Hill of Tara

This trip to Ireland began in mid September 2017 - I'm slowly getting around to posting

It has now become traditional to join Colm for a spin up to the cafe at the Hill of Tara. In 2013, I was still recovering from a broken back. So John, Declan and Colm cycled up, while Suzanne, Muriel and I drove up. After lunch I had a great time walking around and taking photos in the awesome early winter light.  The next year, I was thrilled to be back on a bike, as John, David, Colm and I cycled up. Then it just became an annual thing to ride with Colm up to the Hill of Tara, repeated in 2015, 2016 and again this year.

We spent our first day on the ground in Ireland walking around, running errands, and re-assembling John's bike. Since I'd left my Honey in Ireland last year, I just needed to attach a light and GPS mount.

Then we called Colm to see if he'd like to go ride the next day. Unsurprisingly, he said, "Sure, Hill of Tara?"

We decided to meet at his place, so he could show off his pristine bike shed. Something is just wrong that this shed is so clean or organized. Every tool is hanging or put away. Wheels and frames hang from the rafters, and one can actually walk around without tripping over tires or bike parts. I know John has dreams of a setup like this, but somehow our workshop just doesn't meet the mark.

So after geeking out for a while, looking at freshly repainted frames and new acquisitions, we finally hit the road. 

Sadly each subsequent year traffic around Dublin becomes worse, so it's a few kilometers further every year before John and Colm can ride side by side and catch up on a year's worth of conversation. This means the lunch stop gets longer and longer every year to make up for the lost chatting time on the bike! And with such a long lunch, including dessert and hot cocoa - the real reason for going - we didn't have much time to wander around the grounds. After our late start, and extra time checking out to bike shed, it seemed that the dark monster was certain to catch us on the way home, so we decided to head straight back. Also despite the way Colm was dressed, it was quite chilly and blustery.