The End of the Line

Tuesday, Nov. 3 was a national holiday (Culture Day), and with Daidogei still in town, a few of us were ready to flee the city to enjoy the fall colors and some open space. Our plans to go to Ikawa Lake were dashed when we found the bus schedule too sporadic, unable to guarantee we'd arrive back in Shizuoka that night. We felt like an adventure, but not to that extent; we instead jumped on bus 126 toward Umegashima. The area had hot springs...and that is all we knew.Time to stretch our legs on a sketchy suspension bridge, about halfway through our 1.5-2ish-hour bus ride.Above: Matt takes in the scene (and contemplates his chances of death or injury); below: Jaime, Brian (a Wisconsinite!), and Jackson.After catching our second bus, which wound its way up the one-lane road bordered by steep rising hills, gorges, and the occasional waterfall, we were finally dropped off at the very end of the bus line in Umegashima. The chilly air was a shock, but we were up high enough in the hills to see some fine reds and yellows (inappropriately captured since it was so damn cold outside).We first found ourselves some steaming-hot noodles, then spent two hours soaking in the hot-spring baths...perfectly relaxing.The onsen was closing for the night, and despite our concerns as we stood at the stop in the dark, a bus actually did come through to take us all the way back to Shizuoka. November may be my favorite month thus far...I'll get back to you on that.