Epic Ireland

Apology: In 2016 I retired. After announcing my plans to retire Kathie was concerned about keeping me busy in retirement and was looking for activities that I might enjoy. One night we were invited to a dinner party with some of our Tandem friends in the Northern Virginia area. Included in the couples were Ed and Karen Hass. Both were very active in the local bicycling community. Kathie and Karen started talking and Karen talked about the Bicycle Adventure Club. This club has thousands of members and the main purpose of the club is to have volunteers plan and lead bicycle tours for the membership. When Kathie heard of this club she immediately pulled me into the conversation.

I have planned several Tandem tours over the last 10 years and was very interested in finding a new group to continue planning rides with. It didn’t take long for Kathie and me to join BAC and I was learning how to participate in the club.  Luckily the next Fall, Karen was leading a ride leaders seminar in Leesburg. I joined the seminar then signed up to participate the next year in a tour to see the total eclipse. The rule in BAC is that you have to participate in a tour before you lead a ride. Then, in this spring, I lead a one-week tour in Western Ohio.

While getting ready for the Ohio tour I started looking for a ride to satisfy one of my long-standing biking goals of riding in Ireland. After being too late to join my first find, I found, and got into, the Epic Ireland Tour. This was a three-week tour that spanned to Emerald Island from South (Mizen Head) to North (Malin Head). Although I didn’t look closely at where this ride would take me outside the two mentioned locations, the more I investigated the more I was happy with my choice.

Getting Ready: Thomas Ryan was the ride leader for this ride. For foreign tours with BAC the tour leader gets to engage a tour company to help plan and execute the tour. Tom engaged Iron Donkey bicycle touring company for this ride. They are long time purveyors for tours specializing in Ireland and England. Our Iron Donkey representative was Tony Boyd, who was a former part owner of Iron Donkey and had sold off his shares of the company and started working for them part time to step toward retirement.

As the year before the trip progressed I was in touch with Tom and Tony to make sure I was ready to participate in the tour. As the tour approached I started buying the equipment and clothing that I needed to get me through. This was a strange event for me since all other European trips I had taken were with Kathie.

Getting Started: Part of the events that transpired in the year of preparation included to arrival of Kathie and my first grandchild. Rachel gave birth to Rowan Rae on July 14th and just over a month later I was ready to start my trip.

The tour started outside Cork on August 19th, so I booked a flight on WOW Air starting from BWI on the afternoon of August 17th. I had planned to use the Washington Metro system to get to BWI. This would have included two local bus rides along with a subway ride with one transfer. Kathie was concerned about me carrying my luggage all this distance and offered to drive me to the airport. Kathie got me to the airport in plenty of time and soon I was on the first leg of my trip.

The flight got a late start due to lack of personnel availability. My flight had a transfer in Keflavik International Airport. As we approached Iceland, I was concerned about catching my connecting flight to Dublin. My flights departed midfield. The temperature in early morning Iceland was brisk. Getting to the shuttle bus to take us to the terminal was a little chilling but soon I was in the terminal looking for my connecting gate. Luckily my connecting flight was also running late so I had time to call Kathie and get a smoothie before I loaded for the flight to Dublin.

Dublin: When planning my travels, I wanted to stay near Dublin Airport and take a city bus into O'Connell street, tour, have dinner and return to my hotel for a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately the Holiday Inn Express near the airport was booked over two weeks in advance of my trip. Instead, I reserved rooms at the Emmaus House instead. This was a retreat in Swords, North of the airport. I got on the Dublin Bus website and let them plan using Dublin Bus to get to the retreat. I followed the plan but ended up in central Dublin and couldn’t find the connecting bus line out to Swords.

 I did get to do some souvenir shopping and eventually found my way to swords. I missed the stop I was supposed to take and ended up taking a Taxi to the retreat. After checking into Emmaus I got directions into Swords to find dinner and find the bus stop I would need to take the next morning to get back to the airport. I found a Middle Eastern restaurant that served a great chicken dish, explored Sword’s town center where the bus stops were, walked back to the retreat and settled down for a solid night’s sleep.

To Cork: In the morning I got up, showered, packed and walked back to Swords with my luggage. I waited for the bus and took the ride back to the airport where I had tickets for an Air Coach Bus to take me to Cork, where my tour was to start. After waiting about 30 minutes the Coach arrived and soon I was on my way to Cork. On the bus ride I had my iphone out and was listening to a play list and following my trip on Google Maps. This helped pass the time. When we arrived in Cork the bus stop in Cork was under construction, so I had to walk around the quay to get to the center of their shopping area and hailed a taxi to get to Oriel House Hotel where the tour was gathering.

