Exploring the South Coast

Have spent the past several days rambling around the southern coast. First day trip was to the seaport of Youghal (pronounced "Yawl") - one of the original Viking and Norman settlements along this stretch of coast. Pretty little place as you can see.

The old Clock Tower on Main St. only dates from the 1700's so it's fairly new as historic buildings go around here. Used to hang condemned prisoners from the windows on the second floor according to local lore - including 12 in one day during the rising of 1798.

Asked about historic walking tours at the Tourist Information building and they introduced us to Clive - this little leprechaun of a guy who also happened to be the official Town Crier. Gave us a great individualized tour around the historic sites of the ancient city. We peppered him with questions for nearly two hours and I think we wore him out  - he was pretty tired by the end of the tour.Those stairs to the right go up onto the old city walls - first built in the late 1100's soon after the Normans moved in to displace the Vikings.

The Water Gate used to be the only entrance into the town from the seaport beyond. This was the route taken by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 to access the city, which he used as a base from which to brutally subdue the rest of Ireland. Old Oliver is still a much hated Brit around these parts - the Irish do know how to hold a grudge.

One historic building of note was Myrtle Wood - an old manor house which was given to Sir Walter Raleigh by Elizabeth I in the late 1500's as his reward for helping to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. It formed the centerpiece of his vast property grant and, according to local legend, it was in the gardens just behind the house that he planted the first corn and (notably) potatoes in Ireland.


On the short drive from to Kinsale we stopped off for the day in another seaport town called Cobh (pronounced "Cove"), which used to be one of the major ports of the British Empire. It's notable as the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912 - it was from here that virtually all of the 3rd Class passengers embarked on the fatal voyage. For those of us with Irish ancestry, there's more than a 50% chance that our ancestors departed from here, since it was the major port of embarkation during the famine years when over a million destitute Irish fled for the New World. The first immigrant to ever be processed thru Ellis Island departed from Cobh in 1889. And it was to Cobh that victims of the Lusitania were brought in 1915 after that ship was torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale nearby.

Colorful place - looking up at the town from the waterside promenade. Just behind me is the quay from which the tenders ran last-minute cargo and passengers out to the Titanic before she sailed away into legend .

The memorial to the Lusitania in the city square. It was international outrage over the sinking of this unarmed passenger liner that eventually drew the US into WWI, although there is modern evidence that suggests that the ship was carrying contraband war munitions and therefore would have been a legitimate target after all.

St. Colman's Cathedral. One of the last Titanic photos shows the city skyline from one of the tenders...with the church still uncrowned by the steeple, which wasn't completed until 1915.


For the last several days we've been staying in the village of Kinsale (pronounced "Jacksonville" (just kidding)), another beautiful seaport with a ton of history going back to Viking days. Its place in Irish history was secured by the Battle of Kinsale which was fought here in 1601. The last Spanish Armada sailed here to join with several Irish Chieftans trying to defeat the Brits, but the battle was a resounding defeat for the Spanish/Irish alliance and resulted in 300 more years of Irish subjugation by the British Empire. The town really trades on that history too - there are restaurants and pubs all over town with names referencing the 1601 battle.

A view of the town from the pretty, winding shore walk that started just behind our cottage.

The end point of the 6K walk was Charles Fort - built in the late 1600's.

The shoreline walk continued another 2 K beyond the fort, which presented nice views of the place looking back from the water.

The real reward for doing the walk out to the fort was this little pub about halfway along the trail in the tiny village of Summercove - looked like something from the set of "Waking Ned Devine". Anyway, we stopped in for lunch, and I also sampled the local brew called Murphy's..went down real easy.

One famed local landmark is the Spaniard  pub (and restaurant) which was right across the street from where we were staying - had to try a Murphy's there too. It's one of several places in town with names that refer to the 1601 battle...the signboard features a portrait of the Admiral who commanded the Spanish fleet. 

Have actually seen the sun the past couple of days which made for some pleasant days out and about. Supposed to turn cool, rainy and windy tomorrow, however, just in time for our drive out west to the Beara peninsula where we'll be for the next week. 

Aglish

Our little thatched cottage near the village of Aglish, located about halfway between Waterford and Cork.

Our flight to Ireland was pretty uneventful, and we picked up the rental car at Dublin airport for the short drive to our first stopover point near the village of Aglish. While planning the trip I tried to find self-catering places well off the beaten tourist path and this little place certainly fit the bill. The cottage itself is located down a long, unpaved farm track, and the directions to it included lines such as "turn right at the monkey puzzle tree outside the village". The last 3/4 of a mile down to the cottage was so narrow that our little rental car was scraping against the overhanging foliage on both sides...the path was carved out in the days when horse and cart were the primary modes of transport, and modern vehicles just have to make do. Made for a nice base of operations for our first week here, not to mention trying to adjust to the 7 hours of jet lag.

