The Rocky Road From Dublin

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

It’s been a hell of a week. Mostly good, then near disaster. More about that later. First, let’s talk about the good stuff. Dublin. What a great city. World’s Largest Village. One of the most walkable cities in the world. Mostly, because everything that you’d really want to see is within a couple of miles radius. 

Marianne and I got here, accompanied by daughter Meaghan and her boyfriend Yung on Saturday after a mostly uneventful flight. Seems that all that media stuff about how horrible TSA check times is mostly baloney. Same with the traffic problems at LAX. We, however, at the time, erred on the side of caution, so had a three hour wait before Aer Lingus people even showed up. The line moved fine, but  of course, we were in a part of LAX that’s under construction. Gosh, what a surprise. Construction at LAX. I can’t remember a time when there WASN’T construction at LAX. Anyway, TSA was no real problem, then we waited. Found dinner at a burger place inside. All the for joints are average if you’re lucky. Young got a piece of plastic in his, and the people at the counter were about as incompetent as you can imagine. sigh. 

The plane ride was fine, we’d opted for the Extra Leg Room Seats and were glad we did. The only problems are no movie screen (BFD, I can’t watch movies on planes anyway) and the trays are in the seat arms instead of ahead of you. The BEST part, aside from being able to stretch my 6’1” frame out was no one leaned back into us, and we didn’t have to crawl over half the plane to get to the potty. Since we’d eaten at the airport, we could ignore the airplane food, no loss there. The other bonus was that the plane left at 8PM our time and got to Dublin about 2PM their time. Perfect! We slept most of the flight and woke up in the “morning”. Hardly any jet lag. Our accommodations in Dublin are great. Seven people for a week though Air B&B for just over a grand! No kidding. No wonder hotels are screaming! Conor and Jorinde are great hosts, the place is clean, comfortable and well equipped. I highly recommend them. 

We hit Dublin and of course it was raining. At times pretty good. Made us worried about driving the TR, but that was the last time it’s rained all week. Remarkable! We headed out to dinner and found a pub with food and our first pint of the Black Stuff. DAMN IT’S SO MUCH BETTER IN IRELAND!!! It rained all the way there and back, a good couple of miles, and we were soaked. Tired and sore, we hit the sack, knowing that the rest of the crew would arrive about 6AM! And they did. 

We let them sleep and we sacked out as well, then headed into town for a meal and a look at the museum at the Collins Barracks (formerly, the Royal Barracks and seat of English military control over Ireland for some 200 years). Found a Slovakian restaurant of all things and had great food (and Guinness, of course). I had a dish of cheesy dumplings with smokey bacon that was fantastic. Other’s had stews, fish and chips, and assorted delights. It’s called Pifko and is right along the Liffey River, across from the Four Courts. 

The museum was, as are all museums in Ireland, terrific. I checked out the military part, others the decorative arts part. They, along with every museum in Ireland had a special display on the Easter Rebellion. This is the centenary of the 1916 uprising that finally lead to independence for most of Ireland, after 700 years of English domination. All the displays are both patriotic and realistic. Sure, there’s the expected support of the Mythology of Revolution. We do that, every country has it’s National Mythology that shades the truth. There is, in these displays, enough questioning and presenting other views that it is refreshing to see history that isn’t so wrapped up in the flag of patriotic fervor that it becomes a warped alternate reality. So, enough of the history lesson. For now. 

Monday, we headed out for more sightseeing around town, walking our legs off. Dublin Castle was the highlight. The self guided tour only takes in the State Rooms, not the Norman castle or church. One of the intriguing things is the statue of justice that the English put up. She’s NOT blindfolded and has her back to the city (and it’s inhabitants) of Dublin. The symbolism, wether intended or not, was obvious. Then it was off to Guinness!! The tour is great. It’s also loud and crowded. The skyline bar has a 360 degree view of Dublin, but it probably the most crowded place in Dublin. And loud. Still, it’s worth it. Dinner was at Arthur’s, a pub just down the street. Excellent food an a blues band. 

First up on Tuesday was a trip to the Powerscourt Waterfall, just south of Dublin. Up through the Wicklow hills on the narrowest of roads, meeting sheep wandering in the middle of things, and then this amazing place, part of the Powerscourt Estate. It’s a massive waterfall (highest in Ireland) that truly impresses. Following that, we headed to Cashel for lunch. It was  average at best. Place called Fahey’s. My smoked salmon on soda bread was good, as was Marianne’s seafood chowder. Others? not so much. Meaghan’s peas tasted of cigarettes, and Paul’s “Southern Fried Chicken” wasn’t even up to the Colonel’s standard. The good part was we drove around the Rock of Cashel and amazed everyone, then, I had a surprise. The Rock overlooks another ruined abbey, Hore Abbey. This place is FREE and has the same haunting feel as the Rock, without the tourists getting in every photo or the admission fee. It’s just to the west of the Rock, the entry is off Camus Road. 

From there we headed for Blarney and the most famous castle in Ireland, build by Cormac McCarthy (yes, indeed) in the 1400s replacing an earlier fortification dating from 1200 or so. And we made a discovery. We got there about 4PM. The place was empty. All the tour buses were gone. It’s open in the summer until 7PM, so here’s a top tip, get there late. When we were there ten years ago, the line stretched from well outside the castle entrance all the way to the top (and the Blarney Stone) and back down again. Either way, the climb is not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic. Up a spiral stair (that goes clockwise, so an attacker’s sword in his right had can’t really reach around but a defender’s can!) it’s more like a ladder than a stair. Going down it’s a little wider but not much. Brianna and Paul kissed the stone, although none of us really need an enhanced ability to BS. The view from the top is spectacular. Here’s another top tip. Eat in Blarney before heading home. The food is better and you’re not stuck trying to find food in small towns that roll up by 5PM. We settled for back in Cashel at a “pizza” place called Moretti’s. It was unmitigated crap. I mean it, it was some of the worst slop I’ve ever eaten. Hell, a lukewarm McRib would have been better. Our big mistake was to look for food too late and too tired to care. It will always bite you in the butt. 

