We started our trip early on Monday morning (May 1st), and drove up to Niigata. We drove along the Japan Sea coast, looking for a suitable place to spend the night. We finally pulled up in a fairly private spot on the beach, and settled in for the night in the back of the Pajero (see picture of the Pajero below). Because we hadn't brought the bikes, we had significantly more space and were able to sleep in the car with ease; which was actually good, considering the fierce wind and driving rain...
The second morning we started driving again. We drove and drove that day - it was cold and wet. So, when, just before dark, we found a camp ground, we decided to stay there for one night and to allow ourselves a little luxury - a large, well-furnished, heated cabin! We re-froze our ice and other cold goods in the cooler, and watched a little TV.
The weather got a lot better during our next day of driving,and when we stopped in the mid-afternoon, on the Noto Peninsula, the sun was bright and hot.
We pressed on again the next morning, getting further onto the Noto Peninsula, looking for an even better place to set up camp. We drove through some great old fishing villages as we made our way over to a small island (Noto Shima), and before 11:00 we found another campground; this one not so luxurious, and very laid back - just to our liking (no strange rules about campfires, no cabins and no pre-assigned lots!). We found ourselves a secluded spot at the far end of the ground, with our own private patch of white sandy beach. For the first time in ages, we were nowhere near a convenience store, and again, the sun was bright and hot, and the spot was so perfect we stayed there for two nights and three days.
Our slice of beach:
Time to head back home - we left Ishikawa prefecture (and the Noto Hanto) in the afternoon and began to make the long journey home. By the time we got to Nagano, and still a few hours from home, tired from the journey, we pulled off the highway and spent the night in a Route Inn (one of the chain hotels that is reasonably priced and very nice). Dinner at a Chinese restaurant and a nice breakfast in the hotel were great fuel to see us on our way on Sunday morning.
Despite being peak travel season and time for the "U-Turn Rush" (when everyone heads back to their jobs in Tokyo after the holiday), we had the least amount of traffic we've ever seen on that highway all the way home.
And now we are back, invigorated from the time away.
We are working on our photos, and should have a web album up in a few days. But for now here are a few photos from our trip...
Our route:
Pajero at the final campsite:
We were on the sunset side of the island:
3 comments:
What a wonderful trip. Loved the photos and am looking forward to seeing more.
Sounds so relaxing - glad you enjoyed your time off, though for the life of me I don't know what I would do 7 hours away from a computer let alone 7 days!
Sounds great... can't wait for the photos.
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