Merry Christmas

This is the first Christmas I haven't been with family. I have had time for reflection and relaxation this break. School got out Friday the 18th. I have bought myself lots of toys to play with. I now have a Wii with a few games. It has kept me busy for sure. I did go Snowshoeing on the 23rd with a co-worker who was waiting for family to show up.

My family has been very good about calling and making sure I am good. I have talked to my family at home who I miss, and they miss me.

One of the best things I did, was to go running on Christmas eve. I put my ipod in with a mix of holiday songs and ran around the neighborhoods of Mac looking at lights. The best part was actually running around dinner time and watching families gather. Each house that had a picture window, gave me a brief snap shot of that family's holiday tradition. I ran by houses that smelled of turkey, ham, lamb, and laundry. I watched laughter, dinner, grace, and games. I ran by carolers, runners, after meal walkers, and lots of holiday lights.

I am sitting now in my apartment under the glow of my tree, watching holiday specials, enjoying a holiday brew, and smiling with the warm thoughts that have been shared by friends and families. Merry Christmas.

H1N1

Our school has been hit hard by the artist formerly known as swine flu. We had 500 students absent one day (out of 1800) and rumors abound that they will cancel school. We have had half of the students in multiple classes absent, so it is difficult to teach when you don't know when the students will make it up, and you will have to reteach everything again to half the students. It is a new challenge for many of us at the high school. I am sick, but I don't feel queasy or feverish. I am weak though.

Fall has certainly arrived. I bought a light for my bike and now I am riding everywhere. I am loving it. I have ridden through the rain, wind, and falling leaves. Today is a beautiful fall day. I am going to relax and catch up on some grading before I watch the beavers play the Trojans.

School has begun

School started the first of September. I am teaching astronomy, earth systems, and physical science. I am loving it. I have some students for the third year (which is how long I have been teaching). I have my own classroom for the first time as well. I have volunteered to be an adviser and data specialist for a group in charge of positive behavior systems at the school. I am also an adviser for LINK crew which helps freshman bridge the gap between middle school and high school. I started ultimate frisbee club again for this year, and I tutor after school 2 days a week. I don't have time to grade papers, but I love what I do. I have been running since my foot has healed. I went to physical therapy for a few weeks and strengthened my foot, legs and abs along the way.
I have been riding my bike to school most days but I do ride my car when I can't carry all my supplies. Tonight I played frisbee, and then drove home. I went back for volleyball decided I should just run. It felt good. I may start running to school every once in a while.
I bought tickets to three Oregon State games. I watched them beat Portland State, Stanford and I have tickets for Halloween against UCLA. Marie and I are going to a ballet tomorrow. I have started playing bluegrass with a couple of friends (banjo, guitar, mandolin).
Life is busy, but I am living well.

