A Call to Adventure

El Fiji Grande · Oct 22, 2021

Day 18 — A Call to Adventure

October 21, 2021: I slept in a bit, enjoying the comfort of a warm bed in the morning. I played a few games to wake up, and sent a few messages to possible Warmshowers guest houses. I then repacked my bags and managed to put on smelly socks. I couldn’t pull that off another day; I’d need to do the

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 23, 2021

Day 19 — A Call to Adventure

October 22, 2021: Pfew, today was a BIG day! I woke up around 7:30 am, wanting to get an early start. I played a few games of Hearts, but didn’t get carried away. I did some research on the shooting range up the hill, thinking maybe today I’d shoot a gun for the first time in my life. I was hopin

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 26, 2021

Day 20 — A Call to Adventure

October 23, 2021: I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and otherwise cleaned myself up. I folded my bedsheets, leaned the airmattress back up against the wall, and moved my electronics to the kitchen table. I don’t want to make too much of a mess. When Kyle got up, we cooked eggs for breakfast and us

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 26, 2021

Day 21 — A Call to Adventure

October 24, 2021: I got up around 7:45 am, getting out my computer to check on the warmshowers requests I had sent out. Two responses indicated that they’d be willing to host me, one was unsure if they’d be available, and the last two, furthest out ones would be out of town. Brilliant news! It mean

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 26, 2021

Day 22 — A Call to Adventure

October 25, 2021: Having stayed up a bit too late the night before talking, I slept in a bit. When I eventually woke up, the house was still and quiet. I checked on my laundry and packed a few of my bags, then went upstairs looking for the shower. Calliope greeted me at the top of the stairs, and I

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 31, 2021

Day 23 — A Call to Adventure

October 26, 2021: I looked out the rain-streaked window. Large puddles of water sat atop the grass of the front lawn and neighbor’s yards. It still rained heavily, though not as hard as last night. I yawned, checking the radar and forecast. The storm would pass by mid-morning, after which I’d have

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 31, 2021

Day 24 — A Call to Adventure

October 27, 2021: The windows dripped with rain from the night before, the clouds still clearing as a new day dawned. I checked my Warmshowers messages and saw a there weren’t any positive responses… most people were just busy or out of town. Mama suggested I take a look at the possibility of getti

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El Fiji Grande · Oct 31, 2021

Day 25 — A Call to Adventure

October 28, 2021: I had a nightmare of wandering through the gridlike streets of New York, desperately trying to find a public restroom. In my dream, I never did find one, but was too polite to just piss off the side of a bridge. Instead, my bladder burst. At that thought, I woke up, and urgently h

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Day 26 — A Call to Adventure

October 29, 2021: Mama had been incessantly warning me to take my bike to a shop to get it in the box as soon as I could, since I didn’t know how long it would take them. But as I keep telling her, I have done this before. It takes about an hour to disassemble the biggest pieces of the bike and pac

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SK 908 departure from Newark (landed safely in Oslo)
SK 4603 departure from Oslo (landed safely in Dublin)

El Fiji Grande · Oct 31, 2021

End of Phase 0 — A Call to Adventure

Noting that I still need to complete my blog entries for October 29, 30, and 31… and that I still want to complete a Guide to Stealth Camping that was requested by Lucas, I’m going to skip ahead to this post. I’m through security at Newark airport now, looking out at the distant city lights of the W

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Empty · Oct 31, 2021

El Fiji Grande · Nov 1, 2021

Still have to work on Days 27 and 28.... but skipping ahead to today, here's Day 29:

Day 29 — A Call to Adventure

November 1, 2021: I got a solid two hours of sleep on the plane, plus maybe an additional two hours of drifting in and out trying to get to sleep. Meal service was great, and I’m continuously surprised by how much better it is than airlines in the US. Okay, maybe not surprised, but disappointed tha

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El Fiji Grande · Nov 11, 2021

I know I'm super-behind on the blog. Quick summary: I cycled from Dublin to Athlone, then south to Cork, where I am now. Will get around to it eventually. Anyway, from deep in the backlog, here's Day 27:

