Last Post from the New World

Monday night I was sitting in my favorite English pub
having dinner and a pint and listening to Eric Clapton's
Unplugged.  Tuesday afternoon I was sitting in the first
class cabin (I could get used to it.) of a Boeing 767
watching the Appalachian Mountains go by below and
listening to Diana Krall's latest album.  Wednesday
morning I attended my brother-in-law's funeral (the
first of my generation in my family).  Saturday afternoon
I learned that in eight months I will be a grandpa (I will
gladly pay up on the bets made to many of you.).  It has
been a full week, but I am home.

To everyone that actually read some of the stuff that
I have written during the last 11 months, you have earned
a reprieve and should immediately seek therapy.  To those
of you that sent emails to me, I say thanks because they
kept me connected me to home.  I enjoyed my stay and have
hundreds of pictures to share with anyone crazy enough to
ask.  I am glad to be home and look forward to seeing you
in the coming days, weeks, months.......  To all of my new
friends in the UK, I will keep in touch and in the immortal
words of Douglas Adams, "So long and thanks for all the fish!".

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Beautiful Weekend

It was a beautiful weekend here.  After traveling
through Scotland the previous two weeks, I decided
to stay home and catch up on local stuff this weekend. 
The leaves are in full color and the whole town has a
different feel to it.  I spent a lot of time walking
around town while watching and listening to the locals. 
(Chris, they have opened an upscale restaurant in your
old watering hole!)

Yesterday marked my eleventh month here.  Mother nature
oblidged me by providing a beautiful clear Fall day. 
After work, I walked around town and then drove out
to The Honey Bee (my favorite UK pub) for some Hunters
Chicken and a pint of Timothy Taylor
(hand pumped of course).  The staff there always make
me feel at home and their mashed potatoes and carrots
are like no other.

Work continues to wind down.  The Process Group has
shrunk to half its former size and it will soon shrink
even more.  Things will not pick up for them until after
the new year when new funding is released and the detailed
design begins.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Scotland trip comes to an end

The Scotland tour came to an end yesterday.  It is an
amazing country.
Day 11 we were in Inverness.  We stopped long enough to
do some laundry and then headed out for the Culloden
battlefield. We spent the rest of the morning and part
of the afternoon there before returning to Inverness
to continue our tour of the city.
Day 12 we departed from Inverness and headed down
Loch Ness on our way to Kingussie in the Cairngorm
Mountains.  We stopped along the way to tour a museum
and to see a castle.  The combination of the fall colors
on the surrounding mountains and the blue of the loch
were worth stopping to admire, which we did often. 
After touring the loch, we drove up into the Cairngorms,
stopping along the way to walk to a water fall.
We intentionally took the back roads and were rewarded
with more great scenery.
Day 13 we left Kingussie and dropped down out of the
Highlands to Stirling.  In Stirling, we toured the
downtown area and walked along the old city walls.
Day 14 we toured Stirling Castle in the morning and
then drove to Rosslyn Chapel (think Dan Brown) for a
tour of this incredible unfinished cathedral.  We
then drove to Selkirk.
Day 15 we left Selkirk and on our way home we toured
one of the many ruined abbeys (Melrose Abbey - built in
the 12th century) and the remains of a Roman fort on
Hadrian's Wall (2nd century).
We arrived back in Wilmslow around 1730.
Day 16 is today.  I took Michelle to the airport this
morning and she is currently winging her way back
to Atlanta. Two weeks should be the minimum stay in
Scotland to do it justice. Many places in the west
reminded me of the western US, many places
in the east reminded me of the eastern US, and some of
the landscape did not remind me of anything that I
had seen before. In many parts of the country, the
roads are not built for speed, but you will not want
to rush through these areas anyway.
The people are helpful and friendly and can even
be heard to say "y'all" from time to time.

This is the last extended trip I will take while here.
Michelle and I spent a week touring northern Wales in
February. Seven of us spent a week touring England
in June and then four of us spent the next week touring
northern Wales and the Peak District.  Michelle and
Melissa came over in August for a 10 day tour of
Ireland.  I have tried to travel every weekend that
I was not working and have largely succeeded. 
I have put a lot of miles on the rental car and tried
to support the local economies with non-stop spending. 
There are a few things that I would have done
differently, but not many.  I will now start
getting ready to come home. 
It is a little ways off, but there
are still things to do here at the flat
and at work.

I will now go to a local pub and have a
pint on y'all's behalf.
I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Day 11 of Scotland Tour

Greetings from Inverness on Day 11 of the Scotland tour. In our last
episode, Michelle and David were on the Outer Hebrides looking
at standing stones and surreal landscape.

Day 7 saw them escape from Stornoway via the ferry to Ullapool
and the western highlands. The weather was extremely windy and
a little wet. From Ullapool, we drove north to Durness where we
stayed for the night. There is a lot of dramatic landscape along the
western and northern coastlines and a lot of it is viewed from single
track roads. It is hard to stay on the road, dodge sheep, and sightsee
at the same time. So, it was slow going.

Day 8 was a drive across the northern coast to Gills Bay, where we
caught the ferry to the Orkney Islands. About halfway across, the
landscape changes from high moor land to beautiful farm land. It
is a sudden and dramatic change. This drive had a slight twist in that
we had to dodge a herd of cows on the road. They blocked the entire
road and were in no hurry, so we had to detour around them. We
landed in St. Margaret's Hope and drove north to Kirkwall.

Day 9 we toured the main island with its standing stones and
historic buildings. These islands are beautiful farmland, lakes,
and dramatic coastline just like the NE part of mainland Scotland.
Kirkwall has a view sites as well.

Day 10 we toured downtown Kirkwall and South Ronaldsay
(the southern most island) before boarding the ferry back to
the mainland. Once on the mainland we drove south to Inverness.
Along the way we visited more standing stones and a castle.

Today we will go to Culloden (battlefield) and Loch Ness
(to see Nessie) before returning to Inverness for a second night.
Michelle has about 700 pictures thus far, so when she gets home,
do not ask to see any pictures of the trip or you may get more
than you bargained for.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Isle of Skye

More specifically, greetings from Stornoway, Outer Hebrides,
Scotland, UK. Today is day six of the thirteen day tour of
Scotland with Michelle. She arrived last Saturday on an
early flight and we were off and running within the hour.

Day 1: Michelle arrived around 0830 and cleared customs
around 0930. We stopped by the apartment long enough
for me to pick up my luggage and for her to freshen up
and then we were off to Scotland. The drive up took us
by the Lake District and across the Scottish border at the
SW corner. Our first night was spent at the Queensberry
B&B in Moffatt with hosts Paul and Denise. They are retired
school teachers and she makes a great salmon omelette for
breakfast. We spent the afternoon walking around Moffatt,
which was home for a walkers convention that weekend.

Day 2: We drove from Moffatt and through Glasgow to
get to Ardlui the next day. Along the way, we stopped and
toured a local village; walked along the bonnie, bonnie banks
of Loch Lomond; and took a cruise on a tour boat.
Our accommodations that night were at the Ardlui Hotel,
which is located on the very northern tip of Loch Lomond.
The view from our hotel window included the lake and
surrounding mountains. The hotel has a good restaurant
and a decent pub.

Day 3: From Ardlui, we drove to Fort William. This is a
great drive because it takes you over the southern tip
of the highlands. It was a drive interrupted by frequent
stops for Michelle to take pictures. We stopped in Fort
William long enough do some grocery shopping for snacks,
tour the pedestrianized downtown, eat lunch, and check in
at the Glenlochy Guest House. We then drove to Glen Nevis,
strapped on the hiking boots, and started up Ben Nevis.
The weather and the time of day would not allow a climb
to the top, but we walked about an hour and a half before
sitting down to eat our snacks and enjoy the view. That
night we ate at a local restaurant with a few other
American tourists seated not far away.

