We woke this morning to a gray, dull sky . . . quite a change from our beautiful finish at Malinhead yesterday . . . it was a good day to end the trip.

The bus picked us up in Derry at 8:00pm and we headed southwest, through intermittent rain, to Dublin. Tony followed us in the van with the bike boxes (now full!!)

Two hours later we arrived at the Dublin Airport, Terminal 1 for Departures. Only a couple of folks were leaving this afternoon with most leaving on Sunday sometime. I wouldn’t be leaving until Monday at 11:30am . . .  

. . . which checking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located near the airport, gave me two days to ‘unwind’ from the trip!!!

Don was staying at the Holiday Inn Express and we had a final lunch together at the Crowne Plaza before he headed downtown for the afternoon. There was time for one more nice dinner at ‘Little Venice’ located right next to the Crowne Plaza . . . and one more dessert (this has to stop!!!) a meringue concoction with caramel/toffee/coffee ice cream and whipped cream. Quite a way to end the trip!!

Monday morning at 11:30am we lifted off for Chicago. Within minutes of leaving the Captain said we would arrive in Chicago at 2:00pm. local time. We landed at 2:01pm . . . I don’t know how they do it!!!!  An eight hour flight, but it flew by while watching three movies along the way . . . and a nice surprise as Smoochie drove down to Chicago to pick me up. No VanGalder bus back to MSN!!!

The Ireland trip was epic, starting at the southern tip, winding our way up the east coast, making our turn to the west just south of Dublin and heading north to Malinhead, skirting the Republic of Northern Ireland (had to use British pounds there rather than euros).

The trip lasted almost three weeks, which seems like a long journey but our daily mileage was moderate allowing us plenty of time along the way to take in all that Ireland had to offer (oh, and did I mention there was 39,000 feet of climbing involved). Interesting when you compare the land mass of Ireland to that of Wisconsin you can see Ireland is actually less than half the size of Wisconsin!!!

Some may remember when I rode my ‘Tour de Ranger Stations’, during a sabbatical I took in 2007, which sort of set the whole retirement thing in motion for me!! That trip was actually 1,918 miles about twice as long as our Ireland trip . . . the miles I have put on since then.

Every trip is unique and this Ireland trip was no exception:

This is the first trip I have taken with the Bicycle Adventure Club and it won’t be the last!!! An excellent organization run by, and tours led by, the members. Tom did an excellent job putting this ride together, along with Tony, and we explored all that Ireland had to offer. The 26 riders were fantastic and in great shape. No whining from this group!!! Some had been, or will be out, for two months as they string their trips together, one after another. Quite an adventurous group. The camaraderie, inspiration and friendships formed were a highlight of the trip.

The Irish people were also wonderful and very welcoming. Always stepping up and offering help anytime one stopped to look at a map or had that ‘I might be ‘off course a wee bit’ look on your face’. A very happy bunch!

The weather couldn’t have been more ideal. When one thinks of Ireland, the ‘Emerald Isle’, one thinks of rain, sometimes for days or hours. We were very fortunate during our ride to really only have had rain two or three times and never for more than an hour or two. Although the skies at times were cloudy, along with temps in the 50-60’s, it made for ideal riding conditions. The Irish also had a very dry and warm May and June which was not the norm.

The roads in Ireland were generally in good shape. While some of the local roads could use a little work (just like in Wisconsin) they were all quite passable and the LOW traffic counts and no tour buses more than made up for any surface issues that may have existed.

So . . . it’s time top hang up the touring bikes, Tracy TREK and Connie Cannondale, for another season. Starting with the Big Bend trip in April, followed my emJay’s Birthday ride , then our Italy biking adventure followed by my Ireland trip . . . it has been a great touring year!!

. . . and of course a big Thank You to my partner in life emJay, whose love and support, and tending to the home fires while I am gone, make all this possible!!

Time to start planning for next year!!!

PS . . . interestingly about a week after returning home I started getting ads from an Urgent Care Center . . . located in Ireland!!!

(the guy in the photo doesn’t look very convincing to me!!!)

We woke to a BEAUTIFUL day  and it would remain so for our last day of riding from Derry to Malinhead . . .