Day 27 — A Call to Adventure

October 30, 2021: Janthomas was upstairs making dough when I got up. He had gotten his yeast out of the refrigerator and had placed the glass cup in the oven to activate them. While he worked, I got a San Pellegrino lemonade out of the fridge to sip. We went over our plans for the day. I needed to

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El Fiji Grande · Nov 11, 2021

Day 28 — A Call to Adventure

October 31, 2021 Today was all about travel. I had to pack, fetch my bike, get to the airport, and fly to Oslo, then Dublin. It would consume the entire day. I was up early, at about 7:30 am. I went upstairs to find Janthomas in the kitchen, and told him about my plan to use a cardboard box to pack

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El Fiji Grande · Nov 11, 2021

Day 30 — A Call to Adventure

November 2, 2021: I woke up around 8:30 am, and considered going downstairs for breakfast. Mama was very critical of my nap last night, stating that the best way to get through jet lag is to stay up until the proper time in the new place and get to sleep then, rather than resorting to a nap earlier

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Empty · Nov 12, 2021

It's a month since you started your epic bike trip! How are you?

El Fiji Grande · Nov 12, 2021

Empty the FE2 fanatic:
It's a month since you started your epic bike trip! How are you?

I'm doing fantastic! Better than ever. Today is actually Day 40 - I just haven't been updating my blog as often as I should be.
Speaking of which, here's Day 31's entry:

Day 31 — A Call to Adventure

November 3, 2021: In the middle of the night, I rubbed my nose. I was feeling a bit stuffy. In an instant, I felt something trickle down. I thought it might be snot, but when it came out, it ran over my lips. Blood. I held my nose shut with one hand and rushed to the bathroom to deal with it. I was

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El Fiji Grande · Nov 12, 2021

Day 32 — A Call to Adventure

November 4, 2021: Peter was quietly working on his computer at the desk between the living room and kitchen. I wished him a good morning, then slept for another hour or so. Staying up so late reading hadn’t done me any favors. When I finally got up, Peter recommended I check out Phoenix Park, and h

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El Fiji Grande · Nov 12, 2021

Day 33 — A Call to Adventure

November 5, 2021: The cottage pie was good, but it didn’t completely fill me up. I ate a banana and two apples in the middle of the night from Peter’s fruit shelf. I let him know in the morning, and he thankfully didn’t mind. I went to the bike shop just after 10:00 am. Peter had me take his apar

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Great Bights Mum · Nov 12, 2021

Nice to catch up on your travels. Thanks for sharing!

El Fiji Grande · Nov 12, 2021

Great Bights Mum:
Nice to catch up on your travels. Thanks for sharing!

Still a lot of catching up to go....

El Fiji Grande · Nov 15, 2021

Day 34 — A Call to Adventure

November 6, 2021: Just as it was a cold night, it was a cold morning too. I woke to the sound of runners passing the tent at about 10:00 am. They kept coming. At first I assumed it was a small group, but after several minutes of gravel crunching outside, I knew it must be some sort of race or marat

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Great Bights Mum · Nov 15, 2021

I had to google images of the Wild Atlantic Way, and it looks simply breathtaking.

El Fiji Grande · Nov 22, 2021

Day 35 — A Call to Adventure

November 7, 2021: Camped on the side of the trail by a farm, I was woken early by the sounds of cows in the pasture over. It was cold, a crisp morning. On warmer days I’d have taken it easy and lounged around a bit. But the cold is a strong motivator. I packed my bags quickly, ready to go just as t

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Today is actually Day 50, so I'm really behind now...

El Fiji Grande · Nov 22, 2021

Day 36 — A Call to Adventure

November 8, 2021: I ate muesli for breakfast with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Su had already left to go swimming, but I talked with Gerry some more over the food. He told me about a trip in which he had hiked in the mountains of Yemen. I mentioned my trip to Peru, and talked about the altit

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El Fiji Grande · Dec 16, 2021

To acknowledge how far behind in the blog I've fallen:

A Call to Action — A Call to Adventure

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here: I’ve fallen mightily behind. My last post, Day 36, includes a description of my approach to Cloughjordan and my stay with Warmshowers host Elaine there. It’s been over a month since then, and I’ve lost track of the days. If I had to guess, today 12/

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I definitely need to catch up. I may not post them all in order.

