Dodging raindrops to Shibushi

A new day, a new threat of rain, a new destination. This time, our goal is Shibushi, a port city on the northern coast of, coincidentally, Shibushi Bay. The ferry that would take us across Kagoshima Bay didn't leave until 9:00, giving us time to have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel at head out to Ibusuki Port to catch the ferry.

Beautiful, even with all the clouds

Very Important Old Man

The ferry was an Express Ferry, which we had not been on before. It took half the time the regular ferry did, and once we saw it, we understood why.

It's an oversized speedboat

In 25 minutes we were on the other side of the bay and ready to roll. 10 minutes up the coastal road, we were ready to get off the road. There are only a few major roads in this part of Kyuushuu, and all of the trucks use them. The roads themselves aren't bad, but are not designed to hold large trucks and bikes at the same time. So, back into the mountains we went.

Goodbye coast. Goodbye trucks. Goodbye civilization.

20 minutes later we are high above the coast

A typical mountain road in Kyuushuu

We spent most of the morning climbing the two peaks between us and the plains along the Shibushi Bay coast. It was quiet, cool, and not raining, so all in all a good morning. As we finished our descent from the mountains, we stumbled across a cycling road that went along the Aira and Kimotsuki rivers, which happened to be exactly where we were heading. So for the next ten miles, we were on a bike path that was deserted except for us

We could use a few more of these "accidents"

It was a smooth ride the rest of the way into Shibushi, and we arrived almost 2.5 hours before check in. With no McDonalds nearby to squat in, we opted for a JoyFull. They seem to be the main family restaurant of the area, much like Gusto is up in Tokyo. The food was supremely okay, but we were able to hang out for about 90 minutes. And Sumi got her first parfait of the trip

Reportedly, it was way better than the real food

We returned to hotel, The Shibushi Inn Kitano, and got everything set up to stay for two days to avoid the rain that was coming in. More laundry (a constant problem when you carry it all on your back), and we were back in the room and asleep by 8. A truly exciting life we lead, I know.