. . . lots of old bikes used for store front advertising in Ireland . . . Derry was no exception . . .

. . . so I wonder if this is for Irish driving down the roads . . . or driving off the tee . . . good advice for both!!!

. . . nice riding today as we rode out to Malinhead along the Atlantic . . . PERFECT conditions

. . . we were on an R road (Regional) which are similar to our county highways. This one had a nice shoulder too.

. . . at this point we turned off the R road, onto a series of L roads (similar to our town roads) that would take us the remainder of the way to Malinhead.

. . . a typical L road. Paved and no shoulder . . . but VERY light traffic, just as they had been for the whole trip. A car passing you every 15 minutes was pretty much the norm. The routes we took on this trip had no tour buses!!!

We were on our big climb for the day, mostly 11% with some 14-16% thrown in for good measure and I  figured we had to be close to the top . . . the gps tells the story . . .

. . . this looked like the top . . .

. . . further evidence by Tom’s message written in chalk . . . ‘BAC 39,000 feet of climbing’

. . . and here was the lookout that welcomed us to  the most northern tip of Ireland. You can see the Atlantic on both sided of the peninsula . . . a very dramatic moment.

. . . up ahead was Malin which would be our meet up point. Not knowing how the weather was going to be today, Tom and Tony suggested we do a staggered start, with slower riders going first from Derry, so we would all assemble about the same time at a café in Malin. We would then all ride the remaining distance to Malinhead, together, assembling all at once for our group photo. This was a good plan and insured if the weather was bad, like it was at Mizenhead three weeks ago, no one would be left standing and shivering in the cold while waiting for other riders to arrive. But the weather ended up being . . . PERFECT!!!!

. . . the only thatched roof I have seen along the way that has  ‘gone to seed’!!!

. . . only five miles to go  on the epic adventure . . .

. . . this had to be the ‘most northern’ church and graveyard in Ireland. Not much around!!!

. . . but of course there were sheep, just as we have seen along the roads the whole trip.

. . . finally is was time to ride along the coast . . .

. . . with a few more farms along the way . . .

. . . and of course a final climb up to the Malinhead monument.

FINI!!!!

. . . we all assembled for the group photo using letters that Tom and Tony had printed to describe our adventure. GREAT IDEA!!!!

It was the end of the ride. I turned off the gps and the satellite tracker to preserve the final days data. From the monument, we biked about three miles back to the bus that would transport us to Derry. Local traffic jam for Peter and Charlie!!!!

No time to lift a pint . . . we would celebrate later!!!!

We took the pedals of our bikes, turned the handlebars so Tony and John, who had reappeared with the second Iron Donkey van, could haul the bikes back to Derry . . . and we loaded onto the bus.

. . . it was all done now, but the packing. Traci TREK went back into her new case emJay had bought me for my birthday, every one cleaned up, packed up . . .

. . .  and soon it was time for one last meeting. Tom reviewed the highlights of the trip  . . .

. . . and so did Tony. There are probably three main routes to bike ‘end to end’, some shorter than others. Tom and Tony had devised this route to take us up the east side, across the middle and then up the west cost. The trip had never been done this way . . . we had broke new ground and made riding history!!!

Then it was time for happy hour where the drink of choice was gin and tonics . . .

. . . or custom latte’s such as the one Peter had (DV for DaVinci’s, our hotel) . . .

. . . but for me it was a celebratory martini . . . first one in three weeks!!! A great end to a great trip. The next martini will be with my Smoochie . . . I miss her.

Final thoughts to come . . .

Judy and Denise coordinate their gps units, with our human gps Tony who seems to know every road in Ireland! . . .

Tony dropped me in LetterKenny today, the location of the satellite hospital clinic, where I had appointment with the ophthalmology department. The doctor gave my  left eye a ’clean bill of health’ so I am back on the bike tomorrow.

I took a bus up to Derry transit hub,which was right across from the Peace bridge  . . . and there were Tom, Monica, Bob and Mavis who had just rolled into town.

