--- DAY 41 ---
We knew there was an off-of-roads bike path almost all the way to Belfast but didn't know the best way to intersect or enter this route. Edwin, our warmshowers host, helped us figure this out the night before; he showed me the town we would need to route to and then the point in that town that would be most efficient for connecting to the path. The path was an old towpath for a canal system that ran from Lough Neagh to Belfast. The path was used by mules to pull coal by barge from a mine across the Neagh all the way to the hungry customer of Belfast. What this route added for in distance was made up by its complete lack of any hills...we were following a canal after all. A few segments required us to enter roadways and navigate off-canal routes through town centers, but a majority of the day was spent next to the water. The routes are all numbered with the UK's National Cycle Route numbers so theoretically the route should be navigable using the turn by turn signs provided on the path. Unfortunately there are points where these signs visibility is lackluster due to vandalism, poor location, or who knows what. Either way we had a few occasions where we either had to backtrack or cross navigate back to the path. Without to much trouble, we completed our 30 mile day to wind up at our planned accommodation in Belfast - a cost effective, converted B&B town home operated by a few Portuguese men. The manager, Joa, was extremely helpful and welcoming. The place was old and tired but had everything we wanted, especially alongside the ideal location near the center of Belfast - the guys were making it work. We went out that evening and enjoyed a healthy portioned and cost effective meal at a local 'diner' adding milkshakes for the walk home - it was the perfect find fitting the stereotype of joints near a college campus. With a good place to ditch the bikes (the B&B), we would spend the next full day exploring the town by foot. --- DAY 42 --- As a day off deserves, we started slow with the plan to go explore the nearby municipal gardens and museum. A refreshing part of their local exhibitions is that they have been entirely free to enter with boxes scattered about encouraging donations; from the looks of the contents of these boxes, this method works well - human nature seems to prefer charity over forced fees. These exhibits were also not lacking; they showed obvious thought, planning, and execution to deliver an effective presentation to the public. All very impressive. So impressive that we spent the remainder of our morning and early afternoon wondering these two sites. From there it was time to hunt down some calories, eating at a restaurant with a focus on local micro-brews. They had a 'brew bot' in their entrance. It was a glorified box that they claimed self sufficiently made micro-brews...there first batch was due in a few days so we didn't get to check the quality of the bot beer. Interesting thing to see though; created and developed in Belfast - we were a bit far to go check out the pub of the Brew Bot owners where all served beer was from bots. With the milk shake joint on the way home we stopped through to get some more SUPER calories. With the day sufficiently spent with activity, we headed back to the beds to get some needed R&R. First big travel day by ferry set for Day 43. - Charlie
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Enniskillin to Edwin.
Two days. - Working our way across Northern Ireland towards Belfast. - Weather: dreary, rain - Roads: avoiding primary; so longer routes on little back roads. Went back into Republic of Ireland, found pub, watched soccer with the locals. ..if you are curious as to how this happened look at our route map. [Editor's comment: we watched the Ireland football match just on the boarder still in UK but ALL of the people there were supporting Ireland making it feel like we were still in the RoI - a lot of support and heritage is shared across the boarder.] They said we don't get tourists here...we shrugged. Crowd young, sleazy teenage girls included. Rousing fans of football. We all made new friends. Off to bed and breakfast [in RoI] - night of luxury again. Getting more difficult to find accommodation because of holiday season...we plan day by day. Next day...long ride to warmshowers...Edwin. Tired. Edwin was a very green, small carbon footprint kind of guy. Wood stove heated house; made hot water and cooked dinner with unit. Wood was sourced from demolition, mostly. Iranian wife, Mahvash, both Bahia faith...avoiding religious persecution in Iran, she met Edwin at University.. They participated in woofing...a method of supporting green, organic ideology via accepting volunteers to help on the “farm”.. they had chickens, greenhouses, stacks of firewood and two young Frenchman, mostly keen on polishing up their English. Mahvash was a powerful, good natured lady who ran her own interior design business, with a chicken comfortably under one arm. We ate our dinner with them...Skyes wraps, what a wrap artist! Then to sleep in the tents...rain providing pleasant white noise. I am impressed with how ecologically minded the people here are. High fuel prices encourage this, but it is clearly cool to be like this, especially in the middle age liberal group...a fairly large demographic. These people love cyclists! Very good for us. Generally people we meet are VERY interested in politics..EVERYBODY wants to talk about trump. We don't want to talk about trump. Who is voting for this bully anyway? When they start talking about European politics, it is almost always about the issues, not the individuals. I find this refreshing. What next, kim kardashian for president? Mark. After waking up, we were lazy around the campsite for the morning waiting the rain out.
