Yesterday was probably our worst yet. It dawned cloudy and windy, and was raining by the time we started out. Unfortunately, I chose to put my iPhone in my raincoat pocket, even though I knew (from our first couple of rides) that jacket wasn’t as waterproof as advertised. The sad result was that the poor phone had died by the time I tried to take a third photo of the day! Here’s the last one I took before it died…
I think you can imagine how I felt about this turn of events. It didn’t help that we proceeded to cycle the majority of the entire day in a steady rain. I suppose the only consolation was that it could probably have rained a lot harder!
The other disappointment was that we could tell we were riding through some very striking countryside (including the immense Lough Mask) but we obviously weren’t seeing it in all it’s glory…
In the end, we pulled into Westport late afternoon yesterday, just starting to dry out, and feeling a little dejected. We showered and got into some dry clothes, and put the phone in a sling hanging over the radiator in the bathroom.
We’re staying these last two nights at a sweet little guest house called the Boulevard. We cheered ourselves up last night by going out to a pub just around the corner called Cozy Joe’s. We had a little bar food & a pint and watched most of the Holland-Uruguay World Cup match. Then I spent a fitful night dreaming about whether or not this little beast would survive…
This morning there was still no sign of life. But when I stopped at the Internet cafe to check email, Rosy & Lou suggested putting it in a bag of uncooked rice to help the drying process, so we did that and left it for the day while we went for our last ride.
Yes, today was the last day of our six-day tour of Connemara. The schedule called for a 42-mile loop ride, but my left ankle and knee were asking for something a little shorter. The last 14 miles of the loop were along the coast, from the village of Louisberg back to Westport, so I suggested we turn that leg into an out-and-back, and Mal reluctantly agreed. It worked out well in the end, as there was a lot of sightseeing to do along the way too. A highlight was the haunting “Coffin Ship” sculpture at the National Famine Memorial.
After riding into yet another good strong headwind for the first half of the trip, we stopped for a relaxing lunch in Louisberg, before turning around for a much-easier return leg. It’s really something to rode along at a brisk 20-25 mph clip, and feel like the air around you isn’t moving very much at all!!
So, back in our lodgings at the end of the afternoon, we pulled the iPhone out of it’s bag of rice and plugged it in… And after some fits and starts, it came to life! I’m still having an intermittent backlight issue, which is frustrating, but overall I’m thrilled!
Now we’re relaxing I’m our room while I struggle to finish this entry and Mal has been busy packing. I think we are both feeling a little bittersweet about the end of this little adventure of ours. It’s been so much fun that we’re sad for it to end! Just this afternoon I was saying how it felt like we were just hitting our stride in many ways, but it’s also true that my knees and ankles need some rest… All in all though, the trip has been a great success!!