As I was dropped off at the Oriel House I saw a Tandem bicycle leaving the hotel for what I assumed was a shake down ride. I was only aware of one tandem couple on the trip. They were the O’Connors who I had corresponded with over the last few months and I was anxious to meet them. As I exited the taxi I found several other couples preparing their tandems in the hotel parking lot. In all there were 4 tandem couples signed up for this trip. I found three of those couples in the hotel parking lot. I asked each if they were the O'Connors and none of them were.

I then went to the Iron Donkey van that was in to parking lot. I got to introduce myself to Tom, Tony and my roommate for the trip, Rick. I checked into the hotel and unpacked. I was very happy to not have taken my cell phone out of airplane mode since leaving BWI. I was able to get service anywhere I could connect to WiFi. At the hotel I was able to call Kathie and let her know that I had arrived safely. I went back to the parking lot with my pedals that I brought to use with the bike that I was renting from Iron Donkey. I didn’t get the pedals installed but got to take the bike for a quick test ride around the parking lot.

When you get two cyclists together the conversation can last for hours. When you get two retired cyclists together the conversation may never end. When Rick and I were unpacking we spent several hours introducing ourselves to each other. We hit it off well and before we knew it, it was time to attend our first ride meeting. At the meeting Tom told us about the plans for the first day of riding and then we adjourned to the group dinner for that evening.

First Leg of Biking: (Pics) In the morning I went to breakfast and had my first Irish breakfast of the trip. This included eggs and sausage. The plan for the day was to take a bus ride to Mizen Head were we would get our bikes ready and then take off for Skibbereen. On the way to Mizen Head we were on a medium sized bus and going over hilly and curving Irish country roads. I was in the back of the bus and the Irish breakfast from the morning wasn’t digesting well. About two thirds of the way through the trip I had to ask the bus to pullover so that I could throw up without contaminating the interior of the bus. 

I took part in the greatly diminished group picture and then started the tour in earnest. Mizen was a beautiful outlook point over the Atlantic south of Ireland. The views quickly changed to quaint Irish farmland and farmhouses. Soon we biked through a small town that had a pub that collected a few cyclists looking for a meal. I joined them and soon Kerry and Charlie stopped also. As they stopped Charlie noticed a rubbing sound coming from his wheel. He was using a rental bike also and quickly discovered a problem with his tire. Luckily Kerry was carrying some tools and a piece of tire that they would use to patch over the tire defect. While they were working on the tire I grabbed a bite to eat at the pub. Soon the tire was fixed and I was back on the road and I finished the ride to the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen. After I got back I showered and went to the hotel bar for a Heineken. Soon it was time for the next days ride meeting then dinner at the hotel that evening.

Ride 2: (Pics) I was looking forward to the second day of riding. The destination for the day was Kinsale. When Kathie and I first visited Ireland we had dinner in Kinsale while staying in Blarney. It was a typical rainy evening in Ireland and although we enjoyed the visit I was unable to get any pictures of this quaint town because I didn’t want to expose my camera to the weather. I was hoping to correct this omission when visiting this time.I dressed to ride, had breakfast and got on my way. On this day, I started riding with Anne and Ben. Our pace seemed to be close to each other’s and we had good conversation as we rode. Later in the morning we ran into a gas station / convenience store and stopped for a rest and a snack. After the rest stop Anne and Ben outpaced me while I pushed forward. After the snack I thought I would be safe not eating until after lunchtime. In just a few hours I started getting hungry. Luckily, I had a protein bar in my backpack and I stopped along a small group of houses across from a field of cows. I ate my bar and observed the cows in the field. 

After eating we stopped at a small park and read about the town of Timoleague having been a port city that was destroyed by a tsunami that changed the landscape of the bay. We then started toward Kinsale and I got separated from Anne and Ben and was on my own. As I continued I started to get more noise from my bicycle. I stopped to discover that the rear fender on the bike had broken into two pieces. Luckily the two pieces were still attached to the bike and except for the noise the bike was working well. I continued onto Kinsale.

The hotel that we were scheduled for that night was actually several kilometers beyond Kinsale. I was hoping that the path we would be taken would take me through the area that Kathie and I had dinner at our first visit. The first place that I ran into was a harbor full of sailboats. I stopped there to take some picture then moved on in hopes of seeing more of the town.

