The Hatchet!

[B06Tang]

I did a killer ride today and putting up some pictures to share with everyone; I call it the Hatchet as it looks like one from the top part of Aomori prefecture:

Misawa, my starting point, is on the east side of the pan handle and below from what this map shows. The ride was basically coming up the east side of the pan handle and then crossing over to the top part of the hatchet and then making a huge circle and then coming down the west of the pan handle to go home. It is about a 350 mile Sunday ride with great views and cliff riding!!

 

[B06Tang]

This is the top part of the hatchet and the cliff twisties were beyond incredible!

 

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The "you are here" mark is at about 9:00 pm on this map:

 

[B06Tang]

Had to cross inward for a little bit because of road damage from the hard winter and it having to be closed off. Found a killer "B" style back road and came into a lake with a dam:

 

[B06Tang]

I left the dam and came up to a very cool walking bridge that went over the lake and I was able to get the bike on:

 

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Back on the coastal road and here is the bottom part of the hatchet:

I didn't take any pictures of either side of the pan handle as traffic gets beefed up and there is just typical businesses, stores, industrial plants, etc. All in all a great day....great twisties, great views and a day of thoughts and ideas running through my mind as I rode that are far too many to list in this post. This has got to be the greatest hobby to have and I just hope that I can keep up for another 35 years of it!!

 

[thearcticsea]

Thanks for the shots, man! Love that Japanese feeling. I visited Japan for two weeks about 5 years ago, when I was just out of college and there's no place like it on earth!

Also, I'm sitting here in Massachusetts and it's 6.42 AM, on Sunday as I write this. I got my espresso and I'm waiting for my two friends to arrive. We're taking a blast up the Mohawk trail to visit the only hairpin turn in our state and eat at the top of Mt. Greylock.

Here's where this connects to you. A third friend of mine was supposed to be going, but last year he crashed off his bike and broke his leg. Well, last minute he called and told me he just can't do it. He's only ridden three times since the crash and every time he goes out he's a nervous wreck, and he told me his bike's on Craigslist. It sucks, but no one can blame him.

The thing of it is it's starting to really get me thinking, "Is this too dangerous?" I've never thought about that before. I always just dismiss it as people being overly cautious and alarmist. But this is one of my friends, and he's not doing what I'm about to do because he thinks it's too dangerous, yet I'm still doing it.

So for the first time in my motorcycle career I'm nervous, wondering if I should cancel.

Anyway, I'm not canceling. I'll not stop. I'll just be more cautious and observant, and I'll make sure I'm doing everything right. If I get taken out in spite of this, well then, that's too bad. But your trip report and the pics and your sentiment at the end that this "has got to be the greatest hobby", has reminded me why we do this, right?

So thanks again for the pics and commentary!

Long story, sorry!

 

[motomaniac]

Great shots! I made the same run a few years ago. One of the greatest places to ride in Japan! It's a long haul for me though....I went from the northern tip back to Kashiwa in one day on a Honda 250. When I finally got home I couldn't straighten my legs! Reminded me of that scene in "Dumb and Dumber"!

I'll be free in August so if you got time lets meet up....

 

[B06Tang]

Here's where this connects to you. A third friend of mine was supposed to be going, but last year he crashed off his bike and broke his leg. Well, last minute he called and told me he just can't do it. He's only ridden three times since the crash and every time he goes out he's a nervous wreck, and he told me his bike's on Craigslist. It sucks, but no one can blame him.

The thing of it is it's starting to really get me thinking, "Is this too dangerous?" I've never thought about that before. I always just dismiss it as people being overly cautious and alarmist. But this is one of my friends, and he's not doing what I'm about to do because he thinks it's too dangerous, yet I'm still doing it.

So for the first time in my motorcycle career I'm nervous, wondering if I should cancel.

Anyway, I'm not canceling. I'll not stop. I'll just be more cautious and observant, and I'll make sure I'm doing everything right. If I get taken out in spite of this, well then, that's too bad. But your trip report and the pics and your sentiment at the end that this "has got to be the greatest hobby", has reminded me why we do this, right?

So thanks again for the pics and commentary!

Long story, sorry!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me on this and the connection is kind of funny because I got hit by a car last year on my bike. I was about 95% through an intersection and a car, stopped at the stop sign, just pulled ahead and slammed right into my rear wheel. Bent my frame in three spots and sent me flying. The only reason I didn't get real banged up is because I threw the bike away from me the moment I knew I was going down.

