Back to the Maine Land

We decided not to take the ferry from Nova Scotia back to the states and had to back track a bit through New Brunswick. That took us full day and we stayed at a RV park in transition right near the Canadian\US border. The park had new owners and they were hoping to get it back in shape. It was situated on nice spot but needed some work. I hope they make it!

We left bright and early the next day. Spent the last of our Canadian money on diesel fuel. Jack was happy that would be the last time he had to pump that much money into the tank. All in all Canada averaged about 25% higher for everything. We had good time with our Canadian neighbors but we were glad to get back into the good old USA. We crossed over on US 1. They had a brand new border crossing facility with a special bay for RVs and trucks. We were pretty much the only ones crossing which we thought was odd. The border patrol looked happy to have something to do. Turns out most of the local traffic use the old crossing.

Us 1 was slow going and needs some love and care. We were planning on staying in the Bar Harbor area and checking out Acadia NP but the area was a zoo! We headed on down the road a bit and stayed in a RV park just outside of Searsport. It was right on the water and had this mother earth funky granola vibe. They had goats and a garden and all sorts of fun things for the little ones but it was pricey. We really enjoyed the park and had a fun time exploring the area and local towns. Lots to do but after Canada the added traffic and crowds was a bit of an adjustment.
Next Jack and I went down memory lane. Both of us lived in Brunswick at one time years apart and we suspected that we may have lived in the same motor home park just outside of town. The town of Brunswick has grown a bit but we did find the park and it was the same place we both remembered. We have few of these type of almost meeting situations in our lives - guess we were just meant to be together!

The next leg of the trip is dedicated to visiting old friends and family. First stop Massachusetts and an old friend of Jack's -Russell Seegers.
The park we stayed in was nestled in the woods and had a family of wild turkeys roaming around and a wonderful farm stand \bakery across the road. Russell gave us tour of the area by car and boat. We met a few of Russel's friends Ray and Harriet and had a wonderful cookout at the Biff homestead of steak,lobster and fresh baked pecan pie courtesy of the farm stand. Good food and friends made for a wonderful time.

Super Nova Scotia

We crossed over from PEI on the ferry. It was a beautiful day and the crossing was very pleasant. Decided to stay near Peggy's Cove about 30 mile or so from Halifax. Very interesting area geographically - very pretty and if you go there on a foggy day it has a haunting charm. I could picture this area being the setting of a good mystery novel. However, it is a popular place and I would suggest seeing it early in the morning if you are looking to get pictures without people mulling around the area. We stayed at a little RV park on the water a few miles away. Very old but has all of this rustic charm. The owner was an older woman who was very sweet and proud that she owned and lived there for fifty years.

We spent a day in Halifax and checked out the Maritime Museum and Citadel Hill. Jack has been interested in Titanic history long before it became popular due to a certain movie. Halifax was involved in the body recovery effort. An interesting tidbit is that toe tags were first used by doctor who was charged with body identification task (or so our tour guide said at the museum). It was later used again by him in the great Halifax explosion. There is a cemetery near by that has remains of the unclaimed souls. We were going to visit it but the day was one of those hot and oppressive days and opted out.

Wodi (one of furry four legged traveling companions) was acting very odd for himself and I was concerned something was wrong. We ended up finding a vet near Halifax. Nothing was serious and we decided that he may have just hurt himself and needed a few days rest. Those short legs sometimes make it hard for him to get up stairs and I suspect he may have either strained something or his back was sore. He did get back to his prancing self in few days.

It was decision time. We had toyed with the idea of heading over to Newfoundland since the beginning of the trip. We looked into cost of taking the Biff on the ferry which is the only way to get there from here. Time and money became the deciding factor since we did have a rough deadline to get home by October for Emily and JR's wedding. We are already planning when we will come back to this area to see the Fall colors and Newfoundland. Plus we are told the Cape Brenton area of Nova Scotia is also something to see.

We headed over the north side of the island to see the Bay of Fundy and with the thought of taking the ferry back over to the mainland New Brunswick. It was going to be bit pricey and although it would have saved us driving time the cost ratio to justify it was not. We ended back tracking a bit and driving to New Brunswick.