I arrived at our hotel where I told Tony about my broken fender, showered and got ready for happy hour, ride meeting, and dinner. While getting dressed for dinner I noticed that my cell phone was missing from my backpack. I retraced my steps in the hotel and double-checked my luggage only to conclude that I had probably dropped it somewhere on my travels for the day. Tony offered to help me look. I thought that I might have dropped the phone at one of the rest stops that I stopped at. I gave Tony the locations that I stopped at and he called the location in case someone had found the phone and handed it in. Unfortunately no one found the phone. I decided that worrying about the phone would have detracted from my vacation.

Ride 3: (Pics) On the third day the route was from Kinsale to Youghal. As an option, we could take a side trip to the Cobh Heritage museum that chronicled the many ships and Émigrés who left Ireland through this port.  This include close to 50% of Irish born north Americans and the Titanic. Before the museum we crossed the Lee River via ferry just south or Cork.

At the Museum I had lunch with Kerry and Charlie. Kerry offered to let me use her phone to call Kathie to figure out how we would communicate going forward without my phone. I took her up on this offer. I made the call while I was in the museum.

As I approached Youghal I ran into a detour. Some in the group worked around the detour by talking to the road workers. I, on the other hand, followed the detour and ended up on N25 to get to Youghal. This was a bit more traffic than I was used to but I got to the hotel without troubles.

I got to the hotel and showered, drank, attended to ride meeting and had dinner. After dinner I exchange a few emails with Kathie and worked on getting my Skype account set up to use with Kathie. From this point on I was able to contact her.

Ride 4: (Pics) On the next day the ride was a little shorter than what we had been doing. The destination for the day was Dungarvan. This was another town that Kathie and I visited on our first trip. The attraction for Dungarvan for me was bicycling related. The Waterford County Museum was just a two-room museum that covered much of the county history and the Dungarvan Cup. The cup was the earliest known trophy for a bicycling race.

As I approached Dungarvan we got what I would call a real rain. Until this point we ran into more misty precipitation than rain. For about 15 or 20 minutes we got a rain heavy enough to pond on the roads and get my biking cloths wet. I arrived at the hotel in early afternoon. I was too early to check in so I hung around the hotel lobby in wet biking clothes. I decided to go into the town to find the Waterford museum while waiting for my room. I also walked down the road to find a Laundromat to catch up on my outfits.

I found the museum. I discovered that it was recently enlarged and made roomier for more exhibits. The Dungarvan Cup was still there in a new case and there was more bicycling artifacts. This included a few Penny-Farthing bike displays and the social aspects of women riding bicycles.

I was not able to find a Laundromat but the hotel offered services that I took them up on. This evening we did not get an included dinner, so Rick and I walked into town for dinner. We found a restaurant that was relatively busy. We put in our name on the waitlist that was about 20 minutes long. We strolled up to the bar and ran into Peter and Liz from the ride. They had decided to go to a different restaurant and gave us their spot in line. In just a few minutes their name was called and we took their spot in line.

I ordered duck for dinner that was pretty good. That night, in bed, the duck was not digesting well and I was unable to sleep. I used the late hour to practice calling Kathie on Skype. I was able to get through to her then I was able to get to bed and try to get more sleep.

Ride 5: (Pics) When I woke in the morning and started to get ready for the days ride. I started to feel better and the more active I was the better I felt. What I did notice was some cold symptoms started to set in. As I decided what route to take for the day, knowing that I didn’t want to overdo myself I decided on taking the Greenway bicycle trail. This was and Rail to Trail path that was only 18 months old. After breakfast I gathered my laundry and packed and got dressed for the days ride.

Getting to the bike trail was easy. The start of the trail was just on the other side of the traffic circle that the hotel was on. The trail was very nicely designed and had open view of the countryside and shoreline in the area. Near Waterford there is an area to catch a small train that paralleled the trail. There were several pavilions and a place to buy coffee and hot chocolate. I stopped for a hot chocolate and while drinking it, I was listening to a radio station playing in the coffee shop. An announcer was interviewing people on the radio and to my surprise he started interviewing Tom Ryan our ride leader.

I listened to the interview and finished my drink and returned to the trail. Soon I reached the end of the trail that emptied out into the main quay in Waterford. Having spent time in Waterford before I was able to work my way through the town and quickly found the street that the Marina Hotel was on. I stopped at the hotel and said hello to Tony, who had unloaded the luggage to a conference room in the hotel. I took my laptop and found my friends address on it. Liam and Marie are long time friends from working with Liam in Rochester and Orlando. I double-checked the directions to their house with the people at the desk then hopped on my bike a rode to their house. I knocked on their door and surprised Maria with my visit.

