大自然のドライブと帯広の豚丼旨い！ 北海道旅⑨ 上士幌～帯広～安平編
It rained in Kamishihoro this morning, but it stopped a bit as I set off. I’m heading to Obihiro today and planning to do some laundry at a laundromat. Here’s today’s route: I’m heading from Kamishihoro to Obihiro, then taking the Ishikari Jukai Road, passing through Hidaka, and finally the Abira roadside station. The rain has stopped, but fog has started to appear. Apparently, Kushiro is the most foggy, but it’s also fairly common near Obihiro. Fog can be found in the mountainous areas of Kanto, but it’s rare on the plains. As I approached Obihiro, the road gradually widened. When I think of Obihiro, I imagine birch trees. I doubt I’ll be able to see the scenery reminiscent of the song “Shirakaba, aozora ♪” today. However, the sky is brightening considerably, so I decided to go see the birch trees at Tokachi Ranch. It would have been incredibly beautiful if the sky had been blue. The clouds are overcast here, too. But this is a typical Hokkaido scene. I set off again, heading toward downtown Obihiro. While doing my laundry, I took a stroll. It was a long bench, a Green Park specialty. It seemed like there were lots of squirrels, too. It felt like a foreign country. For lunch, I had the pork bowl, a dish originating from Obihiro. The kind owner of “Hana Tokachi” offered to take a sticker with me, so I immediately put one up inside my car. Now that I was full, I decided to head to the Abira Roadside Station. Since it was Saturday, I considered watching the Ban’ei horse racing in Obihiro , but it was cloudy with rain forecast for the evening, so I decided to leave early. The Doto Expressway from Obihiro to Abira would be the fastest, but it’s a toll road. The public road is the Sekisho Jukai Road, a mountain road over a mountain pass. I decided to take the public road, hoping to ride a mountain road at least once in Hokkaido . Unusually, there were cows along the side of the road. I wonder if a farmer runs a shop there. Maybe they sell ice cream or delicious milk? Personally, I’m not that interested. lol Well, it’s embarrassing for an old guy to go alone. The road over the pass is often cloudy. I wonder if the view would have been beautiful if it had been sunny. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do. I seem to have come quite high up. There’s a sign warning of bears and deer jumping out into the distance. Then, for the first time, I encountered a deer. I was listening to a Hokkaido radio program and heard that car-deer collisions are common in the area. However, the damage to the car is apparently quite severe, and the repair costs are quite high. I guess my mountain climbing is almost over. This was my first mountain pass in Hokkaido, but the road was wide and the curves were gentle, so it seemed manageable even in a minivan (Kei Van). It was much easier than the mountain roads in the Kanto region, like Otarumi Pass or Doshi Road . I wonder if this is Hidaka Town. I seem to have descended to a village. It’s not very visible in the photo, but the clear stream on the left is very beautiful. It must be a nice place. After a long mountain road ride, I stopped off at the Jukai Road Hidaka Roadside Station for a rest. The sign said Sapporo, but I was already back in central Hokkaido. It started to rain. I was close to Yubari, so I figured I was almost there. I arrived in Abira Town and took a bath at the town’s “Nukumori no Yu” hot spring. Then, I followed the navigation system’s directions to the roadside station, but I wondered, “Is it really around here?” I reached the top of the hill, and suddenly the road was well-maintained. (Fast forward!) I arrived at Abira Roadside Station D51 Station. Today’s roadside station was also beautiful and luxurious, a stark contrast to the atmosphere of the town. Today’s only shot: a row of birch trees with only a little blue sky . My journey is finally coming to an end. Tomorrow, I’m heading to Muroran. Good night.
北海道車中泊旅の第8日目。
上士幌の道の駅を出てから帯広へ。
そのあと安平へ。
関連URLs
– はなとかち（豚丼）
https://hanatokachi.com/
– 道の駅 あびら D51ステーション
https://d51-station.com/