Rouge River

When I returned to Oregon, I had x-rays taken (they were negative) and went on a 4 night river trip down the Rogue River with 13 other people. Two were teachers at the high school, the rest were their spouses, their friends and siblings. We put in at above Grave Creek and took out at Foster Bar. We had 5 boats: 3 rafts with oars and 1 passenger (room for 6) an inflatable kayak (1) and a paddle raft for 7. I was in the paddle raft. We had 6 people that had never been on the river and 1 who was our rudder.
The first day had a few small rapids and then Rainy Falls. Danger Dave, one of our leaders, had decided he would run the main chute of the falls for the first time. We got out of the boats and spotted with other rafters. We watched a few people go over the falls and then our party tried our hand. There were 3 routes, a fish ladder, a middle chute and the main falls. Two boats went middle chute with no problem, then the paddle raft tried. They approached slowly and got taken into some rocks where they were stranded for about 5 minutes. It seemed like forever. They finally ended up getting out of the boat (not recommended) and pushed off the rocks. They then entered the chute and somehow got pushed sideways in the middle and wedged the boat stuck in the middle of some falls. We knew that if they had the problems, Danger would get through easily. Danger's run was flawless.
We found a campsite big enough for two parties of 14. We shared our space with another big party. We both had our own sleeping area and kitchens, but shared bathrooms. We watched part of the meteor shower that night as a camp group.
The next day we stayed at the same campground and spent the day hiking, reading, swimming, etc. That night as Marie and I were at the river, I spotted some river otters. Rick, a member of our party who is most similar to Bear Gryls, swam up and interacted with the Mom and the two babies. It was pretty crazy.
The next day was the calmest day on the river. At one point there was a place to swim through rapids. I chose to stay in the boat, but next year I will go. There was some fun water but nothing two difficult. At one point toward the end of the day, I was able to rudder the paddle raft. I have been in canoes before but never in charge of a paddle raft. We stopped on a very rocky beach and my foot could not handle it. It was extremely painful. Everyone on the trip was great about me having a hurt foot. I felt like a free loader. I did not have to carry any heavy objects, and many times I was able to rest when other work was to be done. Next year I will be the pack mule I can tell. That night as people were playing cards, fishing, and snacking, a mother bear and two small cubs walked by the other side of the river. It was awesome. They stood on a rock posing for pictures before disappearing into the grass.
The next day, we had to try and go quickly to claim a camp site. We had our biggest rapids of the trip as well with a place called Blossom Bar. At the begining of our day, the first rapid we got into, we hit a rock and Jeff and I were both dumped into the water. I lost my sunglasses, my hat, and a paddle. We quickly got back into the boat and pulled to the side to see if we could find the paddle. As we waited, my hat floated by. It was about a foot under the water. Angela and I both dove in after it and recovered it. My sunglasses were gone.
We stopped at a lodge and waited for some of our other boats to catch up. While there we found out that our paddle was recovered. We all went down through an amazing canyon and had some incredible rock walls on either side. We then hit blossom bar. All of the boats made it through with no problems. At that point, I was able to play rudder again. It was great. We found our final campsite. It had a great beach, and nearby was a natural water slide. It took a pretty good hike to the top to get to the waterfall. I was feeling pretty good, so I made the hike putting the least amount of pressure on my foot as I could. It was a good workout.
The slide was incredible. It looked like there was an overhang that if you didn't duck, you would smash your skull against a ton of rock. You didn't have much time to think either, it was pretty steep. I was able to climp up to the top, using just a rope and walking up a rock wall. That was the part I was most nervous about. I made it down the hill as well, but very slowly. That night there was much celebration with wine and gin and tonics. We played cards, went swimming, and the likes. The most fun, however, was that when we arrived at camp, a 20lb salmon carcass was on the other side of the river. We saw a golden eagle swoop down, stand on the carcass and rip some flesh from it. Then two crows and 9 turkey vultures came to stake their claim. It took about 3 hours for the vultures to actually get to the carcass. To wake up some of our compadres, I yelled at their tent, "hey bear!!" At that moment a bear came around the corner and went for the carcass. Luckily it was on the othe side of the river. We watched it grab the carcass and move into the woods. A while later another bear came by and went to where the bear disapeared and we were able to hear a little of their scuffle. It was the greatest nature documentary I had ever seen. As we were going to bed, we heard a splash in the river. We all grabbed headlamps and scanned the water, thinking a bear would venture across into our camp. Luckily it was only a duck (we think). The last day on our way out, we had lots of Gin and tonic left. We filled Nalgenes and other bottles full. By the end of the morning, we had strapped the boats together and were all experiencing happiness from the drink. Our drive home was uneventful, except the car sickness mixed with a hang over. Youch.

Photos

Aug 4-8

I flew back to Denver and was picked up by my cousin Kim. She drove me back to Rhonda's house and my car. I stayed one last night in Denver and left early the next day for Dinosaur National Monument. The drive from Denver through Northern Colorado to Vernal Utah was one of the most gorgeous geology I have ever seen.

I had my foot wrapped before I left Denver and wore the Ace bandage for a couple of days. I stopped in to the fossil quarry visitor center and found out the quarry building was closed due to the ground moving and making the structure unstable. I found a campsite in Green river Campground and decided to get some food from Vernal. I set up camp and then drove into town (mostly I needed cash to pay for the site). I played guitar when I got back and hit went to sleep early.
I was the first one up in the morning and drove to a cabin at the end of the road.

