September 6: Toodlin’ to Doolin
Dear friends and family,
I had hoped to upload pics of our travels, but unfortunately, the WordPress app on my iPad is temperamental, and will not upload my pics. If anyone has experienced success with this, please let me know. Meanwhile…
After stepping off the city bus, we carefully crossed the road to our car rental in Dublin. (Look to the right before stepping off the curb!)
The Czech-born clerk up-sold us on more auto insurance (“You are covered already, but if you have an accident, you would have to pay up to EU$1375!”), and as I considered my next few minutes when I would soon pull into traffic on the left side of the street, I quickly accepted. I figured I might be saving my EU$1375 a lot sooner than they expected.
“The Skoda is around the back. Just turn right onto Drumcondra, and follow the signs to the M50 freeway, and then take the exit 7 to N6 highway for Galloway. Oh, and pay the motorway toll next door before you leave.” (Are you KIDDING ME??? I have never driven on the left side of the road!!! Can you provide a driving lesson? What were those directions again??)
Helpfully, he gave us a map, and marked all the exits. However, only about a half-hour later we realized that he gave us the wrong exit to N6! In order to sort of be on the same route as Bob and Alice, who would be leaving later than us, we pulled over at a rest stop and fuel outlet, had a quick lunch, re-routed our iPad maps and headed through rural Ireland on some 2 lane back roads to get us back on N6. After negotiating several round-abouts almost successfully (clockwise, of course) we were back on track.
All went well until we cut off the N6 just east of Galloway – headed for the Dingle Peninsula, and the little village of Doolin. Now, we found ourselves HURTLING along very narrow roads with the left wheels on the dotted yellow line that marked the edge of the pavement, the driver-side mirror constantly in danger of a collision with the oncoming vehicles, and Sandy’s left (passenger) side occasionally scraped by dense brush which also occasionally covered up the dotted yellow line! The really close calls were reserved for passing buses, whose tires were frequently over the often non-existent centre line.
Now, I say “hurtling” only because, in trying to avoid creating a line of cars, we were driving at what I would refer to as a reckless speed of 70 km/h, or so. The signs suggested a speed limit of 100, while another mentioned “Drive with Caution”. Nobody, in their right, or wrong minds could drive at that posted speed limit!
Passing opportunities were rare and there were few pull-outs! Consequently, many overtaking vehicles just pulled into the right hand lane whenever it suited them – drawing gasps from my white-knuckled passenger, whose shoe soles were already worn out from pushing them though the floor boards.
Oh, and our vehicle was a standard shift, with the gear shift being to my left. And, just to increase my frequent moments of apprehension, in shifting down to prepare for a particularly bad corner, all too often I found 1st gear instead of 3rd resulting in a lurching slow down and eliciting groans from my terrified co-pilot. (The warning signs read “Unstable road edge”, and there was also a snaky arrow, but my two favourites on one small stretch of road were “Dangerous Curves” followed a few turns later by “Severe Bends”. I glanced at Sandy, and I suspected that she was experiencing the latter!!)
Shortly after this last stretch, we gradually caught up to a small black car that was doing the speed that we could enjoy. Unfortunately, the driver pulled over to let us pass. Fortunately, it was Bob and Alice, and shortly after we rejoined them, we found our way into Doolin where we located the Information Centre and booked a B&B at Fisherman’s Rest, managed by a garrulous, retired fisherman, Danny Guerin, and his wife, Maeread. It had been a long, strenuous day for all of us.
September 5: Temple Bar in Dublin
We have a very comfortable room in Bloom’s Hotel in Temple Bar area of downtown Dublin. We were both very excitedly looking forward to the sights and sounds of Ireland. Our room is right above the street and a pub, so the sounds carried on far into the night. One sound that I had eagerly looked forward to was the Irish accent. It is surprisingly rare in this part of the city as there are loads of tourists, and foreigners – a very cosmopolitan atmosphere more to be expected, perhaps, in London, or in New York City.
The sights (sites) are magnificent. Talk about history, and literature!
Yesterday, the Padghams found their way to Blooms sans a piece of baggage and sans sleep. However their excitement to be in Ireland matched ours, and give us all the energy to wander the streets some more and to enjoy our first “Irish pub” dinner. The luggage showed up much later.
Today, we stoked up on Starbucks and wandered again in warm sunshine until we decided to visit Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. A guide, “Steven” took us on a short tour of the campus, and then we queued for the old library. There were more old books there than in the second hand book store in Penticton…oh, plus the ancient manuscript of the four gospels – the Book of Kells. The library was a beautiful old place…”no pictures, no talking, etc.”
