Camping at Lake Towada

Last month we drove half way across the island and up the mountains to Lake Towada (largest crater lake on Japan's main island) for a camping trip.

The road snaked through the Orise Gorge, and you can pull off and hike up to different waterfalls as long as there was a) room enough and b) warning sufficient to pull over. We didn't actually find this map until we left the park which, would have been helpful in finding said waterfalls.

Here is Ryan's favorite sign. I don't know about you, but I think this particular bear looks more menacing than a grizzly bear and it seems more than likely that he knows karate.

We found a great nature center by Lake Towada where you could push buttons next to the names of birds (written in Japanese characters) and the birds in the display sang. The girls could have spent hours there.
Here is the view from our campsite. We were the only ones camping that night, so we choose the flattest spot with the most picturesque view.
This is what it looks like to wake up after freezing all night. We took a page from the book of Lucinda Johnson's Guide to Camping and wore all the cloths we had packed to stay warm.

Here we are at our Japanese picnic table. It was a little tricky with no seats for the girls, but they had fun 'bellying up to the bar.'

This picture affirms that these are Ryan's girls. Before we were married Ryan always thought it was fun to close his eyes for pictures. Somehow this trait has been passed on genetically regardless of all the fine nurturing I give these girls.
Here we are along the Orise Gorge trail. I asked Helen if she liked camping and she said camping was okay but she liked hiking better.
Helen and Michelle at a waterfall.
Ryan and happy Jane. We don't really know what this sign says, probably please stay on the trail and don't litter.
Happy, happy hikers.