The Peace Bridge we would find out is a symbol of friendship between LondonDerry and Derry, the Protestant and the Catholic sides of the city. Symbolizes two hands shaking in friendship . . .

. . .  I walked along the riverwalk from the bus station to our hotel, The DaVinci. . .

. . . where along the way there was interesting art made of trash washed up on shore.

. . . also along the way was this dramatic sculpture of two grandparents saying goodbye to their children and grandchildren . . . must have had some to do with the emigration . . . no signs to explain it!!

Not sure what this was all about and the staff in the Da Vinci Hotel didn’t seem know either . . . although as we found out, it is always time for a Guinness!!!!

Nice digs at the DaVinci, where we would stay for two nights, as we make our last ride of the trip to Malinhead . . . no packing tomorrow . . .YIPPEE!!!!

Tony had arrange a walking tour for us around he old walled city. Great perspectives on the life and time of the city of Derry and it’s Protestant and Catholic residents. We toured the city from the elevated old wall led by Charlene, who walked backwards most of the time while talking to us!!!

The river physically separates Londonderry, mostly Protestant, from Derry, mostly Catholic. A period know as the ‘Troubles’ prevailed from the early 1970’s until the the early 1990’s with fighting between the Protestant and Catholic populations. One of the Troubles’ most notorious events, ‘Bloody Sunday’, occurred in Derry in 1972. On 30 January, 26 civil rights protesters were shot by members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute Regiment. Thirteen died immediately.

Throughout the 1990s, tensions cooled and violence traveled mainly to Belfast, Armagh and East Tyrone even though street riots and sectarian violence were still common. Irish journalist Ed Maloney claims in “The Secret History of the IRA” that republican leaders there negotiated a de facto ceasefire in the city as early as 1991.

The photo above shows a settlement know as the Fountains, comprised of about 3,000 Protestants, living in an area on the Derry side of the river. They remain fiercely loyal to England, fly the Union Jack Flag and have painted their curbs and other infrastructure with the colors of the flag.

A wide view of the area know as the Bogside, where much of the violence took place . . .

There is a high fence separating the Fountain’s area from the rest of Derry. A resolution calls for the fence to be finally taken down in 2020.

After a very informative tour it was time for a little dinner and I headed to Badger’s and convinced several others to join me. Although not the oldest pub in Derry, dating back to the 1600’s, Charlene said it had the best pub grub in Derry . . .

. . . so I followed through on her suggestion of chicken curry served in a baked potato . . .YUM . . .  and of course, all washed down with a Guinness!!

We had a nice walk back to our hotel along the water front. Art and Sue are BIG geo caching fans, having located over 1,500 sites including this one located right on the waterfront in a plastic post head cap. Art is holding the plastic cap head that has the ‘cache’ attached to it with a string. Inside the cache you add your name, date and any comments you may have . . . FUN!!!!

Tomorrow is our last day of riding as we head for  Malinhead . . .

 

Today had two routes from Adara to Stranolar. One 30 miler and one about 45 miles. The 30 milers avoided the rain coming through the area . . . the 45 milers were not so lucky . We are staying at a nice place called the Keys Hotel.

Everything over here has history . . . including our hotel.

Nice place . . .  airy interiors,

. . . a warm reception area (they wouldn’t lets us check in until 3:30pm we just  got our rooms before  a tour bus full of ‘old people’  wearing nametags rolled up who were also staying the night!!!!

. . . big rooms

. . . and right down the road was a brightly colored place for lunch and a pint!!!!

. . .  and yes they have food carts in Ireland, too!!!

The villages of Stanolar and Ballybofey are right across the river from each other. The oak tree seems to be a local design favorite of the sculptors.  . .

. . . and jewelry artists!!!!

. . . brown water at the hotel again (alothg it look clear to me???). It’s  what they filter their wiskey through . . .  FUN!!!

. . . . so I tried a little of it at the bar at tonight’s happy hour . . . tasted great!!!

A nice rest say in Ardara with laundry, touring, shopping and lots to do in town.

No meeting today, it would be held tomorrow before breakfast, or official l happy hour but that did not prevent a gathering in the bar to tip a few. Dave had a map of Ireland with our route on it and a route one he had driven just  last month. Between the two trip, he just about has covered Ireland!!

