Blogs from Hartford, Connecticut, United States, North America

Apologies from the start for any spelling, gramatical errors, layout, or swearing. It will probably take me all of our six months to get used to this site. Day 01……..01/04/2012 With all the goodbyes to friends done, and the slightly more difficult farewells to family members managed, (with just a few tears), we headed for Heathrow airport,” thanks Lewis”. All checked in, I sat people watching in the departure lounge, while Lynne went shopping. I looked for the rich and famous and at the travellers from all nations, the cabin crew wheeling their overnight bags behind. I thought Katie my daughter had probably passed this way a hundred times with her job. So imagine my surprise, when there she was, gliding passed the shops in her Virgin red livery, looking for us. Her trademark ... read more

I must travel. Late last year the United States plunged into the deepest recession since the Great Depression, and I must travel. Spending money should be the last thing on my mind right now, yet I must travel. Wanderlust can be a serious affliction sometimes. After much effort going through my (newly reduced) spending budget, I managed to squeeze out enough funds for a single week road trip. With that time limit, whatever I saw needed to be relatively close. Going over maps, I remembered something I heard about last year. While staying at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania, I learned about an incredibly difficult raft trip called the Upper Youghiogheny. It features nearly continuous whitewater, so difficult it makes the Gauley look reasonable by comparison. After much contemplation, I decided to go for it. I ... read more