Days 60 & 61 — A Call to Adventure

December 2, 2021: Day 60: I did nothing all day. I slept in, listened to my audio book, played a few games of Hearts on my phone, and made a 2km round trip to a Centra and back for food. Otherwise, I lounged in the tent, a total zero day. In the evening, I called Palmer, and we talked for an hour.

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Day 62 — A Call to Adventure

December 4, 2021: I woke, packing my wet sleeping bag into its dry bag. I packed everything else up then too. I understood now what had happened. The last two days of rain had raised the watertable of the bog I had been camping in, and the perception that I had been sinking into the mud had very m

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Day 63 — A Call to Adventure

December 5, 2021: I slept well. I packed up in the morning, then rode my bike back down the trail. I captured a little bit of gopro footage from those woods before the battery almost immediately died. That was the last of my gopro batteries, so I wouldn't be able to record any more footage until I

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Day 64 — A Call to Adventure

December 6, 2021: I woke just before 9 am, and came downstairs for breakfast. I had ordered the traditional full Irish breakfast, consisting of rashers, sausage, black pudding, tomato, and an egg served with soda bread and toast. Mary is a baker, and the soda bread was fresh. I saw a sign that sai

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Day 65 — A Call to Adventure

December 7, 2021: The first part of the storm arrived early. Wind buffetted the windows, rain and hail thrashed the building. The power went out. I wondered how that would affect breakfast and my plan to learn how to make soda bread with Mary. When I did get up, the rain had calmed, and as the mor

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Day 66 — A Call to Adventure

December 8, 2021: The storm passed overnight. It was still pretty windy the next morning, but was manageable. I was again served the traditional Irish breakfast. I brought up the matter of payment. I had registered for the B&B on their online site, since I had wanted to pay with card, but

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Day 67 — A Call to Adventure

December 9, 2021: I knew I'd have a big day ahead of me. I was able to check Warmshowers in advance, and a gent named Hendrik in the small town of Ballinruan north of Ennis had agreed to take me in. But first, I had to cycle to Lahinch and then to Doolin to see the Cliffs of Moher. But I slept in

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Day 68 — A Call to Adventure

December 10, 2021: I got an early start towards Galway. I had a Warmshowers host set up on the outskirts of the city, so it would be a huge day ahead. Were I to travel directly, it would just be 50 or so km, but since I also wanted to detour to see Burren National Park and the Father Ted house nea

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El Fiji Grande · Dec 17, 2021

As I said, out of order.

Day 55 — A Call to Adventure

November 26, 2021: I woke up with the tent slapping the top of my sleeping bag. Had it collapsed? No, it straightened as the wind eased. I got up, putting on my shoes, and left the tent, unsure whether to trust it from blowing away. But I had to act. It didn't blow away. When I returned, I set abo

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kat · Dec 17, 2021

Wait why did you fall behind in the blog?

El Fiji Grande · Jan 6, 2022

Katyarda:
Wait why did you fall behind in the blog?

I fell behind because of a number of reasons. The biggest reason I think is because I was being really thorough in wanting to tell the whole story. There were other reasons too, like not having consistent internet access or power, as well as just generally not being in the mood after a long day cycling. But one way to make the blog a bit more sustainable is to be a little more succinct in the way I jot down main events. Perhaps use bullet points. If I someday expand these blogs, it might leave me space to write a memoir that's more complete.

Anyway... continuing out of order, and in somewhat shorter form:

Day 79 — A Call to Adventure

December 21, 2021: Cycled up Clew Bay. It’s got dozens of islands in it. Wonder how they formed. Passed Westport House and golf club. Went out to Rosmoney Pier. Ate bread with blackcurrant jam there. It was good. Way back, saw farmer. Asked him about spray painted sheep. He said they’re a brand

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Days 80 & 81 — A Call to Adventure

Day 80: December 22, 2021: I don’t have any photos from either of these two days. Listened to my audio book Words of Radiance in the morning. Finished it! Brandon Sanderson writes epic fantasy in a way that slowly builds. He explains the rules behind his magic and describes the world and its