Day 4: Our destination this day was Portree on the
Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye is where pagans go when they
die to await admission to the Outer Hebrides for the rest
of eternity. It is SCENIC. Our day included a drive around a
large portion of the southern and central part of the island on
single track roads where the sheep have right of way, a tour
of a castle built on the bank of a sea loch, and many stops for
pictures. In Portree, we checked into the Rosedale Hotel.
The hotel is located right on the harbor front. We walked
around town until the restaurants opened for dinner.
Dinner and dessert were both memorable. Breakfast the
next morning was spent in the hotel dining room overlooking
the harbor.

Day 5: The Outer Hebrides was our destination for the day.
We spent the morning exploring the northern end of the
Isle of Skye (magnificent) before arriving at the ferry
terminal in Uig. While we waited for the ferry, we had
lunch at a proper tea room run by an English couple from
Yorkshire. The ferry left Uig at 1400 and arrived in Tarbert
around 1540. We did not sit down for more than a minute
or two during the entire crossing. The shorelines of the
Isle of Skye and the Outer Hebrides Lewis Island are
cliff lined and spectacular. At the end of the crossing,
we toured the southern and central portion of Lewis Island
before heading up to Stornoway and the Royal Hotel.
Again, the hotel is located on the harbor front and we
have a room facing the harbor. There is one main road
on Lewis Island. It is a two lane road. All other roads are
single lane where sheep have right of way and frequently
exercise it. The landscape here is
surrealistic. It is all about water and rock. Where there
is not water or rock, there is peat. More about peat another time.

Day 6: Today was spent touring the northern end of
Lewis Island. Again, it is all about water, rock, and peat.

Well, luckily for y'all, the library is about to close
and I am being chased away from the keyboard.
More later in the week. I hope this finds all
well where you are.

DWR

Canterbury tour

The beautiful weather held out over the weekend. 
Saturday, I left Wilmslow headed for Canterbury. 
This town was there before the Romans and is still
going strong today.  It is a university town and has
a great blend of the historic with the new.  The sites
include an incredible cathedral
(except for the stained glass), some Roman ruins,
a large portion of the original walls of the city
(built by the Romans and modified later by different
tribes and the Normans), and a pedestrian downtown
that is a pleasure to walk around.

The church was started around 597 with the current
building built a little after the Normans arrived
(1066).  One of the early kings appointed Thomas Becket
to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.  He did this to
hopefully have an ally in the church.  Mr. Beckett,
however, did not toe the line and the king soon
wished that he would disappear.  A couple of the
King's knights (kinicketts for the Monty Python fans)
overheard the wish and made it come true.  They
killed Thomas in the cathedral.  Soon afterwards,
this church became the destination for pilgrims
from around England.  The Canterbury Tales were
written as a result.  (I think I got most of the
facts right, if not, remember the source.)

After the cathedral, it was lunch time.  This is
one great place to eat.  There is a huge selection
and all convenient to the sights and sites of the
city.  I decided to follow a younger crowd into a
Pasty Shop (no, not that kind of pasty).  I have
had pasties on a couple of occasions and they have
been good, quick meals.  The shop was extremely
busy and they had a good selection.  I chose the
wrong one.  By the way, if in Canterbury, take time
to walk the walls of the city......you get the best
views from there.

Second stop was Dover, and in particular Dover Castle. 
This site has been in use for a long time.  There are
still Roman ruins there from when they built lighthouses
to guide their ships into the Dover harbour.  A large
part of one of those lighthouses still stands.....but
the Romans were not the first ones there.  The entire
area around the castle is worth seeing.  They include
the Roman lighthouse, a castle with parts of various
age (400 to 800 years),  WWII gun emplacements, and
tunnels dug back into the white cliffs of Dover and
used during the last 300 years or so.  One of the
highlights was a falconry exhibition.  I only saw
the last two birds, (an African eagel owl and a
Peregrine Falcon) but they were incredible.  One
cool thing about Dover is that you can moon the
people in France from the cliff side observation deck,
which I assume was put there for that purpose.

Sunday took me to the Heritage Motor Centre just
outside of Oxford.  I actually meant to go to Oxford,
but got side-tracked.  Lots of great cars from the
last 110 years.  To top it off, there was an MG
rally out in front of the museum
(You would love this place Michael!). 
You would have to see these cars to believe them. 
Some of the highlights were a couple of James Bond
cars used in the movies.  The first was the original
Bond car, an Austin Martin used by Sean Connery,
and the second was a later Austin Martin used to
save Halle Berry in a more recent Bond flick. 
My favorites though were the Austin Healey 3000's
and the Triumph TR6's.  Great cars in a great setting. 
To top it off, on the way home, I drove along beside a
guy in a beautifully maintained '70s vintage 442. 
It had the steering on the left side (think US not UK). 
He had the windows down and the radio turned up and
seemed to be having a large time considering the cost of
fuel here.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

Rock Climbing during a hike

It was back to northern Wales this past weekend. 
It is impossible to see too much of this place. 
The Costain Climbers and Hillwalkers Club were at
the NW tip of Snowdonia National Park to bag some
3000 footers.  This area reminds me a lot of Colorado.
The mountains are not as high, but the elevation
changes are just as dramatic.

We started off our hike in the Nant Ffrancon valley
by making a 2500 foot ascent up Pen-yr Ole Wen
 (3210 feet).  About 1/3 of the "walk up" was on all
fours; however, this time I was expecting it. 
It was fascinating, as the youngest member on this trip,
to watch these 60 to 70 year olds wedging themselves
into chutes with minimal toe and hand holds to get
to the top of a mountain.  It is not exaggerating to
say that death was a single slip away at many points
on the way up and 9 hours later on the way down to
Abergwyngregyn.

The views from the top were worth the climb. 
These broad bottomed, steep sided glacial valleys
have numerous water courses that plunge from the rim
to the valley floor in a series of pools and falls. 
The region had rain the day and night before, which
made the water action even more dramatic.

Once on top, we had some minor ascents and descents,
but none very challenging.  We were following a broad,
high ridgeline with straight drops on either side. 
While this area is green enough to support grazing
flocks of sheep and a small herd of wild ponies,
it is primarily a land of rock.  Many times on the
way up, while up, and on the way down, were were on
scree fields.

Once on top, we had views of Mount Snowdon to the
south, from which the park got its name, the mountains
of Snowdonia to the east, the Irish Sea to the north west,
and Anglesey and Puffin Islands to the west.  These
mountains help make their own weather, and during our
visit, we were alternately in bright sunshine and
enveloped in the clouds.

Our climb down from the ridge line took us along
a river's edge and eventually brought us to the feet
of two waterfalls formed by the same river.  We took
the time to walk to the base of the nearest of these
falls.  It is probably in the 300 foot range and very
popular among the locals.  From there, it was an easy
2 mile walk out to our vehicle.  I took photographs,
but like the paragraphs above, they do not capture
the beauty of this region.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

It's Been quiet here...

It's been a quiet week here in the UK.  I have not
had to work over a weekend in quite awhile, but
I put in some hours this weekend.  I believe it
will be the last time I have to do that. 
Our (Process Group) work is winding down here.
We are approaching a major milestone and are
happily ahead of schedule.  The next big release
of funding will be in January when the detailed
design work begins in earnest.  So, the next few
months will not be as busy for those ahead of
the game.  There are still some folks putting in long
hours and hearing the clock ticking away.

My time off this weekend, when not doing my
household chores or grocery shopping, was spent
walking around town, people watching, and supporting
my local pub.  This is a great town for all three.
It is a very affluent part of the UK with a very
diverse population.

