Blog Posts

Here are all of my blog posts.

Six Days in Prague

A window of opportunity opened for me to take Janet to Europe for some Christmas markets. Fortuitously, Prague had recently joined our wish list. After finding a good flight,…
Risen from Its Ashes: Bastrop State Park

In 2011, a major wildfire consumed most of Bastrop State Park and Texas’s Lost Pines Forest. We checked out how it had recovered when staying there in our motorhome…
Revisiting the Trail Between The Lakes

It had been just six months since my last hike on Sabine County’s Trail Between the Lakes, and nine months since my first thruhike of it in January. The…
The Ask

For several months, Samuel had been reflecting about where to propose to Kylie. Having been dating since high school, Samuel’s two and a half years at university in Colorado…
Four Days in Banff

This was the first time that scenery has overwhelmed me. The Rocky Mountains beckon as one drives along the Trans-Canada highway from Calgary towards Banff, but distance dulls the…
Refrigerator Gulch from Goose Creek Trailhead in Colorado’s Lost Creek Wilderness

There is always something special about heading into the wilderness. In the US, wilderness areas are public lands with special protections that prohibit motorized and mechanized equipment, helping ensure…
Lessons Learned from Attempting a Ring (Anillo) of the Picos de Europa

In September 2025, my buddy James and I set off to hike independently the Anillo de Picos, aiming to hike the largest ring, also known as the Anillo de…
Trekking Spain’s Picos de Europa

What an adventure! Spain’s Picos de Europa is relatively unknown outside of the country. It became Spain’s first national park in 1918. The rugged limestone mountains offer fantastic hiking…
The Thames Path: Epilogue in London

We had two days in London to wrap up our nine-day adventure along the Thames. Walking nearly one hundred miles from Reading to Woolwich had given us a new…
The Thames Path Day 9: Tower Bridge to Woolwich

Our final day’s walk was enhanced with a visit to the Crown Jewels and disrupted with a thunderstorm. We walked under the Thames from London’s new financial district to…
The Thames Path Day 8: Barnes to Tower Bridge

It was fascinating to walk this section of the river and see so many sights in one day. We were surprised by the number of open green spaces and…
The Thames Path Day 7: Kingston upon Thames to Barnes

I had expected this to be very similar to the previous day but it was surprisingly different. On the downside, a collapsed path by Kew Gardens forced a detour…
The Thames Path Day 6: Chertsey to Kingston upon Thames

A day without the big headlines was still a great day of enjoying the river and a detour. Most of the day was a gentle stroll alongside the peaceful…
The Thames Path Day 5: Windsor to Chertsey

What a full day this was! Our sixteen-mile walk started at Windsor Castle, and our stroll along the Long Walk through Windsor Great Park took us past many mature…
The Thames Path Day 4: Cookham to Windsor

It was always going to be difficult for day 4 to beat day 3. The weather was fine but not quite as sunny. It was peaceful walking along the…
The Thames Path Day 3: Aston to Cookham

Everything came together well to make this our best day on the Thames so far. The weather was great and the scenery was better. Highlights included a herd of…
The Thames Path Day 2: Reading to Aston

We enjoyed a fine day along the river, sampling the quaintness of Sonning and the history of Henley, with a few light rain showers separated by sunny spells. The…
The Thames Path Day 1: Pangbourne to Reading

Day 1 of our hike along the eastern half of The Thames Way from Pangbourne to Reading.
A Prelude of September: The Thames Path and Los Picos de Europa

I usually write blogs during or after our adventures to share the experience with friends and family and to help preserve the memory. I’m using this prelude to help…
The Natchez Trace Parkway

Yay! This was the first extended trip in our camper and it exceeded our high expectations. The idea grew from the thought of visiting Jett during his internship in…
An Expedition to the Royal Geographical Society

It was over thirty-five years since I had used the Royal Geographical Society (RGS)’s Expedition Advisory Centre to help me organize my first expedition to Egypt in 1989. I…
Three Days in London

The final stage of our wild trip with the Sems and the Townsends was London. We’d walked the southern half of the Cotswold Way, cruised the Kennet and Avon…
A White Horse, a Hot Range, Stone-Hugging at Avebury, and a Glance at Stonehenge

Why did we only glance at Stonehenge, and what is Avebury and that other stuff? Explaining this to our crew of Sems’s and Townsend’s was the day’s mission. In…
Cruising the Kennet and Avon Canal

We knew that we’d want some rest time after 60 miles of hiking on the Cotswold Way. A relaxing canal boat trip had seemed like a good idea. It…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 5

This was our final day of walking as we completed the final leg from Toghill House Farm to Bath. It was a fine day with many views in great…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 4

Team Sloth was back to full strength for the hike from The Dog Inn in Old Sodbury to Toghill House Farm near Cold Ashton. Our motto, “we will get…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 3

The previous day’s heat claimed one victim in our group and today was another hot one as we walked from The Swan in Wotton-under-Edge to The Dog in Old…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 2

Three steep climbs on a blistering hot day made just finishing the 11 miles from Coaley Peak to Wotton-under-Edge a very satisfying accomplishment. The day’s highlight was the Tyndale…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 1

A great first day’s hike of about 11 miles from Painswick to Frocester climbing about 1400 ft in about 6.5 hours. The day’s challenge was the 80 degF (27…
Southern Cotswold Way: Day 0

Our England adventures with the Sems and Townsends start with hiking the southern half of the Cotswold Way. Before starting a hike, there is always getting to the start,…
England with the Sems and Townsends: A Prelude