We had planned to have dinner together that evening. Maria and I talked for about 30 minutes then I returned to the hotel. I checked in and got my shower. We met for the ride meeting and then the plan was to start the walking tour of Waterford. Earlier when talking to Maria I mentioned the walking tour and she thought it might be a friend of hers that would lead the tour. She showed me his picture and when the tour started I recognized him.

We had a great tour of Waterford and then I met with Bob and Mavis and Kerry and Charlie and Rick for dinner at McLeary’s where we were to meet Liam and Maria. The dinning area was on the second floor of the restaurant that had a view over the quay onto the river. Soon Liam and Maria joined us and we had a great dinner together introducing each other and catching up with Liam and Maria.

After dinner Liam, Maria and I walked back toward my hotel taking in some of the same sights that we had taken in on the tour. I took a few pictures of Liam and Maria and several young girls stopped and posed for a picture with Liam and me. As I got to the turn off for the hotel, I said my goodbyes to Liam and Maria and headed back to the hotel. I Skyped Kathie and got ready for bed.

Ride 6: (Pics) On the next morning I got dressed to ride, had breakfast, packed, and got my bike ready for the days ride. The ride started by heading East to East Passage where we took a ferry across the Waterford Harbor. After crossing the harbor we headed North toward New Ross. Just outside of New Ross I saw construction just West of my location over the Barrow River. I learned later that this was part of the New Ross Bypass being built.

Soon I was in New Ross and stopped at the Dunbrody ship. This was a replica of an emigrant famine ship used by emigrants to escape starvation during the Irish potato famine. On the tour I was shown the horrid conditions that existed on this ship even though it was one of the nicer ships to cross the Atlantic.

After the tour, I headed North toward Tullow. I arrived in Tullow where I showered, drank, met and ate. Tomorrows ride would take us to Glendalough. 

Glendalough (Pics) The next morning I dressed, packed and went to breakfast. After breakfast I got my bike ready for the days ride. Glendalough translates to Valley of two lakes. The area is beautiful and is home to St. Kevin's relic monastic settlement. In the settlement there is a round tower, relic church, and many Irish high crosses.

Soon after leaving Tullow I found a small town, Shillelagh, with a grocery store. I stopped at the store and bought a small snack for myself. While I was consuming my snack, Dave rolled up for a snack also. As he was in the store I noticed a clam charm on his trunk. When he came out I asked him about the charm. He told me that it was from an el Camino de Santiago trip that he took. I am familiar with these pilgrimages and was impressed that he did this on bicycle.

After talking with Dave he took off and I took off a few minutes later. About 15 minutes after I started I realized that I was off course and needed to back track into the town to get back on track. This cost me several kilometers on my progress for the day.

Later in the ride I missed another turn in Rathdrum. I checked the GPS map and thought that I could continue through the town and still hook up this the route. This took a few corrections but at last I found the connecting street that was a steep climb. I push the bike up the hill and found my way back to the route.

Not too much later I arrived in Glendalough and I checked in, showered and took part in happy hour. In the ride meeting for the next day Tony told us of a gentle climb to start the day. When I looked at the terrain map of this ride I thought that it looked like a nice day of riding. We had dinner at the hotel and I hit the hay to get ready for the next day.

Glendalough to Cellbridge (Pics) On the next day we were told that the ride this day was not particularly long and that we should take our time to get to the hotel because we may have to wait for our rooms to be ready for us. To that, I got ready to ride and had breakfast then took time to explore the monastic ruins and the lakes located near the hotel. I enjoyed exploring the area then I gathered my bike and started the ride for the day.

Immediately out of the hotel we started climbing the "gentile" hills that Tony warned us about the day before. This climb was 7 kilometers long and relatively steep. I stopped several times to take pictures of the valley behind me. At one point some of the sheep that inhabited the hills wandered across the road in front of me. I stopped to take some pictures of the sheep, but while setting up the shot a car came by and chased the sheep off the road.

The further we climbed the windier and colder the air got. As I reached the top of the hill where there was an observation area for cars to pull off and I stopped to take a few more pictures. As I reached the top I saw the sign for Wicklow Gap. Later we researched the Wicklow Gap and it is noted as the fourth toughest climb in Ireland.

As promised, once we topped the gap the rest of the ride was mostly down hill. Soon I found my way to Cellbridge and our hotel for the night.

Tara (Pics) On the next day our destination was Navan. On the way to Navan the route would take us past the Hill of Tara. As I rode toward Navan I missed few turns but eventually found myself at the Hill of Tara. Just down from the hill was a small village with a restaurant and a few souvenir shops. I found an ice cream shop where I bought a dish and enjoyed it before walking up to the Hill or Tara.