Wednesday was another tour, this time to the Boyne Valley and the REALLY old stuff. Older than the Pyramids stuff. 5000 year old burial mounds at Knowth and New Grange. To see them, you MUST use the visitor’s center (which has some great displays) and then take a shuttle to the sites. Knowth is frankly more interesting than New Grange, there’s more there. New Grange has the advantage of being able to go all the way into the center. The engineering on these is remarkable. Even more so, when you realize all the had for tools were sticks and stones. And no Space Aliens didn’t help,  do NOT get me started! We were all amazed at the enormity of it all. From there, we headed to Trim Castle. By the way, the Garmin GPS was working well, if, at times a bit oddly. It is, however, almost worthless in Dublin City itself. Anyway, we hit Trim after munching a good lunch at the cafe at the museum. Ireland’s museum food is generally quite good. Trim Castle was of particular interest, as it was a Norman fortification built by Hugh de Lacy in the 1170s. That’s important because Marianne is a direct descendant of de Lacy! I’ve got Blarney, she’s got Trim. Pretty cool, eh? It’s a marvelous ruin that is, in a way, a playground for the locals. The weather was fantastic and families were out picnicking, kids were running about shrieking and climbing on things, it was wonderful! Anther top tip. Get the OPW Heritage Site card. It get’s you into most of these places free! From there, we headed back and the GPS got us completely lost trying to find the Hertz place. We made it just in time, then had dinner at a local place, the Headliner. Excellent seared hake (a white fish) and a flight of whiskies. “Writer’s Tears” is now a favorite. 

Thursday was to be the Big Day. Off early to get the TR. Got there a bit too early, but was invited in for a cuppa. Signed the paperwork, paid the last fees. Had to jump start it of course. Found a gas station, and headed back. Then it happened. Traffic came to an abrupt stop and I didn’t. A brake hose sprung a leak, pedal went to the floor, I swerved but no. WHAM. Hit a poor guy’s van. SHIT! Front corner of the TR crunched. Managed to get her stopped and worked it to the side of the road. The poor guy was amazing. Very understanding. He called the Garda (cops) for me. I got out the crowbar and pried up the bonnet. The ‘good’ news was the damage was all superficial, not structural. No damage to the radiator or suspension. Just a nice hole in the right front Aeroquip brake hose. hmmm. 

Then things got interesting. A guy comes up and suggests I ask at the garage across the street if they can help. By that time the Nicest Policeman In the World, comes up and takes the info. He then offers to not only block traffic, but to HELP PUSH IT ACROSS THE STREET!!!!!! Amazing! The garage, Atlas Auto Service, run by Brendan was also great. Said they’d help get it all sorted. Got the offending hose off and a mechanic walked over to a parts place to find a match. They give me a alb hammer and I pounded out the worst of it so nothing rubs. Mechanic comes back and of course, the hoses don’t fit. No worries, they have a guy who makes up hoses. They say, leave the car here, we’ll get you going. With a heavy heart, I leave the Blue Meanie and grab a cab back. Nice chatty fellow. “Don’t tell the missus, the women, they’re the worriers.” I get back and call Moss Motors UK. Yes, the have replacements and yes, they can overnight them. Wonderful. I can rest easy. It’s never this easy, is it? I call Friday about noon to Moss and find out the shipping department sent it out 2-3 day delivery! WTF???? I have them send another, “overnight”. I get a tracking number late Friday night, and bugger. It says delivery MONDAY! I call Moss and yep, they did it again. As I type, the part is sitting in the TNT (like UPS, but not. Not at all) depot in Dublin and they don’t seem to actually do Saturday deliveries!!!!! WTF AGAIN! Naturally, our Air B&B place in Dublin is booked next week, so off to the internetweb to find new digs for Marianne and me. And look here, a Best Western almost next door to the garage where the car is! HUZZAH. Eventually, riding to the rescue, was Patrick McMahon on the TR Registry in Ireland. He'd heard of my plight, and found me a rubber hose, taken off a car undergoing restoration, well south of Dublin! He got it to me on a Sunday, no less, so I could check out the hose from Moss on Monday. Guess what? Yep, the car has the rubber hose. Patrick is one of those kind, wonderful gentlemen who will always help a fellow Triumpista. The network of TR Guys in Ireland and the UK is amazing. 

The rest of Thursday was great, despite the Car Crap. Caitlin and I went to a play at the Abbey Theatre (Ireland’s National Theatre) and saw an awesome performance of “Observing the Men of Ulster As They March Towards the Somme.” No, it wasn’t a light hearted romp. It was heavy and exceptional. Caitlin was blown away by the technical aspects as well as the play. 

Friday was Meaghan’s 30th Birthday! She was off with Yung, then we all met up at the Porterhouse in Temple Bar. Excellent food. Slow braised pork belly and lentils, Kilo of Mussels, Oysters, Salmon. WOW. After, we tried to find room at the Brazen Head (oldest bar in Ireland, dates from the 1100s!) but on a Friday? Nope. Across the street was O’Shea’s Merchant. A place dedicated to traditional music. AND HOW. The lass with the fiddle (and I’m sorry, I never caught her name) was the Heifetz of Irish fiddling. SHE WAS BRILLIANT! 

