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July 15 Saturday Mostly sunny (This would be considered a dry day. We're bicycle touring in Ireland) Hole, right. Hole, left. Hole, centre. Ireland may be reputed as having the most roads per capita of any nation, but they are not maintained so well. I felt like I was riding a lunar vehicle today, bouncing along a simulated moonscape with all the craters on the road. Bicycle tours in Ireland require bigger tires on my touring bicycle. We packed up our bicycle touring gear and were underway by 7 AM - an early start for us. We bicycled through Inch, Ireland, last night and continued bicycling along the coast to Dingle. Fine scenery both today and yesterday, but yesterday had far less traffic over the one-lane mountain road we pedalled. Only one tour bus passed us on the Slea Head Drive around the peninsula - a bunch of happy French tourists, shouting, "Bonjour!" They applauded us as we rode by. Had a great view at the top loop, sitting at a picnic table. Then we got back on our fully loaded touring bicycles and looped back to Dingle, Ireland. We cycled past lots of backpackers, bicycle tourists, and general tourists in town. We picked up groceries for egg salad sandwiches and then rode out of Dingle. We headed for Conors Pass, again highly recommended by many of the people we have met. Partway up we pulled our touring bicycles to a stop for lunch. (Our lunch is at 2 o'clock.) It began to rain. We pulled our tent fly over our heads and the bikes and then sat on the tarp waiting it out. It took a while before the rain stopped. Great views from the top. One side is Dingle and its harbour; lakes and the grey Atlantic are on the other side. My hands became numb from braking all the way down the other side. The road is curvy and narrow, and there are many deep potholes. Liberal quantities of gravel sprinkle the road surface. Not that great for skinny bicycle tires. And the little concrete guardrail would only serve to cut me off at the knees before launching me, like a hang glider, into the valley far below. Some friendly Irish folks directed us to a good free camping spot by a church near Tralee, Ireland. |
