My wife and I rode our bicycles along the Mount Vernon Trail, an extended bluff that overlooks the Potomac River south of Washington, D.C. Here the river is wide and tidally influenced, like the lower Shannon between Kerry and Clare. We could smell the salt water.

Also this weekend was the 31st annual Ring of Kerry charity cycle, which raises money for Kerry charities. Taoiseach Enda Kenny was among some 10,000 cyclists on the scenic but grueling 112-mile route, according to The Irish Times.

Some call the race Kerry’s version of the Tour de France. Here’s the official race website, including the charities. Here’s one of my earlier posts about bicycling in Ireland.