As I entered to Tara I stopped at the church at the edge of the hill. It was also the point where tours of the Hill started. The tour costs 6 euro and I decided not to take the tour. Instead I walked the hill myself and got pictures of several of the burial mounds and the statue of St. Patrick. St. Patrick is said to have converted pagans by preaching to them about Christianity. He used a clover to explain Christianity to those he was trying to convert.

After exploring Tara, I got on the bike and finished to ride to Navan. Even with activities taken in on the route the hotel did not have our room ready. Rick was waiting in the Hotel when I got there. We sat for a while then decided to find a local place for lunch. We found a fast food place just a few doors down from the hotel. We returned to the hotel and over the next few hours we gathered in the lobby and waited for word that our rooms were ready.

At happy hour and the ride meeting we got word that there was a Laundromat in town. The next morning I took my laundry there and asked them to do my laundry. They said that it would be done by 12:30. I returned to the hotel and spend some down time. I walked back up through town for lunch and stopped at a McDonalds because I could order a small burger and not have to eat from a place that served big portions to impress customers. After my burger I went to the Laundromat and found that my laundry wasn't done because the Laundromat was inundated with people from our tour. I waited about an hour for my laundry to be done. I took it back to the hotel then got dressed for my ride.

Bru Na Boyne (Pics) Tony had planned an afternoon tour of New Grange (Bru Na Boyne), which is a Pre-Historic burial dome. The distance to the tourist center for this sight was not too far from the hotel. There was an optional side trip getting there that stopped at a castle distillery in the town of Slane. I decided not to go to Slane but to continue directly to Bru Na Boyne. Unfortunately a wrong turn took me to Slane and it took me a bit of time to figure out my mistake and get back on track. On the way back to the course I ran into Bo who was lost and on his way to Slane. I told him my story but he decided not to follow me. I made it to the tourist center in time to tour the museum and get on the bus that took us to Bru Na Boyne. Bo did not find his way to the tourist center on time and missed the tour.

At Bru Na Boyne we were given a tour of the outside of the dome and explained the modern history and discovery of this dome and the domes in the area. We were then guided into tot dome and got a demonstration of what the light looked like during the summer and winter solstice. After finishing in the dome we took a walk around the dome then caught the bus back to the tourist center. There I got on my bike and quickly rode back to the hotel before it got dark out.

When I got back to the hotel I decided to grab a personal pizza from a place across the street from the hotel. I got my pizza and picked up a beer at the hotel bar and took the beer and pizza back to my room to log my rides and contact Kathie.

Kells and Cavan (Pics) The next day's destination was Cavan. I got started and ran into Rick and we rode together for awhile. We got to Kells, which is famous for the monastery in Kells that was the location that kept the "Book of Kells" that is currently at the library at Trinity College in Dublin. Although the original Book of Kells is'nt there, Kells has a replica in its tourist center. Outside the tourist center is a ancient High Cross that is covered from the elements. Also we stopped at the monastery grounds just on the edge of town.

Rick and I got separated after leaving Kells and as I was riding on my own I came upon a Gas Station / Convenience Store and I stopped to get a snack. Outside the store was a picnic table that I sat down and ate my snack. While I was there Rick , Tom, Bob and Mavis came along and joined me. At one point Tom went into the store and bought something. While he was there he started a conversation with the woman at the check-out counter. It turns out that she spent time in the states including New York City. She came out to where we were sitting and continued the conversation with Tom.

I continued down the road and I was on was an L road or local road that tended to be country roads. Along the way I came up to a cow that had escaped the field and was standing in the road. I stopped to take the cows picture then gingerly pushed by her to get back on my way. Soon I was at our next hotel and ready for my shower, happy hour and dinner.

Leitrim (Pics) On the next day our destination was Leitrim, which was closer to the West Coast of Ireland. Early I climbed a hill and found a working church at the top. The church had well manicured grounds including the section of cemetery. It had a rest room that became popular with riders from our group.

(Pics) The hotel in Leitrim is called the "Marina Hotel". The Marina was on the revitalized canal system in the area that has gained popularity over recent years. As I approached Leitrim the route I was on paralleled the canal and game close to one of the locks on the canal. I stopped to check out the lock just in time to see a pleasure boat navigate through it. Soon after watching the boat through I arrived at the hotel. This marked the last riding I would do in August and completion of 2/3 of our tour. I had my shower and happy hour and dinner that evening.

Sligo (Pics) The next day’s ride took us from Leitrim to Sligo. Toward the middle of the ride we went through the Lough Key Forest Park. There was a nice canopied area that was down hill on our route. At the bottom of the hill was a speed bump. When I was descending the hill I noticed Tom at the bottom making sure the all cyclists were aware of the bump. He was also looking after Rick, who had lost control of his bike after hitting the bump. When I got there Rick was standing but still dazed from his accident.