Fall is arriving here.  Just as the days got
longer faster than at home, they are now getting
shorter faster.  It will not be long before I
drive to work in the dark.  I believe I will not be
here long enough to experience driving home in the
dark (at 1630!) again. 
Speaking of not being here much longer....

They have finally started talking to me about
my repatriation date.  As of this moment,
my last day here will be November 21. 
This will be nice because I can join the family
for Thanksgiving.  I have plans for every weekend
between now and then and for most weekends through
the new year (lots of paddling to do!).  I plan on
putting at least another 10,000 miles on the rental
car between now and my departure.  Michelle has
graciously agreed to help me do that by joining me
in Scotland for two weeks in early October.  This
is a trip that I have been looking forward to for
the entire time here.  My visits to SW and SE
Scotland earlier this year have primed the pump.
We plan on seeing the mainland and then riding
ferries to the outlying islands.  With a little
luck, we will see the northern lights while we
are there.  So much to see, so little time.....

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

I could live in Portsmouth. Friday afternoon was spent
driving from Manchester (considered to be in the north)
to Portsmouth (on the south coast). Manchester was in
the rear view mirror at 1530 and the tent was pitched
just outside of Portsmouth at 2100. The drive down
was only interrupted by a dinner break at the Heart
in Hand pub. The next morning was a little foggy,
but it burned off quickly. The rest of the day was
sunny with temperatures in the upper 70's and low 80's.
Portsmouth is a naval town and has been since
before Roman times. It is home to the largest
naval base in the UK. It was heavily bombed during
World War II so, it does not have the historic
buildings one would expect to find. A castle
built by Henry VIII is still standing and can still be
toured. The town's treasures are nestled in the
old dock yard and for 18.50 (roughly $37.00)
one can spend time among them.
I arrived in town a little after 0700 and found
a convenient car park (parking garage in this case)
near the old dockyard. Since nothing was open
at that hour, I spent the first three hours of the
morning exploring the town and its water front.
It is a pleasant mixture of the old and new with
plenty of green (grass and money) thrown in.
The town has a historic section and a Myrtle
Beach like section. Luckily, the historic section
dominates the water front.
The doors to the dock yard opened at 1000.
This same set of doors has been allowing
entrance since the early 1700s. Inside the gates
are the historic wonders that I wandered through
until 1730, and an operating, modern navy base
where I was encouraged not to wander by
armed security forces. The first twenty minutes
were spent waiting in queue to pay for the
season pass. Just a minute's walk outside the
door of the ticket center is where the Warrior is
berthed. This is the first UK built steel and
steam/sail ship built in 1860 in response
to a similar vessel being built in France.
It was the largest and fastest war ship of its day;
although, its day only lasted about 10 years.
During its illustrious career, it was a war ship
in active service, a war ship in reserve service,
up for auction as scrap (no takers), and part
of an oil receiving depot. Eventually, it was
beautifully restored and put on display.
It looks like it could sail out
of the harbour any time it is required to do so.
I spent 2 hours touring the ship.
Back off of the ship, I wandered back to the
ticket building, which also houses one of
three places in the immediate area to get
food. Lunch was wolfed down and I was
off to tour the HMS Victory. This is a ship
built before the US became the US (1759).
It was Nelson's flag ship at Tralfalgar and
the ship where he was wounded, died,
pickled in a cask of spirits
(rum and brandy, I think),
and transported back to England for a
hero's burial. Nelson was a hugely popular
man during his lifetime. His success in the
navy tranfsered into the private sector
where he was almost worshipped.
The ship was put into dry dock in the
1920's and lovingly restored. I spent 2
hours touring it.
The Mary Rose served England for about
35 years before she sank off the coast of
Portsmouth while Henry VIII watched
(think 1500's). It laid on the bottom of the
sea until recovery efforts succeeded in
raising a subsantial part of the port side
sometime in the 1990s ( I think!).
That portion is in the process of being
preserved, but it is housed where the
public can come in and view it. While
interesting to archeologists, I only spent about
thirty minutes in this area, then I was off to take
a harbour tour.
The harbour tour lasted a little less than an
hour. We rode by modern warships at anchor
or in dry dock, the Warrior and the Victory,
and dodged through heavy traffic.
Everyone was on the water....cruise ships from
France, ferrys to the Isle of Wight and Gosport,
tugs, private power and sailing vessels,
and jet skis....and all crammed into an area
smaller than Clark's Hill Lake's southern end
between the dam and Bussey Point. The rest
of my time in the old dock yard was spent
touring the Royal Navy museum and the Nelson museum.
I walked out of the dock yard gate at 1730 and
proceeded back to the downtown water front to
take a ride up the Spinnaker Tower. This tower
was recently completed and was over budget and
behind schedule. It may have already paid for
itself though. The tower is shaped like a
billowing sail. An elevator takes you to the
100 meter level (above the water side)
where you can stand looking out through
glass windows or stand on a glass floor to
watch folks passing beneath you.
You can then climb to the two levels above
to get a slightly different perspective of
Portsmouth and the surrounding land and sea.
I spent about forty minutes in the tower
before descending in search of dinner.
I did not have to walk far (about 100 yards)
before settling into a water side seat and
ordering a beer and dinner. This was wolfed
down just as lunch was because I had one
more stop for the day before I returned to
my tent. (Suella, you have a sister.....born in
Bulgaria, working in an Italian restaurant,
and living in England! While you are not twins,
the similarity made me look three or four times
before I convinced myself that you were not in country.)

Chichester is a small town about 30 minutes
drive from Portsmouth. It has another one
of those 1000 year old cathedrals that I mention
from time to time. When I arrived, a crowd was
gathered in front of the church and I immediately
thought they were holding Saturday evening
service. They were not. By the time I finished
walking around and photographing the exterior
of the building, the front doors opened and the
crowd started in. I followed to see the interior
and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the
UK National Youth Choir was performing that
evening. I bought a ticket, toured the inside
of the cathedral, and then settled into place
to hear a wonderful choir doing an impressive
selection of music. This is not your run of the
mill youth choir (17-20) and the music they
performed is not typically performed by people
in this age group, but they were up to the task
and there were some incredible moments
during the evening.
I arrived back at my tent about 2315,
brushed my teeth, and went to bed. No one
saw me come in that night and no one saw me
leave in the morning. I was showered, dressed,
and packed by 0630 this morning. I had a
busy day planned. My first stop was Winchester.
This was the capital city in southern England
(not London) prior to the arrival of the
Normans around 1079. Many of England's
famous kings, prior to the Norman invasion,
ruled from this city. A huge cathedral was
build on the site as far back as 600. The new
structure was started around 1080 and has
been in continuous service since its completion.
There have been many additions since the early
construction.
A lot of the old town is no longer there;
however, you can walk around and see bits
and pieces from the Roman era through today.
I spent about 3 hours walking the city,
the cathedral, and the local bishop's castle.
As I walked back to the car, I passed through a
local farmers market where I spent another hour
sampling the wares and buying stuff to eat on the
way home and later in the week. I was leaving
Winchester a lot later than anticipated,
so I cancelled plans to stop in Oxford. I will
fit that into a trip later in my stay.
I hope this finds all well where you are.
DWR

Kinder Scout

Kinder Scout is a high moorland in the center
of the Peak District. It has a rich geologic
history, and played an important role in
the history of hiking in the UK.  The Edale
Valley sits between Kinder Scout and Rushup
Ridge/Mam Tor.  The town of Edale is located,
oddly enough, in the Edale Valley.  Today's walk
started in the town of Edale at the beginning of the
Pennine Way.  The Pennine Way is a well known long
distance trail in the UK that is very popular........
especially on bank holiday weekends.........of which,
this is one.