Today was a short day to Enniskillen. - We stopped at the first B&B in town and booked a room for the night. - This particular family room had a shower in the middle of it. - Awkward place for a shower. Though I used the one located in the hallway for my nightly shower, Charlie could not resist. You could only see a silhouette of a person because the glass was frosted. He did enjoy attempting to hold a conversation with Mark and I throughout this event. Went into town - ATM - Pub to watch the soccer game Then we went to buy food. - I decided I wanted to grab some Northern Ireland McDonalds. - The guys bought groceries. Went back to our bed and breakfast. - Guys sat outside to eat dinner. - I took a shower and snuggled up in my warm bed. -Skye We left Eden Villa after a tour of their awesome woodworking shop (behind the B&B) followed with a picture with our great hosts, Peter and Mary. The planned day was a long one as there was not much between us and the next good option; two towns sandwiched between two lakes, representing our first boarder of the trip - between Ireland and the UK.
To compound on the distance, the route had a large climb 2/3 of the way through. Climbs are incredibly rewarding for their views at the top which always require a break to enjoy. It also means the remainder of the day is a nice ride with Mr. Gravity finally on our side. Drop into town! Bite to eat. Run through the grocery store. Onto our Caravan Park for the night. By far one of the cleanest, most well kept caravan parks. The attitude of the host and owner who greeted us complemented this. We enjoyed a nice evening with a view across the lake. Long day done! Shorter day to come! -Charlie We were all little introspective from our experiences of the last week. Charlie and Skye from their adventures waiting for me, and me from my trip back to the homeland.
We packed up during a small respite from the rain and headed off. It was “soft” rain most of the day. We Are mostly prisoners of our gear. Raincoats, pants, shorts, shoes...all things are purpose and condition specific..however the conditions here change on a dime. Ignoring discomforts is a large part of travel by bicycle. That and extreme and prolonged effort. We thrive on this circumstance. It can be cold or hot. Uphill hot, downhill cold. What happens is a sort of dissociation from the circumstances, a zen state. You are focused on the physical necessities of riding a loaded bicycle and not killing yourself at speed, at the same time, a great part of your thinking mind can wander where it wants. I think this may be a major part of the allure of this sport and others like it. The bull falls away, some clarity is available. This was just such a day. Relatively easy ride through pretty countryside on friendly roads in mild rain. We met a dutch couple on a tour, saw a beautiful speedy river..wound up in a bnb in Tobecurry with Peter and Mary. They had a fully set up cabinet shop in the building behind the house. Oh, how i love the smell of sawdust! Their setup from a tool standpoint was remarkable. Charlie and i enjoyed our tour. This was an unremarkable and pleasant day. Many miles. Goodbye Chuck. MARK Sorry we haven't had a post in more than 3 weeks....the last blog ended with preparation for unplanned events. Below, I will share with you a note from Pops about this. From there, we will share Skye and I's outline of our travels while Dad journeyed home. The end of the outline will be the completion of our circle and the rejoining of the group with Dad's return from 5 days gone. -Charlie Chuck, My friend Chuck Jones died. I received the notice from Perry. Joyce sent me a message “call Perry”. We were in Ireland on our way to a town called Castlebar. Charlie and I looked at each other..”I gotta go”...he said “of course, we will make