2006 July 2 Sunday.

I woke up at 6:30 with the sunlight shining brightly inside my van. Most of the other people who spent the night at Fukiage Spa were already up and about. I made a beeline for the smelly port-a-potty that is the only toilet nearby and took a leak. Then, I converted my van from a sleeping car into a driving car. The weather again today will be very fine. I drove slowly back towards Asahikawa in order to eat some breakfast and decide what to do with the rest of the day. I had only slept for about 4 hours, but somehow I felt fully rested. That's a good thing because when the weather is like this in Hokkaido, it makes a lot of sense to be outdoors, taking photos and enjoying it while it lasts. Oh, did I forget to mention that this island is covered with snow for 5 months of the year, every year? You get the big picture. I arrived back at my place at about 8:30. Ikuko was just getting ready to go to her part-time job at the Kagura HOMAC. Have a nice day! I will be on the road again in a few hours. The Sea of Japan sounds nice. I wonder if it is warm enough to go swimming yet. It is if you have a wetsuit. And I do. But, I bought it more than 12 years ago. Will it still fit? Only one way to find out. Try it on before I leave for the beach. And I did. ぎりぎりセーフ I was able to still fit into it, but just barely. Thank god the wetsuit didn't rip open while I was trying to put it on. I am ready to go. First beach of choice is 初山別　豊岬. But that is more that 150 kilometers away. Got nothin' better to do today so, what the hey. Let's make it a day. I was able to get back on the road before 12:00 noon. This will make it possible to drive slowly, look around carefully and hopefully discover something new. Since I had plenty of time, I took the long way around driving through Fukagawa 深川 and on into Moseushi 妹背牛. This is a much more scenic drive than the first turnoff in Fukagawa. And, if you are headed south to Otaru, instead of north to Haboro, it makes much more sense to take this route. However, my destination today lies 21 kilometers north of Haboro. So I was taking the long way around. This route will add about 22 kilometers to your total journey so, it's for people who are not in a hurry. The photo you can see above is of ToyoSaki in ShoSanBetsu. This was taken after I was finished swimming. A swimming adventure that wasn't really an adventure at all. There were no waves to ride upon. So, I floated around in my wetsuit, holding lightly onto my bodyboard, and hoping to get a suntan on my face. I felt like a message in a bottle, waiting to be picked up by a big wave and thrown onto the beach. But it never happened. That's how exciting it was. Was it worth the drive? Damn straight. That photo you are looking at right now, is just one of about 150 shutter clicks for today. Photography requires good light. Good night.