I then stopped at Petroglyphs on the way back toward the quarry. The only fossils visible were on a 3/4 of a mile walk. I would have hiked it easily, except that I had a foot issue. I took a shuttle to the top and limped downhill. Families with little kids were flying by me. It was a little disheartening.

After I got my fill of fossils, I drove to Boise. I had a little stroke of luck. Every year I had been in Boise, I was there for college spring break. Some of my friends had left after college, but there was a wedding and everyone was in town! I stayed there two nights and drove back to Oregon on the 8th.

Dublin August 3

Scott and I woke up early and boarded a bus to Dublin. We stopped again in Limerick. DIRTIEST BATHROOM EVER! I walked in looking for a stall. There were 4: two of which did not have a seat, one had half a seat, and the one I chose was nasty. I came out hoping to be hepatitis free. We got into Dublin at 3pm and I was hobbling around with my pack on. We went to a burger joint to eat. We watched part of a gaelic football match with Dublin and Kilkenny. Kilkenny was kicking butt. Scott and I walked to a statue, and decided I would wait there and he could run back and get bus info to the airport. We were looking to catch a bus to the airport at about 4 am. Scott returned and we wandered around the streets of Dublin. The host at the hostel that Scott went to get info, gave us lots of ideas for touring the town. We went to Trinity college from O'connell street to Westmoreland. We passed some professional street performers and an obvious tourist area. We arrived at Trinity college and walked through the big gates.

We walked around to find the bookstore. In the book store there is a museum which contains the oldest bound book in the world; the book of Kells. It was a very nice display and the book was incredible.
We then left through the hall of the oldest books at the university. This room was very impressive, and I am dissapointed we couldn't have explored more. As we stepped back into the bookstore we were told it was closing time and had to exit. This became a theme in Dublin.
We left the college and walked to St. Stephen's's Green. We walked through the beautiful park and then tried to walk to St. Patrick's Cathedral.

It began to rain right before we arrived. We stopped in the entry way, and the woman watching the doors asked us if we were staying for the service. We both said no, as the choir rushed through the rain into the cathedral. We started to walk around the corner, and it began to pour hard. I told Scott, maybe we should sit through a service. He agreed. We went back and the choir had begun. We went in for an evensong. We tried to walk quietly to the back, but our shoes squeaked quite loudly. At the end, the guard told us that we had made her day with our squeaky shoes. When ever I am in a cathedral, all I want is a large choir to sing. It was a very beautiful moment. We sat and stood through the 45 minute service. As the choir sang in Latin, Scott and I sat in silent reverence exploring the archetecture and statues with our eyes. At the end of the service we were able to look around for a brief while. We then were asked to leave as the building was closing. We exited to the garden behind, where St. Patrick baptized his followers. We decided to see the other cathedral, the Church of Ireland cathedral, it was closed. Castle of Dublin, closed. Most of the tourist shops were closed and we decided to find some Bangers and mash. We found a small restaurant called Gruel. It reminded me very much of a small restaurant that would be in Portland. The food was phenomenal. We then walked around looking for souveniers. We found a couple shops that were open. I bought a knock-off Irish soccer jersey. We then closed that place down. We walked and found the statue of Molly Malone

and decided to find a pub. We walked around the temple bar area, and were dissapointed by how touristy they were. We decided to wander across the river. We walked (I hobbled) down the street and found a nice bar with candles on the walls. It was the cheapest pint in town. The best thing about Ireland is that Guiness is the cheapest pint there is. Harps is 40 euro cent more. When the dark beer is cheapest,... I am happiest. It was funny to watch the rich Irishmen drink Budwieser from the bottle thinking they were posh.


