Back in the Saddle
On the bedstand: Dubliners. Eveline. I know it's hard, but you gotta take that chance Eveline!Coming through the speakers: Caught Amanda Shires at Whelan's this weekend. She was all sorts of messed up. Man does she have some pipes though.
Long weekend! Long ride! With the sun shining, I was on my bike headed south for the Wicklow Mountains. I'd like to say I knew what I was doing. I'm not here to lie though. Before I could think through just how high these mountains were or if my rusted bike would be up for the challenge, I was pushing past the Dublin city limits.The flat road of Dublin gave way to a gentle incline as I left the city. Then a bit more of an incline. I pumped my legs. More. Higher. Steeper. The sun was really beating down. My legs continued to churn. I was wearing shorts for the first time in months. When did my legs get so pale?Finally, a vista. No. Not yet. Further. Now, finally, a vista. A break. Water. Out of breath. Wow. All of Dublin unfurled below me. Beyond that, the sea. No rest for the weary though -- further! Up!
The road started to flatten. I climbed to a ridge alongside of one of the ranges. No trees. Rocks. Grass. A few cars on a narrow road. It was beautifully isolated.The road started to tilt downward. My bike began to pick up speed, despite it's rattling protestations. I felt every bump of that old road as I hurried down. Vistas opened on every side. Valleys and rolling hills and sunbursts. A German War Cemetery nestled in beside a running stream. In the larger sense, that cemetery seemed incredibly out of place. From a personal perspective, it struck close to home.
Further I flew. Gravity really had a hold of me by this point. Down into the town of Enniskerry, where I could load up on a few carbs before rolling in to the Powerscourt Estate, home to one of the Top Ten Gardens in the World. As I strolled from the Italian Gardens to the Japanese Gardens, I thought back to some of the majestic gardens I'd have the privilege of seeing. Schoenbrunn. Sans Souci. Did I appreciate them then as I would now? No. Would I appreciate them now if I hadn't have had those experiences then? Nope. The conundrum of experience.
After 25 miles on the bike, my legs were tired. The Powerscourt Waterfalls were next on the itinerary, but my legs simply didn't have the juice to get me there. I rolled into the town of Bray on fumes. The Rugby Pro12 Championship was on. Leinster won it all. Good ol' Leinster. Somewhere between then and now I became a rugby fan. I celebrated by snoozing on the train back in to Dublin. A lot of miles covered by these legs.