Looking down the path behind the cottage. From here it's about 30 yards to the banks of the Blackwater River - a seagoing thoroughfare since before the time of the Vikings who raided along this coast in the 8th century, and who founded the towns of Lismore just above us and Youghal down at the mouth of the river.

And looking out the front door of the cottage - nothing around us but pasture, forest, and wetlands.

Been exploring the local area and visiting places we missed on our last trip to Ireland in 2007. Spent one day in Waterford doing all of the usual tourist stuff, which included stopping by the Waterford Crystal Showroom for lunch and a browse. We've previously enjoyed guided walking tours of the city wherever we've been and so when the local tourist office mentioned that that had one about to depart we joined in. Our guide was an entertaining local gent who provided a running commentary on the history of the city while stopping by most of the significant buildings in the Viking Triangle. Pretty fun afternoon actually.

Next day we stayed a little closer to home and visited Ardmore - a pretty little seaside village with a lot of history of its own.

The ancient abbey, round tower and graveyard just above the town. These round towers exist all over Ireland and date from the era of Viking raids between about the 8th and 11th centuries. There were no real towns back then and centers of population tended to be grouped around monastic settlements like this one. When a Viking ship was spotted  off-shore the monks would collect the manuscripts, gold, silver and anything else of value and high-tail it into the tower. The "door" is located about 30 ft above ground level and is accessed via a ladder which the monks would pull up behind them when they bolted the door. Pretty safe and secure unless the raiders wanted to settle in for a protracted siege...and most of them didn't. The towers were so well constructed of the local stone that they still look new after nearly 1,000 years.

St. Declan's oratory down near the sea front in Ardmore. Declan was a Christian missionary who preceded St Patrick to Ireland by about 30 years, and who was responsible for converting most of the southern Irish coast to Christianity. Didn't have the PR team that Patrick had, however, and so his contributions have largely faded from the wider world. Not here though, where's he's still revered as the one who started it all.  

And St Declan's well - one of many "Holy Wells" in this area, reputed to have healing properties for a variety of ailments. There's still a trickle coming up out of the ground where I'm standing.

There was a nice coastal walk around the point from the oratory, which passed by the Martello Tower you can see on the cliff behind me. Martello towers were built along the Irish coast in the early 1700's to help guard against a feared invasion by the French.


Spent another pleasant day up at the Glen of Aherlow south of Tipperary. Really a pretty little valley tucked away in the hills with lots of old ruins and some interesting hikes.

A view of the Glen on a particularly moody afternoon. The weather has been pretty changeable so far, and we're re-learning that the reason why Ireland is famous for its "40 shades of green" is because it has about 80 different types of rain.

One of our hikes was up to a megalithic tomb called "Darby's Bed" near the village of Galbally. You occasionally come across these old passage tombs as you ramble around the country. This one wasn't quite as remote as some.

One particularly efficient business in Galbally - a combination of an undertaker and a pub. Guess it's sort of a one-stop-shop for the dearly departed and their families...can book both the wake and the funeral in the same establishment.

The Irish people are just as friendly and welcoming as we remember. Really makes it a pleasure to travel about the country.

We'll be here for another couple of nights, then head about an hour down the road to the village of Kinsale - just south of Cork - where we'll be staying for 3 nights before shoving off for the Beara peninsula in the west of Ireland for some hard-core hiking. 

To Ireland

Glendalough -  in the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin

Next week we'll heading back to Ireland for the first time since 2007. Been looking forward to this trip for a long time since Ireland is one of our favorite travel destinations. We'll be there until July 1st...exploring the island from top to bottom. On this trip we'll include some time in the North - in both Derry and Belfast - something we didn't do before. 

Have included a few photos from the previous visit just to whet the appetite. 

The Meeting of the Waters in Killarney National Park...one of the prettiest hikes in Ireland.

And Rita at the Rock of Cashel, looking downhill at the ruins of an abbey at the foot of the hill. Another pretty place that we plan to revisit.


We arrive in Dublin the morning of April 30, pick up a rental car there, and then brave the left-hand traffic once again as we head south to our first stopover near the little town of Aglish...half way between Waterford and Cork...staying in a thatched cottage for the first week while we explore the area and generally try to recover from the inevitable jet lag.

Supposed to have WiFi connectivity for most of the trip, so will try to update as we go. 

Christmas in CSprings

We continue to enjoy everything that Colorado Springs has to offer. One pleasant surprise (among many) is that we've found that the winter weather isn't nearly as severe as we thought it might be, and in fact has been quite nice for the most part - one sunny day after another, daytime temps in the 40's and 50's, and only the occasional arctic blast or passing snow shower to remind us that we are, in fact, living next to the Rockies.