The last ice age played a large role in shaping
Kinder Scout and the Edale Valley.  I know little
of Kinder Scout having only explored its edges, and
will not likely have a chance to explore further
during my current stay.  The Edale Valley is a rich,
verdant valley that is a pleasure to walk through and
to view from the surrounding ridgelines.  The green,
steeply sloping sides of the valley are currently
decorated with the white of grazing sheep and the
purple of blooming heather.
Kinder Scout was the scene of a mass trespass
some years ago.  To over simplify, the goal was
to open up private lands to the public for hiking.
Today, much of the private land is open for hiking,
which is a good thing, and the Brits make the
most of it.  I arrived early to beat the crowds
and succeeded in completing the first half of the
10 miles before the crowds hit the trail.
It was a typical UK summer day with periods
of showers and sun.  A tee shirt and shorts
were enough one minute and the next required
a fleece layer under raingear.  The crowds were
the typical British hikers ranging in age from
less than a year old to well over seventy.
The hike started on the valley floor in the
heart of Edale.  It wound its way through a series
of pastures filled with feeding sheep before veering
off of the popular Pennine Way and ascending a steep
slope on a rocky trail beside a stream that ended
on the southern edge of Kinder Scout.  There are few
trees in the Edale Valley; therefore, there
are unlimited views in all directions.  Once
above the valley floor, much of the valley is
visible, and once on the ridgeline, miles of the
surrounding countryside are visible.
This is where lunch was consumed........
while sitting on a rock.......in the rain
........watching the clouds roll onto
Kinder Scout and obscuring the view of the moor
and the valley below.  Twenty minutes after
finishing lunch, the hike was resumed........
in tee shirt and shorts......in bright sunshine.
The hike along the southern edge of Kinder Scout
and the descent back to the Edale Valley floor was
completed in bright sunshine.  This is a place
I wish you all could see.
I hope this finds all well where you are.
DWR

Ireland

Ireland is: - green- picturesque
- historic
- wet
A lot more can be said about it, but I will let
you ask Michelle or Melissa when and if you see
them.  They should be landing in Atlanta soon.
It was a great trip.


The ladies planned the trip, which is one
reason it went so well.  We spent time in
Dublin, Wexford, Hook Point, Youghal
(sounds like y'all), Killarney, Blarney,
Adare, Cashel, Roscrea, and Kilkenny.  We
went to a performance of Riverdance;
attended a folk dance festival; explored
an 800 year old light house that is still
operating; walked a Blue Flag Beach;
kissed the Blarney Stone
(at least one of us did); toured ruined
abbeys, castles, and other historic sites;
enjoyed a wide range of ethnic food some of
which was Irish; toured a 250 year old
brewery and sampled its wares; and sat
is a couple of pubs listening to traditional
Irish music.  The weather was a pleasant
mix of rain and sun.  One could count on
having weather that they liked at least
once during the day.

The hero of the trip was Maggie. 
The first day, she got me from the port
to the hotel through rush hour Dublin
traffic regardless of the many times I
was in the wrong lane and could not turn
as she directed.  She almost unerringly
guided us from place to place all through
the week.  Today, she guided me from the
airport hotel back to the port through
the rain flooded streets of Dublin in time
to catch the Holyhead ferry.  Ask Michelle
how long it took her and Melissa's bus to
get from downtown Dublin to the airport
hotel yesterday evening.  The streets
were flooded, two major sports venues
were just releasing their crowds, and
working folks were trying to get home.
Maggie, I salute you!

I hope this finds all well on your end.
DWR

Boston, England

I am priviledged to live next door to the Peak District.
I have walked there numerous times and will purposely
reroute my trips to take me through the area. I did not
have to divert my course today because it took me
through the northern part of the district on the way out
and the southern part of the district on the way back.
The wildflowers and heather are both in bloom. It makes
for a great drive wherever you are going.

Today, I was headed for Boston, but got sidetracked in
Lincoln, which is not far from Newark. You think I am
making this up, but I am not. I also passed close to
Sherwood Forest and Nottingham, but did not have
time to visit either on this trip.

I headed out this morning with the intention of
spending the majority of the day in Boston
(Yes, that is where Boston, MA got its name.),
which is on the eastern sea coast. I planned to stop
in Lincoln along the way to see their famous castle
and cathedral. After being in Lincoln for five hours,
I realized that I was not going to make it to Boston.

The Queen currently on the throne is from a long
line extending back to William the Conqueror who
came over from Normandy and united or conquered
a lot of the local tribes and unified much of the country
under one rule. This happened around 1066. The castle
and cathedral were built shortly after this time (1090's).
They are both still standing and both still in use.

Before the Normans got there, the Romans were there.
I do not recall the exact dates, but they were all through
the area for the first couple of hundred years AD.
There are Roman ruins excavated everywhere on the
main hill of the city. The city is on a hill and the
cathedral is visible for miles around. I met two
gentlemen from Houston, Texas (Bill and Hugh)
that did not plan on stopping in Lincoln, but saw the
church from several miles away as they were driving by
and decided to divert their plans.

I will be with two of my favorite females from 8/1 to 8/10.
Michelle and Melissa will be here for a tour of Ireland.
It should be a great trip. The ladies will arrive in Dublin
by air next Friday morning. Maggie, the car, and I will be
taking the ferry from Holyhead, Wales to a little city south
of Dublin next Friday afternoon. We will rendevous at a
great hotel in downtown Dublin. Michelle has planned
this one and all I have to do is show up and drive.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR

Oh, Maggie! Who needs her?

I had it all planned out....up at 0500 Sunday morning
....hit the road at 0600....arrive in Liverpool by 0700
....beat the crowds down to the downtown dock side....
have the Class B and C tall ships all to myself for at
least an hour.  About the time the crowds started
arriving around 0900....take the shuttle over to the
big beautiful Class A ships farther north along the
Mersey River (yes, The Mersey River)....complete my
review of all the tall ships around noon.  The shuttle
would then deposit me back close enough to walk to my
car....grab lunch....hit the road the twenty miles
north up to the Royal Birkdale golf club arriving in
time to see the last few twosomes tee off.....
spend the rest of the day walking the course
and enjoying the great golf....leave around 1930
....home around 2100 (accounting for traffic).

I came close, but things began to go amiss soon
after I left the garage.  I programmed Maggie to
take me to the Liverpool city center.  This is
very simple and literally idiot proof.  Maggie
started giving me directions and we were off
and running.  An hour later (usual travel time),
I am sitting in beautiful downtown Liversedge
and I am pissed....not at Maggie (yet), but at
myself for not paying at least a little attention
to where I was going.  I was too busy thinking
about the wonderful day I was going to have and
all the stuff I was going to see and do to
pay attention.  I did not think it was
Maggie's fault (yet).

I carefully programmed Maggie to take me to
downtown Liverpool again.  This time I confirmed
it a couple of times to make sure there was no
operator error.  I was one hour away.  I started
driving and making adjustments to my plans....
Class B and C boats in the AM....Royal Birkdale
until 1900 and Class A boats until 2100....home at 2200.
I arrived around 0815 and still beat the crowds
to the Class B and C ships and was hitting the
road toward the Royal Birkdale around 1030 when
Maggie tried to slip a fast one by me again.
I had programmed in the Ainsdale city center,
which is a village close to the golf course and
a likely spot for lunch.  When I punched the
screen to select Ainsdale, a different city's
name suddenly appeared in its place and the
SATNAV determined the course to it.  I caught
her this time though, and after several choice
words, I got her to comply with my wishes.  I
made it to the golf course and walked around
from 1200 to 1830.  The last shot I saw was
Greg Norman sinking a long putt on number 14.
I was then out of the gate and on my way back
to Liverpool.