In 2015 I had an accident at a park not far from my house. I don't remember what exactly happened on the day because I lost my memory for about 2 1/2 weeks following the accident. I have however heard others account of my accident and understand basically what happened that day. Watching Rick react to his accident made me look at what probably happened after my accident. It was traumatic to see that for the first time. My accident was never that real to me until seeing Rick's reaction. It took me awhile on the road to calm down about the how I felt.

We made sure the Rick was ok and taken care of before we move forward. I continued through to our hotel in Sligo where we were all waiting to hear how Rick was doing. I showered and got ready to find dinner in town. I followed a couple into town where we had a good dinner on our own. Before I left I walked into the lobby of the hotel and there was Rick sitting in the lobby recounting his condition to others from our group. After returning from dinner I got to find out that Rick was ok but the doctors didn't want him to ride for a few days to make sure his eyes were ok.

Rossnowlagh(Pics) The next morning our destination was Rossnowlagh. One stop was in Drumcliffe to see the burial sight of W.B. Yeats, a revered poet. On the way to Rossnowlagh were two loops on our route. One took us up onto a hillside for some views and the other took us out on the West Coast along the North Atlantic through Mallaghmore. I skipped the hillside ride to reduce the climbing and mileage for the ride. I did do the ride along the coast. As I got to the views of the coast I was captivated by the incredible views. It wasn't a long section of riding but I stopped about 6 times to get pictures of the shoreline.

As I went further around to loop I ran into a resort area and a cafe and I stopped for lunch. I got there in time to find a seat but soon after that the place was packed with BAC members and tourists. After lunch I pushed on toward Sligo. In Ballyshannon I came upon a statue of Rory Gallagher. This was a 60s rock star. At one point someone asked Jimi Hendricks how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, he said "I don't know, you will have to ask Rory Gallagher." Gallagher died an early death from liver damage.

Soon I was at our Hotel in Rossnowlagh. This was the Sandhouse Hotel that from its name we knew it was a beachfront hotel. Our room had a view straight to the beach. Once again a shower, happy hour and dinner were part of the afternoon events.

Ardara (Pics) On the next day we were headed to Ardara. After going through Donegal, the route to Ardara had a loop in it to circle Lough Eske. This was a bit hilly and my legs were getting tired from 2 1/2 weeks of riding. By time it got to Ardara my patients for riding was running a bit short. This was at the same time that I was trying to decide if I was going to ride the next day that was an optional loop day. By time I got to Ardara I had decided not to ride the next day. Luckily for me Tony contacted a bus driver in the area and arranged a tour of the area that the ride was planned for.

We were told that there was a Laundromat in town. I took a walk to see if I could find the Laundromat but failed to find the one in town. I returned to the hotel to get a map to the Laundromat then I was able to find it. Later that evening I went to the corner pub and took in a set of music from the musicians. This was two guys, one was a vocalist and guitar player, the other played banjo and fiddle. They played authentic Irish tunes.

Glencolmcille and Teileann (Pics) The next day before the tour bus came I found the Laundromat and dropped off my clothes for cleaning. I was told that they would be done in the afternoon.

Several couples decided to take the bus tour for the day. While riding out on the tour we passed a few of those who decided to ride and went over some of the hills that were on their route. The climbs looked very challenging. We first stopped at Glencolmcille, which is a period Irish village of Traditional thatched huts. We spend about an hour exploring these grounds than moved onto Teileann, which has cliffs along the Atlantic. This had some great views and we enjoyed seeing fellow riders getting to this point. 

When I returned to the hotel I took off for the Laundromat to pick up my laundry. I then had dinner and got a good night’s sleep to ready for the next days riding.

Stranorlar (Pics) The next day’s ride took us to Stranorlar. I planned a short cut to Stranorlar and was to the hotel early in the afternoon. We had to wait for our rooms to be prepared. While waiting Bo and I went to the chippie across from the hotel. Soon the rooms were ready and I showered and got to the bar for happy hour. We had a great dinner and I returned to my room for bed.

Derry (Pics) The next day’s ride took us not only to a new town but a new country. Our destination was Derry Northern Ireland. Just before arriving in Derry our route was on a bicycle trail that followed the West shore on the Foyle River. Just outside of town I crossed other BAC members at a small trailside park. Some were geo cashing and others were just taking in the view of the river. Soon I got back on the trail with other riders and it started to rain. The closer we got to the town the more it rained. The rain let up as I approached the Peace Bridge and was able to take a few minutes to take pictures of the bridge and cross the bridge and view the neighborhood on the East side of the Foyle.

