Elton John ! Tunnel Count = 3 I will try to keep todays report concise ! Todays ride was very similar to yesterdays. A fast start, a diversion to find more interest, wind then a climb and a straight run into the finish. Inleft Yamagata on the main road North - it was dualled but with a good verge and it was fast, I was flying ... every 800 yards between lights. If you look at the map it was 19 miles straight North and I hit 34 Red Lighhts out of 40 ! After 9 miles I passed a Shrine and 5 storey Pagoda at Tendo then after a fast 19 miles I diverted west to avoid Shinjo and to pick up the Mogami Rivey Valley. I almost instantly regretted it as a wallbof wind hit me from the west - I thought Im only going slightly west so I'll turn soon and it will get easier .... it did ... after 60 miles ! If I am writing this in italics it would be appropriate habing been leaning left most of the day to stay upright. I did get some good photos of the river valley and its surroundings. It took a long time to change as the hills are lower here, the valley is eide and extremely flat - not like your V or U shaped valleys we learnt about in geography these were pretty much bucket shaped ! Eventually at about 40 miles undulations started and the road went in snd out of a wooded area. I cleared tunnel 2 to find a Torii Arch alongside and an interesting sign inviting me to cycle a mile up the hill the tunnel had just gone under. Well I couldnt resist a quick 400ft climb and it wasnt a shrine, it was more like a retreat or a Sanitorium. Anyway, nice views and I even posed the bike against a sculpted rock. I had one climb up to 1000ft after 55 miles and it was easy, I was in the woods out of ge wind and the gradient was only 4% so spon I was at Tunnel 3 which was a mile long and had a decent path on the right facing traffic. At the halfway point a sign marjed the Prefecture boundaries of Yanagata and Akita. Each say its a long time riding and isually a random song gets stuck in your head ... Well after entering Akita it was Elton John all the way to the finish ... oh Akita you will never know ! Tunnel 3 was extremely gritty and I came out covered in dust, picking it out of my eyes - maybes it was the wind. Anyway A fast downhill on the leeward side of tge tunnel saw me cover the remaining 14 miles into Yazawa in just 40 minutes !