{"id":2785,"date":"2017-03-24T09:17:48","date_gmt":"2017-03-24T00:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2017-03-24\/2785"},"modified":"2017-03-24T09:17:48","modified_gmt":"2017-03-24T00:17:48","slug":"my-most-brutal-ride-round-trip-to-mt-rokko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2017-03-24\/2785","title":{"rendered":"My Most Brutal Ride: Round Trip to Mt. Rokko"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14746\" href='\/i\/JF100_14746.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14746_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Apparently Not a Good Day This tobidashi-kun doesn't look too happy at the 138km (86mi) point of a very long ride -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14746\"\ntitle=\"Apparently Not a Good Day This tobidashi-kun doesn't look too happy at the 138km (86mi) point of a very long ride -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 56mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 250 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14746.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14746.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Apparently Not <span class='nobr'>a Good<\/span> Day<\/span>\n<br\/>This <a href='\/blog\/2016-12-11\/2759#i12383'>tobidashi-kun<\/a> doesn't look too happy\n<br\/>at the 138km (86mi) point of a very long ride\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14746.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Apparently Not a Good Day This tobidashi-kun doesn't look too happy at the 138km (86mi) point of a very long ride -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>On Wednesday I did what must have been the roughest ride of my short cycling life, <span class='nobr'>a ride<\/span> that left me absolutely\nexhausted to the bone before <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> even <span class='nobr'>a third<\/span> done with it. <span class='nobr'>In the end<\/span> <span class='nobr'>I rode<\/span> the entire big loop I'd planned,\n175km (110mi) to Kobe City's Mt. Rokko and back, but it took 12 hours and <span class='nobr'>a lot<\/span> more willpower than <span class='nobr'>I thought<\/span> <span class='nobr'>I had.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<iframe class='ic' height='405' width='590' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/activities\/910804094\/embed\/856f194169201e363ac680f7d09aad974d1182c9'><\/iframe>\n\n<p>It was almost a spur of the moment, and <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> think it'd be all that difficult for me, and <span class='nobr'>I left<\/span> the house in\ngood spirits.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14670\" href='\/i\/JF100_14670.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14670_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"About To Enter the Mountains (well, they're still 9km away, but I'm heading there) -- Kuga Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14670\"\ntitle=\"About To Enter the Mountains (well, they're still 9km away, but I'm heading there) -- Kuga Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>320 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14670.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14670.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>About To Enter the Mountains<\/span>\n<br\/>(well, they're still 9km away, but I'm heading there)\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14670.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"About To Enter the Mountains (well, they're still 9km away, but I'm heading there) -- Kuga Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14672\" href='\/i\/JF100_14672.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14672_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"481\"\nalt=\"Odd Tobidashi-kun ( Tobidashi-kun are explained here ) -- Haigata Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14672\"\ntitle=\"Odd Tobidashi-kun ( Tobidashi-kun are explained here ) -- Haigata Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14672.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14672.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Odd Tobidashi-kun<\/span>\n<br\/>( Tobidashi-kun are <a href='\/blog\/2016-12-11\/2759#i12383'>explained here<\/a> )\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14672.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Odd Tobidashi-kun ( Tobidashi-kun are explained here ) -- Haigata Bus Stop -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>The first climb of the day is the nasty <a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/segments\/14066875'>Osaka East<\/a> segment\nmentioned in <a href='\/blog\/2016-08-15\/2722#local-considerations'>my blog post about better Strava segments<\/a>.\nOverall it's only 8% for 4km, but it has some very steep sections.<\/p>\n\n<p>It's always beautiful.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14674\" href='\/i\/JF100_14674.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14674_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"461\"\nalt=\"Heading Up -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14674\"\ntitle=\"Heading Up -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/1.7, ISO 250 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14674.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14674.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Heading Up<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14674.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Heading Up -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>I wasn't particularly trying, but it turns out that on <span class='nobr'>a 23<\/span>-minute effort <span class='nobr'>I missed<\/span> my PR by 15 seconds. <span class='nobr'>Had I known<\/span> <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span>\nso close <span class='nobr'>I might<\/span> have tried, but at the same time, <span class='nobr'>I knew I<\/span> had <span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> day, so <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> trying to be efficient more than fast.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i8355\" href='\/i\/JF_i6p_8355.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF_i6p_8355_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"471\"\nalt=\"Selfie after the first climb -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"ii6p_8355\"\ntitle=\"Selfie after the first climb -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">iPhone 6+ + front camera &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>30 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 40 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF_i6p_8355.jpg'>image data<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Selfie<\/span>\n<br\/>after the first climb\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF_i6p_8355.