Now it’s Saturday night. we should be in Mullaghamore but aren’t I’ve devised a plan to get us back on track to make Edinburgh by next Friday and still see Loch Ness and the Whisky Trail in Scotland.  So far, we’ve at least proven Robert Burns’ dictum, “The best laid plans o’mice and men gang aft aglee”.

Expectations

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

I’m sitting here realizing that in three weeks’ time, we’ll be heading out on our Great Adventure. Some 2800 miles driving the Triumph over Irish, Scottish, English, Cornish, and Welsh backroads. On the wrong side of the road. For a month and a half. The longest trip we have EVER had together. What WAS I thinking?

All of a sudden, I’m beginning to realize what a daunting task I’ve set for us. Marianne, good sport that she is, has gone along willingly, aiding and abetting the family insanity. It’s not the miles we’ll be traveling that is daunting. Heck, it’s about the same as going to Olympia, WA, and we’ve done that TWICE in the TR and four or five times in other cars. HELL, once, daughter Meaghan and I banzaied home from Oly NON STOP! It’s not even the reliability of the Auld Crate that’s bothering me. I’ve done what I can to make things right. So, what is it? Have I planned TOO well, so now, three weeks away, we only have a few small tasks to complete? Stopping the mail and newspaper, setting up the international calling on the phone, buying socks? Instead of rushing about madly, completing the thousand and one tasks that bedevil any trip, I seem to be sitting and fretting, wondering what I’ve forgotten to plan for. Did I plan TOO well? Marianne calls them the “What Ifs”. 

So, what can we expect? What adventures await us? We have a planned route and only three reserved places to stay. Edinburgh for two nights, Portsmouth for four (as close to Goodwood as we could find), and Portmerion for one (site if the TV cult classic “The Prisoner”) and that’s it. For the rest, using a variety of internet review sites, I’ve identified places we might try to stay in, and friends have suggested places to eat and see, but who knows? St. Serendipity will be given a free hand. 

We expect, at the very least, to provide a good laugh and heads shaken in bemusement by the locals as us utterly mad Yanks cruise along. Maybe, even a pint or two. Probably, a healthy dose of what the Irish call Craic. No, not crack, but good conversation, good laughs, good people, maybe some good music. And NO politics. Nope, we’re leaving all thought of the Pantsuited Harpy and the Cheetofaced Ferretwearer at home. Same with Brexit. Nope, this is VACATION. 


We expect great roads and wonderful scenery, and a bit of rain. We expect traffic in the middle of small towns and sheep induced road blocks in the countryside. And a bit of rain. We expect ancient ruins, steam railroads, and a bit of rain. We expect to get lost more than once and expect that in so doing, St. Serendipity will bail us out and take us to some place wondrous. And a bit of rain. Did I mention we expect some rain? Heck, we might even see the sun in Wales! Who knows? 




You see, that’s the glory of a trip like this. More than a month on the road. In a foreign, yet, vaguely familiar land. Probably proof of GB Shaw’s dictum that “we are the same people, separated only by a common language.” We are resolved to go as native as possible. No pining for McD (not that we do that HERE) or even In-n-Out. I’m not even bringing a jar of Skippy. Tea at breakfast, (I might even attempt to get over my revulsion  of eggs brought about by the childhood trauma of my mother and grandmother making eggshell Christmas ornaments, requiring scrambled eggs at breakfast for months on end), haggis, local ales and cheeses, faucets and light switches that operate the wrong way around, all the odd little bits that make travel so fascinating and frustrating. 

So, dear reader, follow along with us as we discover, laugh, sing, and curse the elements on our great adventure. My plan (and as Burns said, “The best laid plans o’mice and men, gang aft aglee”) is to do weekly updates here on the blog (www.roadtippin-thebook.blogspot.com) and frequent photos and stuff on a separate Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoadTrippintheIsles/?skip_nax_wizard=true

The Devil in the Details Can Bite You in the Butt!

Road Trippin’
with
Steve McCarthy

So, followers of my scribblings will note how I’ve covered in minute detail all the necessary 1000 and One things to do with our Grand Tour. Except one. I made the mistake of “assuming.” You know about “assume?” Makes an Ass of U and Me? Yeah. What’s that other phrase, “For want of a nail...” Yeah. 

Yasee, shipping a car abroad requires the actual Title. What we call here a “Pink Slip.” Only, they aren’t pink anymore, and aren’t used to keep one’s kilt from scratching. It proves you actually own the car. It’s important. I knew EXACTLY where it was. Manila folder, marked “Triumph TR3” in my dad’s handwriting. It dates to 1969, when I bought the car (remember that date, it will be important later). Marianne is a GREAT Filer of Things. Really organized. So, of course, instead of checking that I had the title, THE most important document, and one that, if lost, usually takes WEEKS to get from the DMV, was gone. Nowhere to be found. Nada. Zip! 

We turned the house upside down. Searched everything and everywhere. No such luck. Called AAA. No, they couldn’t help, BUT, they told me DMV has an expedited service for a mere $15 extra. OK, found it, 8-10 days. Cool. Down load the form, fill it out, go to post office, overnight it (with a promise of Tues by 3:40). And wait. And Wait. AND WAIT! 

