A Closing Post

I should have posted this about 3 weeks ago as I like to put a closing post to each trip. This brief read may seem a little dis-jointed but it’s a finish at least.

Looking back over the years it’s obvious that my enthusiasm for this blog has waxed and waned. You can almost see it as a graph with peaks, valleys, and plateaus. Some of my writing has been witty and creative while much of it has been more like straight forward reporting. Overall, I think I lost the passion for fueling this blog with more colorful posts awhile ago. As life changes, interests change. In saying that I feel like my future is heading towards a different kind of adventure, a fresh chapter, where travel may not be so much of a focus. I’ll stop short of saying I’m abandoning this blog but I am not sure how much more time and energy I will put into it. My audience is very small. Just a few I think and I kind of see it more as a public journal or shared notes so to speak. I’m toying with the idea of starting a new blog with a different approach, however, I am a bit put off by social media, the loss of privacy, and troll culture of the internet. We’ll see. If I do, I’ll post a link on this platform.

It was right about 10 years ago that I started this experiment so in some ways it seems appropriate to bring it to a close. Well, a soft close at least. It’s been a great ride and the journey has not stopped. I’ll always travel but there’s no need to get hung up on the persona of, “World Traveler and Thinker”, when life has so many cool things to offer. I’d like to thank those who have followed my trips over the years and I hope that it has inspired you to take a step, or leap, into to one adventure or another.

So, let’s get on with the rest of this post but first lets back up to England for a short bit.

It was a smooth boat ride from the Schilly Islands to Penzance on the coast of Cornwall. The boat arrived right on time. I checked into the hostel I had booked by the train station, dumped my pack, and went for an evening walk that turned into a pub tour.

I didn’t realize Penzance has some really good pubs. I’ve passed through Penzance twice before but didn’t have a chance to check out the town. The pubs are old, quirky, colorfully decorated, and all have a nautical theme to some degree. I kept each stop at a half pint until I ended up at the Turks Head for a proper full pint. Turks Head claims to have been established in 1233. The oldest pub in Penzance. It was there I had fish and chips along with the best real ale I’ve had in a good while. I felt it to be a fitting end in a way. I sense I won’t be returning to England anytime soon aside of a possible layover in London en-route elsewhere.

The next morning I rode the train to London Paddington, walked past a Pret Organic coffee to purchase healthy takeaway food, and enjoyed a nice picnic in Kensington Gardens park. The weather was perfect. I kicked back for awhile. Afterwards, I rode the tube to Heathrow to stay by the airport as my plane was due to leave relatively early the next morning.

Staying near Heathrow made for an exceptionally easy trip to and through the airport. I had a complimentary pass for the United Club with time to spare. My departure gate was literally right across from the entrance to the club. I was able to fill up on a nice breakfast before leaving. The trip home couldn’t have been easier. Everything ran on time.

I arrived home on July 3 and as usual immediately dived back into work but not for long. I am currently in Denver/Boulder, Colorado. I’m here just for a week to visit family and friends. I hadn’t seen my sister since my fathers funeral so in a way my visit is good for the grieving process which takes time. A quick road trip to Colorado just seemed like the thing to do right now before I get too carried away dealing with a mess of work I need to tend to at home. Plus, Houston is boiling right now. Temps around a 100 Fahrenheit with high humidity.

The Schilly Islands were really nice and special. I think I appreciate the time I spent there more back in the states than when I was there. I was lucky with the weather. Everyday was mild, if not slightly chilly, with clear blue skies aside of a little morning rain the day I left. A round trip to the Islands is a little pricey and you kind of have to plan for it but it’s worth it. Camping is the way to go unless you book into the one available hostel otherwise accommodation is expensive. I was quite happy camping and was glad I had the equipment to do so.

At this moment I’m in Denver. Aside of some seasonal afternoon thundershowers the weather has been nice. I’ve made it over to the trails of Boulder for a couple of runs and a couple of hikes. One of my personal traditions every year, while visiting this area, is to hike the Bear Peak/Bear Canyon loop from NCAR in Boulder via the Mesa trail. It’s a terrific hike with an honest stiff uphill trek rewarded by splendid views. Although I’ve seen Bears while hiking in Boulder I have yet to see one on this hike.

In a few days I’ll turn it back around and drive home to Houston. At first I’ll dive back into work. The challenge will be to clear space and make room for fresh things to happen. I’ll finish this post with a modern pop culture cliché, “It’s all good”.