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Selfie after the first climb -- Kyoto, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>It was a bit chilly (5\u2103), made worse by the strong headwind that appears once <span class='nobr'>I got<\/span> over the pass. <span class='nobr'>I was glad<\/span> that light spring\/fall gloves aside, <span class='nobr'>I was still<\/span> in full winter kit.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14676\" href='\/i\/JF100_14676.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14676_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Isolated Shrine Gate along a road cutting through rice fields (I suspect the shrine is nestled in the mountains nearby) -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14676\"\ntitle=\"Isolated Shrine Gate along a road cutting through rice fields (I suspect the shrine is nestled in the mountains nearby) -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14676.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14676.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Isolated Shrine Gate<\/span>\n<br\/>along a road cutting through rice fields\n<br\/>(I suspect the shrine is nestled in the mountains nearby)\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14676.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Isolated Shrine Gate along a road cutting through rice fields (I suspect the shrine is nestled in the mountains nearby) -- Takatsuki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>Not long after this gate begins <span class='nobr'>a long,<\/span> lovely descent that I'd never taken\n(though I'd climbed it the other direction twice before, including <a href='\/blog\/2015-11-25\/2645'>this ride<\/a>). <span class='nobr'>It was long<\/span> and sweeping and fast, so <span class='nobr'>I would<\/span> have loved to have fun with it, but with the wind <span class='nobr'>I felt<\/span> like <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> trying to\nswim upstream, so <span class='nobr'>I just<\/span> let gravity do its thing and hoped it was enough to overcome the wind.<\/p>\n\n<p>By this time I was just following the route on my Garmin cycling computer, so <span class='nobr'>I had<\/span> little idea where <span class='nobr'>I actually<\/span> was,\nbut for the most part it was deserted mountain roads...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14681\" href='\/i\/JF100_14681.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14681_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"462\"\nalt=\"Typical Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14681\"\ntitle=\"Typical Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/3.5, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14681.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14681.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Typical Scene<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14681.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Typical Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i8357\" href='\/i\/JF_i6p_8357.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF_i6p_8357_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"463\"\nalt=\"Halfway To the Halfway Spot at one of the many small villages along the way -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"ii6p_8357\"\ntitle=\"Halfway To the Halfway Spot at one of the many small villages along the way -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">iPhone 6+ + front camera &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>720 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF_i6p_8357.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF_i6p_8357.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Halfway To the Halfway Spot<\/span>\n<br\/>at one of the many small villages along the way\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF_i6p_8357.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Halfway To the Halfway Spot at one of the many small villages along the way -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14684\" href='\/i\/JF100_14684.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14684_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Steep Tobidashi-kun -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14684\"\ntitle=\"Steep Tobidashi-kun -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14684.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14684.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Steep Tobidashi-kun<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14684.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Steep Tobidashi-kun -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>I ended up chatting with the guy seen in walking in the background. <span class='nobr'>He excitedly<\/span> told me that more and more\ncyclists were coming by this area, in groups. <span class='nobr'>He seemed<\/span> to like the idea, and was amazed by it (as the road\nis quite steep).<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14686\" href='\/i\/JF100_14686.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14686_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"Typical Non-Mountain Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14686\"\ntitle=\"Typical Non-Mountain Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>640 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14686.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14686.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Typical Non-Mountain Scene<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14686.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Typical Non-Mountain Scene -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14687\" href='\/i\/JF100_14687.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14687_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"459\"\nalt=\"12% Descent -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14687\"\ntitle=\"12% Descent -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14687.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14687.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>12% Descent<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14687.