As everyone else suffers a heat wave we are getting rain but yesterday it was dry and a few of us managed to meet up in Stradbally and then Abbeyleix.

Well at least you can ride in the rain. 
In parts of British Columbia at times the smoke turns day into night and the minor particulate as well as ash are not not healthy.

Ringfad wrote:As everyone else suffers a heat wave we are getting rain . . .

Some gutless riders didn't want to cross this puddle on the road to town from my home despite a minivan's driver's showing how it's done.  A swift water rescue crew came and got her—no charge.

Dry as Hades here since May. There's been only two days of something you might call a drizzle. My lawn is brown and dead. I water my vegie patch every day. But, last time home, driving from Queensland to Victoria, taking a shortcut to save time...

The ute driver, towing a rugged camp trailer, tested the waters successfully. I was in a tiny tinny hire car (Toyota Yaris) and thought of the insurance excess (deductible) when deciding to turn round and beat feet to look for another way to our motel room for the night. The bloke in the white car thought better of crossing as well.

We've just had July declared as the wettest second month ever since 1800-and-something (1873 I think, but currently can't find the reference on the Met Office website). Perhaps it was a good month to have both normally running bikes (LFB and the Bullet) forcibly off the road.

Got up this morning to heavy 'here all day' rain. Checked the barometer and it's 860! Panicked, double-checked on the web and realised the baro had just thrown one and it's not armageddon, just a normal July here in good old England.

same in bham , but its not cold so still able to get out on a bike 

Not so much rain here but heavy hail, storm and even à tornado last week.


My fig tree was badly damaged,  so the figs eventually decided to migrate.

You can swim, can't you?

Good job I can. From the BBC:

'Northern Ireland had its wettest July on record, with figures going back to 1836, according to the Met Office.'

Has the rain continued and will it effect MotoGP - way down south - at Silverstone this weekend?

Have no idea. That's being held on the wrong side of the puddle. We prefer real races here

Dai wrote:Have no idea. That's being held on the wrong side of the puddle. We prefer real races here

I did see how the amazing, remaining Michael Dunlop stopped at the first pub he could find after winning ALL of the races at the event last weekend.

Dunlop at the pub in full leathers

Ringfad wrote:As everyone else suffers a heat wave we are getting rain but yesterday it was dry and a few of us managed to meet up in Stradbally and then Abbeyleix.

Absolutely love the pics - My son and I have 3 of the 4 pictured K Bikes! (Green 93 K1100LT, Black/Silver 96 K1100RS-SE and Blue 1995 K100) We all share some great taste! 

So yesterday was forecast heavy rain for most of the day, but with a  two-hour break of overcast between 12.00 and 14.00. I decided to sneak out on the Royal Enfield at 13.00 for a quick ride (LFB is currently not road legal). Three-and-a-half hours of sunshine later I finally got home . I stopped on top of Clermont Cairn Mountain for lunch (nasty 1-in-4 100-degree left turn with reverse camber on final approach to the summit) which has views in excess of 70 miles in pretty much all directions. In my book, probably the best view in the North (okay, okay - so it's about two hundred metres into County Louth in the RoI ).

Google Plus code is 3MHH+P9 if you want to take a look. Not really worth it though because the Googlemobile was too scared to go the whole way up and turned around before the view breaks out.

Great road that Dai, with good views. The enfield would be a nice mount for the job

I did take a Guzzi up there once Will, complete with pillion (Elizabeth) but I needed a change of trousers after negotiating that bend on the way down. I also tried the ascent on LFB from the Long Woman's Grave end but decided that was a very poor idea after about half a mile. You're right about the Enfield though - it eats that road because the bike is so small and manoeverable.

if your ever over take a look at applecross pass , i have done it a few times now on bikes and in my 1929 morgan , but the most exciting was in my old vw camper when the hand break failed , the view is worth it , there is a camp site and pub in applecross , expect rain at the top and best out of the holidays as some coaches try and make it .

I completed that on the K1100LT with a large passenger, That was sweat inducing!

i think one of those roads that lives with a motorcyclist for life Applecross Pass – Strathcarron, Scotland - Atlas Obscura  i have been over it and it was clear and sunny at the top but only once , its a sight

I agree with that completely. Once went up over the Bealach Na Bar to Applecross in torrential rain - it had been raining proper Scottish rain for days and torrents of water were spewing out of the hills in all directions. Near the top, we came across a guy in a battered cagoule, just stood at the side of the road nonchalantly eating a packet of crisps like it was the sunniest ever day, admiring the view (there was no view, just thick mist). The brewery dray goes over that pass too, to supply the pub. That's just unbelievable.

That was on the itinary for the end of September run (my mate's 65th birthday) but I think it's been canned for now (Applecross, that is, not the run).

Hi Simon

If you're ever up on Inishowen this one's worth a visit:

https://doaghfaminevillage.com/

It doesn't look too prepossessing from the outside but what makes it different is that the family has owned that farm for generations and the guide we had on the day was the great-grandson of one of the famine emigrants who was born on the farm. That personal relationship to the famine - being able to relate what had happened to his great-granda as told to him by his grandma and ma - brought it home in a way that I'm not sure any other exhibition can manage.

-Dai

I was up that way in June and in Malin Head last year but was not aware of it. Next time ...

Malin Head (the most northerly part of Ireland)



Owencarrow, Donegal




No rain on those visits !

I've seen that boat somewhere before.  

Ringfad wrote:We got out again today and of course we did see some rain but we made it to here.

Dunbrody Famine Ship and Irish Emigrant Experience




Thanks Olaf for organising

Thanks Simon, was a great day. I got home 10pm.....

Now wondering do I need a K1100RS too...seems to be the only K model I dont have....

Nice photo of my K.