Finally, I check USPS tracking. It was not delivered until Wed. 6/8 (REFUND!). Sigh. So I wait. Some 11 days from receipt I called the DMV. And amazingly, got a very nice lady who took the info, was horrified (esp as I told her it could cost me thousands of $$$ in extra fees!). She at first said, "well, the website isn't actually telling the truth. It can take 8-10 days after they pull it off the pile! I'm not happy (but, surprisingly, in a nice way). "Can I get you my supervisor?" That's never a good sign when THEY offer the supervisor. The supervisor, ALSO a very nice lady tries calling the appropriate department. No one answers. WTF! So, she gets my info and promises a phone call, probably Friday!!! I push a bit saying that might be too late. I DID get a call on Thurs. whew. This lady was also very nice. She gets all the info (by this time I can tell her that a 'J. Freidman' signed for it) and she says she'll call me back. Hour or so later, she does. THEY CAN'T FIND IT!!!! IT'S LOST!!!! My heart is racing and my BP is about to burst a vessel. "So now what?" "Well, send us another form and check". "NO, that's not acceptable. I HAVE to have the title." "Let me talk to my manager...OK, can you fax me a copy?" "Of course (this IS 1990 isn't it? DMV needs to upgrade from their Commodore 64 computers!). "And write up a 'statement of facts' and we will waive the fee." So, off to Staples. I fax the stuff, return and call. Meanwhile the gal I was talking to has left for the day, but she referred me to her coworker. Great. I ask for her. "She's at lunch...oh wait, she just walked in." First thing that's gone my way. She gets the fax, and asks me to fax a shipping label to overnight it. "Can I email you a pdf?" "Oh, ok," So I hunt around the UPS, etc, sites, can't find how to do that, and BINGO! I call Tina at Autobooks!!!! She does one up, emails it to me, I forward it on. Then I call. Desiree has my paper work done, and checks. Hey Presto, the label is there. She sends it out, I got it Saturday! Shipper is happy, he has a Model A and a Harley (yeah I know what Jones will say) ready to go. So, 8:00AM we'll have the TR at the shipper in Gardena. 

And, as the Infomercial says, “BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!”. 

Monday we drove down to Gardena, signed papers, showed ‘em how to start it up, all that good stuff. With a bit of a sniff, we bid the Blue Meanie adieu. With great relief we drove back home. To a ringing phone. It’s the shipper. THE VIN ON THE CAR AND THE VIN I’VE HAD ON THE PAPERWORK SINCE (OK, class, what’s the answer?) 1969 DO NOT MATCH. 

If I thought I’d felt a heart attack coming on before, it was nothing like this. Thank GOD for a loving wife! Marianne calmed me down. A bit. Called my buddy Bill. He suggested, “Hey doesn’t Moss Motors sell new VIN plates?” Why, yes they do! “So, go up there, get one and a set of metal stamps and...” I call Moss and of course they’re out of them. 

Chest tightening again, I call my Sacramento Angel Desiree. “Oh, no problem. Take the car to a DMV office, have them do a verification, and send it and the title back to me. I’ll take care of you.” AMAZING! We all use the DMV as the poster child for bureaucratic inefficiency and sloth. All the people I dealt with prove that to be a big fat lie! 

So, in a tight chested adrenaline filled frenzy, we drive BACK to Gardena, get the TR, drive it to a DMV office in Hawthorne, a mere 3 miles away (!!!), get it checked, bring the car back to the shipper, then back home to print out a new form, off to FedEx (not trusting the USPS this time),  and get it overnighted to Desiree. 

It got there Tuesday morning. I called Angel Desiree to alert her. She called back to tell me she’d finished the changes, verified the VIN, and then popped the stuff back in the return overnight mailer. Sure enough, it got here Wednesday morning. BACK to Gardena, and my contact at the shipper was of course out to lunch. So we got to talk to his supervisor. He’s yer man, Damian, and he’s from Dublin! Had a nice chat where he told us to visit McDaid’s Pub, on Harry St., just off of Grafton St. “Tell ‘em to put yer pints on me tab...” 

So, the moral of this long and painful story? GET YOUR DAMN PAPERWORK IN ORDER AS SOON AS YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO UNDERTAKE A MAJOR TRIP. ALL OF IT. ESPECIALLY THE PAPERWORK YOU “KNOW “YOU HAVE AND “KNOW” EXACTLY WHERE IT IS. 

And yes, Desiree's supervisor got a letter extolling her actions. She was a gem and saved our trip! 

The other person I have to laud, is Christian, at Schumacher Cargo Logistics, in Gardena. He's been calm, helpful, supportive, and knowledgeable throughout this entire process. If you need large stuff shipped, HE IS DA MAN! He's getting a bottle of the good stuff, not just a letter! 

So Many Roads!

Road Trippin’ 

with Steve McCarthy

How many roads can a Triumph drive down...In Ireland and the UK, far too many. Google Maps Street View is the Devil! In a good way, I suppose. In an earlier missive, I touted it as a great way to “practice drive” some of the roads we plan to take on our Grand Tour of the Isles. It’s like staring at the case in 31 Flavors on a hot day, not able to make up one’s mind. SO MANY CHOICES!

I have (with some help from friends who have been there, as well as a few guide books) found some real gems, some Gotta Drives. Here’s a partial list, in no particular order, with links to Google so you can see for yourself. 

The Connor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula (https://www.google.com/maps/@52.1957382,-10.1833433,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sENCm_MqMY83Std1OWfD49A!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DENCm_MqMY83Std1OWfD49A%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D311.78333%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en): For sheer gutsy glory, this is a Gotta Drive. It’s freaking spectacular looking! Oh, and up ahead, the road is painted with “Go Mal”--that means “SLOW”. It also gets a bit narrow at the top, like one lane narrow! And yes, it’s a TWO WAY ROAD! Damn, I’m glad the Blue Meanie is a skinny car (unlike it’s driver). If you use the compass in the lower right, you can swivel the view. And just how many times did the little GoogleMobile drive up and down this road to get the sun to peek out and light up the lakes, uh, loughs? 