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"12% Descent -- Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>Most of the route was new roads for me, so other than what was around Kyoto, and the main destination of the climb\n(Mt. Rokko), <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> have any sense for what awaited me, so <span class='nobr'>I never<\/span> knew what was around the next curve. <span class='nobr'>In this case<\/span>,\nit was <span class='nobr'>a steep<\/span> descent, which is always nice.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14690\" href='\/i\/JF100_14690.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14690_sm.jpg\" width=\"432\" height=\"575\"\nalt=\"Way Up There on a really hazy day -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14690\"\ntitle=\"Way Up There on a really hazy day -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 43mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>160 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14690.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14690.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Way Up There<\/span>\n<br\/>on a really hazy day\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14690.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Way Up There on a really hazy day -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14693\" href='\/i\/JF100_14693.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14693_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Mino Dam I'd passed by twice before; this time taking the road that cuts across it -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14693\"\ntitle=\"Mino Dam I'd passed by twice before; this time taking the road that cuts across it -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>250 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14693.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14693.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Mino Dam<\/span>\n<br\/>I'd passed by twice before; this time taking the road that cuts across it\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14693.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Mino Dam I'd passed by twice before; this time taking the road that cuts across it -- Minoo, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>Taking the new road, I was rewarded with <a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/activities\/910804094\/segments\/22211927792'><span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> 12% climb<\/a>\nthat was most brutal in its layout: it was long and mostly straight, so you could see the long rising road waiting for you.\nFor me, this is much more difficult than the same climb on <span class='nobr'>a twisty<\/span> road, since <span class='nobr'>I can't<\/span> see (and be daunted) by what lies ahead.<\/p>\n\n<p>In the end, though, I got a nice (but still super hazy) view.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14697\" href='\/i\/JF100_14697.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14697_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"457\"\nalt=\"Ikeda, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14697\"\ntitle=\"Ikeda, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 38mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>640 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14697.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14697.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14697.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Ikeda, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>Again, I didn't know this road so didn't know what might be coming next, but <span class='nobr'>I assumed<\/span> there would be some sort\nof descent eventually, and <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> not disappointed. <span class='nobr'>The descent<\/span> from turned out to be\n<a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/activities\/910804094\/segments\/22211927797'><span class='nobr'>a lovely<\/span> 6km at 6%<\/a>.\nAnd again, <span class='nobr'>I tickled<\/span> myself by just taking it easy yet still registering <span class='nobr'>a top<\/span>-10 time (in this case out of 446 people who\nhave done it <span class='nobr'>a combined<\/span> 1,400 times).<\/p>\n\n<p>And that's where, a third of the way into the trip, the day effectively ended for me.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14699\" href='\/i\/JF100_14699.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14699_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"409\"\nalt=\"10km of This -- Takarazukao Bridge -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14699\"\ntitle=\"10km of This -- Takarazukao Bridge -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>640 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14699.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14699.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>10km of This<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14699.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"10km of This -- Takarazukao Bridge -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>That long lovely descent ended in <span class='nobr'>a big<\/span> city, near the Osaka Itami Airport, and the moment <span class='nobr'>I got<\/span> into city traffic, <span class='nobr'>a profound<\/span>\nweariness hit me like the most crushing of post-Thanksgiving-dinner food comas. <span class='nobr'>It was amazing<\/span> in its abruptness, as if <span class='nobr'>a switch<\/span>\nhad been turned off. <span class='nobr'>At first<\/span> <span class='nobr'>I thought<\/span> it might have been because <span class='nobr'>I used<\/span> so much energy concentrating during the descent, but\neven after resting for 10 minutes and eating again, <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> feel any better.<\/p>\n\n<p>I didn't think it was the dreaded <a href='https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hitting_the_wall'>bonk<\/a> (cycling version of\n<span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>hitting the wall<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>) because <span class='nobr'>I had<\/span> eaten before leaving, and on <span class='nobr'>a regular<\/span> schedule along the way. <span class='nobr'>I didn't<\/span> know what it was, but\nhoped <span class='nobr'>I could<\/span> shake it off during the 10km of city riding <span class='nobr'>I had<\/span> to get through to reach the start of the main climb of the day, <a\nhref='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/segments\/14418211'>Rokko East<\/a>, whose 880m (2,888') of vertical gain averages out at 8% over\nits 11.6km (7.2mi).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14700\" href='\/i\/JF100_14700.