it happen”. Surprisingly convenient and scenic bus rides over narrow Irish roads with the local people, then a night in a hotel outside the Shannon airport and some long flights and I was home. Sort of bitter sweet. Lots of people loved Chuck, me included. I have been enveloped in the Jones clan for nearly 30 years. Never was there a more kind hearted, clear thinking man than Chuck. Boy, he loved Amy and her girls. As expected, his funeral was a gathering of my favorite people in Albany (and beyond). We celebrated his life and lamented his death. I will not forget this time. Back on the airplanes and buses and back with Charlie and Skye. I also had the great joy of seeing my sweet spouse for a few days and Ned and Perry. Got to pat Buddy..dogs are really good at welcoming people home. -Mark Castlebar - Westbrook House (6.17.16) - Rode The Great Western Way - Camped at Westbrook House - Receptions area felt like jousting arena - Went into town for dinner - clean and crisp 'happening' town - Ate at a reasonable priced pub/nightclub - Watched soccer match (Croatian fans threw flares - ref added extra time allowing Czech to have a chance to equalize - awesome to watch) - Charlie really had to pee during the search for a whippy (ice cream) - Found a centra / charlie relieved himself - in the baby poop bathroom from nightmares / got the biggest whippy ever - Home to tent to prepare for big planned next day Westbrook House - Crough Patrick (6.18.16) - Planned to wake up early and Summit Crough Patrick (this summit had been brought up by locals in conversation a few times) - When we got there everyone was dressed in Yellow for a charity event - EMTs on deck (they called them 'Civil Defense') - Rocks all the way up - Part of top with path of loose rocks at intense grade - People walking barefoot for 'penance' - "I dont know how many people they have murdered but... said the guy next to us" - After, stopped at pub for soccer match (Ireland: they lost) - Enormous projector to ourselves - Went back to Westbrook house and took a "nap" - woke up at 20:00 and snacked on food - Rain had started - Went back to bed Westbrook House - Achill(ish) Island (6.19.16) - Rain all morning making packing a pain in the arse - Rode on the Great Western Way towards Achill island.(Ireland's largest island - lots of mountains on Island to0) - It was raining all day - we were soaked - creeks = rapids - water coming from everywhere - Stopped at a pub in Mulranny -Met some locals (Tommy, Franky, Pat, and Chris) -Chris offered for us to stay at his house -B&B's were expensive -After getting to know the group we decided to stay with Chris -OUR ADVENTURE BEGAN -with throwing our gear into a bus the guys knew (knowledgeable , nice guy - his bus info is shared on our facebook page) -Chris, Pat, Charlie, and Skye rode all the way onto Achill island -Cool bridge -Pub with a session happening -Skye serenaded by band (the sixteen year old from Arizona) -Rounds of drinks (Jameson) continued -Ate at HotSpot - spiciest curry ever (Skye's fault) -Went back to pub and....continued drinking -Charlie began to weaken (Puke?) -Back to Chris's house and to bed Mulranny - Achill Island (6.20.16) - Woke up Monday at Chris's at 0700 and we were both crunchy - Pat was suppose to pick us up at 0730 - Chris ended up driving us back to the bike - sat in back with gear - drives like a maniac - Neither one of us felt like riding today but were determined to see the island from a cyclists view - Got on the bike and headed out to island - stopped at centra on the way in (Electrolytes required) - Valley House (highly recommended was booked) -"Its all worth it once we get to this part of the day" -Charlie "Well maybe not, we are booked" -Valley House Owner - Went to the caravan park, it was not appealing and we truly needed