After a pint, we decided to find a band. We walked back the route we came and found an upstairs bar with a band. It was the first non-traditional band we saw in Ireland. The lead singer specialized in American Folk and Blues. They played many songs, some originals, some by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, etc. It was awesome. We again, closed the place down. We wandered to another bar, had a pint, closed it down. We were then directed from each door to another to try and find an open pub. We finally found a night club that was open. Downstairs there were blacklights and a DJ. The crowd was very diverse. It was the people who loved electronica and dressing up, tourists looking for the last open bar, and locals who were looking for the last open bar. We stayed there until about 3. We were walking out and had a girl comment about how good lookin' the tourists were. I gave her a kiss on her cheek for her birthday. We then were walking back toward the bus stop and met a group of teachers from DC looking for the party to continue. We all commented about how sad it was that all the bars had closed. Scott and I waited for the bus and finally rode to the airport.
In the airport, Scott boarded early, I tried to get my boarding pass, but they wouldn't let me get it untill 3 hours before my flight. I flew out at 10. We talked for a bit then Scott went through his gate at around 5. I paced the airport for a few hours trying to stay awake and ate something from every vendor. I finally did take a photo as the morning sun came up. I flew out and slept well on the airplane. Ireland was incredible and I would go back in a second.

Kilarney

We ate breakfast and caught the bus early out of Fossa.


We talked with a German duo that were going to hike the Ring of Kerry for the next few days. We got off the bus and checked into our hostel for the night and left our luggage there. Then we went to rent bikes. My ankle was hurt, but it only hurt if I rolled my toes. I figured I could ride a bike if I put the pedal on my arch or heel. Luckily I was right. We found a hostel that rented bikes. The man was insistent that we return them before 6 or "my wife will have my balls."
He showed us quickly on a map how to ride around a lake in the National Park and see some neat sights. We took off toward the park and decided we were on the wrong path. We found the sister bike shop to where we rented and the man showed us again on a map where we should go. We started off in the nice cool, moist morning and rode most of the way around the park. We saw some ruins, lots of great plants and great views of a lake.




It was fun. The majority of people in the park were riding bikes or in horse drawn carriages.
We rode around and found a bridge and took a photo right before the rains broke loose.

Part of the trail is on the main road. Scott decided we should ride up the rode toward the mountains. We rode up the hill on the two rental bikes for a lot longer than anyone on the bikes should. We rode up to a mini pass with a chapel at the top. As we approached (again with large grins) two bicyclists with packs, road bikes, and helmets, were staring at us with "are you kidding me" type looks. I like to think we impressed people, but I think we just confused them.

We then rode back down and stopped along the way to take some photos. We ate our apples for lunch while cars drove by looking at our bikes then looking at us in wonder. We rode back down hill to a waterfall(my memory card was full) and we met up with the Germans from the morning. They told us that they were lost in the trails of the park. We showed them the correct way out. Then Scott and I discussed how it should be easy to get back. We rode through the park and found ourselves running into fences and trying a new trail, then finding a fence. We finally figured out, we left the falls on a walking trail and needed to return. We finally found a trail to the Muckross house. It was beautiful. We did not go in, because it cost money, but we looked in the window. It seemed to me like Mt. Vernon, with artifacts of different eras.

We then rode down the trail to an old abbey. It was dated back to 1550. It was a monastery. We wandered around and explored old stone staircases, and it was incredible. Very neat old building to explore.



We then rode our bikes to the Ross Castle. At this point, whenever we stopped, our butts hurt and our legs were tired. It took some effort to get started again. We rode to the castle and then around an old mining trail. It was a nice ride.
We decided to ride to the Cathedral and then relax for a bit. The cathedral was smaller than Galway's but it was still beautiful.

There were great stories about the bishops and the architecture.
We then delivered the bikes back at about 4:00 and then went to our hostel. We showered and changed into dry clothes, and then decided to find food and a pub with music. We went to a sports pub and watched some Gaelic football and I had a shepard's pie. We then found a nice little band with accordians and guitars. We headed back to the hostel (with take out fries in hand) and played a couple of hands of cribbage. We decided to pull an all nighter in Dublin the next day, so we went to bed.

