We are about 6 days into our cycling trip around Ireland and I am happy to report that we are still alive. It has been very interesting so far...here are some of the highlights:
Day 1: We set off from our helpx host; the bikes and gear setup looking like it would carry us about 5 miles at best (photos to come). Everyone there was amused and told us they would be happy to come get us in 24 - 48 hours when we came to our senses. With beautiful weather and a bit of giddy-up in our step (pedals), we set off toward the next town. We stopped there for some helmets (Krista insisted), and then at the Rock of Dunamase (an old besieged castle...cannon holes still in the walls). We avoided a "mountain" range and wound up in an area with no camping later that evening, so we stopped and asked if we could camp in someone's field. We expected to have to make a few requests, but the first one said "no problem", and we got our first taste of Irish Hospitality. Dinner was a can of beans and a can of corn...budget on target!
Day 2: Where is all this rain Ireland is supposed to have? We have not seen a drop and it is another gorgeous day. Butts are getting a bit tender, but holding out. We set off early to get a good stretch done. Around midday we stopped at a crossroads to check the map and Krista decided to ask for directions (I knew where we were) She ran across the street to a pub and stood getting directions for about 10 minutes while I waited, all the while knowing where we were. She then calls me over as she has gotten us invited in for tea, lunch, and some local history including a bog walk that was not on the map. That evening we crossed the Shannon River, and found a great park on the shore of a lake in Portumna. Another great day. We took dinner up a notch and made sandwiches (beans were making tent living situation unpleasant)
Day 3: Stayed in Portumna and gave the butts a rest. Toured through the Castle and gardens, camped another night for free. A terrible storm blew in that night, but the tent held up and all was looking great again in the morning.
Day 4: Portumna to Galway. Things started off just fine, but there was a slow gathering of ominous clouds on the distant horizon....probably nothing to worry about though. As the rain began to fall we pulled off to the first house we saw to ask if we could take shelter under their shed and put on our rain gear. As we waited under the cover we were asked in for tea and soda bread and sat inside, dry, watching the rain come down. Unfortunately, the rain had not stopped by the time we needed to be heading off, so we prepared to get a little wet. A little wet quickly turned into a lot wet, and it was all downhill from there (except for the road which was quite uphill). We rode into Galway that evening in the pouring rain and found a campground, set up the tent in the rain, and paid to take cold showers. Galway is where they were hiding all the rain.
Day 5: The rain continued through the day and we saw no reason to leave the tent. Paid to try and dry the previous days clothes and shoes in the camp's dryer, but wound up with damp shoes and everything else smelling like feet. While in the laundry we met two other campers and were proudly sharing the details of our bike trip, only to find that they had just completed their own from London to Istanbul, Turkey. We were very happy to be invited to their camper for some drinks, which was much dryer than our tent (despite the tent's best efforts).
Day 6: We awoke to pouring rain and waited until 2pm before deciding that we couldn't sit around waiting anymore. Cycling in the rain, it turns out, sucks. A lot. Ireland has lots of rain. Cycling in Ireland sucks. Morale is low...more on this as it develops (today is day 6)
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