I had a lot of demons to overcome after that incident. I would get nervous at damn near every intersection I approached. The one thing that helped me was riding in a pack for a while and it is true that there are strength in numbers but I really enjoy the solo aspect of riding. Now my attitude is if you are in a car, then you are guilty...you are going to pull in front of me, you are going to cut me off, you are not going to see me, etc. I will speed up to pass a group of cars to get out of a grouping. Things like that has caused me to be even more observant but there is no way I could stop...I guess it is just hard wired. Route selection is important as well...I won't get on a highway unless I absolutely have to and I always make a concentrated effort to not get bunched in a pack of vehicles....even if it means having to pull of to get a cup of coffee.

 

[B06Tang]

Great shots! I made the same run a few years ago. One of the greatest places to ride in Japan! It's a long haul for me though....I went from the northern tip back to Kashiwa in one day on a Honda 250. When I finally got home I couldn't straighten my legs! Reminded me of that scene in "Dumb and Dumber"!

I'll be free in August so if you got time lets meet up....

Definitely shoot me a message if you are ever making it up here. There is a lot of good riding up here and the best part of the Aomori prefecture is that you can cover almost all of it and never pay one toll...a real rarity for Japan! Have you ever checked out Cape Shiriya to see the wild horses? There is also Towada and Hirosaki castle...lots of choices and of course the hatchet is awesome to do no matter how many times you have done it in the past.

 

[D9]

Amazing photos...! what a cool ride...

 

[strokerlmt]

Very cool ride....thx for sharing all the great pictures. Beautiful place.
LMT

 

[Bonafide]

How lucky are you. Pretty cool ride indeed.

 

[B06Tang]

Thanks for the comments fellas...I enjoy sharing these rides I head out on for everyone to see. One of the nice things is to be able to see photos of places you most likely will never be to so I'll keep throwing them up. All you Brits in here...throw up some photos of your rides too as I miss Blighty!

I will be heading out to the opposite side of Aomori prefecture here soon and will make sure to throw up some photos as we are going to check out this extremely eccentric Japanese dude that has moved up here from Osaka. He is incredibly eccentric and incredibly rich and believes that Japan has gotten soft so what is the next logical step....he has put together a nuclear missile in his front yard and has it aimed towards Pyonyang!! :lol::lol: From what I am told is that he has built the fucker to it's furthest parameter of remaining legal and the nuclear commission is forced to do random inspections to keep checking on it. Either way...sounds like a good excuse to take a 500 mile ride on all country roads and see how my Bonnie profiles with it in a picture

 

[Sal Paradise]

Great Pictures. Wow. Nice report.

articsea - pull it together man.

 

[thearcticsea]

Hey Sal, Come on dude. I did 320 miles Yesterday! haha!

 

[ggRAT]

...I will be heading out to the opposite side of Aomori prefecture here soon and will make sure to throw up some photos...

Thanks for refreshing some old memories. In 1966-67 I drove a Toyapet Crown Deluxe all around that area when stationed at Misawa AFB. I learned to eat (swallow!) sushi in Hachinohe and had some of my best fishing days on Lake Towada. A lot of guys bought Honda 305 Scramblers and Dreams. Pictures of the Lake Towada area would be appreciated.

 

[B06Tang]

Thanks for refreshing some old memories. In 1966-67 I drove a Toyapet Crown Deluxe all around that area when stationed at Misawa AFB. I learned to eat (swallow!) sushi in Hachinohe and had some of my best fishing days on Lake Towada. A lot of guys bought Honda 305 Scramblers and Dreams. Pictures of the Lake Towada area would be appreciated.

No problem at all! I will be heading to Towada over Memorial Day weekend and will get some photos for you. That lake is an excellent and it takes almost an hour just to do a circle around it but it always gets really beefed up with traffic as some many come up to it for a visit. What job did you have at Misawa?

 

[ggRAT]

...What job did you have at Misawa?

I was a weather observer with the 20th Weather Squadron, Det. 13. One thing I regret (among many!) was not keeping my embroidered baseball cap. Alas, few souvenirs survived my short-sighted youth. HA!

 

[B06Tang]

you have a picture of the hat? was it one of those woodland-camo style baseball caps?