To Fossa

Scott and I boarded the bus early in the morning Aug 1 and drove toward Kilarney. We had a slight layover in Limerick. The bus station in Limerick was small but very busy. We arrived in Kilarney and decided to go upstairs for a meal. We were basically in a mall with a bus station on the end. The bus driver arrived early and told us we would have time to look around. When we returned for the bus, it had gone. We now had to wait a couple hours for the next bus out of town. Scott at this point, was dissapointed that I was injured. With two hours in a new town, the best option is to walk and explore. I was in no shape. I told him to go ahead. As I read in the bus station, Scott found a market, a place to rent bikes, our hostel for the next night, and a basic understanding for the layout of the city. A nice woman sat by us and talked with us when Scott returned and it was pretty much our first interaction with a local other than someone we were doing business with. We finally boarded the bus and drove a few miles out to Fossa. We got off at our hostel which was on a major highway with nothing else really around. We noticed the awesome land scape to the south.

The highest mountains in the country are near Kilarney as well as the largest National Park. Across the road from our hostel was a little souvenier shop filled with over priced and upscale sweaters and clothing.
Our hostel also was a campground. The last two we stayed at, were treated as a home away from home, a chance to mix with others, and a warm place to live for a day. This one was all business. We had to pay deposit on the keys, the man wasn't there 24 hour, internet was charged by the hour, the kitchen was very sterile and industrial. We decided to stay in and write some postcards and read. We did stop next door at a small convenience store and bought some pasta, wine, and pain killers.


We made a nice pasta dinner and decided to walk around the campground. It was basically for RVs, but they also had public showers, a game room with pool table and arcade, and a small take out restaurant. The arcade room had a claw game with plush dolls in it. I looked and thought they were the most unattractive prize ever.

I then recognized them as characters from BBC Comedies. Not my favorite.
After wine and some pain killers, we decided we could walk down the road and find a pub. Scott and I slowly moved down the highway and found a great little liquor store with bar. We had a pint and a shot of Jameson Whiskey. We decided to check the next bar down for music and then go home. We walked in and there was a guitar and us. It was great. We sat at the bar and ordered black and tans. The bartender was not sure what it was, so we described them. I was surprised, until a man asked for a soda and a glass of ice, and Rachael asked him, when handing him a soda and a glass of ice, " Like this?" She was very pretty.

We sat at the pub and delved deep into life, relationships, growing up, and the future. It was the best conversation I had had with Scott in a long time. I then hobbled back to the hostel (Scott walked) and we went to bed.

Current post

The hike we did happened on July 31. Today is Sept. 2. My foot stayed swollen for 3 weeks and painful for 4. I just got finished with my 3 physical therapy treatment. I was feeling good, but the last exercise still sent pain through my foot. I have been taped and iced everyday so far I have gone. August has been a long month.

THE BURREN!

When people ask me what was most memorable about Ireland, it was a day. Scott and I had to catch the 8:45 bus. We made oatmeal and mixed in peanut butter and jam for breakfast. We drank tea as we made our sandwiches for lunch. We each made 2 sandwiches and packed along bananas and an apple apiece. As we were preparing, Scott told me to look at the map on the wall of the hostel. "Try and memorize this," I believe I can quote Scott telling me.

We knew the bus would take us to the Blackhead lighthouse, we were to walk to a ring fort, find a cairn and then make it to the first peak, hike the saddle to the next and then make our way down to the green road that will take us back to Doolin. Karl recommended hiking to a coastal pub or Ballyvaughn and waiting for a bus there. Scott and I said,...noway. We are going to hike the entire 16 miles.
We climbed on the bus, each of us with shoes, shorts, rain coat, hat, cameras, and Scott had a small pack for our lunch and water. We told the driver Blackhead, and he said ok, but reminded us that no bus came back through there; we knew.
We were dropped off at the lighthouse. Before he let us exit, the driver, in a tone that expressed concern, asked if we had a map. Scott simply without blinking said, "It was explained to us." The driver reiterated, find a fort, a cairn and then the peak. We smilingly exited and waved.

We were alone. The was no village nearby, only donkeys with their tales to the driving rain.

We exited into a rain shower. The wind was blowing fairly strong and the rain was almost stinging. We were loving it! We ran up some rocks smiling the whole time. THIS is what we were looking for. A month earlier Scott asked me if I wanted to join him for 6 days in Ireland, I said yes. He told me he wanted to drink beer and walk through the country side. We were doing it.