We have had a couple of weeks of severe cold, including one stretch when the overnight lows got well into below zero territory and never got above freezing for about 5 days, but that has very much been the exception rather than the rule. 

Our seasonal highlight was being able to host Mike, Jennah and the grand kids, along with Kevin, who flew out from St. Augustine, for the Christmas holidays. It was a great family time for all of us. We even had a chance to enjoy the grand kids on our own for a couple of days when Mike, Jennah and Kevin headed up to a nearby resort for some snow boarding.

Jennah and Makenna building a gingerbread house. 

Makenna and Dad trying to figure out one of her early Christmas gifts.

Nice shot of Rita and her "boys".

Nana and Grandpa in front of the tree.

And Shane enjoying one of his toys. 

Had a fresh snowfall just before everyone arrived, so we headed up to Mueller State Park one day for some light-duty sledding with the kids.

Mike, Jennah and the kids. 

A consultation at the top of the sledding hill before the first run of the day.

And they're off...Nana and Makenna (with Makenna hanging on for dear life).

The tax you paid for the short run downhill was a seemingly much longer walk back up. 

It really was a pretty day to be outside in the snow.

Our first attempt at building a snowman was a qualified success given that everyone was severely out of practice.

Another nice family shot before heading back down the mountain to the relative warmth of the city.

After everyone departed Rita and I took advantage of another snowfall to rent some snow shoes and head back up to the State Park for some hiking. I was initially concerned that there might not be enough snow for a proper workout but I needn't have worried - there was plenty. The first half of what turned out to be a rather ambitious 6 mile circuit was gently downhill in about 4 to 6 inches of powdery snow...kind of fun actually, especially since we seemed to be the first people to use the trail after the recent snowfall - lots of trail blazing and absolutely gorgeous winter scenery. The second half was "not so much". Had to regain the altitude we'd lost during the first 3 miles, plus the snow got progressively deeper and deeper as we wound our way back thru the trees...towards the end we were slogging thru about 12" of new powder, which made the going extremely difficult. Our hearts were pounding like hummingbirds in some places (those snow shoes started to get REAL heavy after a while), so we had to stop to take shorts breaks and generally catch our breath before proceeding on to the summit at the 10,000 level. By the time it was over we were pretty comprehensively bushed. Am guessing that the 6 miles of snow shoeing was the equivalent of at least double that distance of regular hiking. It was a great day out, and a terrific workout for both of us, but we sure learned our lesson - we won't be nearly as ambitious with the length of the hike next time. We liked the excursion so much that we've started casually keeping an eye out for snow shoe sales - wouldn't mind picking up a couple of pairs if they come available. It really is an enjoyable winter sport. 

We're just planning to hang around here for the next several months. Our next mini-trip will be down to Santa Fe over the President's day holiday weekend - have booked a condo near the local ski resort with Mike & Jennah. After that we're looking forward to our next major excursion...to Ireland for a couple of months starting the end of April. 

Settling In

The move to Colorado Springs went smoothly. Our household goods arrived right on time and in good shape - no disasters to report at any rate. Took us 4 days to make the drive from Vancouver, taking our time and basically enjoying the trip. We occupied our new townhouse upon arrival and spent a few nights "camping out" in it before our stuff arrived on October 2nd. After the usual flurry of activity unpacking boxes, getting rid of packing materials, hanging pictures and generally organizing things we settled into life in the new city....exploring the area and generally getting our bearings. It's a beautiful place - we're loving it here so far.

Our first several weeks here have been highlighted by some really beautiful Indian Summer weather - cool, crisp, sunny days that have been ideal for hiking.

Have discovered that Colorado has a terrific State Parks system, with a couple of especially pretty areas very close to us. This is a view of Cheyenne Mountain State Park...with NORAD Headquarters just up the hill.

Another is Mueller State Park located about an hour from our front door up in the mountains to the west of us...at the 10,000 ft level. Have been hiking up there a couple of times already, and are looking forward to trying some snow shoeing later in the season. The Outdoor Rec shop at the AF Academy has rental gear at very cheap prices, and even offers introductory trips for those wanting to ease into the sport. We're planning to try a couple next month.

One of the hiking trails at Cheyenne Mountain takes you up to this overlook above the city.

There was still some snow on the ground up at Mueller from a storm in early October. They offer some snug little rental cabins in the park, too. Might spend a night or two if the weather permits.

