We just couldn’t take the PEI weather anymore.Too be honest, I am glad I have visited PEI but I have no interest in going back.The weather didn’t help.So we decided at noon to pack up after being promised good weather only to have grey clouds as far as you can see.By the time we got on the road it was 3:00 but no big deal since we only had a 2 ½ hour drive to our next stop, Kouchibouguac (I bet you can’t pronounce it) in New Brunswick.The Confederation Bridge was cool (minus the cost) and just like that we were now starting our final leg of the trip.
Unfortunately, I have not really kept track of days and dates so we didn’t realize it was a holiday weekend here in New Brunswick until we arrived only to find that everything was booked solid (our reservations didn’t start until tomorrow).So we headed into town to find a motel except we couldn’t find a town.We found one motel that wanted $135.No.We ended up settling in a KOA-like park.Possibly the worst camping experience of my life.It is like a Chucky Cheese only camping.Kids everywhere with no supervision, open field camping, loud, up late.Horrible.We should have just toughed it out in PEI.Let’s just hope the weather turns around or we could be moving on to our next stop.
Forecast for today called for not so good weather so we decided to go into Charlottetown. Our campground is only 40 minutes from Charlottetown. A cute looking downtown core but not much else there. Only 40, 000 people live there (only 140, 000 on the whole island) so not much for a capital city. The one cool thing that we did do was visit TheProvince House. This is where the famous Charlottetown Conference took place in 1864 to begin talks about confederation. The building is really cool and there is a neat video showing a re-enactment of the time.
Emily and Dad at Province House
Shortly after that it started to rain (what a surprise) and it continued to rain right up until dinner. We didn’t feel like cooking in this so we took the kids into town for some seafood. Well, Mary Pat and I had lobster burgers and the kids had hot dogs. Emily at least tried the lobster, but not till we promised her a dollar. No takers on the other 2.
Coming back to camp it continued to rain so we are having movie night tonight in the trailer. Tomorrow is supposed to be nicer weather so we promised the kids they could do whatever they wanted tomorrow, no following mom and dad around.
Seriously.If you had the choice which would you rather do?Those were the options for the day.So Ryan and I opted to go deep sea fishing.$70 for both of us, 3 hours on the ocean with a guaranteed catch of mackerel and cod.I had no idea what we were in for.8 of us went out and it turned out that one family with us had 2 boys, 10 & 7 and were from London.The kids instantly hit it off and the parents were very nice.They have relatives in Puce and go to Lakeshore Discovery.Anyways, we go out about 20 minutes and stop. The captain says here is how you do it.Drop the line, count to 5 and reel up.He comes up with 2 mackerel on his line (each line had 2 hooks).So we drop our line in and sure enough everyone had 2 on their line (see video below).It was almost stupid how easy it was and honestly, not a whole lot of fun.The captain showed us a ripple in the water and said that was the school of mackerel.There must have been thousands.The mackerel were then used as bait for the harder to catch cod (a larger fish also).We went out another 20 minutes and now you could not see land.This time you had to let the line sink all the way to the bottom and slowly reel up.Ryan dropped his in and says to me that he has a bite.I am thinking no way but his line was bending big time and he could barely turn the reel.He asked if I could reel it in for him.I told him “you snag it, you reel it in”.The next 10 minutes were quite comical as Ryan struggled to reel in this cod.When he finally got it to the surface, he had 2 on his line and fairly large ones.I was also successful in catching a large cod.When we got back, MP, Hannah and Emily were waiting for us and shocked at our catch.The girls were even more shocked when the captain started cutting up the spoils and handing out everyone’s portion.As a matter of fact, Hannah went a little grey in the face.
We stopped at a grocery store on the way home for some butter and that became our supper for the night.It was very good.MP and I ended up eating it all.Hannah was going to be sick.
The girls opted for Anne of Green Gables.So they dropped us off and headed for the hills.
The girls at Anne of Green Gables
The rest is according to Emily:Anne of Green Gables is a book and a movie about a girl who is an orphan.The place we went to see was the authors home and where she wrote Anne of Green Gables.We went into the cousins house and the aunt and uncles.Hannah and I got to sit in a carriage.In the corner of the aunt and uncle’s house there was a fire but it didn’t burn down the house.We went on a little walk and it was a nice walk.We saw lots of nature stuff.I had lots of fun there.