We started following a grass lane, and knew we had to go up. We crossed a fence and found what we thought was the ring fort. It was actually neolithic ruins. We kept hiking up and across the hillside. The hike was beautiful. We saw the ocean, farms, fields, and stone. We were in a place called the Burren. It is characterized by rocks sticking out of green grass... Lots and lots of rocks.

We finally saw a small cairn and thought we should just go straight up from there.

We came over a small knoll and saw the fort. It was awesome.

I could see that it would be a great lookout on the hillside, for land and sea. At that point, the rain started coming pretty hard. We looked up and it appeared we were going to hike up cliffs.

As we hiked closer, it was apparent that the cliffs had lots of places to walk up.
We got to the "summit" of the first "mountain" fairly quickly. We were both surprised. On top, the wind was whipping our clothing and we were shouting to try and understand each other. We finally made our way, behind a cairn and laughed. I told Scott, "At least we won't see anybody else today. Nobody would be having as much fun as we are!"

We made our way through the saddle and up the other hill. As we approached the top of that one, there was no shelter. I looked out and saw a man hiking. He was followed by a group. We decided to hike to them. We started crossing on slick rocks and grass. We made jokes about twisting ankles. As we approached, the man came over and told us he was a tour guide for 15 dutch hikers.

He joked that we were experiencing a great winter storm. He told us how to go down and we parted ways. Scott and I started walking toward the next fence to cross. Somewhere on the top, my foot slid into a hole, my toe went between rocks, and I walked through my ankle, hyperextending my foot. I felt as if I had just twisted my ankle.

We kept walking, as the storm was fairly nasty (meanwhile we were laughing the whole time) until we found some trees. We were headed down the hill right into somones yard. We were trespessing to we decided to avoid their yard by walking through their shelterbelt. We found lots of briars and Scott put his legs knee deep into a mud puddle, MUD puddle. His first reaction was," s^&$! that was my only pair of shoes for this trip!"

We made it to the road and found our "green road" that was to take us home. It was also called the Burren Way. We stopped there and ate our first sandwich.
We started hiking up the road. My foot was doing ok, but I could tell it was going to be sore. I figured we had about 7km left on the hike(we had almost 20 km left). We hiked along an area basically between farmers pastures that was assigned as a hiking trail. We saw old cemeterys, corrals, and stone fences. We passed a place with pipes that sang in the wind.
We finally made it to a paved road and hiked along it for a while. My foot went from being painful in the front, to the back, to the side, etc. I kept changing my walking motion to correct for the pain. We were still making it back at a fairly good pace.
We hit another fork in the road and decided to take a left. I am not sure if we would have made it back to the right (I was voting left here and at the next place we turned). The left simply took us around a castle.

We then took a right turn at the next fork. At this point my foot was killing me and we were 5 km from Doolin. We then hit the last fork at 3km away. I felt a pop in my foot and had to stop for a while. I limped the last mile and a half and it took longer than the initial 5 miles to the peaks(or so it felt). Scott limped me into the hostel and then went to find me ice. I don't know what I would have done without Scott. I took a shower and sat by the fire. It was still raining hard and wasn't a very warm day. I sat at the fire and iced my foot. It was about 4:30 pm. Other guests checked in and looked at me in my pitiful state.

A woman from Australia and one from Canada talked with us for a while and Scott also secured a place for us to stay the next couple of days in Kilarney. That night I wanted to hear music, so I hobbled to the nearest pub (one block away) and sat at the bar. We heard an accordian and guitar that night. Thank you Scott for being patient with me. We went back and played some cribbage. That night we packed and I limped around the hostel. We caught the bus early the next day to go to Kilarney. It was a great day.