Paddy became our latest  ‘favorite’ bartender in Ireland. Here he is  reacting to the list of special ingredients Deb was naming off for her gin and  tonic, He had them all but was most worried about the slice of lemon. I have  consumed a lifetimes worth of Guiness on this trip!!!

Just about the whole crowd headed down to the corner bar that was featuring Celtic Music tonight. A guitarist and a fiddle/banjo player filled the room with Irish ballads and love songs . . . the real thing and a lot of fun!!! Click the photos to see the videos.

Sunny sky today when we woke on the oceanfront. This was an interesting sign hanging in our hotel bathroom. At the Glendalough Hotel we couldn’t drink tap water in the  rooms because of what we thought were lead  pipes and had to bring carafes of water up from the bar. OK here though because it is filtered by ‘peat’. Not sure that would fly in the US.!!!

Here Tony gives Jay and Sheila some advice on route alternatives today to stay off some of the local, skinny roads with their tandem.

We stopped in Donegal for a bit today and regrouped with some of the riders . . .

. . .the central square in town is actually called the ‘Diamond District’ . . .

. . . where one had many opportunities to wet one’s  whistle (too early in the day even for Wisconsinites) . . .

. . . this seemed like an old 1950’s cigarette ad!!!

oh and there was shopping too . . . Denise and Judy stop to buy some Irish tweed.

. . . you would think Ireland could come up with their own best coffee!!!

Nice church on the way out of town . . . it was Methodist!!! (we have seen several Baptist churches, too)

We arrived in Ardara about noon so while Tony got things squared away I went to  Charlie’s Café and enjoyed a nice chicken curry. Rice or chips available or half order of each . . . I went with the half and half!

A lot of history here. Ardara during the 1860’s . . .

. . . including the Nesbitt Hotel  . . .

. . . where we are staying for the next next two nights. The Irish Times named it the best village in which to live in Ireland.

Interesting in this shot, other than the nice old bike mounted on the wall above the ‘An Buisceir’, is this mobile Ulster Bank, sort of like an old Bookmobile, but for  banking . . .

. . . people would walk in and there was a teller sitting behind a window, just like in a bank . . . FUN!!!

. . . so the blood is starting to drain in my bruises, especially on my left upper thigh which after the fall was just a nice shade of red road rash, sort of like the color of my shirt, but is now many, many shades of purple!!!

Didn’t sleep well last night . . . body hurt in so many places it was hard to find a comfortable position. Should have taken some Nuprin or something like that.

Tony delivers the news at our morning ride meeting that there is a ‘reasonable’ change of rain expected in today’s ride . . . everyone had there rain gear handy . . .

Don, Denise and Mary studying the maps for today and the various options . . .

. . . Tony giving final gps tips to Judy, Dave and Denise . . . and the riders were off.

Today riders would be traveling around this mountain, which was completely fogged in with really only the base visible . . .

We stopped at the Drumcliff Church to view the grave of  the famous poet W.B. Yeats, who wrote his own epitaph . . .

We have left the ‘Ancient East’ of Ireland and are the back on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’, which has physically been here for eons but has only been marketed as a recreational opportunity since 2014!!!

mmmmm . . . looks like some of our group having a little lunchy in Mullaghmore.

About half of the group beat the rain into Rossnowlagh, where our home for the night is the Sandhouse Hotel. The current owner bought the place for 600,000 euro and put another 6,000,000 euro into remodeling it!!!

Cozy bar and seating areas and wood fires burning in the fireplaces . . . in September!!!

A great dining room on the second level, looking out over the ocean, where we would have our group dinner.

Most of our bedrooms also had an ocean view . . . NICE!!!

I walked down to the beach where there was lots of surfing going on and passed this caravan park used by weekenders. This is probably only the second or third place like this we have seen . . . there doesn’t seem to be any of the traditional ‘double wide’ residential trailer parks like in the US.

oh . . . the rain was coming in . . . and the surfer’s were coming out of the water.

Nice view of our hotel from the beach . . .