Next, is the B852 in Scotland. General Wade’s Military Road (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Loch+Ness/@57.2937601,-4.445036,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sbPbnW6I8IERWWjVE_DnBTw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DbPbnW6I8IERWWjVE_DnBTw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D273.78357%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x488f16c34da23729:0xd4d749cbf4fe912f!6m1!1e1?hl=en ). It runs along the south side of Loch Ness, and is free from Tourist Buses. For obvious reasons. It’s maybe a lane and a half wide, twists and turns along the edge of the lake, uh, loch, and it’s more likely that Nessie will appear on this side. The one down side is you miss seeing the ruins of Urquart Castle up close. 

England’s Lake District provides WAY to many choices. Long known as a paradise for those who like tramping o’er the hills on foot, looking for Romantic Inspiration in the haunts of Literary Luminaries like Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, this whole area is amazing. Try the A592 over Kirkstone Pass for example ( https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4476138,-2.9056023,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s62_Q4ma92qgDG8cihlva3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en) or the wider, more travels A591 out of Kewsick (https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Drunken+Duck+Inn+%26+Restaurant/@54.5501224,-3.0579034,3a,75y,83t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIgnuRsDPAIpCde9jI1ibEQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DIgnuRsDPAIpCde9jI1ibEQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D85.5%26pitch%3D-7!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x487cc00228ae0f9d:0x3d36a8b16af44ee1!6m1!1e1?hl=en ) for some of the most spectacular roads in the Isles. On the latter, B&Bs, Inns, and Pubs serving local brews seem to be abundant, but even Google shows a fleet of Caravans clogging the way, so be warned. 

Wales has an abundance of great drives as well. Out of Tinern Abbey is the A466 (https://www.google.com/maps/@51.7428194,-2.6698877,3a,75y,90h,92.36t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8RPv8nu8WJgW2jvzY69wjw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en), winding through an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. Or if coastal views are your thing, there’s the A493 north from Tywyn (the Welsh need to buy some vowels!) up the coast to Harlech https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tywyn,+Gwynedd,+UK/@52.6554492,-4.1026729,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTK-wYzf3M_ZOqxQE55Y7zw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DTK-wYzf3M_ZOqxQE55Y7zw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D311.72974%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x48657d1fba5e9093:0x35448de7e70b218c!6m1!1e1?hl=en). You can go wrong taking any coastal road! 

Cornwall and Devon have their share of great looking drives as well. The Great Dartmoor was the setting for The Hound of the Baskervilles, and looks as bleak and lonely as Dr. Watson described it. The B3212  (https://www.google.com/maps/@50.567817,-3.9447293,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siMxYEg0obZ1IXd_ggtzoqA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en ) runs through the heart of the moorlands and offers an amazing contrast to the lakes and forests of northern England. Again, there are inns and pubs along the way. Devon plays host to the Cheddar Gorge and the B3135 (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cafe+Gorge/@51.2869219,-2.7557019,3a,75y,180h,90t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s-U-Oc0UZLwHE%2FVZwbamjh_sI%2FAAAAAAAABiM%2FaZmLBrC4Z_gw82ZwJJPEJUCrkISxttqRQ!2e4!3e11!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2F-U-Oc0UZLwHE%2FVZwbamjh_sI%2FAAAAAAAABiM%2FaZmLBrC4Z_gw82ZwJJPEJUCrkISxttqRQ%2Fw203-h101-n-k-no%2F!7i7168!8i3584!4m2!3m1!1s0x48721e798118e2eb:0x596b2990c4047f25!6m1!1e1?hl=en). All I can say is WOW! 

Now, I’ve left out a bunch. I know. But this is a taste of what we have to look forwards to. Add the coast of Donegal, the Giant’s Causeway, the Cliffs of Moher, and The Burran and all I can say is the 3 months and 19 days (as of this writing) is WAY too long to wait. 

We’d LOVE to hear any suggestions for Gotta Drive roads. With any luck, we’ll be able to try them too! 

Marianne’s Birthday Cruise

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

We needed a break and it was Marianne’s birthday on April 1st. Go ahead, say it. She freely admits it and is proud of it. Anyway, off to the Central Coast, our Go To, Default Destination. Never get tired of the area and always find something new to try.

This time it was in Morro Bay at Giovanni’s. Daughter Meaghan told us to try the oysters. All I can say is WOW! Fresh, right from the bay, tasting of the sea, and BBQ’d with GARLIC and butter. YUM! Yeah, at lunch time on a Saturday, it was a forty-five minute wait. AND WORTH IT! Because the tables were crowded, we shared with a nice couple from Fresno. Easily one of the top ten lunches we’ve had!

From there, up 101 to Atascadero, room at the Motel 6 (don’t laugh, this is one of the nicer ones!) and, after cruising the area, house hunting (for some day, who knows, but we can see living there) and a light dinner, we sacked out.

Up early, I had the idea that around sun up would be a great time to catch some wild flowers. El Nino has done a decent job of watering the area and MAN are they out. Down 101 to 58, East to one of THE best roads in California, Bitterwater Road. Ran into some traffic, and a reminder to those morons who ruined the old Iron Bottom with their Naziwindsuckers why 120 mph is a VERY BAD IDEA on back roads. Especially when posted as open range.

We had thoughts of San Juan Bautista, but opted instead for Carmel Valley Road to the Coast. As always, another spectacular road. Then down Highway 1. It took patience. It was a Sunday, and it was crowded. Mostly things moved along except for the occasional Prius that HAD to pull out into traffic after meditating on Nature and figured Zen would do the driving.

Headed back over 46 to Paso Robles and back down 101 to home. So, an easy couple of days, Great scenery, great smells, and great food.

The Devil is in the Details

The Devil is in the Details

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

The devil is indeed in the details. And in spades! Stepping back and looking at it, planning a long range Road Trip is a lesson in Details. Having to be more or less self-sufficient for a month of cruising anywhere is a daunting task. Doing it on foreign shores, even in allegedly civilized countries is, well...