From Nova Scotia

We did spend few days in the Bay of Fundy area, very cool to see how dramatic the tides are at the different times of the day. We stayed at the "Look Off" Rv park which has great views of the valley and bay. I ended up enjoying this area quite a bit. We found fun little winery in Blomidon. The name originally was "Blow Me Down " but over the years in morphed into Blomidon. Ended buying few bottles of wine which by the way seemed to have higher alcohol content ( ask Jack about that one). We also found restaurant "Between the Bushes" that was in the middle of blueberry and raspberry fields. The food was excellent. I commented on how loud the birds were in this area and turns out they were loud speakers of predatory birds to keep the other birds from eating the berries. Boy did I feel stupid :) JLS

PEI is short for Potato

Prince Edward Island or PEI was a bit of a disappointment after Gaspe'. I suspect it is better to do PEI first as it does have its own charm but it really can't compete with Gaspe'. This island is nicked named the "Gentle Island" and hence I found it a bit on the boring side. I kept expecting there to be something more. It is known more for its red sand beaches and has been made famous by the "Anne of Green Gables" book. Lot's of twisting country roads but no really dramatic views.

The first place we stayed at was geared toward families. Lots of activities, nice beaches, tennis courts, baseball field, movie theater and about a billion of kids to go with it! So be aware that this island is really geared towards families and there are lot tourist activities geared toward entertaining the young ones. Many of the campgrounds are big and keep that in mind if a more quiet campground is more your style. We did find a quite older campground " Seal Cove" which ended up being a little gem of a place. It was right on cove noted for it's seal colony and it did not disappoint. You can take a short walk up the beach and get view of the seals. Plus the seals were singing in the distance most of the time we were there. They also have a very nice pool.

So why the word potato in the title? PEI is known for it's potatoes and there were miles and miles of potato fields. The rest of Canada often refers to the road and bridge into PEI as the spud road. We took the ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia and I kid you not that there must have been at least 10 trucks filled with potatoes next to us. And I have to admit that they are tastier spuds then what you find in the states. I don't know if it is because they are fresh off the farm, or the dirt or what but they are quite tasty. Speaking of potatoes, the whole eastern half of Canada seems to have a love affair with french fries and they really are some of the best deep fried potatoes you will ever find.

From PEI

Gaspé Gasp

Around every curve is an ocean view, quaint village, scenic church and lighthouse! The cliffs are red and dramatic and I am told that in the Fall the colors on the trees make the drive even more beautiful. I would love to see that some day. We did not even scratch the surface of this very beautiful place. This drive is reported to be one of the top three scenic drives in the world and nicknamed the Gaspé Gasp. It does live up to its name and this part of the trip has been one of my favorite areas.

You can find campgrounds right on the ocean. One place we stayed even threw in a glass of wine and lobster dinner including desert for $20! We also stayed in Percé on a cliff with a spectacular view of their famous rock formation. The town is very charming - très magnifique. We hiked up to the top of cliff over looking the town. If you have four wheel drive , I suggest driving all the way to top as the walk is quite steep and brutal if it is hot outside.

From Gaspe'

At last not all was paradise. The roads were bad and it was quite a treacherous drive with the Biff. The hills are steep and curving so be prepared. We also had emergency room visit while we were staying at Cap Chat. Jack banged his head on the corner of one of the slides on the Biff. It was quit the gash and looked like it might need stiches. Everyone speaks French here so trying to find a walk in clinic was near impossible and we ended up in the hospital emergency room. Most everyone was French speaking and filling out the paper work was a challenge ( their admissions were the same as ours - you ain't getting anywhere unless you have insurance or prove you can pay!) We did find one nurse who was very helpful and acted as our translator. In the end they super glued Jack's head , yup that's right - a surgical super glue. Wish we would have known could have done it ourselves and saved $560 bucks.

Le Québec très Français!

Traveled along Lake Superior shores after leaving Thunder Bay. Stayed near Wawa for the night in a small RV park on the edge of some of the native Boreal forests. Very dense and dark. In the morning decided to get off the main drag around the lake and cut across to Quebec province on highway 101. The map made this area look very desolate but it was not too bad. We spent the night ( Happy Canada Day)at a small municipal park near the Quebec border. Trailer Life RV guide does not list many campgrounds in the area but I think that is because it increasing becomes more French as you cross into Quebec and they just are not listed. Continued on highway 117 through the Réserve faunique La Vérendrye This area is bit rural and make sure you fill up at a Gaz-Bar (that's French for gas station) before crossing the park.