We wandered through St. Stevens Park, and then called an afternoon break. Our afternoon closed in a pub with some refreshments, and then we wandered off to find a post office and restaurant. Pub meals once again were terrific and then we strolled through the cobbled streets of Temple Bar for one last time. Tomorrow we will pick up our car rentals and become terrified occupants of the LEFT LANES as we try to find our way out of Dublin towards the tiny town of Doolin on the southwest coast – south of Galway. (There is no particular strategy in this other than a ‘counterclockwise’ direction will put our passengers, Alice and Sandy, on the inside as we crawl the coastal cliffs.) Why Doolin? Why not! A quick pin in Google Maps told us how to get there.
We’ll let you know how it goes!
Love and best wishes to all!
The Quilter and The Quill, The Bob, and Alice
September 2: Leaving green for the Emerald Isle
Well, we are just hours from a new adventure! Bags have been packed and repacked, home is secured, neighbourhood watch notified, and good-byes all accounted for. Excitement and unsettling nervousness share the emotional stage. What have we forgotten? What will the weather be? How will we…? Not to worry! My bag holds more than enough clothing, maps, books and candy to get us through a lot of emergencies. First stop…the Emerald Isle where we will meet up with Bob and Alice. The weather looks better there than it has for weeks, but then again, we are leaving some of the most beautiful weather here for August that I can recall. I am glad that we can leave you with its balmy breezes. A stay in southern France will follow, then a visit to our friends in Germany, and a final few days in gay Paree!
I will try to leave new tales of adventures along the way. The “Quilter” has set aside her needles, my workshop is closed, and it is time to pick up the “pen” (er…keyboard) once again. I wish those of you who are returning to classrooms a smooth beginning to your year, and the rest of you contentment in your work, or retirement, or travels.
Best wishes, and much love!
The Quill (Tony) and the Quilter (Sandy)
April 12, 2012: Snow? No…Mow!
Well six weeks have flown by faster than we would have hoped, and memories of our southwest travels will have to suffice until next year – along with the slight tans from screened sun that we achieved – for a few more days before spring rains wash them away. Our journey home was remarkable in that we never saw any rain – anytime! Even I-5 – usually a sponge bath with visibility limited by the spray from the transports, was bone dry.
The first notable city after our stay just north of Lakeview on Saturday, was Bend, OR on Easter Sunday.We had been given instructions by “Pam and Bill” – a couple we met at Patagonia (and again at Tombstone), to walk along the river park near downtown Bend. Good advice! It was a very pretty park on a beautiful Easter Sunday, with a few folks strolling throughout the downtown area, and a few kids finding Easter eggs in hedges, lampstands, and so on. We encountered a young couple wearing medieval costumes with tri-pointed clownish hats on the main drag, and we said “hello”, but right behind them was a younger couple dressed in “Goth”, with one holding the other on a leash. The one on the leash suddenly stepped in front of me and hissed like an scared cat. I ignored him, but we realized afterwards that I should have growled and barked right back!
“The Bend” in downtown Bend.
Bend is surrounded by volcanic peaks, and they are really quite spectacular!
The “Sisters” and other lesser peaks near Bend and Sisters, Oregon.
The only spray we experienced was from snow melt just west of the town of Sisters, OR when we “coasted” downhill towards Salem through what must have been a very deep snow pack. Sandy figured out that the long orange poles at the sides of the road were to show the snow plows where the edges are!
Deep snow along the highways west of Sisters. The red substance is a kind of sand.
We stayed Sunday night at Woodburn, and then stopped at the Fabric Depot in Portland before rolling right on through Seattle to join our Walnut Grove family in the evening.
I did SO stop at Fabric Depot. (I was going to “edit” the photo by adding a Red Flyer filled with quilting supplies, but…I like the Quilter’s smile better than her glare!!)
We had two days with the very busy Lindsays and then headed home, arriving in Nanaimo yesterday afternoon in the rain, and in time for the Canuck show of penalty killing. Welcome home! However, the weather cleared enough today to mow the lawn, and I guess our spring is well and truly launched. Blossoms will soon be out here.
More music at Lindsays – a lesson A mowed lawn: The beginnings of summer labour.
I hope that our adventures have been somewhat entertaining. Thanks for all of your comments. Let me know if you preferred the blog or the emails, and…don’t forget, you can “unsubscribe” if you need a break. I will probably continue with the “Roadquill” into the future, just because I kinda like doing it. My “roads” will include sailing voyages (without the Quilter – of course!), and a European trip in the Fall (with the Quilter, and two other couples).
