It's finally time for Part Three of the Irish Adventure! Big ups to CMD for cronicaling his golf and drinking alone shenanigans In fact, I am pretty sure that I have used the phrase "cologne of booze and bad decisions" in the last few days.
On Day 5, LTD and I followed through on Matthews suggestion to take the Gap of Dunloe and Lakes of Killarney Adventure. A vintage van that reminded me of Mr. Toads Wild Ride picked us up at the hotel and proceeded to drive around town picking up things for the van and a "jacket". We arrive at O'Conners pub to discover that this is where most people begin the tour. The van quickly fills up with tourists who appear to be mostly American and we head out toward Kate's Kottage. Just before the van drops us off, we get a warning message from the driver: Do NOT take horseback or a jaunty through the Gap. It is a fairly easy walk. These services are just trying to scam you. Perhaps in a display of travel ignorance, I begin to get very anxious. All the plans I have made and things I read said DO take a horse cart, horse, or bike through the Gap. That the 7 miles are much to strenuous to walk and make it back to the boat in time for a ride back. I should have known better. LTD and I are kind of known for our epic walks. Sometimes from friends in Colorado would refuse to walk Pax with me because they knew it meant 5+ miles down random paths. I digress. Since LTD and I have already committed our wholes selves into this adventure, we get some water and head for the horses.
"So which one of you is the more experienced rider?" says the burly Irish man with a mischievous grin. "Um. I guess I am." I say. Mom agrees. I get put on a horse (unidentified by name) that seems to be pretty easy to guide. I'm told he/she is the horse that leads the others. Ok! I say. No problem; assuming that means the horse knows the way. I haven't ridden in a while, but its a tourist destination. I should be fine. The horse's owner hands me a stick and says "don't drop this. You're going to need it." Awesome. I think. LTDs horse continues to drop its head and eat along the way. She (Rosie) is the lead horse except that she doesn't like to move. You can imagine how this goes. My horse gallops in front only to slam on the brakes with the appearance of being lost. LTD's horse leads onward until a fresh patch of grass, or another horse, or a stream, or an errant gust of wind distracts her. This is not good. Most of you are thinking "yeah, yeah, yeah. get on with the story. Ain't no big thing." and that is true. Until about halfway, when our "guide" turns to us and says "I have to turn back now, you're on your own. The horse knows the way, but just in case, I will say a prayer for you". Awesome. Not 2 minutes later, my unnamed horse gets spooked and decides to rear back and head in the wrong direction, taking out any pedestrians that are in its way. Yay. I yell at LTD who's only response is to stop her horse. Rosie is cool with that, since it means she can eat again. Thankfully my horse's owner was not far down the path so all was right on the trail in a matter of minutes. Blisters. Sore bums. Ripped jeans. All in a days ride through the Gap of Dunloe. We arrived and order ourselves a well deserved Irish Coffee.
But Wait! There is more! After collapsing on the luscious greens of the Ireland shore, we are told that our "red boat" is almost always late and that we should return to the house for another pint. Another pint sounds amazing, but we were also told that after 2pm, no more boats would be departing and that we would have to traverse the Gap again. WHY is this information not consistent? Happy with effects of the Irish coffee, LTD and I bask in the sun to wait for the boat. When it does arrive (2 hours later) we discover that is it a skiff. A 12 person wooden skiff with three rules: 1. Keep your hands/fingers inside the boat. The trip has seen quite a few lost fingers and it isn't a pretty sight. 2. If someone in your party should fall overboard, DO NOT try to retrieve them. The boat driver will trouble shoot on the fly with the retrieval process. Too many people have been lost in this manner. Oh. Dear. LTD continues to look at me like she is never going to let me plan a single International (or domestic) Adventure again. The boat ride was harrowing but incredibly beautiful. Weather was starting to come in through the mountains resulting in whitecaps on the lake. To such experienced boaters like ourselves, this seems like not a big deal. I turn around to check on LTD and discover that the driver was refueling the vessel while we were still moving. A passenger was dilligently holding the engine/rudder while the boat operator poured fuel from an extra tank into the main fuel tank. He discovers our horror and laughs a bit. He thinks now is a good time to tell us that the reason he'll have to "think on the fly" if someone goes overboard is because he doesn't know how to swim. At all. We hit a rock on our way through a stone bridge. LTD and I hang on for dear life. Other passengers bundle up in their rain gear to avoid the wetness of the waves. All Americans on the boat wonder why we didn't have to sign a liability waiver. One older women gets off the boat at Ross Castle and begs for an "I survived the Lakes of Killarney Adventure". We all echo the sentiment. The Lakes of Killarney really are a must see. The pictures don't do it justice, but obviously I included them anyway.
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LTD and I arrived back at the Killarney Park Hotel shortly before RBD2 and CMD. Naturally we ordered a few pints, Irish Coffees, and some snacks. All in a days work. Part Four (and hopefully the conclusion) to come shortly!