Soon it was time for the ‘Tom and Tony’  daily travel series , accompanied by your favorite cocktail . . . this could become habit forming (where is my Smoochie???)!!!

I chose the yummy crab cakes followed  by the salmon with a crab claw on top and a hollandaise type sauce . . . ate every bite (I am in physical recovery mode you know and need to keep up my energy) . . .

. . . including some simple sugars!!!!

Soon it was time for my other newly developed nightly routine . . .

Today Tony gave me a ride back to the emergency room to see the ophthalmologist. I had taken my three types of eye drops last night and will continue to for the rest of the week. Bad news is  . . . I need to go, once more, to the ophthalmologist, four days down the road, for a final check up at one of their satellite clinics  . . . AND NO RIDING UNTIL THEN!!!!

. . . but we did stop at a bike store in Sligo and I bought a new helmet to replace my cracked one . . . so I am ready to ride . . .

. . . although I hate to say goodbye to the Cannondale helmet I bought several years ago in Moab, UT, that has seen many miles . . .  it saved my ‘noggin’ on this ride!!!

Nice dinner and liquor tasting at the Marina Hotel last night, soon morning rolled around and after a hearty breakfast we were on the way to Sligo, our home for tonight. Most of the people in the canal and waterway ‘sleepers’ looked like there were still sound asleep , , ,

The revamped canals are not only supporting new boating activity in the area but also biking along the canal towpaths  . . . must be a need for electric bike rentals!!!!

The Tidy Town Award . . .who knew there was such a thing. Almost seemed worth  a 12 km detour just to see it!!!

As I rolled along Lough Key park, Peter and Liz were just pulling out of a parking lot and said there was a nice church inside. I rolled in to take check it out and took this shot . . . after that I had about an hour ‘break’ in the day . . . and don’t remember a thing,

You can see from my gps track, in the right hand upper corner my detour into the church and back out, As I continued to travel down the road, at my 9.31 mile point of the day, while traveling 10.6 miles per hour, I hit a speed bump I never saw. I was ejected from the Traci TREK 5000 and ‘woke up’, about an hour later in the van with Tony on the way to the hospital. During that hour, two visitors to the park, one a doctor, saw be hit  the speed bump and eject. Kerry and our ride leader, Tom, were the next two of our gang to come upon me, I was evidently up by then and Tom checked me for broken bones and further injuries. More rides rode up on us and some were asking me questions to see what my frame of mind was. Sounds like I was ‘loopy’!!

I evidently could not provide and answer to what day of the week it was, where I was and who was president of the USA. Tom called Tony who quickly appeared on the scene and away we went to the hospital. My first memory after taking the photo of the church was in the van with Tony, wiping my face with  wipes evidently Charlie had provided and asking Tony . . .’What happened???’!!!

Afterwards folks said I was talking and although somewhat incoherent was carrying on a conversation. Other than the time the punks in the Allied Drive area pushed a shopping cart in front of my bike and I crashed (and broke my collarbone) I have never been in a bicycle  accident. I was very fortunate to have so many new friends around me today when this happened.

Here is a blow up from Google maps showing the road in the opposite direction I was traveling but there was a ‘Ramps Ahead’ sign signaling the speed bumps. I was actually coming from the top of  the photo to the bottom and looking on the road from that direction I could not find a similar sign. It was a  dark corridor and I had my sunglasses on so may have missed the warning and hit it head-on. Sounds like it was more of a rectangular curb than the type of  ‘thank you maam’s’ we have been rolling over most of the time . . . but I survived with no major issues . . . .

The charge for local Irish folks in he emergency room is 100 euros . . . my charge was 200 (not an Irish citizen) but it was a bargain. It covered emergency room services, an MRI, a neurologist to read the scans and about 45 minutes with an ophthalmologist. My left I is a little blurred.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear a helmet. Mine is now has a crack and the other arrow shows a good size divot  (glad it wasn’t in my bare head!!!)

. . . the lens of my sunglasses popped out but you can see the right lens is k scratched from sliding  across the pavement. These are actually safety sunglasses from Conney Safety Products in Madison that have +2.5 correction built into them, Not sure if the lens would have held together if they had been regular-non safety approved lenses . . . got to dip out the extra pair I brought!!!