To give you an idea of scale, one of the things I’ve had to do is make a list of all the Stuff we’ll be packing in the TR to be shipped to the Auld Sod. The upside of shipping in a container is having the ability to ship car essentials with the car, not in your carry on baggage. I have a feeling the TSA would take a dim view of a loaded toolbox with all it’s assorted iron mongery in the overhead rack! To say nothing of blowing the airline’s fifty pound weight limit per checked bag!

Anyway, I made a little list. With photos. the list is FOUR PAGES LONG! Every spanner (I’m trying to learn English before we go), screwdriver, set of points, sparking plugs, and nard and skizzy has to be on the list. Damn, I never knew just how much stuff we haul around on a regular basis. Is it all essential? Who the hell knows. I call it the Umbrella Theory of Spares. If you don’t take it, you WILL need it!

Then there’s all the other details of travel that one just doesn’t think about here. Like Insurance. OK, we all have car insurance and medical insurance here. None of it’s worth a Tinker’s Damn over there. None of it. So, off to the good people at Hagerty’s for road insurance for the car. About a ten page application form and several hundred pounds sterling and we’re good to go. I have to say, Hagerty’s people are GREAT! They are Car People first, and Insurance Gnomes second. They clearly get Us. Which is good because no one else will touch the kind of folly Marianne and I are planning to commit. Since they have a UK division, it makes it all a piece of cake.

Then there’s medical insurance. Your US policy, be it Medicare, Obamacare, or Whothehellcares, won’t cover you across the pond, and since you’re not a citizen of the UK or Eurozone, neither will their vaunted National Health. An internet search for travel health insurance will net you mostly travel insurance. There’s a difference. Travel insurance is a good idea if you’re paying for a cruise in advance and have to cancel because poor Aunt Edna kicked the bucket, or you break a leg and can’t go. Travel HEALTH insurance will cover you if you trip over your own big feet and break a leg while on holiday. Given our advancing years and length of stay, the Umbrella (or should I be saying “brolly” or “bumpershoot?”) Theory applies here too. Enter  a company called IMG. For $200 bucks, we’re both covered. They have good reviews on line (the slightly scary bit is, most say “I didn’t need to use it but it was good to have”) and seem to be a reputable company. With one drawback. You know that maybe the Number One Good Thing about Obamacare is the removal of “pre-existing conditions”? Doesn’t seem to apply. If you keel over from a heart attack because your arteries have been clogged for decades, they won’t help you. How they get away with this is a mystery to me (but I smell a lobbyist in the woodpile somewhere).

The last insurance is shipping the car. In case its container falls off the boat, or some such other disaster. Hagerty will cover you, so will your shipper. Both cost the same, but it’s a bit easier to do it through the shipper. There are a lot of details they can cover (like who’s trucking it to and from the port, taking photos--which you should do anyway, etc) that led me to get the coverage from them. It’s a toss up.

  Those are the larger details. Here’s a bunch of others:

Phones: We got Marianne a new iPhone (what a REALLY cool piece of kit THAT is) and the attendant two year plan from Verizon. AT&T works as well and the cost is about the same. What’s important is the Travel Plan. I learned about this from my buddy Bill Morgan. He and his Girl Friend took a jaunt to Spain, France, and Italy last year. The deal is, in Yurp, each country seems to have it’s own cell system and they are naturally incompatible with anyone else’s! Seems silly, what with the Eurozone and all, but there you have it. One option is to get a burner phone cheap and the appropriate sim card for the country. That’s OK if you’re not crossing a border. Then you need a new sim, AND you get a new phone number. So, if you’re in Spain and call for a hotel reservation in France and give them the number in Spain, when you change sims, your old number goes away and the hotel can’t get in touch with you. Did I lose you yet?

With the Verizon travel plan, you can pay monthly (and cancel without penalty when you get home) and you keep your phone number, and can make calls and text and do interwebnetstuff to your heart’s content. BEWARE however, most of the data plans will cost you and it’s easy to eat up the data, so ONLY do web stuff where there’s WiFi, like at your hotel.

The really bitchin’ thing about the iPhone? With its BluTooth, we can play music through the intercom headsets we got! Just be SURE to download the music to the phone and disable the web access so you don’t eat up your data plan!!!

Electricity: Another thing we added was an electrical adaptor. Not only are the plugs in the UK/Ire of funky shape, they use 220v to our 110v. Stuff like hairdryers will fry! Allegedly, Apple stuff doesn’t need a voltage converter, but...Enter the Papeak Travel Power Center. It’s like a power strip on steroids. It’s a surge protector, adaptor to different voltages (and does it automatically, no fiddling with little switches, hoping you got the right amount of juice), AND it has four USB ports. The other advantage is it has a long cord so you don’t have to plug stuff in to the outlet that’s in an inevitably remote spot behind a sofa. It’s about $40 on Amazon.

AAA: Roadside Assistance. No, your Triple A card won’t help you much. I asked. So, enter AA (no, not the booze people). It’s the UK equivalent. And again, the Umbrella Theory is at work. Now, it’s a bit tricky setting things up, and it took several emails and live chat back and forth but here’s the deal. Using the UT, I went for the maximum “cover” (what they call coverage). Not only the UNLIMITED calls of the regular plan (ARE YOU LISTENING AAA?), where they will either fix your car at the roadside (including a couple of litres of petrol!) or tow you to the nearest garage to get it fixed. Add to that the “Trip Forward” option, and you’ll get a hotel room AND a rental car for a day. Then there’s the REAL KICKER! Opt for the cover that gets you PARTS AND LABOUR to fix the Auld Crate! The limit for parts is 500 pounds and they won’t cover normal wear and tear items. This is an amazing option.