Unfortunately, thats when my luck ran out.
The park and ride buses were stopping service
just as I got there and there was no place close
enough to park and walk from
(at least that I knew about).
So, I headed home without seeing the Class A boats
....but what a day!  If this is bad luck,
I want all of it I can get.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR

More Images from all day hike

The Hike From Hell has a great view

English Understatement

The English have a tendency to understate things.  If an
Englishman tells you that he's had a bit of a cold, he has
probably had double pneumonia and just gotten out of the
hospital.  So when my walking club decided to take a bit
of a hike, I should have asked more questions.
I didn't.....I will in the future.
Our typical walks are between 8 and 15 miles with strenuous
ups and downs, some rock hopping, and an occassional scree
slope thrown in to add spice.  They are physically demanding,
but not exhausting.  The views are always worth the climb.
Yesterday, we took a bit of a hike.  It was 23 miles long
over a remote set of ridgelines
(think no roads go through the area).  The length was the
easy part.  The views were better than I can describe and
better than my pictures will portray.  We had the Irish sea
on one side and a large lake on the other side of the ridge.
The hike was a map and compass hike with bushwacking through
immense stands of flowering heather, through ankle deep bogs,
and up and down scree sloped at 60 to 70 degrees.  To sweeten
the hike, throw in several hundred tons of sheep poop
(yes, I used the word poop).  In order to walk around all of
that poop would have lengthened the hike several miles,
so we walked through a lot of it.  Luckily, the bogs removed
the poop and replaced it with mud.  Then the 3 mile road walk
at the end of the hike removed the majority of the mud, at
least from the boots. We left the Lion Hotel in downtown
Barmouth, Wales around 0540 yesterday morning and were on
the trail around 0615.  From the road where we parked,
it was a 4 mile climb up to the high plateau that we would
stay on for almost all of the hike.  Once we arrived on top
of the plateau, out came the compass and map and for the next
four hours we slogged through bogs and heather while climbing
up and down ridges.  We did not go around the ridges because
they were perpendicular to our path, as were all the ridges we
crossed yesterday.  We then reached the set of ridgelines that
sent one of our four intrepid hikers back to Barmouth early.
We hit the first and smallest of the larger ridges aroung 1100
and we were on the other side at 1215.  At this point, Dave
(not this Dave, the smarter one) decided that he would not
continue because he was concerned that he would slow us down
climbing the next three ridges
(the "Big Ridges" as he called them).  I should have listened
more closely to him because he had hiked them before.
Anyway, he said goodbye and started walking towards
the closest road to meet some friends hiking in the
area who would carry him back to the hotel.
As he walked away, he called back to us that
he would meet us at the hotel around 2100.
I thought he was kidding......he wasn't.
The next three ridge lines ranged from 500 to 1100 feet in
height above the plateau.  When we were not on scree slopes,
we were following sheep trails through stands of heather and
gorse.  You became a quadraped when ascending or descending
the slopes.  While going up was tough, going down was tougher.
My hands were raw from grabbing rocks and bushes to pull
myself up the slope or to keep me from falling down the slope.
By the time we reached the top of the last and highest ridge,
my legs refused to move any further.  It was here that I
learned that we had "broken the back of the hike" and could
look forward to easier conditions for the remaining 10 miles.
It was 1745..... The remaining miles were easier.
The ridges were long, grassy slopes decorated with grazing
sheep and divided by 300 year old rock walls.  We put
ourselves on cruise control, covered the remaining 10
miles, and descended the last ridge at 2115.  From there,
it was a 45 minute walk into town along a beautiful country
lane (1 car wide).  We arrived back at the hotel at 2200 sharp.
The weather on top of the ridges included high winds, sideways
rain, fog in which you could not see more than 50 feet, and
temperatures cold enough to allow you to see your breath.
There were no views from the tops of the ridges.  However,
as you made your way across the tops of them,
you would stumble upon alpine lakes hidden among the rocks.
The opposite was true for the troughs (think glacial action)
between the ridges.  The wind was cut off, there was no rain,
and while the clouds were still above you, one could see for
miles out over the sea where the sunlight shone though broken
clouds and reflected off of the water.
As we turned off of the main road and entered the hotel's
courtyard, one of my English companions turned to me and
said, "Well, wasn't that an interesting walk."
For an Englishman, I thought he was a bit over the top.

Next week is back to Liverpool to see the tall sailing ships
(not the racing yachts) that will arrive from around the world
and to paddle my kayak in the Irish Sea.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR


   

Liverpool Today

This week was Liverpool. It is only an hour drive from
my place to downtown Liverpool, but this was my first
visit.  It is a European Union City of Culture for 2008.
This city has had its ups and downs over the past 800
years or so. The last down started after WWII and they
are still trying to recover from it.  The drive in went
by a lot of boarded up houses and buildings.  The city
has painted the plywood to make it look better,
but it is very noticeable.  Downtown seems to be on the
upswing with a lot of new construction and some restoration
work going on. The heart of the town is the water front.
I spent most of the day around Albert Dock.  Once used
for shipping, this area is now restaurants, shops, museums,
and marina.  I visited the Beatles museum (had to) and
the maritime museum.  Afterwards, I had a
beer and sandwich in an Irish-American pub on the waterfront.
The Beatles museum was what I expected and they got 12.50
($25) out of me.  The maritime museum was free and I spent the
better part of two hours there.  They had several sections,
but the ones I enjoyed the most concerned the White Star Line
(think Titanic) and the RBN in WWII. To top off the morning,
racing yachts from around the world were in port.  These are
identical sailboats with volunteer crews (novices they train
to sail).  There were about 10 of them tied up right there
in Albert Dock. After lunch, I wandered through the pedestrian
part of downtown.  It is a big area (many square blocks)
with no motor vehicle traffic.  I ended up the day at the
World Museum.  This received a really good write up in the
book I use, but it was a little bit of a let down.  It was
not wasted time, just not up to the write up. I drove home
and spent the rest of the day and night watching the
Wimbelton men's finals.  What a match!  Next week will find
me once again in northern Wales.  I will be doing a 23 mile
day hike on Saturday with a group of friends.  We will end
the day in a great town called Barmouth.  Michelle and I
really enjoyed our visit there last February.

I hope this finds all well where your are.

DWR

Only Five Months Left

Well.......two weeks have gone by quickly here. 
The first weekfeatured the Clampetts in London,
Cambridge, York, Edinburgh,The Lake District,
and Chester. Last Sunday, Kim (daughter),
Jason (son-in-law), and Michelle loaded
up on Delta flight 65 and headed back to Atlanta.
Week two had the remaining cast featured
in The Peak District, Conwy, Holyhead,
Caernarfon, Snodonia,and Manchester. I took them
to the airport today to catch US Airways flight 735 only
to discover that the flight had been cancelled.  After a
lot of footwork and phone calls, they are now scheduled to
fly out tomorrow to London and then back to Raleigh Durham.
US Airways has put them up at the Manchester
Airport Radisson since they have a 5:00 AM flight
to catch.I saw them to their rooms and then quickly
dashed home to get my chores done before returning to work
tomorrow.  I will be returning this evening to watch a
little of the European football final between Spain
and Germany.  This should be a good game.
It has been a nice touch of home. I have now passed the
seventh month mark here and have only five more months
to run around the UK before repatriating to the US. 
I will sit down this week and plan out the rest of my stay.
 There are not that many weekends
left and there is a lot of country yet to be seen.
I hope this finds all well on your end.
DWR

English Summer

It is the beginning of English summer.  The days have
been brutally hot so far.  At one point, I believe we
may have reached 70 degrees.  Unlike last year, we
have had lots of sun.  I am not supposed to mention
this because I may jinx the entire country, but I
believe I brought some SE USA weather with me just to
give them a change.  At least the sunny part, I did
not think bringing 90 to 100 degree days would work
out too well here.

