of heading up the dirt path which we will descend in a few weeks, I headed back down the other side of the river. I say "down" but there was plenty of up as well. Despite being a net loss in altitude, this entire day felt like UP down UP down UP down UP UP UP down.

It was this UP down-ness that almost caused me to ignore a small sign on the side of the road advertising room and two meals for 3,000 yen ($30). Somehow I was able to overcome my fears that following the dirt road down to the mythically cheap lodging would lead to nothing more than an abandoned shack in the woods. I'm glad I did. I ended up meeting a very interesting man who runs the inn alone, having tea, learning a lot of the lesser-known history of the valley, and best of all, taking a ride in his hand-made, hand-powered cable car system that transports people across the river to a hot-spring that I can truly say is one of the best I have ever visited. I base that on the fact that I spent more time soaking there than I have in any hot-spring in my life - despite (or because of?) the fact that I knew I would be hot and sweaty again a few minutes after I left, as I ride back up the road that brought me there.

Leaving the hot-spring, having tea and melon with the owners (fourth generation - keep in mind this area only started to become "developed" in the '30s) I crossed back over the river on the cable car which was not as scary this time, thanked the owner of the little mountain inn, and started my ride UP UP UP toward Gohogi, a village that is literally closed during the winter. The people pack up their belongings and move further down the valley in November, and don't return until the snow begins to melt in April or May.

I didn't have a map with me that day, and my recollection of driving that road in the fall was foggy, so from there I thought I would cruise down to my house. I pulled out my i-pod, popped in the ear-buds, pumped up the volume, and started pedaling to G-Love's Astronaut. A great downhill allows me to listen to at leas half of the album, but this time I got in two songs before I found myself huffing and sweating again, and wondering if I would be able to run the next day.

In the end I did make it home, even in time for running practice with some of my teammates (yeah!). By the end of the day I was in heaven. Despite being a "bike guide" or "outdoor guide" or "farmer" or whatever it is I do, I have fallen way out of shape. These last few days have been a wake-up call. From now on I run every day, I ride to Akiyama and back every weekend, I start those push-ups and sit-ups again...

yeah....