GW ツアー’ｓ
A Golden Week of Exploration
Well as fast as it came Golden Week is over for another year. I hope you all got out to enjoy it! We spent our holiday travelling all over Kyushu. 
Our first adventure was along the Saga-Fukuoka border where we once again went to Mt. Ihara and Raizan to check out the blooming Mitsuba Azaleas. 
Although the weather was nowhere near the weather we had last week, we still had a wonderful time with the pinkish flowers dotting the landscape. 
While we were hiking I noticed that there are still lots more flowers to bloom so we will be heading back there again on Monday the 14th of April.
Our next adventure was a little deeper into the heart of Kyushu. We went on a nice relaxing 3 day hike and camp in the Okue area of northern Miyazaki.
This area is known for its deep lush forests and towering granite rock faces making it also known as the Yosemite of Kyushu! Before we left Fukuoka the weather was having a hard time clearing up and we were all I think a bit skeptical of the clear skies that were in the forecast but the weatherman was right for a change and we were granted 3 full beautiful sunny days!!
The first day was spent getting to and setting up our campsite and we found a beautiful spot overlooking the Houri river with some beautiful Mitsuba Azaleas in full bloom.
All of us wanted to enjoy a nice relaxing nature experience so our mission for this trip was not the hardcore Kozumidaki and Mt. Okue summit route but a nice relaxing nature hike along the Sanrigawara trail during our second day.
Both nights we enjoyed a relaxing campfire while we did some moon gazing and even got to see the Supermoon with Saturn and Mars also shining down on us.
To comfort the sorrow of having to leave this beautiful place we headed into the nearby city of Nobeoka to partake in one of their most popular dishes, Chicken Nanban! We all headed home with full stomachs and a deep desire to visit this natural wonderland again!
Dave and Yumie celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary while on the trip, congratulations to you both! Here’s a short blog from Dave to finish the report!
Dave’s report
What a fantastic Golden week. Two completely different hikes to Iharayama and Raizan - one sunny day with a great view all around and one rainy where we had the chance to take some beautiful photos of the rain drenched forest.
Then we headed to Okue to celebrate Yumie and my 5 year anniversary with a three day camping trip. We were really lucky with the weather as it was beautiful all weekend and the nights were warm. We enjoyed lots of time around the camp fire with a few beers, some wine, a little Awamori, and of course, my guitar riffs! The hike along the riverside on the Saturday gave me a different perspective of just how majestic Okue really is. We headed up along the river with some spectacular views of the twin peaks and stopped for lunch riverside where it was refreshingly cool. Once back at camp we relaxed with more food and drink under the moonlight.
Thanks Amarok for the adventurous and memorable anniversary,
We hope to see you out on the trails soon, Dave and Yumie.
2012.05.08 | Comments(2) | Trackback(0) | ツアーレポート
