64. The Ring of Kerry

Where: County Kerry, Ireland
When: April 11, 2001
With: Loren, Doug, Jon, the class trip

For how sunny our previous day in County Clare was, there were only clouds out for our drive through County Kerry. And that was totally ok, because the grey clouds made the green valleys that much more vibrant and the landscape was still gorgeous. This was our day exploring the Ring of Kerry, and I don't think even a thunderstorm could dampen the beauty of this region of Ireland.

The Ring of Kerry is a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean with a 110-mile drive along its coast, through mountains, valleys and beautiful terrain. First up, those mountains and valleys.

 How is that green so vibrant!?

There are two colors that complement the green of the countryside throughout the year. One is purple from the heather bushes, but they don't bloom until the summer. The other, that we were lucky enough to see, is yellow from a flower called furze which blooms from early spring to late summer. It added such a vibrant pop to the surrounding landscape. 

From inland, we started driving along this crazy winding road that hugged mountains to the left and cliffs towards the ocean on the right. A terrifying experience in a giant bus. 

But the views were stunning, with mist-shrouded peninsulas and islands in the distance. 

As we would get higher on the road, the views down toward the bay and ocean were more stunning. The coastline became more jagged as we drove, with small islands dotting the waters. 

The interesting thing about this craggy coastline is that it gave Star Wars: The Last Jedi the island for its Jedi Temple, where Luke has gone to get away from it all. At the time, I may have seen the tiny island used for filming, Skellig Micheal, in the distance, but I wouldn't have realized that I should snap a shot that could be cool to see 17 years later! The first prequel had just come out at this point, who knew there'd be sequels?

This. This is Ireland. 

Turning inland to replace coastline with mountains and green again. 

Sheep (and baby lamb)! And this is a good shot to see that the sheep of Ireland are color coded, I'm assuming to keep track of who they belong to. We saw quite an array of colors, and it cracked us up. I'm just surprised it doesn't ruin the wool!

One of my classmates was so interested in the sheep that he went running off after them, breaking pretty much every rule of travel I have come to learn to this day. He's in the jeans and green shirt, trying to sneak up on the sheep by the road. 

Just stunning. 

A little hiking. I'm not sure if I'm up there and in this photo, or if I just took it!

Loving these views. 

The majority of the group that was traveling. 

One last shot of this gorgeous terrain. 

With all this beautiful landscape around us, would you believe that we actually hadn't yet made it to the National Park that sits on this peninsula? That would be Killarney National Park, and it only takes up a small chunk of this vast and beautiful area. 

To start exploring the park, we arrived in the town of Muckross and the first activity planned was to ride in a traditional Irish jaunting car, a horse drawn carriage that is the most authentic mode of transport in the country. It was a fun way to see the town. 

Sheep!

From there, we headed to Ross Castle, also in the National Park. This castle was built in the 15th century.  

Standing at the base of the tower: Jon, Loren, Matt, Louis, Doug, and PJ. 

This was a beautiful drive and day, regardless of the clouds. There is so much more beautiful Irish landscape to be discovered, and we only scratched the surface of this gorgeous area.