What you see here is'nt a river. This is a paved pedestrian and cyclist path which runs all the way from the city of Tomakomai to Shikotsuko. Right now it is slick from drizzle, giving the path an uncanny streamlike appearance.
What a wonderful alternative to the six hundred some odd miles of road I've shared with big trucks and other fast, noisey vehicles thus far. To my right is deep forest and between the path and road is an approximately 10 foot (3 meters) buffer zone of trees, scrub, and wild flowers dense enough to block any view of cars and the bulk of their noise! The path is safe and band beautiful. If only every stretch of road had one of these.