Well the rain finally stopped some time during the night. However the wind certainly didn’t. It was so windy that the trailer was rocking (get your mind out of the gutter!). We slept in till about 9:00 since there wasn’t anything else to do. We packed up the trailer and moved it to our more permanent site, a very nice one too. Wooded, protection from wind (which died down later in the day). By the time we were done setting up and had lunch it was after 1 so we decided to head into Summerside. Summerside is promoted here as a beachfront city with all kinds of stuff to see and do. They hosted the royal couple (can’t remember their names) when they were here earlier in the month. Anyways, about the town…. BORING!! Everyone thought so. Nothing to do here that we could see.
The girls in the ocean
Ryan making a sandcastle
By the time we returned to camp the sun was blazing and it was quite warm out so we took the kids to the beach and let them play. Ryan and I then went on a bike ride on the trails around the camp. They have a gorgeous trail system here with tons of family friendly kms including rides out on boardwalks. Tomorrow looks even nicer.
Things are quite different here. It moves at island time and people are very friendly. It doesn’t offer the spectacular beauty of Fundy or Cape Breton (although MP thinks so), it is more scenic. A ton of cyclists on the roadways here and cars given them a wide berth. Might be fun one day.
We decided to leave Cape Breton a day early.Forecast was crummy weather and we really did everything we could there.We got away real early and were on the road by 8:00.We had to catch the 1:00 ferry to PEI and it was a 4 hour drive.Had to arrive an hour early to ensure you got on.We left in a horrible fog.You saw maybe 10 feet in front of you.To leave our campground you have to drive over a spectacular mountain pass.One of those ones where there is almost nothing between you and 1000 feet down to the ocean.During a nice day it is incredible.In the fog, towing a trailer over wet pavement, not fun. A total white knuckle drive.And that was just the start of the trip.It proceeded to rain the entire way.I am so sick of two lane highways that twist and turn.Ryan is going through a Costco-sized amount of Gravol.Also, Nova Scotia has the worst roads I have ever driven.They are in horrible shape.Not just one or two but all of them.A lot of them have sign “rough pavement next few kilometers”.Makes it impossible to do the speed limit.
We made the ferry (barely) and enjoyed the 1 ½ ride to PEI.We had lunch in the cafeteria and walked around the boat.The kids were a little disappointed.Not sure what they expected.Upon arrival in PEI it was a 2 hour drive to our new campground but since we arrived a day early, we weren’t sure that we could get a spot.We got one.One night of no services and right on the ocean.Right where I was told not to camp because of the wind.And windy it was.However, that was the least of our concerns as the rain was brutal.We set up a temporary site in the rain and all of us got wet.I scouted out the site that we get tomorrow and it is really nice.So it was an early bed and hopefully better weather tomorrow.
Today we went to the Fortress of Louisburg. Louisburg is an old fortress the French used to defend against the British in the 1700’s. The fortress originally was made for fishing and shipping goods over to France. The fortress was attacked and taken over by the British in 1745.
Hannah and Emily with town folk
It was a long 2 hour drive to get there. When we did get theres, we first went to the visitor’s centre. Dad and I went to the washroom. When we came out my sisters and I got some Xplorers activity books. It had a bunch of things that we had to find in the fortress. Then we went outside to catch a bus to the fortress.
Ryan with a musket
My favourite part was the musket shooting (see video below). The loading took like 5 minutes. Finally they were ready to shoot. Suddenly I heard a crack and some smoke flew out of the barrels.
Before that I got a chance to write with a quill. The best feathers to use are crow feathers. The ink was made of linseed oil and soot.
Kids with a French soldier
Finally before we left the person up front let me hold a REAL musket. Surprisingly it looked and felt like wood. Only the butt was made out of wood but everything else was steel. I estimate that the gun weighed about 80lbs. Mom and dad took my picture. Finally we got on the bus.
When we got back to the visitor's centre we handed in our activity book and got a key chain and certificate.
We went back to camp and played with our friends until bedtime.
What a beautiful day here today. Was it ever cold during the night. I am so glad we have a furnace because we had it cranked. However, it warmed up to 80 degrees here today. We decided to cover the northern portion of the Cabot Trail. They recommend 3-4 hours to see it properly. It took us most of that. There is not much you can really say about the Cabot Trail other than it is completely breathtaking. The roads are steep with fantastic views and many places to stop for scenic outlooks. The kids weren’t really interested. Oh well. Mary Pat and I were. Here are a couple of pictures and video I put together of the drive.