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14700_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Gentle But Unrelenting Start to the day's main climb -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14700\"\ntitle=\"Gentle But Unrelenting Start to the day's main climb -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>250 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14700.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14700.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Gentle But Unrelenting Start<\/span>\n<br\/>to the day's main climb\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14700.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Gentle But Unrelenting Start to the day's main climb -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>I had hoped that the easy city riding would let me shake off the deep fatigue <span class='nobr'>I felt,<\/span> but it didn't. <span class='nobr'>I was so<\/span> tired, that closing my eyes for <span class='nobr'>a second<\/span> brought the most wonderful feeling of complete comfort,\nto be followed at the end of the second by the dread of not being able to keep them closed.<\/p>\n\n<p>A minute or so in, I gave in and stopped, parked the bike, lay down, and closed my eyes for 45 minutes.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14701\" href='\/i\/JF100_14701.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14701_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Looking Back at the small area of pebbles that was my roadside bed -- Nogami Bus Stop -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14701\"\ntitle=\"Looking Back at the small area of pebbles that was my roadside bed -- Nogami Bus Stop -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14701.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14701.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Looking Back<\/span>\n<br\/>at the small area of pebbles that was my roadside bed\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14701.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Looking Back at the small area of pebbles that was my roadside bed -- Nogami Bus Stop -- Takarazuka, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>It felt wonderful to lie down, close my eyes, and just quietly listen to the passing sounds, but in the end\nit didn't do anything to help, so after 45 minutes <span class='nobr'>I collected<\/span> myself and trudged upward on the unrelenting\nclimb.<\/p>\n\n<p>When thinking of the big climb up Mt. Rokko, <span class='nobr'>I'd had in<\/span> mind how easy it was <a\nhref='\/blog\/2016-06-04\/2702'>the only other time I'd done it<\/a>, but it had dawned on me\nduring the 10km across the city that my previous climb was over <span class='nobr'>a 25km<\/span> route, and that this time I'd\nbe doing the same elevation over less than half the distance (and thus the slope was twice as steep). Ugh, what <span class='nobr'>a stupid<\/span> mental mistake.\nBut anyway, <span class='nobr'>I was here<\/span> now and <span class='nobr'>I just<\/span> had to get through it.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14707\" href='\/i\/JF100_14707.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14707_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Kids In Over their Head taken while slowly plodding up at 8 kph (5 mph) -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14707\"\ntitle=\"Kids In Over their Head taken while slowly plodding up at 8 kph (5 mph) -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14707.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14707.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Kids In Over their Head<\/span>\n<br\/>taken while slowly plodding up at 8 kph (5 mph)\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14707.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Kids In Over their Head taken while slowly plodding up at 8 kph (5 mph) -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>The only other people I saw going up, besides the occasional car, was one hiker and some kids (junior high or high school) on\nheavy <i>mamachari<\/i> city bikes. Well, they weren't <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>on<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> them, since\nthey were pushing slowly uphill. <span class='nobr'>I let them<\/span> know how much farther it was (4.2km), which shocked them,\nbut they kept on.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14710\" href='\/i\/JF100_14710.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14710_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"460\"\nalt=\"Another &amp;#8220; 12% &amp;#8221; Slope but just what I need.... this time it's uphill -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14710\"\ntitle=\"Another &amp;#8220; 12% &amp;#8221; Slope but just what I need.... this time it's uphill -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14710.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14710.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Another <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>12%<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> Slope<\/span>\n<br\/>but just what I need.... this time it's uphill\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14710.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Another &amp;#8220; 12% &amp;#8221; Slope but just what I need.... this time it's uphill -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>There are absolutely no services of any kind during this long climb, except at the main road's pass there's\n<span class='nobr'>a restaurant<\/span> and some vending machines, but you're not quite at the top yet, because from there there's\na <a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/segments\/12261870'>short intense climb (300m @ 15%) to the top<\/a>...<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14718\" href='\/i\/JF100_14718.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14718_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"397\"\nalt=\"Getting Close to the Top Restaurant at left, final bit of road at right -- Mt Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14718\"\ntitle=\"Getting Close to the Top Restaurant at left, final bit of road at right -- Mt Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 32mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>320 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14718.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14718.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Getting Close to the Top<\/span>\n<br\/>Restaurant at left, final bit of road at right\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14718.