The Connemara

Hey folks,

Well, I had in mind to write to you about a bunch of stuff, but then I woke up in the Connemara this morning and went for a bike ride - two bike rides actually - and now, I can barely remember the other mumbo-jumbo. A few quick hits from the last couple of days:

• I've settled down behind the wheel, so you can all join me in a sigh of relief. It's like when I get see sick and I figure the end of the world is eminent, then after 24-48 hrs you get sae legs and you're good. Same deal, I've got the rhythm - ever vigilant, but I no longer feel like a head-on is impossible to avoid. One last observation about driving. So I'm driving along the motorway - a six laner - and this bus comes charging up my ass, and I'm thinkin' what's this guy's deal, I pull into a different lane and he passes me. This is how I came to realize that by virtue of the whole opposite side of the road thing, the slow highway drivers are actually in the left and the passers are on the right. This is something that I will not get used to - every time I'm passed (in the left lane) I feel like they're going to give me the finger and be all ticked at me, but I'm actually doing the right thing.
• Check out HEAVEN for a roadie. This is a video tour of the bike shop that I went to in Dublin yesterday. It's called the Cycle Superstore - picture a store the size of Zellers totally dedicated to cycling. Go to the link by clicking here and scroll down to the vid:
• When I finally got the courage to turn on the radio in the car (yes, people, it was that bad), I heard Dreams by the Cranberries - euphoria began to set in.
  
• Guinness is to Ireland as gelato is to Italy - I had a rule in Italy - gelato everyday, no exceptions. After one dry day in Dublin, I think I may be falling into the same rule here only with Guinness.
  
• Speaking of Guinness, I had my first official pint in Ireland last night at EJ King's Pub in Clifden. I took pictures, but to be honest, they suck; so here's a pic of the pint that I'm drinking right now. Beautiful, isn't it?
  

I did catch some good traditional music last night - same stuff you can here in NS, but somehow it's more authentic - atmosphere, setting, product consumed mean so much.

The dude on the right is actually from Newfoundland - how's that for authentic? I learned this as I was explaining to a nice Welsh couple that I am from Nova Scotia. As I'm doing so, doesn't the band break into Farewell to NS - whoa! I start singing along, the performer says, "I think we have a Nova Scotian in the house," then he tells me (over the mic) that he was born in St. John's and that he actually feels a bit like singing "I's the buy"; so of course I started him off and together we belted out the familiar refrain.

Ok enough bull crap - get to the riding!

Absolutely awe inspiring riding over here. For a rainy country, the sun made a rare appearance in the Connemara today. So after a first cup of coffee, I left Clifden on the coastal road to Roundstone then looped back across a sheep infested, narrow road cut through a bog (the Connemara is known for it's unique blend of mountainous and boggy terrain). The coastal road was a downwind party, then I worked hard against it getting back into Clifden. The only time the smile left my face was when my jaw would drop in response to yet another vista. Hopefully the pics can give you a bit of a sense for it.

A happy soul!

Beach on the way to Roundstone

More happy souls!

Ok, so the Roundstone Loop was a 45k ride. Back in Clifden, I fueled up on a chicken panini and coffee, then made for the Sky Road, this time heading west out of Clifden. The Sky Road is aptly named; basically it's a loop out a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic (as peninsulas do) with an upper section involving some decent climbs and affording ridiculous views of the seascape down below and a lower section where you loop back east to Clifden down in those views that you enjoyed on the way out. It's a 25k loop so, I got 70 in for the day. As I was riding and taking in view after view, I kept screaming in my head (but a few times out loud) a quote that at least two people reading this blog will recognize - "Unreal, bra!" Check the pics.

Views from the upper Sky Road (check that road out!)

At the end of the Sky Road, I met this guy, Michael, leaning on his stone fence. I had to engage him in conversation. Interesting cat, been to Canada (Toronto, poor guy). Check him out - what a happy existence. This his house. What would you pay for such a piece of land in Lunenburg Co? I can assure you, he paid much less for this.


Alright, I'll end it there with still so many things that I feel are being left out. One of my roommates tonight has been to Indian Point. That's crazy! I haven't told you about the sent of turf fires, nor that I actually held in my hands a piece of turf - I've wanted a closer look at this stuff ever since I knew it existed - wicked!

Thanks for checking in with the Blarney Biker. Tomorrow it's out of Clifden and I'm on a ferry to Inishmore (the largest of the Aran Islands) then to Doolin in The Burren tomorrow night where a ride to the famous Cliffs of Moher will await me on Monday morning - what a way to start the week.

Eno

PS Second BB (stands for Blarney Biker) Contest: Name the movie that was quoted in this post. Hint: the character who frequently uttered it was known as "Turtle". Come on now, there's two of you and you know who you are.

PSS Forgot to mention the there's a 100 mile Ultra marathon taking place here today - finishing in about an hour - gonna go check them out.