The days are getting longer.  I believe we are now
down to 3 days per week.  The sun goes down for a few
minutes every 72 hours or so when no one is looking.
When I arrived here, I got up in the dark, left work
in the dark, and went to bed in the dark.  Now it is
the exact opposite and I am loving it.

Next week, the Clampetts come to England.  I have six
members of my family coming over for a week long tour
of the country.  The tour they selected is a great
one, and I am sure they will enjoy themselves.  I will
be tagging along to feed them dis-information and
point them in the wrong direction whenever possible.
Fortunately, you could put this group in an empty room
with a stick and they would entertain themselves, so
it should be an enjoyable visit. 

Three of them will hang around for an additional week.
I do not know where we will go that second week, but
I have narrowed it down to a couple of dozen of my
favorites.  For those of you suffering from higher gas
prices, I will hopefully cheer you up some by telling
you that it runs about $2.36 per liter here.  I will
be burning a lot of it that second week.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR


     

Glen Nevis to Ben Nevis

The first time I saw the man was on the approach trail
from Glen Nevis to Ben Nevis.  While the highest peak
in the UK is a walk-up, it is a long, tiring, rocky,
and physically demanding walk-up.  The day I was going
up I met people of all ages and shapes, but this man
stood out among the rest.

When I had been on the trail about 15 minutes, he
sprinted past me going down hill calling out a name I
couldn't quite make out.  The next time I saw him, he
was sprinting back up the hill with a little lap-dog
of some kind close on his heels.  He was keeping up a
steady encouragement for the dog.  Just as he and dog
reached a stile blocking the trail a little ways ahead
of me, the man slowed to a walk near a young couple
with three young children.  When I caught up, I could
hear his apologies to the family for making them wait
while he ran back to get his dog.  It turns out the
dog gets lost pretty regularly when out walking.

Over the next four hours, I pass them several times as
we play leap frog up the mountain.  Like everyone
else, we are taking breaks to eat, rest, or just enjoy
the view as it is revealed below us.  The last time I
see them before the peak is just below the first snow
field about a half mile below the summit.  The man is
taking the day pack from the young woman, who is
protesting...just not very hard.  He is telling the
family some of the history of the region and the
mountain.

I make my summit (at the same time 200 others are dong
the same thing) and call Michelle in Atlanta to share
the experience.  As we are talking, the man and the
young family walk past.  I do not see them again until
half way down the mountain.  He is still carrying the
day pack, and he is still carrying it when they reach
the car park in Glen Nevis an hour and a half later.

The man was at least in his mid seventies.  I never
saw him break a sweat or get out of breath or lose his
footing, which everyone else on the mountain was
doing, including me.  He was dressed in corduroy
pants, a printed long sleeve cotten shirt, a wool
sweater vest, a driving cap, and work boots.  He also
walked with the help of a cane.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR

Loch Lomond

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch
Lomond............That is where I was camped over the
three day weekend.  I was in a very little village
named Ardlui on the very northern tip of the loch.
The campsites were on the bonnie banks.

Maggie and I got on the road Saturday morning at 0500
and we arrived at Ardlui around 1000.  We would have
been there sooner, but I kept stopping to take
pictures.  This was my fourth attempt to invade
Scotland.  The first three were thwarted by 80 mph
winds and snow.  This weekend was spent almost
entirely in shorts.
After setting up camp and eating lunch, I drove around
and took some more pictures.  Around 1300, I put the
'yak in the water and paddled between 5 and 6 miles
south.  I knew it was time to turn around when I
spotted the ice cream stand on the eastern bank.  I
paddled over, waded through the crowd, bought a double
cone, and sat down on a bench to enjoy the sunshine
and the view.
I finished the cone, paddled back north, and set about
trying to learn about the new boat.  I have not foamed
it out yet, but I now have an idea of what needs to be
done.  I brought a block of mini-cell foam with me for
this purpose.  I can say already that the boat is a
pleasure to paddle.  It is not exceptionally fast, but
fast enough.  I was paddling on and off in 15 to 20
mph winds and never once thought about putting the
skeg down.  The boat has a ton of secondary stability
and it rolls easily.  Michelle will be taking pictures
of it home with her when she visits in June.

I finished off Saturday with a couple of pints of ale
from the local mini-brewery and a delicious dinner at
the local pub.  They happen to be in the same
building, which also serves as the office for the
hotel and the campground....talk about convenience.

I have decided to become Scottish.  Particularly, I
will become a highlander.  It is an incredible place
to see.  I got a chance to drive over to Fort William
from Ardlui on Saturday.  I parked the car in Glen
Nevis and hiked up to the top of Ben Nevis (highest
peak in the UK).  I took my time and was out for a
little over six hours.  The view is worth the climb.
I finished off Sunday with dinner at a local
restaurant, pub, hotel.  They happen to have the best
chefs in town.  I started off with the local mussels
(a bakers dozen) and finished it off with haggis....I
was tempted but went for a popular local chicken dish
instead, but from what I hear, haggis tastes a lot
like chicken.  I then took the coastal road south and
cut back across the highlands to Ardlui.

I paddled a bit more this morning and then loaded up
to get back.  I am still doing chores, but decided to
take a break for this and dinner.  I hope this finds
all well on your end.  More later......

DWR


     

New Kayak

The new kayak has a home, and I have found a few
places to paddle it.  Most require that I have
liability insurance (They must have seen how I
paddle.).  Going somewhere and throwing your boat in
is just not done here.

Spring is here!  I have been wearing shorts the past
couple of days and actually turned on the air
conditioning in the car today to make sure that it
will work if needed.  All the flora seems to be in a
rush to make up for it being a late spring.

We hiked in Shropshire (SW England) yesterday.  It was
gorgeous day and some interesting terrain.  The hills
are not very high, but they are steep. The valleys are
relatively narrow and most had streams running through
them. We passed through an Iron Age fort that had been
used by the local inhabitants to fight against the
Romans back in the first century A.D.  The fort was at
the top of a very steep hill.  Some of the original
ramparts were still in place.

Speaking of the Iron Age, a Shropshire local was guide
on this trip.  He was an interesting guy that I had
the pleasure of talking to for a large part of the
day.  His memory of the facts is that a large part of
England has been relatively treeless since the Iron
Age.  When you hike here, you do not have to worry
about trees obstructing your view.  For those of you
that have hiked the southern balds of the
Appalachians, almost the whole of England is like
that.  No trees, just lots of sheep!

I do not know if last week was offically pub week, but
I spent five nights in the local pubs.  It seems that
just as I would get settled in for the night, I would
get a call to join someone at a local pub.  I did not
want to be rude, so I threw some appropriate clothing
on and wandered down to have a beer.

I hope this finds all well where you are.  More
later.............

DWR

Kayak Symposium

Spring is in full swing here and it is beautiful.  I
spent the weekend in Holyhead (northern Wales) at a
kayak symposium.  It is a gorgeous part of the country
with a wide variety of water conditions on any given
day.

People from all over the world were there.  I now have
acquaintances in Germany, Denmark, Holland, Norway,
Sweden, New Zealand and some places that I can't
remember right now.  I saw a bunch of new boats that I
had never seen in the states, and I saw my first
pneumatic skeg/rudder.  This animal is a skeg until
fully deployed, at which time it morphs into a rudder
controlled by small hydraulic lines hooked to a
cockpit foot board.  Interesting to look at, but I
do not want one.
The faces in the crowd are the ones you see on
kayaking instructional DVDs.  I gave up counting the
upper crust of the touring kayak world.  Most seemed
very down to earth.  I got to play in the water every
day and I believe I may book it for next year.