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Getting Close to the Top Restaurant at left, final bit of road at right -- Mt Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>I guess a lot of cyclists don't know about the last little bit to the top, or choose not to take it. <span class='nobr'>It's really<\/span> daunting\nif you're not used to steep stuff, especially after having killed yourself for an hour to get here. <span class='nobr'>I'd been wanting<\/span> to make <span class='nobr'>a Kyoto<\/span>-Rokko round trip for <span class='nobr'>a long<\/span> time, and was inspired to actually do it now by\n<a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/activities\/907288107'>an acquaintance's ride <span class='nobr'>a few<\/span> days prior<\/a>. <span class='nobr'>He's much stronger<\/span> than me (his time up to the restaurant was an hour faster than mine), but for whatever reason he didn't\nmake the final push to the top.<\/p>\n\n<p>In fact, of all the friends and acquaintances <span class='nobr'>I follow<\/span> on Strava, only one has ever made the full eastern climb <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> doing,\nand even then, the two other folks he was riding with opted to skip that last steep climb.<\/p>\n\n<p>I didn't skip it, and was surprised that my two-minute effort was only 12 seconds slower than my PR.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i8359\" href='\/i\/JF_i6p_8359.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF_i6p_8359_sm.jpg\" width=\"431\" height=\"575\"\nalt=\"At The Top -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"ii6p_8359\"\ntitle=\"At The Top -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">iPhone 6+ + front camera &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>1400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 32 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF_i6p_8359.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF_i6p_8359.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>At The Top<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF_i6p_8359.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"At The Top -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>The mask, by the way, is to warm the air as <span class='nobr'>I breath.<\/span> <span class='nobr'>My tonsils<\/span> are apparently very <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>sensitive<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> to cold,\nand even <span class='nobr'>a short<\/span> spell of exertion without the mask would give me flu symptoms for the next couple of days. <span class='nobr'>A combination<\/span> of some allergy medicine and this cheap ($7) mask makes it possible for me to cycle in the winter.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14712\" href='\/i\/JF100_14712.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14712_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Blah, Hazy View Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) ( better photos last time ) -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14712\"\ntitle=\"Blah, Hazy View Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) ( better photos last time ) -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14712.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14712.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Blah, Hazy View<\/span>\n<br\/>Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802)\n<br\/>( better photos <a href='\/blog\/2016-06-04\/2702'>last time<\/a> )\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14712.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Blah, Hazy View Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) ( better photos last time ) -- Summit of Mt. Rokko (\u516d\u7532\u5c71\u5c71\u9802) -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>I didn't stick around. Being inactive at the top meant that <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> starting to get chilly,\nand knew I'd freeze on the long descent so for the first time in\nmonths <span class='nobr'>I put<\/span> on <span class='nobr'>a windbreaker<\/span> as an extra layer. <span class='nobr'>The long descent<\/span> should have been thrilling,\nbut <span class='nobr'>I just<\/span> plodded along.<\/p>\n\n<p>The second half, the <a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/segments\/14412654'>gorgeous Ura Rokko descent<\/a>,\nshould have been the highlight of my day, but my fingers were so cold <span class='nobr'>I could<\/span> barely feel the brake levers,\nwhich is not any more conducive to <span class='nobr'>a safe<\/span> descent than my fatigue.<\/p>\n\n<p>I wasn't hungry, but thought that <span class='nobr'>a real<\/span> meal might help. Unfortunately, <span class='nobr'>I\ndidn't<\/span> come across <span class='nobr'>a restaurant<\/span> in <span class='nobr'>a timely<\/span> fashion, so <span\nclass='nobr'>I made<\/span> do with <span class='nobr'>a convenience<\/span> store and had <span class='nobr'>a cup<\/span> of\ncoffee, some bread, and a <a href='https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Natt%C5%8D'><i>natto<\/i><\/a> rice wrap.<\/p>\n\n<p>This was followed by some more steep climbs, but nothing as long as Mt. Rokko.<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14719\" href='\/i\/JF100_14719.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14719_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"472\"\nalt=\"Raccoon Tobidashi-kun -- Arimaguchiekizen Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14719\"\ntitle=\"Raccoon Tobidashi-kun -- Arimaguchiekizen Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>250 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14719.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14719.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Raccoon Tobidashi-kun<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14719.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Raccoon Tobidashi-kun -- Arimaguchiekizen Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic tight' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14720\" href='\/i\/JF100_14720.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14720_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"485\"\nalt=\"Arima Wanda Garden \u6709\u99ac\u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9 -- Arimahigashiguchi Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14720\"\ntitle=\"Arima Wanda Garden \u6709\u99ac\u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9 -- Arimahigashiguchi Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 56mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>500 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14720.