Finally no rain, no wind and sunshine

     

      The hostel I stayed in last night was first rate. The owner supplied me with food for dinner and cooked me a killer breakfast; the tab for the hostel and everything was 23 €.  The hostel was one of the best I have been in and located in a charming town by the Atlantic.

     A little too stuffed for the road, yet  I was cranking by 9:15. Came across a Neolithic site with a fancy museum bordering these huge cliffs on the ocean.  A good break of about forty five minutes to take it all in; seen many of them before but they are always interesting. The site goes back 5,000 year, highly organized and covered many acres, worth the visit. It was up hill getting there but a nice down hill run for most of the way to Ballina.  Hearing the locals pronounce it, you can't believe it is the same spelling.

Anyways, after thirty eight miles I found a nice campsite just outside of town and the afternoon was still young. The tourist season hasn't kicked in yet, so I was

able to pick a quiet spot with no one around.  With most campsites I visit, if there are three tents, that's a crowd. Everyone has RVs, many of them permanently located on the grounds.

      After my afternoon snooze, I rode into town, population 10,000, not to upscale but just about right.  Dinner at a Dillon's restaurant/pub, stone building resurrected from virtual ruins in the 90's. Had a feast, talked it up with a few locals including the owner. Another seafood medley, two IPA's and a killer chocolate desert. Now back in my tent, the sun isn't setting until 9:47.  Sleeping isn't a problem however, even with it still light. Tomorrow, I head for Sligo, about forty miles.