StormThoughts

The Kerry Way December 24 2009

Today we walked from Blackwater bridge to Kenmare, a distance of 14.5 k. This was a nice challenge. Pauline walked with Sinead and myself for part of the way [till Templenoe]. We hiked on through Lacka forest and on to Gortamullin. The views from Gortamullin were excellent, northwards we could see Carrauntoohill wreathed in snow, snow so pure so white looking. Below us we could see the town of Kenmare, nestling at the head of the long sea inlet. The air was calm and cold [minus 3 or 4 centigrade at times] and the waters of the bay were without a ripple. In 2011 Aurora Roberts  and I will walk some or all of this route with the Sierra Club. We enjoyed a pint or two when we reached the journey’s end.

I intend to upload some pictures to google earth and include one or two here

The Monaghan way

Well I certainly enjoyed my visit to Monaghan.  It was an invigorating and on the second day a nostalgic experience for me. Nostalgic because as I walked along the old railway line with my guide/accompanist Thomas Mc Skean.  I was reminded of those many years ago in 1956 when I last travelled along this route by train to Clones.

My immediate and personal reflections on the Monaghan Way is  that it is an satisfying hike with stupendous views across the Drumlin Country that is Monaghan, the secret laneways, Scots Lane, Black Lane, the deserted railway stations and halts like Colleville and Blackstaff halt, stepping across dikes that meant you stepped across an international border, following the river Fane and into Kavanagh country, walking along fields of willow planted to produce wood pellets for wood burning stoves, other fields of corn stalks, tall enough to induce the magic inference from the film “If you build it he will come” all this and more.

The future is bright for the Monaghan Way.  The entire route is walkable, there are no impenetrable thickets. I think that it is a good route and that if the committee can get some extra sections off N roads it will be a very good route. I saw an example of possible rerouting near Blackstaff Halt where an “eighty year old Naturist” is holding up passage through a section of the way. I respect his right to solitude and peace, if only he knew that we walkers also share his love of nature albeit in a slightly different way.  Even the minor grassy and mossy roads were pleasant because of the low hedges and the views across country.

0n Mullyash [the high point of the way] we visited a tomb, a Bronze Age tumulus like Heapstone Cairn that the Miners/historical trail skirts in Roscommon/Sligo/Leitrim. If Thomas Mc Skean was able to find those “Secret Laneways” that we so enjoyed then there must be more of them.  I look forward to many more warm October days on the Monaghan Way.

Competing in the Golden Oldies section of this challenge four members of –

Team Stormthoughts 206.

Each lap will be just over 30 miles long all team members training hard to withstand the rigours of the challenge. Teams must continue lapping for 24 hours in relay fashion!!!

More details later.

My bike is a La Pierre pictured below:

Finally got back to walking the Bangor Trail again, after some years away from it. Sinead Tommy and I walked 25k from Bangor to the Bothy in Shramore. We hiked it last  Saturday 22nd August. I GPS’d the trip we had a moving average of 4k  and an overall average of 3k. It is still the most challenging hike in Ireland, on a waymarked trail. The trail condition is much as it always was, though now the heather is making a return. This has something to do with the National Park and controlled sheep numbers. Below is a picture taken near Mamarata looking south. weather was ok but not picture taking weather.

looking-south-from-the-oak-tree

On June 16th 2009 at the James Joyce Centre North Great Georges street Leopold Bloom considers the humble potato.

This was a great journey of discovery. From June 15th till June 25th we travelled Ireland in search of her best writers. Commencing with James Joyce:

On Blooms Day we relived the journey of Leopold Bloom and other Dubliners, “by swerve of shore and bend of bay”, through the heart of the Hibernian Metropolis.

We then travelled to the Aran islands to see where J M Synge had dipped into the folk customs and traditions to collect  stories and dialects for his great plays.

“I’ll go romancing through a romping lifetime from this hour till the dawning of the Judgment day.”

A world away in Yeats country we strode……

” Where dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake”

Finally we explored Kavanagh Country, Inniskeen, County Monaghan…..

There..

“I have lived in important places, times

When great events were decided:”

I have just acquired a Flickr account to use for the many pictures that will not fit on this blog.

Here it is.

It took more than one day to drive US 50. It was worth it.  We saw all sorts of terrain from mountain to desert to dried river beds, salt flats, old Indian sites with Petroglyphs. Deserted mining towns, Pony express stations, distant cattle ranges, and evrywhere the absence of people, except in a few small towns that stood like oases in the wilderness.

There were lots of times when we got to see old farm machinery just sitting there in the desert sun, rusty, but looking good.

This picture was taken at the town of Blanding, Utah.  We were on our way to Natural Bridges National Park.