Thanks to our landlord, who has season tickets for Air Force football, we've had a chance to attend a couple of games (Notre Dame and Army), sitting in probably the best seats we've ever occupied for a football game...smack on the 40 yard line and about 8 rows up behind the home team's bench. Kickoff for the Army game was 10:30 AM , and the temperature when we arrived at the stadium was about 30 deg., but luckily there was no wind and once the sun found us we were actually pretty snug and warm. Great game too. Altogether a great day out in CSprings.

Our final expenditure for the new place was this dining room set. Took us about a month of researching, and visiting every furniture store within a 20 mile radius, to settle on this one.

After about 6 weeks of some of the prettiest Autumn weather imaginable, winter arrived a couple of days ago when the first storm of the season roared thru, dropping a couple of inches of snow and a nice layer of ice on the local roads. This was the view out our front door yesterday morning.

Looking forward to our first Thanksgiving here later this week. Mike, Jennah and the grand kids will be driving up from ABQ for a few days, and then Kevin will be flying out in December to join all of us here for Christmas.

Yellowstone

The North Entrance Gate to Yellowstone just outside of Gardiner.

Our last stop was Gardiner, MT at the north entrance to Yellowstone Park. We'd learned from some trial and error that Autumn was the best time to visit...especially after Labor Day when the crowds thin out a bit. Stayed in a rental house we'd stayed in on an earlier trip here a few years ago. Had elk grazing thru the town and just on the other side of the property fence. The owner had several plum and apple trees on the lot which were all bursting with fruit at this time of year. He was in the habit of just tossing the fruit over the fence and into the little alley that ran next to the house...which attracted the elk every afternoon. It also attracted a black bear one evening. As I was sitting in the living room of the house I heard a commotion just a few feet away and looked up to see a mature cinnamon black bear trying to scale the fence to get at the trees. We alerted the owner who walked outside, clapping his hands and generally making a lot of racket to chase the bear away - which he finally did. Guess this particular bear had been seen in and around the town of Gardiner for the previous several days searching for a free meal. Made for a little excitement for us anyway - didn't even have to go into the park for our first wildlife sighting.

We experienced some great and scenic hikes on this trip, but I must admit that Yellowstone Park really is the gold standard when it comes to tramping thru the bush. Didn't hurt that the Aspens were just starting to turn - made for some spectacular walks on crisp September mornings.

One hike was well off the beaten path into the back country near the northeast entrance. As we plopped down at a remote camp site for lunch this Mule Deer came walking out of the forest towards us. At first I thought she didn't see us, but when I cleared my throat to alert her to our presence she just glanced over at us as she ambled on by (within 20 feet) to graze in the area. 

The hike went over a ridge and then down the other side into this broad valley that you can just see ahead. Never saw another soul the whole 5 hours.

The scenery in the back country is truly spectacular here, with the added attraction of coming upon thermal features like hot springs and mud pots in out of the way locations. On this hike, which parallels Nez Perce Creek, we came upon a small herd of 8 buffalo grazing near the trail and detoured up an adjacent hill to give them plenty of space. You tend not to realize just how huge these things are until you meet up with one (or more) on foot. They're also probably the second most dangerous animals in the park (after the grizzlies), but usually only threatening if you get too close and violate their "personal space"...like maybe a tourist getting out of a car to take a close-up photo for example.

Our last hike was supposed to loop around the Beaver Ponds, located just above the Mammoth area, but we only made it about 2/3rds of the way when we happened upon a small grizzly cub skittering off the trail just ahead of us. Didn't see the sow, but didn't stick around very long looking for her either. Just wanted to get the heck out of there before the mother saw us - didn't want to risk a charge from an enraged mama bear, even with the bear spray at the ready, so we hoofed it out of the area....warning several groups of other hikers as we exited. Surprising how many of them had no bear spray - a pretty basic, and necessary, precaution on any hike in the park.

I swear, there must be a special place in hell reserved for Yellowstone drivers - or at least for the type of drivers some people become when they visit the park. First of all let me just say that I have no problem with folks driving slowly and cautiously while they enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife that the park has to offer. I really do understand completely, and even have been known to do the same thing on occasion.        However, if you find yourself going 20 mph in a 45 zone, with cars backed up behind you in a line stretching to oh, say, infinity, and unable to pass you on the twisting and narrow mountain roads, you may want to consider using one of the handy pullouts provided every half mile or so for just this very purpose and GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF THE WAY! (There, I'm feeling much better already.)

Our timing turned out to be pretty good - the weather was crisp and sunny all week until the last day when the sky opened up and the rains came. So, we packed up the car and pointed the car towards the west and home. Drove out of the deluge within a couple of hours and had smooth sailing for the drive back to Vancouver.

Today is moving day. In fact the movers are packing us out even as I write this...standing up since they've just loaded all of the tables and chairs. Plan is to head out of town this afternoon and get into Colorado Springs on Saturday or (more probably) Sunday afternoon.