So, drawbacks. There have to be drawbacks. It ain’t cheap and you have to buy a year’s worth. Price is based on the age of the car, so for the TR, it came to some $300. The other problem is you have to have a UK address and phone number. The phone isn’t much of a problem, the customer support people gave me a “generic bogus number with a lot of 1s in it. The address is more problematic. Luckily, we have friends across the pond who were willing to let us use theirs. When all the documents arrive, they’ll forward them on to us. You CAN get the coverage once you get there, but there seems to be a delay on when it starts. A little creative contact with a hotel you are planning to use for more than a couple of days might cover this problem.

Money: Ireland uses the Euro, the UK still has their Pound Sterling. You still have to deal with exchange rates. Here’s the hot tip. Get a credit card (you have more protection from fraud than with a debit card!) and use ATMs for cash. That’s where you’ll get the best rates. Try for a card that offers a rebate on ATM fees! Get one from a major bank, one that they’ll recognize over there. And make sure it has the new fancy chip. Most of Yurp uses those, have been for a donkey’s years. Large establishments will take Visa/MC, but if you’re stopping in small towns or B&Bs, they’ll want cash, so have enough on hand (and of course, don’t be an idiot! DO NOT FLASH YOUR WAD IN PUBLIC!) for routine purchases. Remember too, ATM fees are generally uniform. If you use one, get the maximum allowed, that amortizes the fees over the withdrawal.

Now, when you land or cross a border, you’ll also need some cash in fist. AAA here and probably your bank will sell you some Euros and Pounds. AAA has it on hand, your bank may need to order you some. A hundred of each should be more than sufficient to cover whatever costs you may have until you can hit an ATM. DO NOT GET CASH AT THE AIRPORT THEY WILL RAPE YOU ON THE EXCHANGE!!!  Important Tip: notify your banks that you will be traveling and they will see unusual activity on your cards! And nobody but nobody uses travelers’ cheques anymore.

Nards and Skizzies: Extra plug adaptors for when you forget one in a hotel, extra power/adaptor cables for phones/computers/cameras for the same reason. Several data chips for cameras. Spare keys for the car and luggage. Extra batteries for cameras. Extra battery chargers for same. Web addresses/phone numbers for potential hotels/B&Bs. Pack underwear, meds, copies of prescriptions (it’s not a bad idea for OTC meds to have the packages to ID what they are), toothbrush, and toiletries in your carry on luggage in case your real luggage gets lost, or sent to Abyssinia. Extra eyeglasses. A travel clock. Small flashlight. Hard copies of ALL reservations made. Bring a small reusable shopping bag. Markets don't provide them! You look silly coming out of a Spar or Tesco juggling beer, cheese, bread, and bangers! Copies of all documents (registration, insurance, Driver’s license, passport, title). A small knife. Clothing size conversion charts because if you need extra underwear, you’ll NEVER figure it out without help. I know, a lot of this stuff is now part of your smart phone, but what happens if it grows legs? Hmm?

So, that’s a lot of Stuff. It’s amazing how it all adds up. The danger is of course carrying too much Stuff. Understand, most consumables are available in one form or another over there. Ireland and the UK are civilized countries and have most of the usual amenities that we are used to. You may have to use a different shampoo or soap or toothpaste, so DEAL WITH IT! Most importantly, bring a good attitude. Don’t be the Ugly American, When in Rome... And above all, observe what used to be the Golden Rule of Polite Society. Never discuss Religion or Politics. Ever. 

Finding Your Way in Foreign Lands

Road Trippin’
with Steve McCarthy

Technology is a marvelous thing. Sometimes. You have to make it work for you, not the other way around. All this computer jazz is fun, but all the nards and skizzies are just tools. If they don’t do what you need them to do, why have ‘em? That’s why I resisted getting a computer for so long and still don’t have a cell phone. Still, I’m not the Neo-Luddite I make myself out to be. For the Grand Tour of the Isles, technology is going to be our friend. 

The obvious thing is of course GPS. As long as you don’t think it’s the end all and be all, it’s extremely useful ( see: http://roadtrippin-thebook.blogspot.com/2011/11/to-gps-or-not-gps.html) but beware of the limitations. What’s really neat about my Garmin is the add in chip that gives me a full set of UK/Ireland maps. Well worth it. The chief limitation is of course, the GPS’ major failing, it always wants to send you on a freeway (motorway over there) or some other main road. To defeat that, we’ll be programming in the small towns on the back roads to force it to see it our way. You use the “Trip Planning” function and enter in a list of towns along your planned route, forcing the thing to send you on the way YOU want to go. 

That leads us to another necessity. A real live, physical, analog piece of paper called a Map. You remember those, don’t you? Big ol’ fold out thing with squiggly lines all over it that you can never re-fold again? Yeah, those things. Thank God for the late, lamented Thomas Map Company. They came up with the brilliant idea of putting maps in books, each page an easy to read detailed map with arrows and page numbers for where the road went next. I cut my teeth on the LA County one when I drove buses back in the Dark Ages. Well, Michelin, you know, the French tire company? They’ve done the same thing and we got one for Ireland and the UK. Works on the same principle and has all the fine detail you need to explore the “B” roads. This will be a vital tool for nightly route planning and playing “Fool the GPS”. 

So, now I can hear all you Young Whippersnappers saying “What about Google?” What about it? Yes, it is a useful tool, but Google Maps (about the only really reliable set up) isn’t as good as it used to be! The idiots there eliminated the most useful tool for long range planning. It used to be, you could make up to 24 alterations/destinations. Now, it’s only about 10. Makes for a whole lot less flexibility. Yeah, I wrote them. they don’t care. They know best. They are Google. sigh. 