When I returned to the West side of the river I continued north to get to our hotel. I was aware that I needed to get British pounds to pay for some of Tony's services. I went to an ATM local to the hotel and got the money that I needed and paid Tony while sitting in the lobby. While in the lobby, Tom came back from lunch where he had stopped at an eatery located along the Foyle. He raved about the crispy squid that he got there. Denise and I decided this sounded good and walked there to try this place out. When I got there I realized that I didn't have enough pounds to pay so Denise lent me 10 pounds. We enjoyed our meal and as soon as I got back to the hotel I withdrew 30 pounds from the ATM and gave Denise her 10 pounds back.

Soon we were meeting in the lobby of the hotel for the final pre-ride meeting outlining the logistics for our last day of riding. This included riding out to Malin Head, celebrating and then riding to a point to prepare our bikes to get them back to the hotel so that we could pack our bikes for travel. After the meeting, we gathered to walk to the walled area of Derry we were scheduled for a walking tour of this area. On the way there I was walking next to Monica who is from Alaska and missed the first few days of riding because the airlines misrouted her bike.

Early in the trip Monica told the group that she was taking lessons in jazz improvisation. I was curious about her musical background and talked to her about where and what she played. She told me she had played in a band and that many of them were taking improvisation lessons. While walking with Monica I asked her about her favorite performers. She was a big Chick Correa fan as am I. We had a great conversation about other performers and albums in my collection.

We got to the walking tour and found the young woman who was giving the tour. The tour leader is the daughter of the owner of the tour company that offered these tours. She gave a great tour of the walled area including medieval and more recent history. As she gave the tour she reflected the troubled times between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. She pointed out some of the neighborhoods that were the sights of some of the riots during those times. Toward the end of the tour she told us about how much things had improved over the last few decades and that many prominent citizens of Derry were working with and helping those of the other side. She brought it all home when describing her two young sons who were able to attend a camp attended by both Catholic and Protestant children. This was a very emotional issue to her.

At the end of the walking tour our tour guide suggested 4 or 5 places to have dinner. Rick and I decided to go to the Badger Pub and we were joined by about 4 other people from our BAC tour. We had a great dinner and then walked back along the Foyle back to our hotel.

Malin (Pics) In the morning I got up and had breakfast. The directions we were given were to start riding at a certain time. Gathering riders at a cafe just short of Malin Head, finish the ride and gather together for the a group picture. The scheduling was done to make sure the earlier riders didn't have to stand around a long time to have the group picture taken. Just before leaving on bike I ran up to my room the make sure I had all the thinks with me to be ready when I got to Malin Head.

It took me longer then anticipated to finish getting my equipment together and when I returned to where the bikes were and discovered that everyone had already left. I started out from the hotel and tried to follow my GPX line and cue sheet out of the Western side of Derry. The cue sheet had some questionable directions on it but I persisted and used the GPX map and route line to get me back on track. At this point I knew that I was lagging behind the rest of the riders. I truly didn't want to hold anyone up at the finish line, so I started pressing my pace to make sure I would get there at a reasonable time.

As I continued the route prescribed it headed North along the Folyle river. For this section my pace was encouraging. Soon it took a left away from the river and of course climbs in elevation. I continued on and rode through the town of Malin. This was the town where the cafe was that we were supposed to meet at. I was watching for a gathering of bicycles and/or riders but didn't see any so I pushed forward. Not too much later I caught up with Judy. This was comforting because I then knew I wasn't doing to be the last rider at the finish line. Judy and I rode together for a while then I pulled ahead of her for a stretch.

Eventually, I made it to the peninsula that was Malin Head. As I arrived I saw the finish line on my right. I immediately started looking for a right turn to take me there but none arrived. I was second guessing that what I saw was the finish line. Then I ran into other riders from our group at an observation parking area. They told me to continue past this area and I did. Soon the route past the observation area curved to the right and I was able to see what I thought was the finish line again.

Soon I did the final climb and joined many who had finish before me. We were all exploring Malin Head, and the views North. There were to several concession stands set up there. One of the stands had signs and T-shirts. One sign had a directional sign that was modeled of many of the sign we saw on our journey. It proclaimed, "I have cycled from Mizen Head to Malin Head". This sign was selling hot to those in our group. Additionally they were selling T-shirts claiming that Malin Head was a movie sight for the "Last Jedi". Until that moment I didn’t realize that this movie had been film at this sight. I was scanning my memory of the movie but was unable to associate any part of the movie with this location.