Michelle and I are the proud parents of a new Romany S
(S for surf).  We have not named it as of yet;
although, "ah shit" may be appropriate considering
some of my rides in the surf with this thing.

I hope this finds all well on your end.

DWR    

Royalty week at Costain

Last week was royalty week at Costain (where I work).
Prince Andrew (think Fergie or Prince Charles' little
brother) toured the facility and met with our project
leaders.  I had the priviledge of seeing him from a
distance of about 15 feet as he stood and talked with
my boss.  This makes up for the Queen not meeting me
at the airport.

This weekend is the kayak symposium in Holyhead,
Wales.  I hope to come back home with a boat.  You can
never have enough boats.

I hope this finds all well where you are.  More
later...........

DWR

Wood Ducks

When I first spotted the wood ducks from my flat's
window, mama duck was leading her seven ducklings past
a storm sewer grating in the parking lot below.  I
think this was the first time I had seen ducks in the
parking lot, but there are plenty in the general area,
so it did not come as too big of a surprise. Instead
of passing it by and going on her way though, mama
duck circled back around the drain.  She seemed to
take a lot of interest in the drain, and I began to
suspect that there were once more than seven ducklings
following her along.

As she continued to circle, I went to get my hat and
coat.  When I glanced back down, there were only five
ducklings to be seen.  I wasn't sure where the drain
went or whether or not I could lift the grating, but I
thought I would at least have a look.  By the time I
arrived, mama duck had stopped circling the drain.
She stood to one side of it looking down through the
grating with the rest of her brood safely behind her.

As I approached, she started telling me that she was
not happy with my presence.  The ducklings didn't seem
to care either way.  I knelt down beside the drain and
looked between the thick bars.  There were five little
ones swimming in a pool of water about two feet in
diameter and about eighteen inches below the grate.
At least they could be reached if I could get the
cover off.  It was about this time that mama duck
started to hiss at me.  I assumed this was not her way
of encouraging me, but as she still kept a respectable
three foot gap between us, I assumed I was safe for
the moment.

The grate grudgingly allowed itself to be removed.  I
reached down and fished each of the five out and
presented them to mama duck who was now standing right
beside the open hole supervising me and inspecting the
rescuees.  Once the last of the ducklings was safe
behind her, she took one more look into the drain,
then turned and led the group to a row of nearby
bushes.  I walked down to the local pub for a pint of
Hookers Ale and some hot fish and chips before
performing my weekly grocery shopping.

I hope this finds all well where you are.

DWR

I miss the weather in the south

Just a quick note from the UK.  Part of this weekend
was spent in the Lake District doing some hiking.
Between 1015 and 1615 on Saturday, it went from bright
sunlight to rain to sleet to snow and back.  It was
warm enough at one point to need only a long sleeve
shirt and cold enough at the top to need everything in
the pack to stay comfortable.  The scenery reminds me
of our western states when you get above the tree
line, complete with scree slopes.  The mountain tops
are still covered in snow and will likely stay that
way another couple of weeks.

Today was spent walking around Wilmslow doing the
weekly stuff.  I will try to get to Scotland again
next weekend.

I have been watching the Masters this week.  It airs
from 1930 to midnight here.  Having been born in the
SE, I love our weather, especially the hotter parts of
the year.  I will miss that this year.

I hope this finds all well on your end.  More
later.......

DWR

No Wales this time

Last week at this time I had imagined that I would be
regaling you with tales of my Wales paddling exploits
today.  That was not to be the case as circumstances
dictated that I would not make it to Wales this
weekend.  I will instead be attending a kayak festival
at Nigel Dennis' shop in early May.  I have from now
until then to decide which of his boats to buy.  Life
is full of difficult decisions.

Yesterday was spent in Ironbridge, England.  I was not
familiar with the name until yesterday, but I have
been enlightened as a result of my visit.  Ironbridge
is where the Industrial Revolution started.  It is
also the home of the first iron bridge ever built, a
bridge that is still in use today (to draw tourists).
Tourism is the major industry of this town and it is
an enjoyable place to spend the day.  We took in two
museums (Museum of Iron and Museum of the Gorge), two
historical homes of the iron barons (the Darby
Houses), and the Blists Hill Victorian Town.  It
turned out to be a good trip.  The museums and homes
could be thoroughly explored in just under an hour
apiece.  There are plenty of good lunch spots and
public transportation to get you around the gorge.
The natives have put together a "Passport" to all the
attractions and transporation services for a
reasonable price.  The village itself is also an
attraction.

Today, I awoke to a couple of inches of snow on the
ground.  I threw on my running shoes and got my run in
before the snow had a chance to melt.  The village is
a pretty place and even prettier when dressed in
white. I walked up to one of my favorite local pubs
(The Coach and Four) for Sunday Carvery and a pint of
Hyde's Bitter (I had Jeckyll's Bitter last time and
felt that I should try some bitter from the dark
side.).  Just behind the pub is a grocery store, so I
stopped there for this week's groceries and then
walked home.  I tell you all of this boring stuff
because I did all of this without getting into a car.
I really like that about this place.

I hope this finds all well on your end.  I will be off
to the Lake District next weekend for some hiking and
I will try (again) to go to Scotland the following
weekend.  More later..............

DWR

In Memoriam: The Sam Finney pub has closed.  This was
one of Chris Johnson's favorites.  My sympathies go
out to you Chris, I had an extra pint today at the
Coach and Four on your behalf.

So much for Scotland...

Well, so much for Scotland. The forecast was for 80
mph winds and snow. As much as I love nasty weather
to walk or even paddle in, I do not like to drive in
it. So, I became wildly domesticated over the last
four days. I have cleaned, shopped, read, and walked
around the little village I live in enjoying the very
unsettled weather. There have been periods of sun,
blizzard, sleet, and rain. The only accumulation was
Sunday morning for a couple of hours. All the rest of
the snow melted as it hit the ground.

It has been snowing on and off all day today. I
walked down the street through the falling snow to a
local pub that has a glass roof over a portion of the
building and ate lunch watching it snow. I then
walked back to my home away from home through the
falling snow. However, there is no snow on the ground
except on the distant hill tops that I can see from my
3rd floor bay window.

As for Scotland, I will try again in the not too
distant future. I hope this finds all well on your
end. More later...................

DWR

Cemetary

A typical England country setting.

N Wales

A nice hike in North Wales.

Month Four!

Month four has come and gone! I found a great way to
see in month five. I spent the day in York. I had
heard and read great things about this city, but I did
not expect it to live up to my expectations. It
surpassed them.

The forecast was for a pretty nasty day when I set out
at 0730 yesterday morning, but the bad weather never
materialized during my time in York. The first drops
of rain I encountered were around 1600 as I was
leaving The Minster.

The Minster is a cathedral. The largest or one of the
largest in the UK. I spent three hours there after
lunch wandering around the subterranean vaults, the
main floors, and the very top tower (approximately 200
feet above the street). The Romans had built a fort
on the site. The Normans used many of the stones from
the fort's foundation as the foundation for the
largest cathedral of their day. The current cathedral
used bits of both and is larger than both.

