Westmoreland State Park

For the 4th of July weekend we headed out camping in Westmoreland State Park. The park lies on over 1,300 acres of land along the banks of the Potomac River and offers a wide range of activities for every visitor. We chose Westmoreland simply because it was about the only park in the area with campsites still available about 2 weeks before the long weekend.

On day 1 we setup camp in the C area and headed over to the pool to cool down. The pool is huge and included two diving boards and a slide.

After a couple hours at the pool we set off along the park's trails. There are a total of seven named trails winding through the forest and along the shoreline. Here are just some of the views from along the trails.



On day 2 we drove about 45 minutes to Caledon Natural Area. According to everything I've read, the best chance of seeing a Bald Eagle in its natural habitat is here in Caledon. During this time of year reservations are required in order to take the guided tour along the Potomac. This tour was $6 per person and well worth the money as we were able to see dozens of Eagles in flight, perched, and grabbing fish from the river. Here are just a couple of the pictures from the tour. One of a young Eagle and the other a more mature Bald Eagle most commonly recognized as our National Bird.


We capped off the weekend by taking in the fireworks from nearby Colonial Beach, VA.

All in all, it was a great way to spend my birthday weekend.

Hotakasan Campground

Ten of us set off from Misawa for the 8+ hour drive down to the Gunma Prefecture. Specifically the Minakami area in search of this amazing time Europeans call "Canyoning" and Americans have coined "Canyoneering." Details on that in a post to follow.

Our home for the Columbus Day weekend would be the Hotakasan Campground which turned out to be one of the nicest campgrounds we've ever stayed at. It had concrete pads setup randomly along a hillside in a dense birch forest with running water to wash dishes, cooking grates if you so chose, and an abundance of fire pits. My only complaint was that the bathroom smelled like a zoo. I guess that's an acceptable trade-off when next to it is a ¥200 hot shower.

As always, everyone packed enough to feast at every meal. From seasoned ribs, to the jambalaya, steaks, and smores in the evening and hash browns, bacon, eggs, steak, and Starbucks Coffee for breakfast. (Starbuckscourtesy of me of course)

About a 30 minute walk, or 5 minute drive, from the campground was a beautiful waterfall too.


Then the greatest benefit of all...the Takaragawa Onsen. Approximately a 20 minute drive from the campground, this three bath, open air, and all natural coed onsen hit the spot after a full day of banging up the body on rocks, waterfalls, and ropes. The actual bath names are Maka, Hannya, and Kodakara. Our favorite being the Maka bath which is one of the most famous onsens in all of Japan.
It is the most frequent bath featured in TV shows, magazines, and advertisements. The whole area is actually very public. While you're enjoying the onsen there are people...tourists even...walking within 10 or so feet of you along the trails. Interesting to say the least.


All in all, great accommodations with plenty of luxury nearby from a camping perspective. Sure wish we could head back and do this again!

Yagen Valley in the Fall

As summer turns to fall and our time here in Misawa comes closer to an end, we're getting our fill of travels, sights, and activities. Having had a great time on our last visit to Yagen we decided to get a large group of people together and head up for one last trip. Only difference in this trip was that the air was a little cooler and the leaves had just begun to turn.

Setting up near the main fire pit this time, the perfect weather made for a relaxing evening as the sun set behind the hills. Everyone had a chance to enjoy cold drinks and grill up their steaks, dogs, and eventually smores.

The rest of these pictures are from the valley and surrounding areas. On Sunday Sandy and I just headed off with no particular goal but the guarantee that the GPS would lead us home
eventually.



We're both going to miss the Shimokita Peninsula...especially in the Fall.

Lake Juniko

4th of July weekend and we set out for a long weekend in Lake Juniko. Taking the idea from an article on Simon Bernard's page, we filled up the tank and set out in search of this place offering an abundance of scenery, trails, beaches, etc.

Trails, there were plenty. Some tough ones at that. We must have been hiking for an hour on this lesser followed path before we finally decided to give it up and head back. We had only covered 1.2km and came across a sign with the options of 1.1km or 8.3km. Not knowing what was even at the end of another 1.1 and with the clock pushing 1530, we decided it prudent to turn around and head back to an enjoyable stroll along the lakes.

The lakes were certainly the most beautiful lakes we'd ever seen. Take that for what it's worth...as they are mostly just small ponds...but they have a deep blue color and are crystal clear for the most part. The sensation of looking into the water and seeing both the reflection of the trees and the bottom of the pond is pretty memorizing.

The lakes were formed when a river was dammed by an earthquake in 1740. The name Juni (translates to 12 in English), is taken from the twelve lakes which can be seen from the top of Mt. Okuzure.

Faced with steady sprinkles and a quickly setting sun, we headed back to our tent. The campground was okay, but setup for the Japanese designer campers that prefer the whole cabin setup w/ tennis courts and what looked like an amphitheater in the middle. All in all, a nice campground, but not worth the ¥1,500 per night that we paid to setup our tent.

Overall, the trip was okay. If the weather was better we may have enjoyed ourselves more...but the constant mist of rain just gave everything an overall damp feel and that's no way to spend an extended amount of time in the woods.

GPS Coordinates
Lake Juniko Campground N 40° 33.417' E 139° 58.659'

Yagen Valley

Memorial Day weekend we set off for our first camping trip together. We decided on Yagen Valley campground as it offers camping, hiking, onsen, and wildlife all in the same location.

The Yagen campground just reopened this spring. Last year a group of us camped up the road near the Kappa-no-yu Onsen parking lot. While it was a good time, the facilities don't compare to the reopened campground. One night cost us ¥500 for the two of us and that includes well taken care of bathrooms and a pavilion for grilling and washing pans. We chose to camp on the north side of the managers office, next to the parking lot...but doing it over again we'd set up near the main fire pit since open fires on the ground are not allowed. (We didn't know this till morning...oh well)

Hiking trails are well marked, head back across the bridge toward the road and continue up the valley. You'll see wooden signs and stairs leading to a trail that weaves between the road and steam passing the quiet onsen and ending up at the main onsens. The quiet onsen can be found by following the sign with ゆ on it and it has no lights, no changing area, and no nearby facilities. With two baths in it, one extremely hot small one, and a very mild larger one, the onsen is a great place to relax and listen to the stream. The other natural onsen, Kappa-no-yu, is much larger and has a changing area (if you want to call it that), lights, finished sides, and much warmer water. Of the two, if you're scared of someone seeing you naked, you'll want to hit up the quieter of the two after dark...or go on up the road to the Meoto onsen which will cost you ¥200, but separates the sexes.

Something to keep in mind (we neglected to) while camping in Yagen is to keep your food in coolers, cars, or other secure areas. Wild monkeys stopped by our tent and dined on our fruit, bread, sunflower seeds and anything else they could get a hold of. Oops. Note to self for next time.

While in the area, a trip to Osorezan and a stop to refill water bottles in a natural spring are also worth the time.

GPS Coordinates
Yagen Valley Campground N 41°23.010' E 141°04.284'
Kappa-no-yu Onsen N 41°23.153' E 141°02.765'
ゆ Onsen N 41°23.183' E 141°03.167'
Fresh Water Spring N 41°18.880' E 141°07.567'
Mount Osore N 41°19.497' E 141°05.498'