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Day 82 — A Call to Adventure

December 24, 2021: Having spent the last two full days listening to audio books, my phone was totally out of battery by the morning of Day 82 (Dec 24th). Had my phone still had some charge, I think there’s pretty good odds I’d have spent a third day listening to Oathbringer. It’s just… addicti

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Day 83 — A Call to Adventure

Christmas Day: December 25, 2021: The next morning, diarrhea struck early. You’re not going to want to hear the details. Long story short, I was up early. I ate the rest of my salad, using more of the vinaigrette dressing to make it tasty. The morning was quite windy, so I packed my tent quickly,

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Day 84 — A Call to Adventure

December 26, 2021: I woke up pretty early to the sound of dripping. The trees were still wet from the rain that had continued to fall through much of the night, and big drops of water made wet splatting sounds on my tent and the pine needles nearby. I got up, grudgingly putting on my very much sti

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Day 85 — A Call to Adventure

December 27, 2021: Slept in. Checked out of hotel at 11 am. Went downstairs and got some food from the coffee shop. Got a pesto sandwich with tortilla chips. Chips were drizzled in sweet and sour sauce - an interesting idea, but they were alright. The sandwich was fantastic, but a bit expensive.

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Day 86 — A Call to Adventure

December 28, 2021: Big day. Cycled from Castlebar to Ballycastle. Route through Pontoon and along Lough Conn. Stopped in Knockmore for food. Picked up an Aero chocolate bar for the first time. I like trying new chocolates and candies, and am also working my way through the various varieties of c

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Day 87 — A Call to Adventure

December 29, 2021: Little bit of water seeped up from turf overnight, but this wasn’t too much of an issue. In the morning, it was extremely windy, so I put my tent away before having breakfast. The patio area behind the bar was a very nice place to hang out. I plugged in my computer there a

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Day 88 — A Call to Adventure

December 30, 2021: I had to reach Sligo by early evening for an appointment, so I had to get going early and stay moving throughout the day. I packed up just after dawn, riding back to Ballina to get back on the Wild Atlantic Way. Definitely not the most direct route, but following WAW wouldn’t

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Day 89 — A Call to Adventure

December 31, 2021: New Year’s Eve: Got up very early for morning appointment. Surprisingly, lab results were in, so that was good. Would have to go to the pharmacy later. Appointment went well. Went back to hostel to pick up bike and let Paddy know that I’d like to stay another night. He agr

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Day 90 — A Call to Adventure

January 1, 2022: Departed Sligo. Slight detour toward Rosses Point Decided not to look at the beach at Grange I waited under a gas station plaza roof while a rain storm passed by. Went inside and bought sour candy to chew on. Looked at the classic atlantico.ie Wild Atlantic Way map. Such a

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Day 91 — A Call to Adventure

January 2, 2022: Woke up to huge wind that threatened to collapse the tent. Actually did collapse the tent a few times while I was still in it, but quickly popped back up, just like at Inch Beach. Was going to leave tent, but it started raining, so I watched a video for an hour while I waited fo

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Today, for the record, is the start of Day 96.

El Fiji Grande · Jan 7, 2022

I'll also be adding more photos to the Wild Atlantic Way gallery.

The Wild Atlantic Way — A Call to Adventure

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El Fiji Grande · Jan 12, 2022

I did it! I completed the Wild Atlantic Way!

El Fiji Grande · Jan 24, 2022

Day 112 — A Call to Adventure

January 23, 2022: I came downstairs to find Nigel in the living room. He had packed up the three eggs I had hardboiled last night for my ride today, and also gave me a banana, a tangerine, and a granola bar. The kitchen doesn’t have proper ventilation, so if you cook food in the house, the fumes

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Day 113 — A Call to Adventure

January 24, 2022: I slept well today. The campsite was quiet overnight, despite being at a rest stop near the A76. The River Nith gurgled nearby as a I slept. In the morning, the air was crisp, but not too cold. I got up. Instead of packing, I had to fix my rear tire, which had a slow leak and w

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A Call to Adventure

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Winter is here!

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Winter is here!

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Grande Dame

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Grande Dame

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

7

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting

Over 40000 km and counting