This time, I travelled the enterity (or at least what was accessible by car) of Fukushima Prefecture Route 325. The starting point for the route was right at the corner where the Japan Post branch is located, where I need to stop at anyways so that I could go to the ATM. I followed the route all the way down to where some overturned signs prevented me going further. As the route map shows, the road keeps going even after the turn onto the road with the tunnel, but it was mostly overgrown and not maintained by the city or the prefecture.
Man, what a road. Not only was it beautiful, it was also risky. You did not want to speed on this one, because the corners were that tight and narrow. There were quite a few portions where the road was reduced to one car width. It was a good thing that there were plenty of spaces allotted to pull over in the case of running into another car, and even better that I didn't have to use them. And even though this mountain road seemingly runs to nowhere, there were plenty of work zones, and one of them even had a construction crew on duty. It takes a lot of effort to keep these roads open.
The road that I turned onto had a relatively long tunnel. It was here that I dropped it down into second and put my foot down to hear the exhaust note. Needless to say, it put a large smile on my face. The road itself technically continued to Route 294, which I had already travelled on my first adventure, so I decided to go back the way I came and make that left turn. To save time and prevent reduncancy, I did not record my return trip. Along the way, you may notice a brown and white temple situated along a cliff on a mountain. I was not aware that that existed, and I was interested in seeing it, so I'll save that trip for another post, and I'll post pictures here, too.
As for Tackawanna herself, I've done some more research and have determined that it is not the starter the could be the problem, but the fuel pump. That would explain the whole "only sputters to life on a cold engine and starts fine otherwise" issue that I've been having. The issue was especially pronounced as the fuel reading in my tank reached half-full. There probably isn't enough voltage going across the pump, and the fuel pump in there now is probably original to the car. Therefore, I've ordered a Walbro fuel pump from the states, and when it comes, I'll install it myself. It isn't like my Blazer's fuel pump where a mechanic had to get under the car. The fuel tank is right behind the seats, under the trim, and the swap requires no splicing. Even with the shipping, I'm still paying less than half the price of when I purchased my new car battery. I'll be doing the fuel pump swap myself to save even more money.
I'd like to close this post by saying that the dashcam scenery that you saw today is one of many sceneries that Japan has to offer. This road was especially home to many different climbing trails and scenic overlooks. If you are an outdoors person, and you have the finances available, I suggest you come to Japan, and especially come to Aizuwakamatsu, and see the scenery for yourself. It's pretty damn awesome. I've been here for almost three months already, and I'm still floored by the beauty here. Even if you don't want to go to Tokyo, and you don't have a car, there are a lot of places to explore, especially like what I saw today.
Because of Tackawanna's issue, I'm not going to go out on an adventure tomorrow. Hopefully the part will come this week or early next week.
-wp
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