We are glad to be home! Love, and best wishes to all. Drop in, or drop us a line.
Tony, the Quill, and Sandy, the Quilter.
April 7, 2012: Empty roads, clear skies, gorgeous vistas
Well, here we are – back in Oregon again – just north of a town called “Lakeview” – one of the highest cities in the State. The roads to get here have been some of the most enjoyable that we have travelled in either north, or south directions. Part of this is surely because of the spectacular weather – from 20 C when we left Lake Havasu City and then steadily getting cooler as we rolled north through Nevada, and into Oregon this afternoon. The other reason is – no traffic!
So, for your “routofiles” (folks that love to hear which highways and byways you travel on) here goes:
We travelled up Highway 95 from Needles (“No stopping, Sandy…the name has nothing to do with quilting!”) north past Las Vegas and then continuing through the little gold-mining town of Goldfield, and then to Tonopah, Nevada. Diesel there cost $4.199 at a little private garage – a much better price that the bigger stations on the highway. We had originally planned on staying in Tonopah, but the only RV place was at the Casino, and so I opted to keep going for another couple of hours – to Austin, NV.
We had to backtrack a couple of miles, and then we headed due north on Highway 376 to Austin. This highway was surprisingly vacant, and just for fun, I began to check the times between passing vehicles. It was about 1 to 2 minutes on average. At 70 miles per hour, this means that usually, you can just barely see the oncoming lights of the next vehicle as one passes you on the long straight stretches.
Just before Austin, we were in some very high country and the road became very twisty for the last few miles into Austin. We stayed at the Austin RV Park – a tiny little place with no one around. The office seemed to be the Baptist Church, but I guess that we were too late for Good Friday services, so we put our money in the collection envelope and stuck it in the door. For other Roadies – the place was clean, but cold, and our sink drain line frosted up overnight. It was about -4 C when we headed out at 8:30 this morning.
The best was yet to come!
I, personally, LOVE new routes, and so far this trip had been wonderful with gorgeous scenery, and little traffic on two-lane roads. Today (Saturday) topped yesterday, however.
Just outside of Austin’s western edge, we turned north up 305. We had the gorgeous Toiyabe and Snoshone Mountains lit up behind us in the early morning sunshine, and beautiful ranges on either side as we roared up the valley in the middle towards Battle Mountain, NV.
Toiyabe and Shoshone Mountains to the south of Austin The same – in the rear-view mirror! Hwy 80 – heading towards Winnemucca
At Battle Mountain, we swung west on a 4-lane freeway 80 to Winnemucca, where we turned north on 95 until we hit 140.
Hwy 140
On this stretch to Lakeview, OR, we passed, on average, about one vehicle every 10 minutes for the first 3 hours or so. Try to imagine that on any highway in daylight hours. At 70 mph two vehicles meet every 10 minutes. (At -4 C you could have a very cold thumb if you were hitchhiking, since you might only see a vehicle every 20 minutes, or more!) This little calculation reminded me of a very long night in the Queen Charlotte Islands when I hitch-hiked from Port Clements towards Queen Charlotte City and only saw 2 vehicles in about 2 hours! I guess we can be grateful for a full tank of fuel, and no break-downs!
At a Rest Stop at noon we saw a bare-footed family (a young mother with 5 barefooted children) with 3 dogs in a cargo trailer – a rottweiler, a bull mastiff, and a husky pup. As we got out to stretch our legs, the youngest child came running over to me and reached up to be picked up. Thumpety, thump! That was a heart-warmer in the chilly afternoon wind! The mother quickly put the Mastiff on a chain – before it became too protective of the young toddler, I guess. Mother was pretty good at getting them rounded up for departure – “I will count to two!” (No messing around with a safer three count.)
The Rest Stop on 140
After sandwiches and a snooze, we hit the empty road again. Very shortly thereafter, we saw several wild burro herds, wild horses, and antelopes, as well as two very large golden eagles. As we climbed the pass over Antelope Butte (you can see several antelope butts in the pictures) the roadside and surrounding areas were lightly snow-covered.
Antelope butts at Antelope Butte Antelope: pee before flee Snow above Lakeview, OR
Lakeview, Oregon, turned out to be NOT the place we wanted to stay so we continued north on 395. Tomorrow, we will turn off at Hwy 31, and follow a new route to Bend, and then on to Salem and Portland. Sandy looked online today at the Quilt Shop…”An acre and a half of supplies…”. Guess we will camp there a while.
Getting closer to you – except for Nicki, in Australia, and the Benz’s in Germany! Best wishes and love to all.
The Quill and the Quilter
roadquill1 