Ahoy,
lovely readers!
With
Spring in the air, a lot of creative energy has struck me lately. The biggest
of all is finally finishing Devon`s second adventure. That`s right, Reverie is officially written and is now
undergoing beta reader and pre-edits! I will keep you updated on any news that
comes my way. Get excited!
As
if editing a sequel wasn`t enough to deal with, Japan has thrown me many great
experiences in this past month. Being from a sub-tropical climate, I never
really get to experience a proper spring. The best part, hands-down, were the
lovely sakura trees blossoming seemingly out of nowhere. Seriously, these trees
went from being barren to full of pink and white lovelies! They only lasted for
a few weeks, but that makes them even more special. I`m lucky to be in a
prefecture with lots of great places for hanami
(sakura viewing.) Onomichi, a town about a 90 minute drive south from me,
has the most breathtaking park that is a sakura wonderland in the spring. My
own town`s humble park has a pretty good spread, as well. The nighttime events
for my town`s sakura was the best. I stumbled upon the festivities one night
during a lonely drive. Really lucky I did!
So
Many
SAKURA!
Alas,
it appears springtime is also fleeting in the Land of the Rising Sun. Summer is
well on its way, but I used the last cool weekend to do a feat of endurance and
strength. Onomichi (I frequent that place, if it`s not obvious) is also famous
for being one end of the Shimanami-Kaido, the longest suspension bridge system
in Japan. This 77km road spans across several small islands, connecting
mainland Honshu to the island of Shikoku. The road is comprised of 7 bridges,
beautiful beach roads, and cultural stops along the way. The salty sea air
propelled me and my friends forward, even when the bike seats started to abuse
our backsides. Oftentimes, the bridge ramps seemed impossible, but reaching the top
of each bridge rewarded me with a stunning view of the Seto Inland Sea and astonishingly
beautiful beaches. Through all the sweat, heat, and bottom pain, the only thing
I could think of was how beautiful the ride was. Those scenes were why I came
to Japan.
I even got to see a dinosaur!
One of the many beautiful scenes atop the bridges.
Hard to stop when there were so many beautiful sights!
I REALLY didn't feel like tackling that last bridge.
But we did and we FINISHED! Dekita!
After
the ride, a victory dinner, and a night in a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn,)
I headed back to my little mountain town full of pride and feeling
accomplished. I truly cannot wait to see what the next 3 months will bring!
Ryokan supplied the hungry cyclists with MEAT! Could've eaten 20 more of these pots, to be honest.
Until
next time, keep readin and dreamin!
-Fred
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