The day started out great (cue ominous music). We had a great breakfast prepared by our hosts at The Adare House. If you ever get to Westport, this B&B is an excellent choice for your stay. We got on the road at just the right time and started our drive to Clare. Melissa had selected a fabulous route for us to take down the Wild Atlantic Highway.
As we wound our way down the somewhat narrow 2 lane roads, it became obvious to me the lane markers were just a suggestion and the speed limit wasn’t a maximum, it was a challenge. Either that or the most heinous dare in a particularly cruel game of truth or dare. Anyway, I had a pretty good sense of how not to hit too many objects when Melissa said ‘Let’s take the Sky Road Loop’. What the hay, I am on a European Vacation, let’s take the Sky Road Loop! It wasn’t until after we turned onto the road she mentioned it might be a little narrower than the roads we had been driving on. The reality is my driveway is wider than this two-way road in some places. Luckily we didn’t encounter too many travelers headed the other direction. We did share the road with a large cow for about 1/2 a mile. Fortunately for us it knew exactly where it was headed and how to navigate the road. At one point a gentleman was walking towards it. I was certain it was his wayward cow and he would clear the road in short order. Nope, not his cow. He kinda gave it a sidelong glance as he walked past it. Anyway, the cow just meandered back through the hole in the fence then looked at us like we were nuts.
We survived the Sky Road Loop. It was actually quite senic and will provide fodder for my children to use to pick on me for decades to come. We stopped for lunch at O’Dowd’s Seafood Restaurant in Roundstone. I had the excellent Beef Stew. But the real star was the Shepherd’s Pie that Audrey ordered. Everything was excellent and the people were delightful. If you ever find yourself in Roundstone, O’Dowd’s is an excellent choice for a meal.
We made it to our final destination about 7:30pm. This is where the story takes a turn south. The East Clare Golf Village is not a village and doesn’t deserve 9.4 out of 10 on Trip Advisor. The people are lovely and wanted to help me. The room we were assigned had two king size beds (a rarity in Ireland) and a fold out sofa. This was going to be a tight for my family of six. The young man at the desk was able to move us to a room with 4 twin beds and a fold out sofa. I have not slept on a sofa bed for a very long time. Luckily I have been training for just this occasion by camping with the Boy Scouts and sleeping on rocks. The 1/2 inch thick prison issue mattress only sagged 2-3 inches in the middle. It’s a good thing I still love my wife. It kinda reminded me of the times Melissa and I would go visit my Aunt B. In B’s defense, her sofa bed was much better than this one. All in all, the room wasn’t torture. It just paled in comparison to our previous accommodations.
Always read, understand and follow the instruction manual before attempting to use any power tool in any way.
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