We decided to skip Montreal and head straight to Quebec. The whole time we were in Canada I was on moose watch. They certainly have enough signs telling you watch out for them. Each province has it's own version of moose on the loose road sign too. Some are charging and others are sauntering, regardless in all the rural areas we were traveling, I only caught a fast glimpse of one along the road. That is until we were on the crowded expressway between Montreal and Quebec where we saw two of them contemplating crossing the road. They took one look at the Biff and thought better. Good thing because they were huge and could cause some serious damage!

Stayed on the south side of the St.Lawrence river in the small town Levis. This part of Canada does RV'ing differently then the rest of the world. Many of the locals go to the same RV park every weekend and have quite elaborate setups. It is more like their summer lake cottage as opposed actually traveling in the RV. So get a reservation if you plan on staying over a weekend because they do fill them up. The RV park was packed and off the expressway so quite noisy. It did clear out nicely by Monday morning. .
We spent our 7th wedding anniversary (July 5) in Quebec. Levis has a ferry that crosses the river into Old Quebec It as about $6.00 round trip and runs every half hour through most of the day (5:00 Am till 2:00 AM the next day). It takes you directly into a very quaint and beautiful area of Quebec city. Lot's of pretty cafes, the river front, and touristy type shops. Très romantique!

From Quebec

Jack and I took guided tour in horse drawn wagon. Good thing cause it was very hot and humid and quite miserable walking around. I ended up with a mild case of heat exhaustion. JLS

From Quebec

Oh Thunder Bay!

The title of this post has to be sung to the tune of the Bruce Springsteen song "Thunder Road" cause the whole time I was there that song kept playing in my head. We had been doing a lot of one nighter's with the thought of spending few days along Lake Superior shores. The KOA was very nice and folks very helpful when Jack came down with a bit of sinus of infection. Read his post for the full details on the experience with the Canadian Health Care. We were in need of some quality down time.

Lake Superior and all the Great Lakes are certainly something to see if you have never been in this part of the country. Having grown up along Lake Michigan and spending time in UP Michigan and Wisconsin, the landscape was quite familiar and as result my picture taking duties were derelict a bit. But the Mother Lake Superior is mind boggling all the same even if the pictures do not do it justice.

The town of Thunder Bay itself was not what I was expecting being much larger and more industrial after all the rural areas we drove through. Jack got kick out of all the large scale shipping harbors. Think the song "Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot to get a feel for the town. Just realized all these songs playing in my head really tip off how old I am!

From Thunder Bay

The Kakabeka Falls are close by and should not be missed ( I know, I know another waterfall). Just make sure you bring enough loonies for the self pay station. They don't take credit cards and rumor has it they will ticket you if the sticker is not displayed. It was a minimum of $5 for two hours. Some very nice folks saw us digging around and coming up short and gave us two dollar loonie. Canadians really are some of the nicest people I have meet in my travels! If you have the time take the hike to the little falls as well. The trail can be bit buggy and soggy but worth seeing. JLS

From Thunder Bay

Canadian Health Care...up close.

Today we're in Thunder Bay Ontario on the north side of Lake Superior. Kind of a pretty town and a great view of the lake. This morning I finally reconciled the fact that I had a sinus infection and got to see first hand Canadian health care. Apparently there are very few family doctors in Thunder Bay so most people go to walk-in clinics and the one I went to was in a back room of a local pharmacy. The small waiting room was overfilled with about half the people standing. I stood in line to see the receptionist (who was very friendly actually) and she held out her hand to collect my government health card. I told her I was from the US and she said it would cost me anywhere from $20 to $100 depending on the doctor's opinion. Then she said by the looks of me it wouldn't be over $40...so I guess that was a good thing. There was one doctor and one receptionist and things went amazingly fast for such a large number of people waiting. When I got in it was obvious they weren't changing the paper sheets on the exam table so I opted to stand. The doctor came in in a few minutes and immediately asked me what was wrong with no eye contact or introductions. I told him chronic coughing more so at night and I thought it was a sinus infection. He listened to my lungs and agreed. He saw I was from the states and felt sorry for me and gave me a bottle of Canada's equivalent to flonaze (out of his backpack) and a prescription for Moxiscilan. It all took less than 60 seconds and I was charged $30. The Mox was $27.69. So for essentially $60 with no insurance and 60 seconds of the doctor's time I was done. Now for sure you would not go to a place like this for a true emergency or illness but I suspect with the new health care in the US we'll be seeing places like this spring up. It was definitly impersonal and like a cattle call but it was also very simple and down to earth. Not sure if I liked but I did admire the efficiency...sort of like the feeling you get flying Southwest. JWS