This is a “catch-up” post from April 2020, when COVID was just starting to get real. The legacy of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 remained strong. We’d bought our bright-green ten-foot “Lifetime Manta” kayak for less than $300 in 2012 to have some fun with the kids. It had been hanging from the ceiling of ourContinue reading “Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail: Woodway Memorial Park to Allen’s Landing”
Author Archives: Peter Ireland
The British Virgin Islands by Sailboat in 2020
We had booked a dream holiday for March 2020. Over the previous year, I had taken courses to qualify as a yacht skipper and Samuel had qualified as crew. We were bareboat chartering a yacht from Sunsail in the British Virgin Islands. When we left Houston in mid-March, there remained some uncertainty about where thisContinue reading “The British Virgin Islands by Sailboat in 2020”
The Outer Mountain Loop and Guadalupe Peak in 2019
The fifth installment of my West Texas adventures takes Samuel and I back to Big Bend’s Outer Mountain Loop (OML) and to “The Top of Texas,” Guadalupe Peak. The primary goal of the trip was to be the highest person in Texas at the beginning of 2020. The rest was just for fun! You canContinue reading “The Outer Mountain Loop and Guadalupe Peak in 2019”
A Six-Day Tour of Lake District Peaks
This is a “catch-up” post, written in July 2022, of a fantastic loop trek that a 14-year-old Samuel and I completed in June 2019. When we had lived in Ulverston in 2010 and 2011, Samuel had been too young and I too inexperienced for extended wildcamping trips. Our 2018 trek in Colorado had given usContinue reading “A Six-Day Tour of Lake District Peaks”
Diving at Sea Base in March 2019
The catalyst for Samuel to learn how to dive was a trip to Florida’s Seabase with scouts in March 2019. These were his first dives after qualifying the previous year. Seabase’s setup was very good for new divers. Our instructor, Dale Davis, a former air traffic controller with the air force, was fantastic both asContinue reading “Diving at Sea Base in March 2019”
Our Trip to Israel in 2018/2019
As Janet and I prepare for a trip to Greece in October 2024 to retrace the Apostle Paul’s footsteps, I write this post describing our trip to Israel to help refresh my memory. Perhaps you’ll enjoy reading it? I warn you that it was a packed trip, and this post includes many adventures. Summary ReflectionContinue reading “Our Trip to Israel in 2018/2019”
Ten Days in Colorado
This is the last of my “catch-up” posts for now, and this adventure with Samuel from 2018 is perhaps the most memorable trip we have done. While we have done longer trips since, this adventure had a combination of challenge and remoteness that were a stretch for each of us. We avoided crowds and enjoyedContinue reading “Ten Days in Colorado”
The Outer Mountain Loop in 2017
This is the fourth chapter of our experiences in West Texas. While our 2016 trip to Big Bend had been an epic collection of adventures, completing the Outer Mountain Loop added a tremendous sense of achievement. I had pictured doing the hike ever since a work colleague, Tim Long, had described hiking it with hisContinue reading “The Outer Mountain Loop in 2017”
Big Bend in 2016 With a Pre-Teen
Now for my third visit to West Texas. After an awe-inspiring summitting of Guadalupe Peak, Samuel and I were ready for our next challenge. Spring Break 2016 gave us the opportunity to head back to the desert while the girls did a trip to New York. Each of us were very happy with our trips!Continue reading “Big Bend in 2016 With a Pre-Teen”
Guadalupe Peak in 2015
This is the second of several posts that describe our multiple exciting adventures in West Texas. Ten-year-old Samuel’s interest in hiking and camping was growing and I was very much drawn to climbing Texas’s highest mountain, Guadalupe Peak. At 8,751 feet, it is nearly three times higher than anything in Great Britain. “Climb to the ‘TopContinue reading “Guadalupe Peak in 2015”
Pop-Up Camper
A pop-up camper was a memorable step toward our imminent RV ownership. Our hotel-based road trip to DC visiting National Parks inspired us to want a pop-up camper. Janet’s family had owned one when she was growing up. We liked the idea because it would be low maintenance, we would be able to store itContinue reading “Pop-Up Camper”
Car-Camping
As we prepare to take ownership of our first motorhome next month, I reflect on how we got to this point. One part of that journey has been our car camping. In Texas, we car camped as a couple in our first few years of marriage and with our first baby. In the UK, withContinue reading “Car-Camping”
The Llangollen Canal in 2011
One of the most remarkable canal trips in the UK is the Llangollen canal. First proposed in 1791, it takes you between England and Wales. The route includes the Pontcysyllte and Chirk Aqueducts and the 412m (1,381ft) Chirk tunnel. In May 2011, we rented a “narrowboat” for a week and cruised this canal. On theContinue reading “The Llangollen Canal in 2011”
Cruising the Norfolk Broads in 2009
The Norfolk Broads are wetlands in eastern England that are best accessed by boat. In May 2009, we rented a boat for a week long holiday. Such boats have a maximum speed of about three miles per hour, a brisk walking pace, and no special qualifications are required to skipper one. We chose a boatContinue reading “Cruising the Norfolk Broads in 2009”
Flashback: Update on the Kids (from Janet)
15 Sep 2005 Ni hao or hello to all, We realized after reading through the last update email (China update #3) that we hadn’t even mentioned how the kids were doing, as well as ourselves. Now this might not read as nicely as the prior updates because Peter is a much better writer than myself. But,Continue reading “Flashback: Update on the Kids (from Janet)”
Flashback: Beijing Blog #6
[This is the last Beijing blog. I can’t remember why we stopped after only four months of our twelve months there.] 6 Nov 2005 It seems appropriate to write our next Beijing update on a day when pollution levels outside are “level 5” (the highest is 5) – and you are recommended not to go outside! Even though Beijing isContinue reading “Flashback: Beijing Blog #6”
Flashback: The Beijing Bike Blog
11 Sep 2005 Bi-de’s Beijing Bike Blog Having only ridden about 100 miles on my bike in Beijing – that is commuting to work about 5 times – I hardly have enough experience of bike-riding in Beijing to warrant a thesis. But while my initial impressions are fresh, it might be worthy of a blog. Above all, I’d say it isContinue reading “Flashback: The Beijing Bike Blog”
Flashback: China Update #3
10 Sep 2005 It’s now been nearly 2 months since we arrived, and I think we can say we have now settled in. The main indicator for that was doing a touristy thing this morning – which I’ll get to. The climate here in September is lovely – a warm dry Autumn, with perfectContinue reading “Flashback: China Update #3”
Flashback: China Update #2, nearly 2 weeks
24 July 2005 Friends and family, We’ve been here nearly 2 weeks now. I’m not sure how this reads, as we had a few responses saying that we sounded down. Life is certainly up and down – but as many ups as downs, which is what I would expect in any new place. So, considering weContinue reading “Flashback: China Update #2, nearly 2 weeks”
Flashback: Our First Five Days in Beijing
A recent note from an old blogging site about my posts from China in 2005 has prompted me to repost them. The blog was a convenient way to give updates to many. This was my first of six, sent shortly after we moved for what turned out to be about one year in Beijing, leavingContinue reading “Flashback: Our First Five Days in Beijing”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 