Emergency room waiting rooms . . . pretty much the same all over the world . . .

Same as the emergency room cubicles. Glad I didn’t have to change into a hospital gown!!! After the triage nurse cleaned me up, I waited for about an hour to get the MRI. Came back no problems.

The ophthalmologist checked my vision because my left eye is a little blurry. Lots of drops in my eyes and a full exam revealed 9On a scale of 1 to 5 a cataract of a 1 grade . . . oh boy I am getting old!!!!), no detached retina but a little blood draining into the lower recesses and drain channels of the eye. So, I am on three types of drops tonight and will go see him again tomorrow at 10:00am.

I had been in the ER for about 3 hours when an aide said she was going to bring me some tea. How civilized. When she returned she not only had tea with milk but chicken tenders, chips and beans . . . LUNCH AND DINNER !!!

Tony came around to give me a lift to our home for tonight  . . . The Clayton Hotel . . .

. . . quite the place in Sligo . . .

. . . old looking on the outside but modern on the inside. Nice!!!!

So . . . it was quite the day for me. Above left is a shot Kerry took of me ‘at he scene’ evidently in good spirits but a little ‘loopy’. I don’t  remember any of it. But things seems right after a shower at the hotel with only a few bruises and cuts (no stitches). Thanks to all who stopped to help, for Tom taking control of the situation and proving on scene triage and Tony for providing ambulance service. I wonder if it will show up on the ‘extra charges’ sheet!!!!

Should sleep well tonight!!!!

A good lights sleep at the Kilmore hotel, and a hearty breakfast and we were on our way . . . to Leitrim, our home or tonight. The folks in Cavan are VERY serious about littering issues . . . a $4,659 USD fine for littering!!!

. . . out on the outside of town today were these two handsome fellows, ready to pose!!!

The first little town we road through was Fenagh . . .

. . . where, I’m telling you things were tidy . . . everything in it’s place!!!

Another fun thatched roof house. They always look like the thatch has just had a haircut. Not a strand out of order. Very … tidy!!!

We’ve seen lots of homes covered with ivy, usually the whole house except for the windows . . . this house has a few years to go until it is covered. Looks like a painting now!!!

The Irish pound was the currency before the introduction of the euro in the year 2002. A pence was about equal to a US penny. So . . . I guess this old pump stopping pumping petro, sometime before 2002 for about 27.2 pence/liter. With about four liters to a gallon that would be about $1.08 USD/gallon. Today, with the euro being about $1.16, a liter of gas is about $1.79USD. Multiply that by 4 liters, and the approximate cost per gallon, today in Ireland, is about $7.00USD. My . . . how times have changed!!!

Today we are biking through lake country and the vegetation reminded me a lot of SW Wisconsin. Scattered tree lots, ag fields  . . .

. . . and cows. When you ride by these critters they don’t get too excited . . . until you stop. As I pulled out my phone for a photo the guy on the right just started to get up . . .

. . . that got the rest of them up, all within about 20 seconds. They all just stand there and stare at you while you talk too them. FUNNY!!!

mmmmmmmm . . . No More Sitka Spruce Forestry . . . afforestation being done according to EU standards is changing the landscape in this area of Ireland and many locals don’t like it!!! Read about it here . . . ‘Leitrim a national sacrifice zone for Sitka Spruce’ – Harkin

. . . a typical clearcut . . .

. . . not a pretty site for a couple of years or until the site is replanted or returned to agricultural use.

. . . another nice setting. The Irish are big users of  stone in home construction.

We rode around many lakes today . . . one thing I noticed is there seems to be no shoreline development!!!

Just outside of Leitrim was this house which now serves a visitor center . . . but closed today.

The Leitrim area is know for its canals and locks. Until recently many of the canals had become plugged and overgrown after the actually barge traffic industry collapsed.

Today, many have been dredged and the tow paths along the side mowed and maintained for cycling or walking. This area is big for renting boats and cruising through the lock system . . .