This is a prelude to our next trip. Please follow us on this adventure by subscribing so you are the first to read about what we are up to.…
Rome’s Biblical Sites

What evidence is there in Rome that Paul or Peter were in the city? The Bible describes Paul’s arrival in Rome (Acts 28:11-16) and that he lived there two…
Italy Day 13: Burano, Murano, and a Gondola Ride

Visiting Venice’s outer islands is a popular excursion. Burano is known for its lace and Murano for its glass. While tours include travel on dedicated boats, the islands are…
Italy Day 12: Exploring Venice

Having experienced a half-day taste of Venice on the previous day, we were ready to find “our” Venice. For Janet and I, that meant heading out early to a…
Italy Day 11: To Venice

Traveling around Europe by train includes some classic moments. We’ve previously experienced a few, from overnighting between Paris and Berlin or passing through the channel tunnel. This day we…
Italy Day 10: Hiking and Swimming Cinque Terre

Having scoped out Riomaggiore and Manarola the day before and after a good sleep, we were ready for a more ambitious walk. But first to enjoy coffee and breakfast…
Italy Day 9: Pisa and Cinque Terre’s Lovers Lane

Hello from Italy! If you could do me a favor and “like” or leave a comment on the platform that you get this blog from, I’d greatly appreciate it.…
Italy Day 8: Florence

Our full day in Florence was another chill day, but that does not mean we didn’t walk and climb! We had reservations to climb the bell tower at 8:15am,…
Italy Day 7: Rome to Florence and a Sunset

After six active days, it was good to have an easier day without climbing but we still walked over sixteen thousand steps. The difference between Rome’s hustle and Florence’s…
Italy Day 6: The Vatican and a Cooking Class

We wrapped up our three days in Rome with visits to St Peter’s Basilica (including a climb to the top of the dome), and the Vatican Museums (to see…
Italy Day 5: Ancient Rome

Time to go back 2000 years. My two previous visits to the Colosseum and Forum had left me somewhat underwhelmed by the piles of ancient rocks through my lack…
Italy Day 4: Rome

Two-nil. Naples scored two goals last night to win their national championship. I’m sure we felt the cheering through our apartment walls when they scored, and the fireworks outside…
Italy Day 3: Capri

The day went to plan but not how we intended. We reached the sites but not in the way we would have liked. Yet we had a fantastic time…
Italy Day 2: Path of the Gods and Positano

Each of us did our favorite activities today. Janet and Peter hiked the Path of the Gods, a trail that hugs the cliffs as it winds along the Amalfi…
Italy Day 1: Pompeii and Sorrento

Italy welcomed us with a classic day of travel stress but by the day’s end, we could reflect on it with smiles. The day had started so stress free!…
We Own a Campervan!

We have known for many years that we wanted to embrace a campervan while empty-nesting. This journey started a couple of weeks ago and the fun is just beginning.…
Giving Bailey Away: Phase 1

I didn’t think “The Lying Can Finally Stop” was the best title for my daughter’s engagement story. While this phrase had been lurking in the back of my mind…
New York City in Four Days

It takes an Ireland-style tour to see this much of NYC in four days. Visiting over St Patrick’s Day weekend and the NYC 1/2 marathon was fitting. We focused…
Big Bend’s South Rim and Outer Mountain Loop

That was a lot of work. That’s what Vance said about getting water. We also hiked 43 miles and climbed 10,000 ft over four days. This trek was epic.…
The Gentleman in the Orange Cap

Some distant movement caught my eye. After a few moments, I recognized it as an orange cap. Meeting another thru-hiker would be fun. A recent thru-hike of the trail…
Knebford Circle

A neat line separates green grass and stacked oak leaves. The cluster of twenty deciduous trees defines the copse with green pine trees poking through the canopy but with…
Hiking East Texas’s Trail Between the Lakes

(Check out the trail’s guide here.) Multi-day backpacking adventures are not normally associated with East Texas. The 96-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail (LSHT), north of Houston by Huntsville, might…
Backpack Compromise: Weight vs Comfort

Or: Why I no longer aim for 10 lb. dry weight. Introduction Catchy headlines like 10 lb. Gear List for Hiking The Appalachian Trail suggest that 10 lbs. is…
Eagle Rock Loop High Water Alternate in November 2024

I returned to the Ouachita mountains from Nov 7-10 2024 with Vance, my buddy from leading our sons’ scout troop. The Eagle Rock Loop (ERL) was a step up…
Paul’s Journeys in Greece with Liberty University

Luke describes Paul’s travels in Greece in Acts. Liberty University gave us the opportunity to follow in Paul’s footsteps with a couple of their learned professors, enabling us to…
Road Trips

North America is made for road trips. When we married, an hour-long drive for Peter was significant! On road trips with lots of distance to cover, hotels are quick…
Greece: A Cliff-hugging Monastery in the Lousios Gorge

Hiking to see a cliff-hugging monastery seemed like such a good idea. This looked really cool: However, perhaps there was a reason that it was not in our guidebook.…
Greece: The Ancient Olympics, with no Gold Medals

The ancient Olympics started in 776 BC in Olympia. For centuries, it was a celebration in honor of Zeus. Winners were awarded a wreath of leaves from a sacred…
Greece: To the End of the World

Today was a road trip to the most southern point of mainland Greece at the top of the Mani peninsula. The road ended about a mile short, so of…
Greece: Sparta and Monemvasia

It was time for a change of pace. Less chasing sites and more chilling. Well, chilling our style, which included a five mile hike up a huge rock! We…