On Day 5, LTD and I followed through on Matthews suggestion to take the Gap of Dunloe and Lakes of Killarney Adventure. A vintage van that reminded me of Mr. Toads Wild Ride picked us up at the hotel and proceeded to drive around town picking up things for the van and a "jacket". We arrive at O'Conners pub to discover that this is where most people begin the tour. The van quickly fills up with tourists who appear to be mostly American and we head out toward Kate's Kottage. Just before the van drops us off, we get a warning message from the driver: Do NOT take horseback or a jaunty through the Gap. It is a fairly easy walk. These services are just trying to scam you. Perhaps in a display of travel ignorance, I begin to get very anxious. All the plans I have made and things I read said DO take a horse cart, horse, or bike through the Gap. That the 7 miles are much to strenuous to walk and make it back to the boat in time for a ride back. I should have known better. LTD and I are kind of known for our epic walks. Sometimes from friends in Colorado would refuse to walk Pax with me because they knew it meant 5+ miles down random paths. I digress. Since LTD and I have already committed our wholes selves into this adventure, we get some water and head for the horses.
"So which one of you is the more experienced rider?" says the burly Irish man with a mischievous grin. "Um. I guess I am." I say. Mom agrees. I get put on a horse (unidentified by name) that seems to be pretty easy to guide. I'm told he/she is the horse that leads the others. Ok! I say. No problem; assuming that means the horse knows the way. I haven't ridden in a while, but its a tourist destination. I should be fine. The horse's owner hands me a stick and says "don't drop this. You're going to need it." Awesome. I think. LTDs horse continues to drop its head and eat along the way. She (Rosie) is the lead horse except that she doesn't like to move. You can imagine how this goes. My horse gallops in front only to slam on the brakes with the appearance of being lost. LTD's horse leads onward until a fresh patch of grass, or another horse, or a stream, or an errant gust of wind distracts her. This is not good. Most of you are thinking "yeah, yeah, yeah. get on with the story. Ain't no big thing." and that is true. Until about halfway, when our "guide" turns to us and says "I have to turn back now, you're on your own. The horse knows the way, but just in case, I will say a prayer for you". Awesome. Not 2 minutes later, my unnamed horse gets spooked and decides to rear back and head in the wrong direction, taking out any pedestrians that are in its way. Yay. I yell at LTD who's only response is to stop her horse. Rosie is cool with that, since it means she can eat again. Thankfully my horse's owner was not far down the path so all was right on the trail in a matter of minutes. Blisters. Sore bums. Ripped jeans. All in a days ride through the Gap of Dunloe. We arrived and order ourselves a well deserved Irish Coffee.
But Wait! There is more! After collapsing on the luscious greens of the Ireland shore, we are told that our "red boat" is almost always late and that we should return to the house for another pint. Another pint sounds amazing, but we were also told that after 2pm, no more boats would be departing and that we would have to traverse the Gap again. WHY is this information not consistent? Happy with effects of the Irish coffee, LTD and I bask in the sun to wait for the boat. When it does arrive (2 hours later) we discover that is it a skiff. A 12 person wooden skiff with three rules: 1. Keep your hands/fingers inside the boat. The trip has seen quite a few lost fingers and it isn't a pretty sight. 2. If someone in your party should fall overboard, DO NOT try to retrieve them. The boat driver will trouble shoot on the fly with the retrieval process. Too many people have been lost in this manner. Oh. Dear. LTD continues to look at me like she is never going to let me plan a single International (or domestic) Adventure again. The boat ride was harrowing but incredibly beautiful. Weather was starting to come in through the mountains resulting in whitecaps on the lake. To such experienced boaters like ourselves, this seems like not a big deal. I turn around to check on LTD and discover that the driver was refueling the vessel while we were still moving. A passenger was dilligently holding the engine/rudder while the boat operator poured fuel from an extra tank into the main fuel tank. He discovers our horror and laughs a bit. He thinks now is a good time to tell us that the reason he'll have to "think on the fly" if someone goes overboard is because he doesn't know how to swim. At all. We hit a rock on our way through a stone bridge. LTD and I hang on for dear life. Other passengers bundle up in their rain gear to avoid the wetness of the waves. All Americans on the boat wonder why we didn't have to sign a liability waiver. One older women gets off the boat at Ross Castle and begs for an "I survived the Lakes of Killarney Adventure". We all echo the sentiment. The Lakes of Killarney really are a must see. The pictures don't do it justice, but obviously I included them anyway..JPG)
LTD and I arrived back at the Killarney Park Hotel shortly before RBD2 and CMD. Naturally we ordered a few pints, Irish Coffees, and some snacks. All in a days work. Part Four (and hopefully the conclusion) to come shortly!
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