(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 come to mind. But there is an often passed-over trail close to the Louisiana border that takes the explorer deep into wild pine forests. I wasContinue reading “Hiking East Texas’s Trail Between the Lakes”
Tag Archives: travel
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 the target ultralight dry weight for serious multi-day backpackers. After many years, I achieved that target, but now choose to carry more for comfort. Such additionsContinue reading “Backpack Compromise: Weight vs Comfort”
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 from previous backpacking trips for Vance. The river levels were higher than my 2022 completion which triggered an alternate route to avoid the deeper Little MissouriContinue reading “Eagle Rock Loop High Water Alternate in November 2024”
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 and convenient accommodation. We undertook five significant hotel-based road trips in North America. They were tremendous adventures, and we learned that hotels and dining out gotContinue reading “Road Trips”
Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections
This post is about our walk along Hadrian’s Wall Path. It might be helpful if you are planning a similar trip. Janet and I walked the path westerly over eight days in September 2024 using Macs Adventures to define the itinerary and make the bookings. Below is a summary of the walking. There is aContinue reading “Hadrian’s Wall Path: Summary and Reflections”
Tennessee – Summary and Reflection
Visiting Tennessee was on our list-to-visit as it’s a potential move-to destination. Bailey visited with some of her friends earlier in 2024 and her inspiration was the foundation for much of Janet’s planning. Bailey made a PowerPoint showing us an itinerary to give us an idea what we could do. Janet got everyone to identifyContinue reading “Tennessee – Summary and Reflection”
NZ Day 13: Getting Home
This was not a day of interesting activities, but it’s a useful reference for the journey from NZ to TX. For a 3:40pm international departure from Auckland, we left just after 9am. The drive was a little over 2 hours, and we had extra time to get fuel. The traffic on the other side ofContinue reading “NZ Day 13: Getting Home”
The Chisos Mountains in June 2021
Samuel very much wanted to share his backpacking adventures with a couple of his buddies. Trying to squeeze a trip in after school and COVID and with summer coming was challenging but we decided early June would work. We were thinking that if we stayed in the mountains, it would be cool enough. Also, ifContinue reading “The Chisos Mountains in June 2021”
Diving the Oriskany and Lionfish Hunting in July 2020
My research for diving adventures led me to Brady Hale’s Ocean Strike Team which organized lionfish hunting trips out of Pensacola Florida. The dives required the Deep Dive specialty, so we signed up to do that first with Michael Watkins from Dive Pros, and that took us to the amazing Oriskany wreck. This was aContinue reading “Diving the Oriskany and Lionfish Hunting in July 2020”
Motorhome Rental
On our journey to motorhome ownership, we have rented units three times: once in the UK and twice in the US. The UK rental was in 2008 when the kids were small. The US rentals were in 2017 for driving the west coast between Mexico and Canada, and in 2020 to visit North Carolina waterfallsContinue reading “Motorhome Rental”
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”
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”
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”
The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 