a warm bed - Finally found a B&B that would be home by seven - Ate food (slowly) - Went to B&B and set up the tent / took a nap till she got home - made us tea, washed our clothes - had a nice night inside Achill Island - Castlebar (6.21.16) - Breakfast Smoothie, Irish Breakfast, Fresh clothes - Most windy day...ever. - rode out to north point of island before heading off - Met cyclists that spend a week riding 300km a day, 2-3 hours of sleep - 1 Canadian, 1 Irishman, 1 Australian (all super loopy) - Made it off the Island and the wind slowed down - Opposite of ride to the Island (sunny and clear) - Took Green way all the way back (same way we came but different from the change in weather and direction) - 70km day - Had lunch on greenway (apples, cheese) - met hiker from Italy; he wanted to do Appalachian trail one day (mentioned this when we said we were from GA; gave our contact info - Stopped in Newport for a bite to eat (Charlie had a beer) - decided to go on to Castlebar - checked in with Ronnen (awesome dude who helped us store Dad's bike and figure out logistics for his trip the many days before that we stayed at the same site in Castlebar) - Went into town and split a burger at a pub while watching football matches - Saw what we suspect to be secret service in plain cloths enjoying off-time and a meal (Biden was in town) - back to camp to bed Castlebar (6.22.16) The next day marked the reunion of the group. Dad jet-lagged - took the day off. Met him at bus. Went to eat. We surprised him with a fully set up site for him to go straight to sleep; it was right after fathers day after all (he was so stoked to see that tent after eating) While in Cong, we read of a town named The Neale that had some interesting items in it; temples, a well, and a pyramid. Since it was relatively on the way, contained the alternatively spelled version of my mothers maiden name, and had weird things - we pinned it as the first destination of the day.
The history and story of these things is a strange one and not completely clear to me. What I did note, is relative to many things in Ireland, they were not incredibly old (18th to 19th century?). At the same time, there were some ancient cairns and ring-forts in the area. In conclusion, I do not know how much relation the name of the town and my mothers maiden name has, but it got us to poke around in the area and see some very interesting 'follies' From there we road to the larger village of, Ballinrobe, to utilize there bike shop to load up on some tubes for the new skinny (1-1/8") tire that was working well on the front of the tandem [still have the 2" on the back]. In town we had a fork/choice: the more direct, busy road or the more winding back roads - the options being separated by a lake. The group choice in Ireland has now historically been to do the back roads (as buses and lorries on skinny 100 kph roads is no fun) - the only caveat to them seems to be that you do a little more elevation as the roads are more up and down compared to their more congested counterparts. These up and downs always prove worth it for the views provided. The wonderful and not to hilly back-roads ride was perfect for us and put us into Castlebar by early evening. We would be camping in a 'holiday village' where the night shift attendant, Ronin, settled us in and gave us great advice on a pub to grab a pint and bite. The town of Castlebar would now be the home setting for adventures for a few days as dad would soon be splitting way from Skye and I for ~5 days. With this unplanned event ahead of us, we settled down for a busy start the next morning. -Charlie The area around the village of Cong was heavily wooded and sandwiched between two lakes. This blend of forest and waterways combined with protected public lands gave us plenty to find and do.