As I rode over a bridge, I looked down and saw these two women piloting their craft through this lock. The lock keeper, is in the upper right by the control box, was just opening the lower gates  . . .

. . . for the women to lock through. After he had opened the locks, he walk to a canal level pier on the other side of the bridge and waited for the boat to pass under the bridge. I think he was going to collect a lock fee.

Leitrim is built right on the canal and there were lots of boats coming and going . . . being Friday many probably were weekenders out for a ‘three day cruise’.

. . .we could see a lot of the action from the deck on the back of our hotel, The Leitrim Marina Hotel . . .

. . . but I did take a little time out for a nice lunchy . . . a cod BAP and vegetable soup!!

We have kept our bikes in some crazy places on this trip but this defunkt, techo disco that has been closed may take the cake. Our bikes sat in here for two days while we were on our mini holiday (rest day). Hopefully they have not been haunted by the sprit of Johnny T!!! ‘Stay-in alive, Stay-in alive’

On the way out of town we passed this home that lost it’s second floor to fire. Looks like the firemen did a pretty good job protecting the adjoining structure’s, although the one on the left looks like it has been abandoned.

. . . speaking  of ‘a man’s home being his castle’, even if your castle has an entryway like this . . . someone still has to take out the recycling!!!

We have been riding by eight hedges the whole trip. Since we ride on the left side of the road, when you are rounding a curve with hedges right up next to the road, it is a surreal effect as the hedges go rush by less than two feet from your head . . . here is the type of tractor used, with a boom trimmer . .

. . . before the ‘haircut’ . . .

. . . after the ‘haircut’!!

Our major stop on todays ride was the city of Kell, know for it monastery and The Book of Kells. The city has four Irish High Crosses and here is one dating from the 1800’s . . .

. . . which is still in front of the old Town Hall, now serving as a visitor center.

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in either Britain or Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD

The original is housed at Trinity College in Dublin. it costs $15.00 to see it and tickets are hard to get. This copy kept in Kell was made in Switzerland taking 13 years to finish the copying process. And it is free to look at!!!

On the way out of town we saw this store . . . YES!!!!

. . . and outside of town was the Spire of Lloyd.

Constructed in the fashion of a lighthouse, the Lord and his family used it for viewing the countryside and hunting. Quite the ‘deer stand’!!!

This is the first thatched roof home I have seen on the trip . . . the real thing . . .

. . . the roof looked to be 12-14 inches thick.

Soon it was time for a snack and this little out of the way appeared out of now where. Uncharacteristic in Ireland. Not many gas stations or convenience stores in the rural areas (even in the small villages). A bunch of us pulled in for a break. Ends up Gretta lived in San Francisco and New York for eight years. Tom, who is from Brooklyn, knew exactly where she lived and they compared notes about local New York bars. Small world. She wished she was still in the US, easier to make a living!!! (that’s my cookie in the foreground).

. . . nice flowers along the way today . . . and it was sunny!!!

Want to by some mulch in Ireland, they sell it in these huge ‘shopping bags’. You would need a pickup and a lift to get it home. As we have ridden closer to Dublin the number of SUVs on the road has increased. Scary on the narrow roads . . . but pickup trucks are far and few between (and non are being driven by young men).

. . . some people have no taste. With all the beer choices in Ireland you think they would outlaw imported beer . . . just like we will not allow Irish butter to be sold in Wisconsin!!!

Yours truly in this ‘art shot’ using an intersection mirror near a farm road.

I came around a corner and there was a woman, her Samoyed type dog and this herd of cows. I asked her if the cows were supposed to be out and he said, “Of course not!!!”. The pooch couldn’t decide to bark at me or the cows. I said to the pup lets go round them up and switched my phone to video to record the whole scene. (unfortunately the movie did not record). The dog and I moved the herd down the road about a quarter mile where they all turned into this farm road. They were home now. I said goodbye to the pooch and traveled on towards Cavan. FUN!!!

Tonight we are staying at the Hotel Kilmore which is right on the outskirts of Cavan . . .

After cleaning up and getting the bikes put away it was time for a little happy hour, to learn about tomorrows ride from Tom and Tony and  . . .  EAT!!!