Since I cut my arm I’ve not been able to ride at all let alone do much else. I’ve changed the dressing almost once a day and it looks like it is healing as well as can be expected. Some pain in my wrist which may be nerve damage or tendon damage. Will have to talk to the doc about it on the 21st. I still can’t do much with my left hand it if involves stretching or heaviness. If I reach down to pick up my shoes for example without thinking I can feel the stitches about to rip open. Very painful. I have to really make sure I do as little as possible with my left arm until the stitches are out and I feel like it will not split open again.
But I have had a good experience showing other people how great it is up here in Hakuba.
Stage 1: I came up with the dogs on Monday afternoon (10th) after my hospital visit and spent 2 days with my son & in laws who had arrived here a few days earlier.
Stage 2:
Mr. K and his family (wife, son & mother in-law) drove up and stayed a night on the 11th. They arrived in the afternoon and we went to Garlic for dinner. The next day we toured around all over the place. To the look out up route 406, to the Pond at the top of Happo by gondola, soba for lunch, an outdoor foot spa, and then they got the bus and bullet train back to Tokyo. Leaving the car here for Stage 2:
Stage 3:
Took the dogs for a swim in the river but as I was biding my time for the day the hard workers were pushing themselves hard under a hot sun.
7 of my team left early Friday morning (4a.m) and made there way to Nagano. I found them on the last 15km stretch and guided them in to the station with my team support car. 1 of them had turned home at the 100km mark, the rest made it all the way to Nagano by 5:30p.m Two stayed the night in Nagano and then rode back 130km to Takasaki the next day. I brought the rest of them to Hakuba. Another team mate also arrived with his wife and two daughters earlier in the morning and went to Kurobe dam for the day. After they all went and de-smelled themselves at the local onsen we went to an izakaya for dinner.
Stage 4:
A quick drive up to the lookout and then breakfast at Gusto. Fried eggs, sausage, bacon, hot coffee, toast etc. Then we went and watched about 6 guys practicing ski jumping (in summer) on the Olympic ski jumps. Never bores me watching these guys flying thought the air. We had a look around 47 and booked our BBQ for 2pm, went home and sorted ourselves out for lunch. This involved loading up my back pack with drinks. 50% sports drinks and Cola and 50% beer. Luckily I have a very large back pack so the 50%s were extra big ones. BBQs are always good and the weather made it a perfect day. The river nearby is always nice to go and suck in all those positive or negative ions. (whichever are the good ones). Mr. Y and his family headed off home in the afternoon which gave us a great excuse to go to an izakaya for dinner.
Stage 5:
The guys had plenty of time to recover and lots of carbs to burn off. Time to show them THE OGAWAGAWA LOOP.
Seeing as Mr. K had injured his wrist we made a good partnership and took on the rolls of support car crew, photographers, team managers and bear scare awayerers. I even took the good old Forester up into the no-man’s land bear forest goat track.
The guys seemed to really enjoy my secret little course.
That took us into lunch back to the good old GARLIC.
As the guys were packing their bags and getting warmed up for the long drive home the new team arrived. Mr & Mrs Y who will stay two nights. They want to try out this GARLIC place as well. (Yes, I’m getting fat again).
Stage 6….
to be continued….