And so instead of pushing forward we chose to stay a day in this rich area. By late morning we were out on the walking paths West of Cong enjoying the stroll through the forest; finding all the little treasures and sites to be found. Afternoon, we were on the bikes again in hunt for a nice spot Dad had read about that would put us on the tip of the larger Southern lake. After one back track and route re-looking at, we had found it! Luckily for us, this location had a path that ran behind the Ashford estate so we were able to sneak through the back (once again)! They had staff members at many points of the estate trying to collect money to enter the estate - we had been advised by locals that there were many ways to get in without paying...verified twice. This rolled us out into Cong with some kilometers saved where we packed the calories back in...ready to head back to camp for some R&R. Cong - a great place for a day off from pulling gear. -Charlie Goodby to frisky Galway
We spent the night camping in the backyard of a warm showers host. Her name was Aga or similar..young Polish immigrant, sweet, blonde, fit, reserved. Two other warmshower freeloaders like us were already there..sleeping inside. USA Mid-westerners Pete and Lydia, younger than Charlie - kinda hippieish. Idealistic and naturalistic. Pete may have been a friend of Bill. Lydia seemed like a natural fun-lover, full of laughter..also athletic. They were caffeinds, having been Starbucks employees. We all decided to set out together and find a bike store...they wanted different gearing to allow easier hill-climbing,. Charlie wanted tires and tubes. We found it with ease.. the kids with the cellphone POWER..then off to the north, all riding together. The road we took was an N road, but looked like an M road..think I75. Shortly, Charlie suffered a “puncture” and the NASCAR pit crew went into action..i think Pete and Lydia were impressed, until the tire we fixed also went flat. Take two, and on the way. We rode until their route diverged from ours then ate lunch together and sadly parted ways with hugs and well wishes. Easy rolling, Pete and Lydia! We proceeded to Cong over rolling hills and back roads. Pleasant ride. The weight of the bike and trailer seem like part of me when I ride. Charlie and Skye are always ahead. They talk all the time, twenty questions etc. Talking is out of the question for me. Maybe the flap about second hand smoke is true,. I lived in cigarette smoke from birth to age 20. None after that. I am strong, but “more AIR, please”. We arrived in Cong..a confluence of rivers,. Clear water fast moving, between two lakes. Scene of 1950s movie “a quiet man” John Wayne, John Ford directed. Beautiful place. Fly fisherman everywhere, catching nothing. We broached the confines of Ashford castle for the first time. Very exclusive golf resort beautiful gardens, huge improved castle full of rich people. They couldn't keep us out. Next, to town. Local bar, four men (in 50s?). On the the second round of beer they got friendly. Charlie's talent again. Loud, fun discussion of politics, economics, alcoholonomics, etc. We also watched a good soccer game. Tony (my local) was easily the roughest of the guys. He was torn between disliking immigrants and a socialist ideology. Everybody was sad about the Orlando slaughter...thought gun control was the answer. Interesting views. We rode home to our tents. It is light here til 10:30pm... blessed sleep! Mark HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELSEY HORTON! For the past couple of years we have grown closer (duh). Spending time with you - watching documentaries, taking naps, and analyzing the world we live in has made me a better person. Without you I would not feel as adventurous and curious about the world as I do now. Thank you for always helping me see the truth whether it is good or bad. I completely believe you are the one of the bravest and smartest women I have ever met. I support whatever path you take in life because I know no matter what you will do great things. AND: That little booger, Wyatt, that you made - I will always love as my own. He has brought so much joy into my life and thank you for sharing him with me! Love, Skye Step one: leave our B&B fully fed and ready to ride to Galway. Step two: Charlie found a WarmShowers host, Agnieszka (Aga) from Polland, right outside of the city. - she already had cyclists staying inside, but offered her yard for us to camp in. Upon our arrival, we met Aga and the other two cyclists (Pete and Lydia). Pete and Lydia are a couple from around the Chicago area spending about four months in Europe. Their plan is different but indeed similar to ours. If you would like to look there blog up go to TheWorldIsAGoodPlace.com. (We have enjoyed the content thus far!) Step three: set up camp, go to the grocery store to buy food for lunch, come back to camp, eat, head into Galway. Step four: go to the first pub that we stumble across. - there we find the most charismatic bartender we have met thus far. - we met the locals, and army men that were hanging out. Enjoyed conversation and beer. - bartender also spoke of Crough Partrick (a mountain that will soon become relevant in our adventure) Step five: Meet up with the awesome duo : Pete and Lydia - we ate food with these two free birds at a fish and chips place - over dinner we had the chance to learn more about them Step six: Got ice cream. (ALWAYS ICE CREAM) - thankfully we are riding everyday Step seven: Went back to camp. Step eight: Planned to ride with Pete and Lydia tomorrow. Thank you Pete and Lydia for sharing your time with us. I appreciate the light hearted moments we had with you. Especially, (looking into the future), when you stayed with us with our flat tire. Bought the pecans for us, which made us have a little bit of home in our bags and tummys. I can not wait for the experiences we will share in the future. Hopefully we will meet up in France, but if not, back up in the States.
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