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14720.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Arima Wanda Garden<\/span>\n<br\/>\u6709\u99ac\u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14720.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Arima Wanda Garden \u6709\u99ac\u308f\u3093\u308f\u3093\u30e9\u30f3\u30c9 -- Arimahigashiguchi Bus Stop -- Kobe, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>At the top of one climb I came across this forlorn sight.\n<span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>Wanda<span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> is verbal play meaning more or less <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>the <i>woof<\/i><span class='QC'>&#8221;<\/span>, so it seems it was some kind of\ndoggie amusement park.  Indeed, <span class='nobr'>I found<\/span> this\n<a href='http:\/\/www.tomboy-urbex.com\/wan-wan-land\/'>urban-explorer report<\/a> on the place.<\/p>\n\n<p>Eventually came the next big descent, which turned out to be one of my favorites,\nthe <a href='https:\/\/www.strava.com\/segments\/14412704'>Arima Highway (5km @ -6%)<\/a>. <span class='nobr'>It was long<\/span> and mostly straight,\nwhich means one can really get up <span class='nobr'>a head<\/span> of steam. <span class='nobr'>I spent<\/span> most of the time stuck behind <span class='nobr'>a truck<\/span> spewing dark blue fumes,\nand then when he kindly let me by <span class='nobr'>I quickly<\/span> got blocked by an elderly driver in <span class='nobr'>a tiny<\/span> tin box, but it's just as well. <span class='nobr'>The light<\/span> meal at the convenience store had perked me up much more than any of the other food I'd been eating, but <span class='nobr'>I still<\/span>\nwasn't fit for <span class='nobr'>a mentally<\/span>-challenging descent.<\/p>\n\n<p>I had to make my way through some urban areas for <span class='nobr'>a while.<\/span>..<\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14721\" href='\/i\/JF100_14721.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14721_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Pretty River, Ugly Road -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14721\"\ntitle=\"Pretty River, Ugly Road -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>250 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14721.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14721.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Pretty River, Ugly Road<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14721.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Pretty River, Ugly Road -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14723\" href='\/i\/JF100_14723.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14723_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"451\"\nalt=\"Not Particularly Fun -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14723\"\ntitle=\"Not Particularly Fun -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 75mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>250 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14723.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14723.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Not Particularly Fun<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14723.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Not Particularly Fun -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14725\" href='\/i\/JF100_14725.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14725_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Back to the Grind next climb starts off at 10% -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14725\"\ntitle=\"Back to the Grind next climb starts off at 10% -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 65mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14725.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14725.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Back to the Grind<\/span>\n<br\/>next climb starts off at 10%\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14725.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Back to the Grind next climb starts off at 10% -- Namase Bus Stop -- Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14726\" href='\/i\/JF100_14726.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14726_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"456\"\nalt=\"Mini-Plot Farms just another day in the countryside -- Kawanishi, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14726\"\ntitle=\"Mini-Plot Farms just another day in the countryside -- Kawanishi, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>400 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5.6, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14726.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14726.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Mini-Plot Farms<\/span>\n<br\/>just another day in the countryside\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14726.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Mini-Plot Farms just another day in the countryside -- Kawanishi, Hyogo, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>After a long while of climbing and descending, <span class='nobr'>I started<\/span> to feel lethargic again,\nwhich told me that it was indeed the light meal at the convenience store that had perked me up. <span class='nobr'>I have no<\/span> idea why the <a href='https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Y%C5%8Dkan'>yokan<\/a> and calorie cookies\n<span class='nobr'>I normally<\/span> use weren't doing it for me this time, but I <i>finally<\/i> decided to find <span class='nobr'>a real<\/span> restaurant. <span class='nobr'>I came across<\/span> towns and villages, but it took <span class='nobr'>a while<\/span> to find an appropriate restaurant where <span class='nobr'>I could<\/span>\npark the bike safely, but at the 120km (75mi) point in the ride, <span class='nobr'>I did,<\/span> and <span class='nobr'>I ate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i8368\" href='\/i\/JF_i6p_8368.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF_i6p_8368_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"465\"\nalt=\"Beef and Chicken Set and Coke and coffee and tea \u304b\u3081\u305f\u306b -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"ii6p_8368\"\ntitle=\"Beef and Chicken Set and Coke and coffee and tea \u304b\u3081\u305f\u306b -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">iPhone 6+ &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>15 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 40 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF_i6p_8368.