Cabot Trail
We were in desperate need of a Laundromat so we stopped on the other side of the mountains at a town called Cheticamp to do laundry. The kids and I went to the ocean while MP did the laundry (trust me, she didn’t mind the alone time). We saw some really cool jellyfish and a bunch of dead crabs. Hopefully one day we’ll see a live one.
On the way home we saw a moose and a baby moose standing beside the road. I got out and took some video and pictures. The video is a little long but I didn’t really feel like doing too much editing.
They are calling for bad weather here the next two days. We are talking about going to see the Fortress of Louisburg.
Well we actually got away earlier than planned.On the road by 8:30.Everyone is getting good at breaking camp and everyone has their own jobs.According to GPS, we had a 6 hour drive ahead of us to Cape Breton.That is, to the park entrance.I drove the entire way so I was a little tired when we arrived.Can you imagine my frustration when I was told that our campground was another 1 ½ up the road.Not just any road but a 13% grade on the edge of mountains road.Real fun when you are tired dragging a trailer with 5 bikes.The car did really well.Anyways, as beautiful as Cape Breton is, our campground sucks!I can count the number of trees on one hand.Nowhere to hang a clothesline.What am I going to do in the night when I have to go.
Camp at Cape Breton
I am having a very, very hard time getting any WiFi so that is why I am behind in the posts.I am going into town tonight to see if I can steal someones an upload this.So even though it hasn’t happened, let me predict the next 2 hours.Fire, smores, Emily meltdown, bed.
We ventured into Halifax today via Peggy’s Cove. Very picturesque place. According to their signage, it is one of the most photographed places in Canada. We did our share. It was beautiful out when we got there and then the fog started rolling in and soon you couldn’t even see the lighthouse that was 200 meters away.
kids enjoying Pride parade
After that we headed into Halifax and what a traffic nightmare! Streets were blocked off and it was impossible to find parking. We finally found a spot and ventured off into downtown. And guess what we stumbled upon??? A parade. Not just any parade but pride parade. So I said to the kids, let’s make Uncle Paul proud and watch this parade. And what a parade! The Cornfest parade has a lot of work to do if it is going to keep my interest after this. Honestly, there is nothing sweeter than having your kids sitting on the curb accepting lollipops or beads from a guy wearing only leather chaps. Personally my favourite was the cross dresser. Ryan wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. The kids collected all kinds of treats and even mom and dad received some “goodies”.
Craig enjoying pride parade
Of course, the downside of all this was the ensuing discussion after the parade. “Why was that so weird?” “Why did some of them dress that way?” “What was with all the rainbows?” Well kids, it is about having pride in who you are and accepting people no how they dress or act. I don’t think they bought it for one second.
At first, Mary Pat was mortified that I was going to take pictures but I thought there is no way I am letting an opportunity like this go by. So I took lots of photos. Also, I have included a video below.
???????
By the time the parade was done it was 3:00 and we headed down to the boardwalk. What a beautiful city. This is going on my list to return to one day for sure, however, not with kids. By the time we got back to camp it was 7:30 and we still had to start packing to leave tomorrow. We would like to be on the road by 9:00 as we have a 6 hour drive to Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Weather started off crappy today. Rain during the night and very grey and foggy for most of the morning. We decided to head in to Lunenburg. It is one the oldest British settlements in Canada and the home to Bluenose II. The town is gorgeous. It is very steep, rising away from the ocean. The old part of town is only 4 blocks deep but rising a few hundred feet. Unfortunately Bluenose II was in dry dock. They were debating whether to build a Bluenose III but opted to take Bluenose II apart and rebuild it.
going whale watching
The town is big on whale watching and fishing tours so we decided to go whale and seal watching plus a harbor tour. The boat gave us a tour of the harbor and the history behind a lot of the stuff. The fog blew away and the sun came out. After that we headed about 20 km out to sea and just stopped. Sure enough the whales began to surface around us. There were Minke whales. They grow to about 30 feet. One surfaced a couple of feet from Ryan and scared the heck out of Hannah. She didn’t like the thought of a whale going under our boat. Getting a picture or video of the whales is surprisingly hard. You just never know when or where they will surface and by the time they do, you have missed the shot. However, as luck would have it, Ryan managed to get some video(see below). The tour was 3 hours long so after that we just putzed around town.
After dinner we took the kids on the boardwalk in the park and then a walk along the beach where the kids found some dead crabs and jellyfish. Fire, smores, Emily meltdown, bed.
From Emily’s Journal
Today we went whale watching. And I saw a whale! And after we went back to camp.
