Dark by 4:30, raining, and cold. Winter has hit England. At first I thought about how miserable it was going to be, but I just thought of something positive that brightened my day...I'm not on a ship!!! Anyway, my posts are going to be put on the sideburner for a bit, school and work is taking priority for now. [View Full Entry]

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One thing I'm getting really good at is last minute unplanned trips. Earlier in the week Chuck and I had a brief thought of going to Wales and it wasn't brought up again until Friday Mid-morning and that evening we took off. Had one of Chuck's friends (Alan) join us as well. This guy finds out about the trip only an hour or so before we leave and still managed to get everything ready to go and into the car before Chuck...something wrong with that picture. Anyway, we headed out with a car full to Climb Tryfan Mountain in Snowden. The [View Full Entry]

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Another climbing trip. I think I found a new hobby and my mountain bike may be getting jealous. On our way to the climbing area we went through a field full of cows, goats and sheep (nothing unusual for this area). Chuck and I stayed a bit late at the rock face and darkness fell upon us. Our journey back to the car we fell off track just a bit since we lost light and had to navigate with headlamps. We trudged through UK swampland for about two miles before we finally got to the field that we originated at, only [View Full Entry]

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Alright, I am starting yet another blog. I'm transfering some blogs over from ukvic.blogspot.com. Let's see how well this site works... And for those that don't know why I have the screen name "Yankee Rabbit" here's the reasoning: Yankee= a term for an american (from the northern portion) Rabbit= What I feel like when I'm running or riding on the roads out here...Hopping along trying to avoid the Peugot's and BMWs. [View Full Entry]

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Who: Vic & Chuck Destination: Scotland Why: To get out of town and do some hiking and climbing Driving: The somewhat reliable Accord This was a completely unplanned trip. Almost anyway, we knew we were driving North. The start is typical of most trips: Pack Vehicle, use bathroom, go--> Get near destination and realize you forget something. I forgot to rent a climbing harness...the primary purpose of the trip was to do some climbing. So much for that. Plan B: Party... Nothing is cheap over here, especially lodging and alcohol. Luckily I brought the alcohol to prestage, then we hea [View Full Entry]

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Where is the most likely place you would hear the following: "I stopped by for a drink and a fag" A) Denny's restaurant at 2am B) A gay bar C) From a Brit at your local English Pub D) All of the above Answer: "D" However, the difference between the three is that "C" refers to "Fag" as being what we americans call a "cigarette". I heard the phrase above at my local pub from a brit that was taking a break from his wedding party. I had to do one of those "Did I just hear you correctly" looks and [View Full Entry]

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Learned a couple new words from a group I went out cycling with the other day: Wood Butcher: A carpenter I think this one was made up when we took the wrong turn while looking for the pub we were all to meet at... Beer Hunter: One who hunts for a pub without a map. Pint: Gives you energy to ride faster longer and gives you that "Liquid Courage". 1 Pint of Cider = 3 cans of American Beer. I underestimated the strength...don't drink and cycle. Now I know I'm in England and they do speak English here, but some have [View Full Entry]

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I honestly cannot believe we made it to Germany and back in Matt's '78 MG. Don't get me wrong, it's a great running car but when you think of taking a road trip, it's rarely in a classic car such as this, unless it's a VW bus (of which we saw many). But we made it. I give props to Matt as well because he drove the entire way with only a short nap on the trip across the channel via ferry. Our destination was Spangdahlem where Matt used to be stationed and we met up with some of his old [View Full Entry]

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I just spent 12 Pounds on degreaser and lube for the bike. If this was in U.S. dollars it wouldn't be that bad, but thanks to our weakening dollar, the actual price paid: over $24! Everything I buy out here, prices would be fine if it wasn't for the conversion. They need to raise our cost of living allowance cause unless I become a hermit and don't spend any money out in town, $600/mo does not cover the difference in costs...Sorry, this was just a bitching blog... [View Full Entry]

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Quiz: A rabbit runs across the road at 14 miles per hour. A fox is 14 feet behind the rabbit running at 18 miles per hour. Will the fox be able to catch the rabbit? For Answer, See Below... Answer: Not while crossing these UK country roads he's not. Based off a true story, I didn't have my camera the day I saw what I thought was an ironic sight. Dead Fox and only a few feet away, dead rabbit...hmm...fox chasing rabbit while Peugot hits rabbit with BMW close [View Full Entry]

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