Who said Ireland was an easy ride?

   Ballina to Sligo the scenic way, well my idea of scenic is small hills, mostly downhill. Today, I felt like I was climbing the Rockies as I climbed over a mountain pass.  The mind set is everything, if you are geared for the mountains ahead of time, you don't mind so much.  But today, I had to do a rapid mindset reboot to deal with the climbs. People drive cars, they are clueless about what a bicyclist must endure.  Motorcycle dudes think they are tough, Not!  Bicyclists are the tough ones, we climb mountains and still can laugh about it.

      All things considered, the ride was pleasant, especially on the really back back roads which are narrow, winding and totally void of cars. You can ride in the middle of the road taking in the beauty of the country side, looking at the old stone house, talking to the sheep, horses and cows and sing out loud the tunes on my headset. Ireland is so green and a great percentage of it is void of trees. The whole scene is so idyllic.  One backroad to another wove me into Sligo. A nice city that wasn't too touristy or cute.  I landed a nice hostel, cleaned up, caught some zzzz's and walked two hundred meters down the road to a restaurant/ pub where I had another delicious dinner. 

    In a room with four beds, a young French guy, Bastien, 27, is the only person sharing the room. He cruised in on his motorcycle totally tricked out in his riding gear, very European. So happens he is an IT guy. Now he is trying to get my GoPro working.  Electronics is way over rated and even I have a pocket on one of my bags to carry all the cords, battery, headset, etc..  Madness!

      Tomorrow, I follow the coast, pass Yeats' burial plot on my way to Donegal.

Slow but steady progress, one crank at a time, smelling the roses as I go.