More Doolin Photos

To Doolin

Scott and I woke early and took a fairly empty bus to Doolin. We went through Ballyvaughn and Lisdoonvarna which were two of my favorite words to say on the trip. As we neared our stop I was preparing to get off and unstrapped my camera from around my neck. I got off and left it on my bus seat. I realized it when I was getting the tour of our hostel. Our host, Karl, was extremely helpful and called the bus as we stood there and arranged for a pick up as the bus came back through. Karl, by the way was the best hostel host ever. We stayed at the Aillie River Hostel, which was incredible. The kitchen was busy 24/7 it seemed and there was always people lounging about sharing stories and games. I think part of it was that Doolin was a small village and tourists were more apt to stay at the hostel than to try and explore a large town.
As we got there, and settled in, we asked Karl how to get to the Cliffs of Moher. One reason for our stay. He sat and drew us a map and described the walk to us. We walked out and waited for the bus and got my camera before we left for our hike. The day gave us brilliant sunshine and we took advantage of it.

We started on a road out of town and to a pasture. From there we hopped a fence and walked close to the water. We stayed near the water until the trail turned to look at an abandoned settlement. It was left during the potato famine.

We then walked along the cliffs the whole way. Along the cliffs there was a waterfall that didn't fall. It came over the cliff and was immediately blown back onto land. We saw a sea cave full of sea foam. The hike only became more and more exciting as we neared the cliffs. There was one point where the trail was a foot wide between fence post and a 300ft drop to the sea. The walk started at basically sea level and climbed to over 400 ft above the Atlantic. We were able to take all of the photographs that were on postcards.

Scott and I approached the visitors center and realized we would have to hop the fence. You are suppose to enter at a certain checkpoint and pay an entrance fee(if driving, after an 8 euro parking fee). We hopped the fence near many tourists and walked to castle that was at the top. We then ate a sandwich we had packed from our free breakfast in Galway and walked around the area. If you tour the way you are suppose to, you only get one view of the cliffs and you need to work your way above a giant fence to do so.
We hiked back along the road and saw some great local sights.

We found a jam shop and bought some delicious raspberry spread. We also found a small resataurant. We ate fries and drank beer. It was great.
We made our way back to the hostel and decided to sit for a bit. We knew the next day we wanted to hike the Burren and asked Karl what his favorite walks were. He showed us on a map where we should go. We rested and then went out to buy food. We toured the village and found a music shop, a small grocery store and 5 pubs. We bought some pb and bread, some oatmeal and a couple of bananas and apples.
We read for a bit at the hostel and decided to get dinner out at a pub. We walked down the road and stopped at the last pub we could find. I ordered an Irish Stew with Guinness sauce and Scott had fish and chips. It was delicious. We decided to wander while we waited for music to start. We found a very neat old cemetery just out of town. We searched for names of relatives (Carr, Higgins, Cahill and Donahue) but only found Griffin which was the Surname of in-laws.
We went back and saw a little band who had an accordion, a banjo, drum and guitar. We drank some more beer and ordered more fries. When we finished our fare, we walked down to the next pub. There a fiddler and a guitar were just taking a break. We continued our walk and found Fitzpatricks. There was two flutes and guitar playing.

They were decent. After a while we decided to head back to the hostel. We used the FREE internet(only place we stayed at that offered this) and checked the bus schedule and our email.

To Galway

My cousin Kim drove me to the airport early on the 28th and I flew to Cedar Rapids, IA. It was small, but I think Great Falls is still smaller. I was there for 3 hours before a flight to Chicago. To fly international you need to leave the gates and go through security again. I got through in the nick of time and then was on my way to Dublin. I knew it was a 7 hour flight, and I landed at 8 am the next day. It was my only chance for sleep. What did I do? I watched the two movies on the plane and then cat napped my way in.

I got in at 8. It took until 9:15 to get through customs and immigration. My brother was suppose to come in at 10:00, so I tried to stay awake until then. I paced around, and finally slept near a bus schedule. Scott came in at the right time and flew threw customs. He came out at a different gate than I expected so it was good he decided to look for me before he went to the main terminal. We met up and got bus tickets, took some cash out of an ATM, and boarded a bus to Galway. We were awake through the city and for about 5 minutes on the open road, then we both slept almost to Galway (approx. 3 hours).


We left the bus station, and walked a few blocks to our hostel. We checked in, took showers, and were ready to hit the town. Scott had spent the last few years in Jamaica with the Peace Corps, so he was excited to travel, but he was not about to spend money he didn't have to. Thank godness. We walked around Eyre square, and found a crepe place for lunch. We then walked through the town stopping when we saw a good photo or when it rained.