How is it that a 5 hour drive takes us 7 hours? We made great time packing up this morning. It took us about 2 hours to pack up and get back on the road. We actually hit the road by 9:00, an hour before I thought we would. However, I learned a valuable lesson, always add time to what the GPS says when driving on the East Coast. The GPS fails to take into account the very cautious driver on a 2 lane highway. The speed limit was 80 km/hr and this lady was doing 60. There is nowhere to pass and towing the trailer makes it about impossible anyways. So that slowed us down. Plus we decided to stop in Moncton to grab a bite to eat which turned into a Walmart stop and $200 later we were back on the road.
When I was in Florida in March we had some trouble with the GPS not recognizing certain roads. I figured I could deal with that once in a while. However, out here is seems to happen often. It didn’t recognize a new highway in Moncton which took us off route and through a construction zone (fun) and then it really messed up near Halifax. Out came the paper maps and finally we arrived at Rissers Beach at 4:00.
our campsite
Personally, I am not that impressed. We are camping right on the ocean and it is very cool (60 degrees). The sites here are nice however we don’t have any services. I mean like water and electricity. 3 years ago I wouldn’t have batted an eye but now that I have experienced the convenience of a camper, I feel lost. So we are dry camping (running electricity of marine battery and filling water reservoir manually). Of course, no WiFi or cellphone so I will have to stop somewhere tomorrow to upload this.
The kids are having a blast at the playground as I write this it is 9:00 and still very light. I am going to get them as we have a long day tomorrow, plus they have regular journal writing every night. They may even do a blog entry one night.
Emily in the Atlantic
We are going to Lunenburg tomorrow and possibly Halifax. We are playing with the idea of cutting this leg shorter to have more time in Cape Breton. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.
Last full day in Fundy. What to do. We decided to go to Hopewell Rocks. They are very tall rocks, much like Flowerpot Island in Tobermory. At low tide you can walk around the rocks and walk on the ocean floor. As you walk around you can see how high the water comes up and the rocks become islands. We walked around for an hour and took a million pictures. All of a sudden it seemed like the place became packed. It was impossible to take a picture without someone else in it. I will refrain from my thoughts about the Asian tourist bus that dropped off seemingly 500 people as MP is sitting here telling me not to.
Craig and Mary Pat at Hopewell
Emily decided to venture down closer to the ocean and that proved a mistake as she got caught in the mud and couldn’t get out. As far as I was concerned she was on her own, high tide was still 5 hours away. However, Hannah went to her rescue and both ended up muddy as can be. Apparently this is not uncommon as they have a place to clean your feet up top.
Mary Pat and Emily at Hopewell
After lunch we went on a small hike to a very beautiful waterfall. We were all tired so decided to go into town and shop. The kids bought books at a used book store in town and gemstones (or rocks) from some store.
Craig at Dickson Falls
After dinner, we started to pack up. It is a 5 hour drive to Rissers Beach, Nova Scotia so we want to be gone from here by 10 at the latest. Famous last words.
Fossil Beach at low tide (remember those rocks on
the wall?)
A beautiful start to the day.Weather is perfect.Although the temperature changes a lot here depending on where you are.At camp it is 80, down at the ocean, 70.We decided to go back to Cape Enrage to see the low tide.Wow!You can walk out for probably ½ km.Fossil beach (where yesterday we could barely move, we now had a football field) was amazing.There is actually a hiking trail you can take when it is low tide.We watched some people rock climbing and Hannah was quite interested.However, that was the only session offered that day.
Emily starting the hike
Hannah and Dad on the hike
After lunch we went on a hike called Matthew’s Head, which the kids found quite hilarious.It was a strenuous hike for them.A lot of uphill and 4.4 km long.We got great views of the bay.After the hike we were all tired, especially Emily.We came back to the camp and just let the kids play.They went to the playground and biked around.Ryan got bit by something and his ear swelled up huge.It was very funny.His nickname was Dumbo.No pictures however, he wouldn’t let us.Actually he wouldn’t even leave the trailer after that.It was pretty big.
Welcome to the Maritimes! Can you say rain? No, make that torrential downpour with thunderstorms for most of the morning. Everything is soaked (except the trailer, but everything outside). Even stuff we thought was very safe if it did rain got wet. So we hung out in the trailer and played games and read.