In the mid 1960's the central part of the cathedral
started to collapse. Five years and millions of
dollars later, the building's structure was
stabilized. During the work, a lot of cool stuff was
unearthed in the excavation. Being the thrifty people
that they are, the citizens of York kept the
excavation open and made displays all through it to
take you back into time. One can see original Roman
columns and wall paintings as well as bits and pieces
of the Roman and Norman foundations. Other day to day
items are displayed in cases along the way through the
vaults. They also display a lot of vessels used in
the church over the hundreds of years it has been in
existence. The materials of construction ranging from
fired clay to silver and gold pieces with gem stones
adorning them.
The morning was spent wandering around the ruins of a
castle built by King Henry III, taking a Disney-like
ride through an excavated viking village complete with
a display of items recovered during the excavation,
and wandering the streets of this walled city. The
morning ended on an even higher note when I
discovered, purely by chance, a great restaurant for
lunch. The town's economy is definitely driven by
tourism and they do a pretty good job of making life
convenient.

I ended my day with a walk around the city's wall in a
light rain and growing wind. The bad weather hit as I
was driving home. Speed on the motorway slowed from
70 to 80 mph to 40 to 50 mph in the high winds and
heavy rain. The open moor provided no protection.

I hope this finds all well there. The key is still
under the mat. I have only booked three groups so
far.

Next weekend is northern Wales for some paddling and
the weekend after that is the very northern part of
England for some hiking in the Lake District.
Hopefully the weather in Scotland will have settled
some by then and I can finally make it up that way the
following weekend.

More later.......................

DWR

Hiking

Ladybower

Greetings again

I am freshly back from a drive around the Lake
District. It is a fascinating combination of
mountains, lakes, and the Irish Sea coast. There is
snow at the higher elevations and people walking
around in short sleeves at the lower elevations. Of
course, the Brits walk around in some pretty cold
weather in short sleeves.

Just outside the western border of the Lake District,
and located on the Irish Sea Coast is where the
facility, on whose design I have been working, will be
built. It is a pretty dramatic landscape.
My schedule is starting to resemble the one I keep at
home. I seem to be booked every weekend. This is not
a complaint. The next couple of weeks will find me
hiking in Wales and then a long awaited 5 day trip to
Scotland over Easter. It seems like the scenery keeps
getting better every time I explore a new area. The
Lake District is by far the most striking to date,
even more so than northern Wales. The locals tell me
that Scotland will make me forget about the Lake
District, so I am looking forward to the trip.
However, I will be back in the Lake District to walk
and paddle.
I hope all is well on your end. I will drink a draft
on your behalf this evening at dinner.

DWR

Earthquake

People say the British are a little reserved with
their emotions, so you can imagine my surprise when I
was awakened this morning at 0100, by what I am sure
was organized to celebrate my first three months in
the UK, by one of the largest seismic events in recent
UK history.

I do not know how long the quake went on, but I was
awakened by what I thought was someone beating on my
door, no doubt to invite me out to celebrate the
occasion. It was not though, it was the doors on my
standing closet slamming around that was the source of
the sound. About the time this became clear, it
dawned on me that the bed was doing a jig underneath
me, and no, I had not had too much to drink before
bed.

I am glad it was not the big one and that I woke up
long enough to experience it. They sure know how to
make you feel welcome here.

DWR

Renew visa

I am just back from my local neighborhood pub where I
consumed a meal and a pint.  To add to my comfort, I
am surrounded by my stuff, which was delivered today.

It has been a tough week!  I was forced to go to
London this weekend to renew my work permit.
Otherwise, I would have been deported on February
14th......lousy timing to be sure.  I was stuck in
some 5 star dive of a hotel in the heart of downtown
and within walking distance of a majority of the
landmarks, theaters, and restaurants.  We left
Wilmslow (my home town) Saturday morning and rode the
train to London through a snow covered countryside.
We did the tourist thing on Saturday afternoon by
taking the Big Bus (not to be confused with the little
bus).  They give you a 48 hour taxi service and a ride
on the River Thames.  It really is a good deal.  We
walked around all day Sunday, took the river cruise,
and topped off the day with an evening recital in
Westmister Abbey.

Any building less than 500 years old doesn't even get
the tour guide's attention here.  And they are still
using the buildings.  What a city!  I did not intend
to visit London (founded before the Romans took over)
except to get my work permit renewed, but having been
there, I will be going back before my tour is up!

Michelle will arrive on the 15th and we will be off to
Wales for the week.  Life is hard!

I hope this finds all well there.  The key is under
the mat, but the spare bedroom looks like .....

More later...

DWR

More hikes

I've got the Allman Brothers Greatest Hits on the CD
player, a glass of wine to sip on, and I am now
writing from the comfort of my own place. Life is
good!

I have been doing a lot of day hikes in the Peak
District and some road trips to various spots on the
map. This weekend is more of the same. I will walk on
Saturday and then drive to the east coast on Sunday.
The little villages along the way are interesting in
their own right, but I enjoy the countryside more. It
also doesn't hurt to be away from work for a couple of
days. Things are getting better, I don't take work
home every night and weekends anymore.

Canoe polo is interesting, but not as interesting as
the games in the canal on a good night. Things are
much more organized and strategies are worked out.
There are also two refs watching over you. The only
person that is fair game is the person with the ball.
Everyone else is off limits. The boats are not fun to
paddle either. It is a weird design. The only nice
thing I will say about them is that you can hand roll
them without any effort. I never managed one in my
other boats, but I rolled this one on my first try. I
didn't know what I was doing but it worked. I hope I
can translate this to a long boat.

I also met some other long boaters in the group.
Several of them have quite a lot of experience. I am
trying to work out some trips with them as soon as I
decide what to do about a long boat.

I'm off to London for the weekend in early February.
I have to be there the next Monday to renew my Work
Permit. We decided to go up early to explore the
bright lights. Michelle will be here in mid-February
and we will be off to explore Wales and then spend a
few days in the Peak District. The time is flying by.

I hope this finds all well on your end. The key is
under the mat and the spare bed is made. More
later........

DWR

Happy New Year

What a week! I spent last Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday in northern Wales. Wednesday was spent driving
to Holy Island on the western coast of Wales, checking
into the local Travelodge (I'm not kidding.), walking
one of the very few sand beaches, and driving around
looking for an open restaurant. The only place on the
island serving food on Boxing Day (12/26) was
McDonalds (I wish I was kidding.)

Thursday morning was spent circumnavigating the island
by car, exploring local ruins, and watching an angry
Irish Sea.  The wind was blowing a constant 25 to 30
mph with gusts over 40.  Thursday afternoon was spent
exploring Beaumaris Castle on the east coast of
Anglesey Island (east of Holy Island).  This place was
built in the late 1200s to ensure leaders in Wales
knew who their Daddy was and it is pretty amazing.  I
drove to Cowyn back on the Welsh mainland to spend the
night in a very posh resort on the northern coast.
I'm glad it was the off season.  The food that night
made up for McDonalds.  I ate at the Cowyn Bistro and
the food (traditional Welsh) and wine (French, but of
course) were good enough that I will be wandering back
that way at some point next year.  I think Michelle
will enjoy the place.

Friday morning I was exploring the local Cowyn castle,
which was built around the same time as the Beaumaris
castle and for the same reason.  King Edward I spent a
lot of money to make sure Welsh leaders toed the line.
More traditional Welsh cuisine was sampled for lunch
and then the trip home began.  Luckily the trip was
uneventful thanks largely to Maggie.  Maggie is the
name I have settled on for the Tom Tom Navigator
graciously loaned to me by a friend at work who was
over here last year (Thanks again Chris!).

Saturday was spent at home and the stores getting
cleaned up and resupplied and Sunday was spent walking
in the Peaks District for the greater part of the day.
I walked about 10 miles and could see my car the
entire time.  There are very few trees in the parts of
England I have seen so far.  I will spend today trying
to catch up on work and then I'll be back in the Peaks
District tomorrow.

The people I meet continue to go out of their way to
make me feel at home and the beer continues to taste
very good.  I will try to update the list in my next
missive.  I hope this finds all well on y'all's end.
Happy New Year!  More later..........

DWR