Mid August (Obon holiday) Trip with Esther

An other great spin with Esther the Car.

This time we drove to Mt Aso area for birdies ( Marijke is editing her Bird Blog...On Air Soon).

And Mt Kuju area for climbing and flowers.
We left Fukuoka at midday Saturday...as the fish market this weekend was held on Saturday i.s.o. Sunday due to Obon Holiday. Tell you, we're confused with the days!

About the climb: Starting point was at Makinoto Pass.
That's where we spent the night at a romantic car park;-)
It was cool at night, we even needed a sheet!

The Goal: Nakadake.

It turned out to be an All Cloud Cover Climb. A fellow climber showing the trail.

But soon we would go our own pace.

From here on all by myself.  It's 0630 and not many climbers are on the mountain, yet.
On the way to the top, I met only 4 others going up and about 5 coming down (spent the night on the top?)
On the way down...oops, it can be crowded, even in these poor conditions.

Useful trail markers, esp. needed at cross-roads. As a man-of-the sea, ahum,  the ( steady and strong) wind gave me an idea about N~S~E~W.  Going Up was so-so-hard work, going down was easy...until it started pouring and the trail became slippery...

The TOP, and the only thing to see is this marker.

But it is the Highest Point on Kyushu!

For those of you who cannot read or write:

Naka Dake, 1791 Meter above sea level....

(Ask Alishan)

Meanwhile down below: Can you spot Marijke? 

And if so...What do you think she is doing?

RIGHT

Country road.....
We took the "inshore" roads to avoid the traffic jams and wow, did we explore some nice places.
That's what it's all about..

A farm house, somewhere in the whopwhops.
Indeed it was an other great trip in-land.

Salute