We explored the Cathedral, walked out on a pier to the lighthouse, and then up a hill and found a cemetery and St. Augustine's well. We decided to go back to the hostel for a rest and then try and go out on the town.


We were in Galway during the Galway races, much like the kentucky derby back home. The place was packed. We finally found a bar that we could sit down in, and watched part of a hurling match on TV. Another TV was turned up REALLY loud on a nature documentary and the sound of crickets was being piped through the pub at unreasonalbe volumes. A man walked over and turned the power off to the cheers of his mates, but an old man stood up and threatened to throw a punch. The old man was calm once the young guy turned the tube back on, but I was, in the back of my mind, hoping for an Irish brawl. Could you imagine, the first night and a drunk Irishman got in a fight? I don't like stereotypes, but that would have been a story.

We turned in after one or two beers.

We were tired and sore and one guiness was enough for a buzz. We slept well, despite our roomates coming in at 3:15am and talking about their mis-attempts at scoring that night. We were awake early the next morning and the hostel had a breakfast ready for us. I was disappointed because breakfast at all the hostels meant toast and jam and cereal and milk. I can't have cereal with milk, so I was stuck with toast and jam.

It was fine because it was free. We then boarded a bus and were on our way to Doolin.

Kansas

I drove to Manhattan Kansas the next day to see my friend Brandon. I met his wife to be, Lisa, and his best man as we picked up my tux. We then drove to the reception site and looked around and then to Lisa's house. I set up my tent in their back yard and they fed us a great bbq. That night we created the centerpieces and welcomed Brandon's sister in later.

The next day as all the others in the bridal party were coming in, we decorated the reception hall. It was fun. That night all of us went to Aggieville in Manhattan and danced and drank for the bachelor party. We had friends from all over the US and had a great time catching up. We drove back to the hotel and slept preparing for the big day.

On the day of the wedding we dressed at the church and took pictures before hand. The wedding was beautiful in a small Lutheran church in Wheaton. After the wedding, the bridal party boarded a bus and drove around taking pictures and relaxing. We then eventually made our way to the reception.

It was a great dance and we all had lots of fun. That night we also went swimming until about 3 am. I sweat a lot. During the dance I took off my bow tie and set it on a table. I forgot to get it, but the mother of the bride picked it up. The next day, I met up with her and she told me I dropped my bowtie in something, it was soaking wet. I told her that, no, I was sweating and it soaked the tie. She absolutely wouldn't believe that it was only sweat.

I dropped my buddy Nick off at the Kansas City airport the next day and was able to cross into Missouri to add another state to my road trip. I drove back across Kansas and only was able to get to Hays before I was ready to stop. I rented a hotel room and stayed there. The next day I drove to Aurora again, and stopped into the local library to check my email and look at my travel plans to Ireland. That night was my aunt Lillian's birthday. I went over to her house for dinner and met up with my other cousin Kim and her two kids. It was fun to see them again and play games and celebrate Lillian's birthday.
The next day, Kim drove me to the airport to leave for the emerald isle.

On to the next...

I drove to Billings on the 21st and stayed with my aunt Mary. I had seen her at the reunion but was nice to spend time with her. For dinner she had five nuns from China and a nun from New York staying with her. We ate a great stir fry and had a house full of laughter. I sat and talked with Mary about my family history and showed her some of my work on an online family tree.
I then went and visited my cousin Daniel and had a great conversation. I stayed with my aunt that night and the next morning discussed traveling in Ireland. She had been there twice before and was able to give me some ideas for site seeing.


I drove to Aurora Colorado the next day, and on the way visited with my cousin Grant in Buffalo, WY. He was working at the newspaper where he is a reporter. We ate lunch and he showed me some fun spots around the town.
I continued to Colorado and missed getting into a severe thunderstorm by a few miles. I hit some rain but missed the large wind and hail. I stopped in and stayed a night with my cousin Ronda, who I hadn't seen in 8 years. It was great catching up and sharing family stories with her. We promised to spend more time together and get the cousins on our side together more. I then was off to Kansas for a friends wedding.