When we last left you, Moe the cow and Tweak the woolly mammoth – our good luck travel companions – were enjoying some sun out on the deck of the ferry. Steve has been keeping Tweak in the bottom of one of his panniers, while Moe normally rides up front on my bike. After spending the day hanging out on the boat, rather than putting Tweak back in the bottom of Steve’s bag, we left him to chill with Moe on my handle bars for the ride to the hotel.
Looking forward to spending the following day off resting ourselves, we rolled off the ferry in the dark and started to pedal our way through the winding streets of Hachinohe towards our hotel.
We were about 30 minutes into our ride and almost at our hotel when in the flash of the city lights I saw Moe dangling, half out of the pocket. I quickly pulled over to find that Tweak was gone. I was heartbroken. After spending weeks at the bottom of Steve’s bag Tweak obviously saw an opportunity for freedom and jumped for it. Moe tried to convince him to stay, but Tweak was determined to make it on his own.
The following morning, once the sun came up, I began to retrace our path into town. I was beginning to think we would never see Tweak again. Then, sitting on the curb underneath a highway overpass, sheltered from the rain, I saw him!
We came to an agreement that he doesn’t have to go back in the bag, but since he is a bit of flight risk and seems to have an influence on young Moe, they both must now be tethered to my handle bar bag.
We are happy to have our little friend back. I guess he found that Japan is a rough place for a woolly mammoth. He wouldn’t say exactly what happened but you can sense tension in the air whenever we are near one of those pachinko parlours.
Hachinohe has been the most lively city we have visited since Sapporo. It is also the most rain we have had since the beginning of our journey. We have holed up here for the weekend for a little debauchery of our own, sampling some local sake and cuisine.
The break has been a welcomed rest for our muscles. A rough plan has been hatched, the weather is supposed to begin to clear up tomorrow, and we are looking forward to getting back to some peddling.
Cheers!
Rachel & Steve
2 Canucks in a Tent 