That doesn’t mean we won’t use it. It does make it easy to find places to stay and I’ve found that the Google ratings, along with those on Trip Advisor are the most reliable. They don’t play games like Yelp does, forcing businesses to buy ads to boost ratings. I don’t trust Yelp and won’t use it. This whole internet rating game has changed the business world, and generally for the better. It forces businesses to offer the consumer better service and products. Instead of questionable magazine reviews that may or may not be influenced by those that advertise (except Consumer Reports and Cooks Magazine, who take no ads), you get reviews from actual users/visitors and overall, they are quite useful. Not infallible, mind you. Businesses have caught on and pay people to write good reviews and even bad ones for competitors. The trick is to read between the lines and look at the overall picture. One lousy review because the yabbo couldn’t bring their hyena into the restaurant, or complaints about the WiFi shouldn’t really deter you. Several reports of vermin in the room? Yeah, might want to stay away from that one. Look at the overall impression and weed out the whiners. 

The coolest thing about Google Maps is of course, the street view. Not only can you take a look at the accommodation you have in mind, you can look at the neighborhood. And, most importantly for us, the parking. No, I don’t want to park the TR on the street overnight! In large cities, I want something secure, in small towns, at least something off the street. The other cool thing is checking out possible backroads. Yeah, you drag the little person to the road, click the compass thingy to get you oriented, then, click on the road and away you go! This will help you see if it’s a road you want to bother with or not. Damn, I’ve found some doozies out there! There is an added Bonus as well. Remember, this is the Land of Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road. Back in Aught Six, we flogged around Ireland in a Fiat Panda, learning to not only keep on the wrong side of the road, but shifting with the wrong hand. Now, using the street view, I can practice a bit, acclimating myself to the wrongness of it all, understanding the road signs and seeing what REALLY narrow roads look like. I’m telling ya, some of ‘em look like back alleys, not backroads! So, a Mac AirBook will be accompanying us, as well as an iPhone so we can call ahead for rooms (remember, we’ve only made a couple of advance reservations, we don’t want to get locked into a rigid time frame). 

That brings up another limitation on technology. You’d think, with all the globalization, that cell phone service would be globalized too. No such luck. Each country seems to have it’s own specific system that doesn’t want to talk to your phone. Le Sigh. This requires that you do one of several things. Get a cheap “burner” phone in each country, or a sim card that will connect you to their system. Trouble is, you get a new phone number each time and you STILL can’t ET it and phone home. To exacerbate it, say you are in Ireland and call a place in Scotland for a reservation. You give them your number. Then, when you get to Scotland, you have a new number, now they can’t contact you. Poof, there goes the reservation. My good buddy Bill Morgan solved that for us. He and his main squeeze Danni took a trip to Spain, France, and Italy. He discovered that his provider here (AT&T in this case) offers an international plan for $60/month. It’s not a contract deal, so, just sign up for a month or two, then cancel it when you come home. That allows you to use your phone just like you were at home. BIG WARNING!!! Only use your phone when you have to and ONLY use your hotel WiFi for anything involving the internet! You’ll burn up your data plan REAL fast. Verizon has a plan that’s similar to the AT&T, so pick your poison. The smaller carriers DO NOT SEEM to have such deals, unless you want Mexico or India, so you ARE stuck with one of the biggies. 

The next bit of Techie Legerdemain is for our own communication. The TR is loud. It’s a four wheel motorcycle. Usually, we wear earplugs under our Davida helmets to save what’s left of our hearing. That means, Marianne has a white board to write me messages and route instructions. That’s fine for a day or three. This trip is a WHOLE DAMN MONTH! Now, some guys might think that a whole month of not having their wife be able to talk to them for hours on end is a good thing. Maybe you need to evaluate your relationship. Just sayin’. The complexity of this trip, plus the desire to just be able to converse about what we see means that the white board just isn’t going to cut it. 

Technology and the Motorcycling Community to the rescue. Ever see those couples on their giant Honda Goldwings or Harleys? Ever see the boom mikes that comes out of their helmets? Yeah, they have communications. Used to be, they had to plug into a sound system on the bike. No more. Two words. Blue Tooth. Yeah, you get a unit that clamps onto each helmet. There’s speakers that go inside the ear flaps and a boom mike. They are both synced to the Blue Tooth on your phone and Hey Presto, Robert is your Mother’s Sister’s Husband, you can talk to each other. It’s Freakin’ Amazing! Now here, you can dial your phone into Pandora or Spotify and get music, but over there, you’ll burn through your data too fast. Enter the Blue Tooth MP3 player. That can sync in as well (or replace the phone) and again, Hey Presto, etc., you have tunes. We got the out fit from a company called Sena. It’s the SMH-5 model. It comes with a pair of units, already set up to talk to each other. For a few bucks more, you can get one with an FM radio, but have you heard BBC1? Or RTE? I do have to tell you that when we got the units, I had to call their support people to get it to synch with Marianne’s phone. A human answered on one ring (I know, right?) and were amazingly helpful. I had to download to the units a software update and the tech guy patiently walked be through the entire process. Oh, and because they're Blue Tooth, you can use them for hands off phone calls. Naturally, BE CAREFUL doing this. Even hands free calls ARE distracting. And another interesting concept, if your GPS has Blue Tooth (unfortunately, ours is not), pairing it with it means the directions will come through the headset! The other cool thing about this is that you can pair these units with others in other cars/motorcycles, so an entire group can yak back and forth. Them Motorcycle Folks have got this whole touring thing down! 

So, Tech can be good, but remember, these gizmos are just tools. If they don’t do what you need ‘em to do, why bother?