A Good Day for a Race

So, for my 30^th birthday gift, Lindsay got me a 1-to-1 instructor led racing experience at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire (home of the British Grand Prix).  When we arrived at the track, we were directed to the “Experience Centre” near the south-east corner of the circuit.  There, we saw lots of people and various race spec vehicles in the car park, and in front of the welcome centre, were a couple of Nissan 370 Z’s lined up.  After check-in, we scoped out some good places for photography, and then waited for them to call my name for my instructor. 

When they called me up, they asked what race I was preparing for… and I informed them that I was starting at ground zero for my race experience and needed to learn the basics of racing.  One of the instructors must have been used to training noobs, so he greeted me and led me to get a crash helmet and we then walked to the car.

He drove us to the pit area of the International Circuit, the southern half of the Grand Prix.  Then we talked about the basics of braking, turning, and accelerating.  He took us out for two warm-up laps around the track, showing me where to break, where to turn-in, and where to go flat-out after the various corners of the circuit.  We pulled back in, switched seats, then he gave me the go-ahead for my start. 

That car is FAST!!  The fastest car I’ve driven before this was an Evo Ten, and that was only around the streets of San Diego.  This was like driving a full size go-cart, except we were going 130mph down the straight and doing 50-60mph around some of the turns.  Being able to let the tires screech around the turns and flooring it down the straights were invigorating! 

Around the 5^th or 6^th lap, I started turning one of the corners and realized I was going too fast, and naturally, I took my foot off the gas.  Little did I know that when the car slows down, it also leans forward, removing downforce from the rear tires, and caused my tail-end to fly out from behind me and I ended up facing the wrong way on the track;  my first (and only) spin-out!  I’m glad I did it, though. It showed me that I was actually pushing the limits, and another thing was it taught me that more speed is more traction.  We pulled into the pits to talk about the physics of the spin-out, and a few other critiques he had for me, then we headed back out for another 15-20 laps.  Later on, I started losing traction on another turn, and I remembered the lesson and applied more gas and BAM, instant traction! 

After some good racing and even a few overtakes, we pulled in and switched seats once more.  He then took the car to the limits and showed me “real racing” around the track.  It was like a roller coaster!  He broke way later than I did, and he even drifted around a few turns.  He lost it once and we ended up a bit off course, but he quickly recovered and got us back on.  After his laps, we pulled into the pit area to talk about my racing.  He said I showed real improvement on my braking and I was getting more comfortable with the high-speed turns.  He drove us back the centre and I thanked him for his time and training. 

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad Lindsay was there to share it with me.  It was truly amazing!

~Blake

Ireland

Only two weeks after our return from Italy, we set off for another amazing journey.  This time, we went west, to Ireland.  We flew Ryan Air to Cork, Ireland, only a 50 minute flight from Stansted.  We arrived at a small, yet classy airport where we proceeded to the car hire desks to pick up our rental, a new Ford Fiesta.  When we got in and started driving, we noticed that all over the car and local streets were signs reminding us to drive on the left, which was no problem for us anymore, however, for a mainland-European or American, it was a good idea.  With our own GPS and Ireland atlas from the base library, we made our way through downtown Cork and north to Blarney Castle.  The castle was still in relatively good condition, with only a few sections laid waste to ruin.  This castle had a sense of humour, and a bit of superstition.  All over were references to the difference in the phrases, “Blarney and Baloney.” Here’s the difference:

Baloney? Or Blarney?

Baloney: When you tell an unattractive women that she is beautiful.

Blarney: When you tell the same woman that her wisdom and experience enhance her striking features.

Supposedly, the lord of Blarney castle, near Cork, agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And, he made them sound like very good excuses; “this is just more of the same blarney.”

Along those same lines of superstition, there is the Blarney Stone, said to give the gift of eloquence to anyone who kissed it, while lying upside down over the edge of the tower.  Lindsay was feeling really adventurous so she did it!  I merely blew it a kiss, knowing the millions of people who must have also kissed the same stone.  Nonetheless, it was a fantastic experience. The castle grounds also had a poison garden filled with numerous fatal plants, a 19^th century mansion, and a beautiful lake.  Lindsay and I took a nice hike around the area and we were pleasantly surprised by the amazing landscape.
Blarney Castle:

View of Blarney House from the castle:

Enter at your own risk!

Us at the top of Blarney Castle:

After the castle we drove to our B&B in Killarney.  The host and hostess were very nice and recommended dinner accommodations for the evening on High Street of Killarney.  So, along with dinner, we got to scope out the main drag and spot a few more places we’d like to eat.
Our B&B:

"Boxty", a traditional Irish pancake:

Irish Lamb Stew (also Irish Soda Bread in the back, served with every meal):

The next day was reserved for our car tour of the Ring of Kerry.  We drove anti-clockwise starting with the north side of the peninsula, then rounding the south side.  All along the way, we stopped at various sites and look-outs, and even got to walk the beach for a while.  The vegetation completely changed from the luscious green forest on the north side to a light brown chaparral climate on the south.
Shipwreck on Rossbeigh Beach:

A steep cliffside drive from Rossbeigh:

Lindsay loves sheep (and it looks like they love her back):

Portmagee, where we stopped for lunch:

Fogher Cliffs look-out:

Us on Valentia Island:

Us at the Mt. Geokaun Overlook:

On the following day, we started out by exploring the Killarney National Park. There we saw stunning waterfalls, large mansions, a friary, and more gorgeous gardens.
The Torc Waterfall:

Muckross House:

Muckross Friary:

Muckross Gardens:


After the park, we did a similar drive around the peninsula of Dingle, to the north.  Amazingly, the drive was completely different than the previous day.  We got to see the beautiful sea-side cliffs, ancient ruins dating back to near 500 BC, and our favorite, more beaches!  The landscape was very Lord of the Rings-ish.  Imagine the first part of the Fellowship, after the Shire, but before Moria.  I even spotted a hill ringed with stones that could have been the watch tower of Amon Sûl, (Weathertop). 
Rainbow over Conor Pass:

Ventry Beach (with the Kerry Peninsula in the background):

Dunbeg Fort prehistoric site:

Dingle Peninsula Coastal Drive:

Blake with the Dunloe "Ogham" Stones, with hash marks representing an early form of Irish writing:

The next morning was our return trip from Kerry Airport back to Stansted.  An excited Cooper welcomed us home.  We loved Ireland: beautiful countryside, and the friendliest people in all of our traveling to date.  Another remarkable European trip in the bag; more to come!

~Blake

p.s.  As always, tons more travel photos at Lindsay's Flickr site; just click on the link in the upper-right-hand bar!