After getting the group together for a photo we soon gathered and started as a group to a parking area about 2 kilometers down the road. There we took the pedals off our bikes to make them easier to ship back to the hotel in Derry. From that point we were bussed to the hotel and we got ready for our celebratory dinner with the group.

Back to Dublin (Pics) The evening dinner at the hotel had everyone celebrating their victory over the Mizen to Malin tour. We enjoyed Everyones Company for one last time on tour. We thanked and applauded Tom and Tony for their hard work and great planning. The next morning we got up for breakfast and got ready to take the coach from Derry to Dublin going through Northern Ireland. On the way I saved a seat for Monica so that I could pull out my ipod and give her samples of some of my music collection.

We arrived at the Dublin Airport late in the morning and found our way the area where shuttle busses arrived for some of the local hotels. Denise and Judy had reservations at a hotel at the airport and were there to take a shuttle to their hotel. Rick ,James and Melody were on our bus going to the Crown Plaza and Holiday Inn Express. I had reservations at the Holiday Inn Express and Rick was at the Crown Plaza. I invited Rick to join me in Dublin and after getting off the bus we planned to have lunch at the Crown Plaza. I got to my room at the Holiday Inn Express and unpacked and checked my emails.

I went back to the Crown Plaza and had lunch with Rick. He had decided not to join me for dinner in Dublin so we said goodbye to each other after lunch. I went back to the Holiday Inn Express to get directions on which bus line and the cost of the trip into Dublin. As I approached the bus stopped I checked my cash supply and realized I didn't have change to cover bus fair. I stopped in the restaurant near the bus stop and they made change for me to cover my bus fair.

I rode the bus to the O’Connell Street and did some last minute souvenir shopping, then walked on the Quay along the Lifey River in an effort to find the Famine Statues dedicates to the victims the potato famine. I walked along the south side of the river and didn't find the statues. I crossed the river and walked back on the north side. I found the statues on the north side. I took pictures then went further west on the quay to the Ha Penny Bridge. Across the street from the bridge was a souvenir shop. I stopped there and picked up some refrigerator magnets to share with my family.

I moved onto the Temple Bar area where I headed to a Mongolian Barbeque restaurant. I had dinner there and then walked the Temple bar area before heading back to the bus and my hotel. While walking the area I ran into Denise and Judy who were looking for a place to eat. I pointed out the Mongolian BBQ place but they were looking for something more authentic. I then got back to the bus stop and found my way back the Holiday Inn Express.

In the morning I got up and showered and checked my email, had breakfast and finished backing my bags to ready them for my flights. I didn't know the schedule for the shuttle to the airport so I left some extra time to get to the airport. At 8:00 I carried my bags to the lobby and checked out of my room. The person at the desk told me that I could catch the shuttle if hurried. I hopped outside the hotel and caught the shuttle immediately. I got off the shuttle at terminal 2 of the airport and walked inside to find which departure desk I needed to check my bags at. On the way inside I ran into Denise and Judy as they were checking into their flight.

I discovered that I needed to be in Terminal 1. I wheeled my bags to terminal 1 and found the WOW departure desk. The desk wasn't open yet so I found a bench and waited for about 30 minutes. The line to the desk was long but as I approached the line a desk opened that was for checking bags if you already had a boarding pass. Luckily for me I had printed out my boarding pass at the hotel the night before and became the first in line for that desk. Soon I was on the first leg of my flight to Iceland. Soon I was at the terminal in Iceland. So much so that the gate for my connecting flight was not yet posted. I grabbed a snack and waited for my gate to be posted. When it was posted I walked to the gate that was off the main concourse. There weren’t many seats at the gate and soon a guard came to the gate and told me that I couldn't hang out at the gate. I went back to the main concourse and waited for an update. An intercom message came across a bit later that asked the flight the load at the gate. At this point the gate was loaded with people, many laying on the floor.

Soon we were on our way to Baltimore. The flight was packed and again the plane had no back seat technology, so for me the flight seemed to last longer than my normal trans-Atlantic flights. Finally I landed and I had arranged for Kathie to meet me at the luggage carousel. I got off the flight and was herded through the passport check area. After getting through the passport check I thought I would be done with queues. I got to the luggage area but didn't see Kathie. I got my bag and realized that everyone getting luggage was filing into another line. This was trying my patience and the line was even slower than the passport line. The reason for the second line seemed to be a customs line. I guess they needed to second line to make sure travelers had their possessions with them. I finally got through the line and Kathie was waiting on the other end to pick me up. I was home!