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF_i6p_8368.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Beef and Chicken Set<\/span>\n<br\/>and Coke and coffee and tea\n<br\/>\u304b\u3081\u305f\u306b\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF_i6p_8368.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Beef and Chicken Set and Coke and coffee and tea \u304b\u3081\u305f\u306b -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>More ups and downs ensued; I eventually started to feel much better.\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14734\" href='\/i\/JF100_14734.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14734_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"More Mountains -- Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14734\"\ntitle=\"More Mountains -- Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 41mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/4, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14734.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14734.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>More Mountains<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14734.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"More Mountains -- Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14741\" href='\/i\/JF100_14741.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14741_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"462\"\nalt=\"Getting Late -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14741\"\ntitle=\"Getting Late -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>200 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/5, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14741.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14741.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Getting Late<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14741.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Getting Late -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14743\" href='\/i\/JF100_14743.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14743_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"480\"\nalt=\"Happy Tobidashi-kun -- Kuragaki Bus Stop -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14743\"\ntitle=\"Happy Tobidashi-kun -- Kuragaki Bus Stop -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 24mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/2.2, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14743.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14743.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Happy Tobidashi-kun<\/span>\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14743.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Happy Tobidashi-kun -- Kuragaki Bus Stop -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<div class='ic' itemscope itemtype='http:\/\/schema.org\/Photograph'><a name=\"i14745\" href='\/i\/JF100_14745.jpg' itemprop='image'\n><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/i\/JF100_14745_sm.jpg\" width=\"690\" height=\"518\"\nalt=\"Roadside Entrance to a shrine that should be spectacular when cherry-blossom season hits in a week or two -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\nid=\"i14745\"\ntitle=\"Roadside Entrance to a shrine that should be spectacular when cherry-blossom season hits in a week or two -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/a>\n<br\/><span class=\"camera-info robots-nocontent\">Panasonic LX100 at an effective 46mm &mdash; <sup>1<\/sup><big>\/<\/big>125 sec, <span class='f'>f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 200 &mdash;\n<a href='\/imageinfo.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fregex.info%2Fi%2FJF100_14745.jpg'>map &amp; image data<\/a> &mdash; <a href='\/blog\/proximity\/i\/JF100_14745.jpg'>nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n<br\/><span class='caption'>Roadside Entrance<\/span>\n<br\/>to a shrine that should be spectacular when cherry-blossom season hits in <span class='nobr'>a week<\/span> or two\n<meta itemprop='url' content='http:\/\/regex.info\/i\/JF100_14745.jpg'\/>\n<meta itemprop='creator' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='copyrightHolder' content='Jeffrey Friedl'\/>\n<meta itemprop='dateCreated' content='2017-03-22'\/>\n<meta itemprop='about' content=\"Roadside Entrance to a shrine that should be spectacular when cherry-blossom season hits in a week or two -- Toyono-gun -- Toyono-gun, Osaka, Japan -- Copyright 2017 Jeffrey Friedl, https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/\"\/><\/div>\n\n<p>The wind, which had been brutal in the morning but then had subsided for me on the other side of Mt. Rokko, had\npicked up again for hours around the restaurant stop, but mercifully turned into <span class='nobr'>a lovely<\/span> tailwind toward the end\nof the ride in Kameoka. That, combined with the energy from the meal, and <span class='nobr'>I was<\/span> felt good for the first time since\nthe first climb.<\/p>\n\n<p>I actually didn't feel so bad by the time <span class='nobr'>I got<\/span> home; <span class='nobr'>I just<\/span> wish <span class='nobr'>I could<\/span> have said the same for the bulk of the ride. <span class='nobr'>The ride savaged<\/span> me, and I'm still not sure why. <span class='nobr'>I want to<\/span> do it again, but with energy next time, so I'll bring <span class='nobr'>a bike<\/span> lock so <span class='nobr'>I can<\/span> stop\nmore easily to eat.<\/p>\n\n<p>Overall at 176km (109mi) it was my 8th-longest ride ever, and with 3,491m (11,453') of vertical climb it ranked fourth toughest\nof my rides so far. <span class='nobr'>But on the<\/span> <span class='QO'>&#8220;<\/span>painful grind<span\nclass='QC'>&#8221;<\/span> scale, <span class='nobr'>I think<\/span> it ranks #1.<\/p>\n\n<p>Here's the <a href='https:\/\/www.relive.cc\/view\/910804094'>Relive.cc video of the ride<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday I did what must have been the roughest ride of my short cycling life, a ride that left me absolutely exhausted to the bone before I was even a third done with it. In the end I rode the entire big loop I'd planned, 175km (110mi) to Kobe City's Mt. Rokko and back, but it took 12 hours and a lot more willpower than I thought I had.<\/p> <p>It was almost a spur of the moment, and I didn't think it'd be all that difficult for me, and I left the house in good spirits.<\/p> <p>The first climb [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}