Less rain, more wind

    I couldn't figure out why I felt so tired upon waking up this morning. Checking all the possibilities, it appeared my body was dehydrated. Just drinking several glasses all at once doesn't rehydrate you,  a few glasses every hour for a few hours does the job.  Took my sports vitamins, had an apple, chocolate and coffee; by 8:20 I was pedaling,  Being Sunday morning in Ireland, everyone was justing climbing out of the sack and putting on their Sunday best for church. So my chances of getting a lift to Malrany was remote.  I back tracked eighteen miles, some of which on a rails to trails and was heading north by 10:30.  N59 was pretty much all mine but it rained off again and on again with a strengthening wind hitting me head on.  The terrain to Bangor was flat and straight yet I was barely averaging ten mph. Stopped off at a local  convenience store at Ballycroy, fueled up on a yogurt and some miniature apple pies and talked with the twenty year old lad behind the counter.  He spoke clearly with me but as the locals came in, I didn't have a clue as what they were saying. Not Gaelic as I had thought just a strange form of English.  

       Just past Bangor I turned off on a small road and followed the edge of a good size lake.  The road eventually merged with the sea coast as I closed in on Pollatimish as spelled on the map. Entering the town the Gaelic spelling was or even close to what was on the map. Finally-o-finally I found the hostel. As I was within one hundred feet, my chain derailed and it began to rain, fifty-three miles and six hours of cranking was enough for the day. This hostel has its act together, a really nice place in first class shape. A German woman greeted me  and showed me around.  Almost out of food supplies with a grocery store several miles down the road, she rounded up some food for me to cook.  After a divinely hot shower, I checked out maps for tomorrow and caught an hour of shut eye.  Two guys arrived, one Irish man, Kevin, via his thumb and an English man, Vaughn, the usual way by car.  We all cooked up our dinners, sat at separated tables but later came together for a few games of pool in the library.  Each one of us had a story or two to tell, making for an interesting evening. None of us

could get the peat to keep burning in the cast iron Victorian fireplace . Last night I had better luck.  Seems like peat and soft coal keep the houses warm around here.  

      Tomorrow will be a shorter run than today on my way south east to Ballina.