Hakkoda Ropeway

We wanted to do something unique and slightly adventurous one Saturday, so we ventured out to the Hakkoda mountains to ride the ropeway.  It had to be at least 80 degrees out, but we figured the top of the mountain would be windier and cooler, so we donned long-sleeved shirts and light jackets (layers, layers, layers they always say). 
 
We arrived just in time to catch the next gondola up to the top.

There’s something surreal about sailing a hundred feet over a blanket of trees.

Passing the down-bound (I made up that word) gondola.  Everyone waved.

These two ladies were smiling so much at Mark, we just had to get a picture of them.

Looking back down from where we came – sort of magical don’t you think?
 
At the top.  So happy together.

The trail at the top was a figure-eight loop.  We took off down the narrow trail and soon realized that maybe this was a one way . . . going the other direction. 

EVERYONE’S LOOKING AT THE CAMERA!!! 
For those of you with kids, you understand how awesome that really is, especially because the camera was on a timer.

Just trudging along the “trail” also known as two planks of wood.

Note the rolled up shirt sleeves and the jackets around the waist.  It was not windy and it was not cold.  Wish we had bug spray too.  But that didn’t dampen our spirits.  On the contrary, it made for a greater adventure as we searched for a shady picnic area where we could munch our lunch in relative peace from the near constant onslaught of those really weird flying bugs that buzz like bees, but aren’t really bees, and fly annoyingly around your head, and land on your arms, which are exposed because it’s too hot to cover them up, and you left the bug spray in the car because your wife said it would be a good idea to bring it along, but you thought it would be too much of a hassle, and now you regret not listening to your wife like you should, always, and you try helplessly to swat them (the bugs, not your wife) but they are so stinking quick that it’s impossible so eventually you just try to outrun them, hoping you don’t trip on any misaligned wooden planks, but that’s a fruitless effort so finally you give in and hope the bugs don’t bite too hard, which they didn’t.

I don’t know the name of the mountain/volcano behind us, but if you can zoom in on the picture, I’m sure the plaque says it.

The fog cleared away, but we still couldn’t see the station at the bottom.

Ice cream cones.  Enough said.

Mmmmmm.

And finally, I have to add this last picture.  As we were driving back down after our ropeway adventure, we spotted this footbridge over the river and just had to stop and play a bit.