Have you ever gone biking in the snow?

It snowed in 広島(hiroshima). Like a week before Christmas.


Yeah. I was pretty surprised. Sorry if I seemed a bit over enthusiastic when I IMmed some of you early that morning, before the sun rose, and I knew where I had to go. But I never knew what I'd see when I got there; nor could I ever have anticipated the 4.5 hours it took to ride the 25 odd miles up along the river to 飯室(imuro).

Sometimes the snow was so thick the bike wouldn't even move. I had to go the long way to avoid the second hill north of 可部[kabe]. It wasn't the going up that was the problem as much as the going down - the heavy white snow just built up all around the tires wouldn't let you move. It was still falling when I left.

But it was so beautiful. Sometimes, riding down the road, I'd pass by these little old ladies just stepped out their doors with a broom to tackle the two feet of 雪[yuki = snow]. It was so quiet. I'd let out a muffled "おはようございます” and they'd look, and they'd look again... and sometimes they'd stare.

It was 7am.
There was a BIKER.
He didn't look japanese.
He spoke!!!
...and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Only one of them remembered to say "おはよう" back. I was very amused. (Another one called out to her husband.) One of the old men saw me s l o w l y comin' and stopped to watch, and grinned. "がんばってね！” He insisted as I approached. [You go, boy! Don't stop now!] I just grinned back and said "はい！[hai!]” It was only later I got to see how much white snow had stuck to my fuzzy face, making me not at all unlike a very skinny Santa Claus.

The teachers were shocked when the found out I was coming. Almost there, I finally got someone at the school on the phone to apologize for arriving horribly late. They told me "Oh, 絵陸先生— 今日は生徒いません！". No students, I thought. I paused, knee deep in snow on an old, windy country road hugging the river through the mountains.


"[Why?]" I asked.
"雪から〜　S’now—がすごい。。。"と言った。
"[Why are you here?]" she said, rapidly apologizing for the lack of communication now becomming undeniably clear. Oops. They probably hadn't decided until after I left home, though, and in the end it wouldn't have meant I didn't need to come in. But it did mean I didn't have to rush.
"[Because]…" I said, "[Because of the snow. I'm comin' but I may be a bit slower from here, ok?] I thought about my camera.
"はい。” she said. "気をつけて."
"はい。” I said.

Dang that was happiness. Everyone laughed. After I arrived, so did two students. I stayed until I dried, and the Principal just kept shaking his head at me in disbelief. He grinned, grilled me about the weather in Minnesota a few times, and sent me off early with a head start - so I could get home before it got dark.

And I did.


And let me tell ya. That much bright??? It stays inside for a LONG time.