Drizzling again this morning and a bit persistent today. We had planned on freedom camping a bit further up the coast but we stopped at Teshio (only 20 kms up the road) for the onsen and to do some much needed laundry. Communicating is still a bit funny at times, even with the Google Translate app. We asked at the last town if there was a coin laundry and they said no but that there is one here in Teshio. When we got to the onsen we asked if they have a washer an...

It was a bit drizzly this morning so we took our time packing up to dry the tent out a bit. Cycled through some farm roads to avoid the main road then undulated along the main road to Shosanbetsu. A yummy lunch at a little noodle shop that didn't look like much but great food nonetheless. Shane had scallop noodle soup but Elsie ate all his scallops! There were more in our miso at dinner tonight so they were both happy. Must be a local food I guess. Stopped at a...

We packed up our camp behind the rest stop pretty quickly this morning as people started arriving. Had a look through the heritage house which was accommodation for over 200 fishermen in its day. While we were in there some pesky crows got into our rubbish on the bikes so the staff came running to find us. A bit embarrassing having our litter strewn all over their pristine courtyard. Elsie made friends with a wee girl a similar age and they shared some time tog...

Despite a rest day yesterday Elsie was pretty tired today and it was really cold, only 11 degrees, which made for tough going. Felt like we had to stop every ten minutes to deal with cranky, whiny tired child syndrome but we still managed to go 43 km and see a few sights along the way. We also spent quite a lot of time in an actual supermarket (such a novelty after only having convenience stores for so long). Plus we promised Elsie we would stop at a playground a...

A rainy day meant a chance for a rest day. A late wake up, then explored the rest of the campground and discovered a laundry, showers, cabins and best of all, a playground. This campsite is way bigger than first thought and it is a truly lovely spot by the river. Elsie enjoyed splashing in puddles and running races. We did some well needed washing then had an early lunch at the BBQ restaurant on site. One thing we both struggle with is people smoking in restaur...