After the rain stopped it was cold and grey. So we headed out to get a lay of the land. The first thing we noticed as we headed into town (when I say town I mean Alma (pop. 10)) was the boats that were sitting on the ground. You really don’t appreciate the effects of the tide. It is the greatest tide change anywhere in the world. Every 6 hours it changes for a height of 53’. They even post the tide schedule for the next 3 months right down the minute for high and low tide. I guess there are no excuses if you get caught out.
low tide
high tide
Hannah at Fossil Beach
at high tide
We get some ideas for things to do and putzed around town. The kids threw rocks into the ocean and took some pictures. Did I mention that I forgot to bring the camcorder charger? Yep, didn’t realize that until my battery died. So I called (wait, no cell phone service here), I used a pay phone (wait, I have no calling card or number that I can bill to) so I called collect to Jim (wait, he does not accept collect calls). So I turn to my trusty computer (wait, no WiFi). Stymied at every turn I go to the ranger station and they assure that WiFi will work if I move closer to their station. It did. I researched some post offices in Nova Scotia (where we will be later in the week) and find one nearby. Email Jim to pick it up at the house and priority it to me. Hope I get it.
Emily and Dad at Fossil Beach
(note the rocks on the wall in
the background)
After lunch it started to clear. We decided to head to a place called Cape Enrage. It is a peninsula with a great view of the bay and it is very high up. They have a place called Fossil beach with a million rocks. When you hike to the bottom, you only have about 10 feet of “beach” (high tide). We added our name to the rock wall and the kids searched for fossils in the rocks.
The Guthries' immortalized
After dinner, we went on a bike ride in the campground. It is perfect for bike riding, just hilly enough for the kids and large enough to go out a while. They even have a “mountain bike” trail. It is perfect for Ryan, nice and smooth with some hills. He loved it. After we got back, he wanted to go out again, this time on his own. He had a blast.
Before we get to the Canadian border we do what every good Canadian does. Hit a Walmart. We stock up on groceries and other miscellaneous stuff for wilderness survival (beer and wine). Passing through customs was a non-issue. And then we are in New Brunswick. The first thing we noticed was that the speed limits here are really fast given the kind of roads you are driving. Maybe they are just better drivers here.
We stop for lunch at a diner overlooking a bay and eat on the patio. Weather is gorgeous and the food is good. Nice to be back in Canada.
Hannah waiting for lunch
After lunch we soldier on. As we approach the Bay of Fundy you notice a significant increase in the size and number of hills. As we approach the campground it becomes very steep, like lowest gear steep. Great, that will make towing the trailer out of here so much fun.
Finally we arrive! 3:15. Oops, apparently there was a time change somewhere in our route. Make that 4:15. Seems like we have been driving forever. The park is gorgeous and our site is very nice. The sites here are big and secluded. Heavily wooded between neighbours and we are relatively close to the washrooms. Well…. Ryan and I are always close to the washrooms.
It took us a couple of hours to set up while the kids explored and played on the playground. Apparently they have WiFi here. I’ll have to check that.
setting up
skipping stones
After we settle and have dinner we roast some marshmellows around the fire and it is early to bed.
We got away pretty quick after a stop at McDonalds. As I was walking back to the car I noticed that the spare tire on the trailer was falling away. 2 of the 3 bolts were gone and the 3rd was the only thing keeping it on. Off to Lowe’s. I found the right size bolts on first try (go figure) and some glue. Did I mention that I forgot to bring tools? Back into Lowe’s for a ratchet set, screwdrivers and wrenches (now the trailer toolkit).
So now it is 11:00 and we are just hitting the highway. New York , Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine.
At 10:00 we were just passing Bangor, Maine when Mary Pat suggested we get a room here. I want to push on. What a mistake! The last hour to the Canadian border is a twisty-turny 2 lane dark, dark highway. After 20 minutes I give up and turn around. Again we get to bed late. Still 5 more hours to go. This seems like a really, really long dirve. MP doesn’t think so.
Well we got away more or less on time. Noon. Loaded up we headed down the 401 and it was smooth sailing until we hit the Buffalo/Lewiston border. What a joke! 2 and a half hours. After we got through we were making some good time and decided to pull in at Utica, New York around 10:30. We pulled into a Journey’s End or something and when I asked the guy at the desk for a room he just looked at me like I was nuts. He said Utica was fully booked up for the weekend. Who would have thought.
Ryan excited about long trip
So another hour down the road we found another hotel. Booked! How is this possible. However, the lady was nice enough to direct us to another hotel. She failed to mention that is meant driving through Hickville in the pitch black. Even the GPS was confused. We found the hotel and settled in around midnight. Kids were good and very tired. Only 14 more hours to go.
