June 3rd, Leenaan to Westport

Stopped in Leenaan to pick up Mike's sweater. It is a beauty and just 40 euro. I learned that there are small seasonal shops that do too little business to worry about VAT and it is one of the reasons they can keep their prices down. Really nice lady who remembered Mike "the cyclist" from the previous evening. She also had sheepskins for 50 euro. I was tempted for a beautiful white one. It would look beautiful in my bedroom but I also realize that it would end up grey because my 2 monsters would love it!

 

There was also a gentleman in in the store who passed me in his car as I was walking back to mine. He gave me a copy of his book because of "your injuries". It is 'Ravings of a Mad Irishman' by Seamus Kirwan. It looks to be mostly poems with some neat pictures. I will have to read some of it on this trip and see what mad Irishman rant about.

The first image is by the hotel, the second is the hotel and the third is "downtown Leenaan" with Mike's sweater shop on the right.

Today we are doing the mountains. It is an incredible drive but one of the things I am enjoying so much are the skies. The only other person I know (although I am sure there are others from my painting classes) who would be getting such a charge out of the changing skies is Mickey Lawler. I hope she has seen the great skies in Ireland. I wish I had seen them before doing my Rain quilt.

 

 

Today is one day I am VERY happy I am not on one of the bikes. These mountains have got to be tough on Mike and Scott!

 

 

We entered Mayo. This is also a day when the pictures will say so much more than I can.

 

 

 

One of the things  that happens on this road as we wind around the mountains is that suddenly you come around a corner and are faced with a beautiful scene in front of you. Of course there is never a spot to pull over and get a picture!

 

There are also just some things that are so unexpected. I have come around one of those turns and I am much lower and the water is reflecting the blue skies when some kind of vehicle, farm type, comes towards me and there are dogs just running down the road with it. The kid driving slowed down and must have said something because 2 of them jump on the vehicle behind him but the other just wants nothing to do with it and is just having a fun time running down the side of the road. I could never get a picture of that (I wish) but I stopped to get one of the water when here he comes again, racing back with the vehicle with the kid and 2 dogs following him.

When it was time to turn north, the instructions said:

 Left turn in Tourmakeady by shop and pub

Well, it wasn't a shop and a pub, it was a building that included a pub, a shop, the post and gas. After and up and back, I stopped in the shop to see if that was it and for a bathroom, the latter being few and very far between in this part of the world. It was the place. I wish I had thought to get a picture! 

The guys have directions that say turn at whatever but with a mileage that is down to the tenth of a km, the car only has to the km. It has definitely made life interesting. There have been many incidents like this and at least twice, the first day in Ennis and again in Galway, where I just had to give up. 

So I have made the turns and we head north and up…and I swear this road is not one lane wide for 2 way traffic but a cow (well, around here, sheep) path that has had some asphalt poured in the ruts. Better the guys than me! The terrain has changed and there is more green and fewer people.

 

But I stopped to write some of this and a single woman biker stopped to talk. She had passed the guys a while ago. I admire her but only in Ireland would you have a single woman biking by herself in a red polka dot dress, leggings, sneakers, an orange traffic vest and a helmet. She was delightful and talked for a few minutes. Told me the road would take me to a high point that I could see for miles.

 

This brings me into the town of Aghagower. At first it looks like a town of graveyards. But they have an old church and a new church but the old church and tower seem to revolve around a visit from St. Patrick just before Lent in 441. The area was beautifully restored. There is also a stone alter which he is said to have used.

 

As I get closer to Westport the area definitely changes. Much greener and far more cattle then sheep....and the pictures have gotten blurry as I am tired and rushed.

 

 

I finally made it Westport. I can't find where I am going. I park the car (thank you NYC, I can parallel park even driving on the left!) and go see if I can find Bridge Street. After finally asking a cabbie, I head in the right direction only to find they are all one way streets going the wrong way. The directions were written for walkers! And it is not a case of go down the next street because everything moves the wrong way or is a dead end. But I am finally here, sitting on a nice bed. Unfortunately, no bathtub again but the room is nice, bright and airy.

 

The guys are here but of course, they are not here to greet me, they are off having a beer! So we will see what they choose for dinner. I really need to get some pictures of the pubs! I have been to Westport before and remember much of it. It is a very pretty town with lots of shops and pubs and a river that runs through it creating very picturesque streets.