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May 22

Honshu and Onomichi / Ferry to Shikoku

In the morning I was approached by an older man walking a dog. We talked a bit, and he invited me over to his place for breakfast. His name was Deguchi-san, and I went over and his wife cooked me some eggs and toast, with ume boshi (sour plum) jam. I hung out with this couple for the morning hours, later checking out the volunteer cafe that she volunteers at. Deguchi-san then rode with me the rest of the way to the next bridge, all the time talking pretty quickly so that I only caught the general drift of what he was saying, and then we parted ways.

I eventually got to the end of the Shima Nami Kaidou route, and took a ferry that goes from the very last island to Honshuu. From there I started riding on the ugly and crowded Highway 2, towards a port in Fukuyama, about 40 km (25 miles) to the east, which has a ferry that returns to Shikoku.

At this point I met a motorbiker that was also loaded down with gear, that had given me a thumbs up seeing my bicycle. Her name was Yuriko, and after talking a short bit, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We were in Onomichi, which is famous for its ramen, so of course we went to a ramen joint. I remember the ramen broth was relatively greasy and fatty. Yum.

After parting, I headed on to the port, reaching it about 2 minutes before it was scheduled to leave. I bought the ticket and boarded as they were closing the gate. Not getting the best sleep the night before, I konked out for the hour and a half that the ride took.

After arriving back on the Shikoku side, I rode for about an hour before spotting a nice, dark looking spot in a park. Ate at the hamburg place across the street, "showering" and washing my bike clothes in their bathroom's sink, and after a nice long 2 hour dinner of reading, writing and relaxing, I setup camp in the park and slept.