Back on Track Tunnel Count = 14 After yesterdays failed attempt to cross the mountains north of Uonuma I had planned a new route across further north on the N290 and N113 both of which are bigger and busier roads and the summit is only 1250ft, almost half what I was trying yesterday. I had been woken at 6am with Rain absolutely hammering down, fortunately it had gone through by 9am but it left in it's wake strong winds, as I set off I had 4 weather advisories. 1. Strong Winds 2. Poor Air Quality 3. Possible Thunderstorms 4. Possible Tsunami Sounds like a canny day's cycling for a daft Geordie lad ! I was flying along with a tailwind and after 10 miles I had a choice - continue on the busy N290 or try a smaller road which would get me off this road - It would involve three 300ft climbs, an extra 4 miles, I'd lose the tailwind and there was a chance part of it could be closed ... No brainer - I turned off. Within 400 yards I was on abridge leading into a field ! I could see a road across the field and having traversed said field I was back on tarmac. The body was having another good day and I was flying over the first two climbs in a forest reaching the Tainai ski resort and the third climb. As I truned the corner tostart the climb two vehicles were in the middle of the road and sort of just blocking me - I was getting annoyed with them when I realised, there were cones ahead and these guys were actually opening the road up, as he drew back the first cone I said OK and got the thumbs up. They passed me on the climb but then I passed them as they stopped to inspect a bridge. I was through so quick I beat them to the cones on the other side of the climb 4 miles away, I passed farms and ricefields before reaching the even busier N113 at Sekikawa and I also hit a run of tunnels. As I progressed up the valley the wind grew really strong and blustery, changing directions and hitting me knocking the bike sidewards and backwards at times. Each tunnel afforded relief but each exit was like emerging into a jet engine. Tunnel 6 was particularly nasty, it had a narrow path which I chose to use due to the volume of traffic and the tunnel was a mile long. After a few hundred yards the path became quite wet, and slimy and mossy ... extremely slippy. I decleated in case the bike tried to slide off the path, in fairness all bar two tunnels today were quite nasty. I stopped for dinner at 40 miles in a small village knowing there was nothing else for a while, after tunnel 13 I was over 1000ft up and the wind was getting extreme - there was a bit roadwork going on ahead, nothing major but there were loads of traffic signs out saying safety first. Despite being weighted down at least two were propped against the barrier on the left of the road leaning badly and about to go over the side of a precipice. Now I'm no boxing fan but growing up I always said the one boxer I wouldn't want to get in a ring with was Marvin Hagler ... well Toady it felt like I had done two rounds with him. Tunnel 14 was at the Top and unlike the others which were all level inside, this one had an 80 ft climb on it. It was a mile and a quarter long and dead straight - it seemed to go on forever disappearing to a pinpoint. It was however excellent, well lit and there was a 2m wide path on the right hand side. As I cycled through I actually thought it's so much easier to cross sides and face the traffic - you get buffeted less and you can see what's coming. The other thing with these tunnels is the noise, once a vehicle is in the tunnel it reverberates, car approaching you sound like there's a car behind you .. it's very disconcerting. I had 30 miles remaining and as I dropped elevation the gusts declined and the cycling became almost normal. The were few and far between views now as the hills were lower, there were more towns and the air quality meant you couldn't really make the mountains out which were only 4 or 5 miles away. As I approached Yamagata there was one last tunnel #15 and as I approached on a near motorway busy road I saw there was no path I could cycle - I would need to stay on the road, I declined and retraced the last mile to pick my way round the tunnel on other roads which quickly turned into what looked quite like a motorway ! Anyway whether it was or wasn't I was on it for three miles before getting off at the edge of the City Centre and reaching my hotel in great time by 5pm having done another 80 miles. I was however across the mountains and Back on Track in the correct town on the correct date again !