Day 37, Thursday, August 2, 2007
We entered our 9th Province today, NOVA SCOTIA. We left Red Point Provincial Park, PEI at 9:00 am this morning. We drove along the beach for part of the morning and then took #4 which made a bee line from Montague PEI to the Wood Island Ferry. There we had lunch at a little shack called Crabby’s Seafood located right at the ferry dock. Very friendly chap doing the cooking but it was little more than a shack, but he seemed to be doing quite a business out of it. Very friendly and we took his picture in front of his establishment. Met a family, the son was from Toronto, Ontario and the mother was from Burlington, Ontario, had a nice visit with them. We had Clam chowder soup and shared a pound of steamed mussels. They were the best we have had on this trip, even have Willa and Tegan eating them. I also gathered two little bottles of the red soil to show everyone when we get back. The morning drive was uneventful with the idea of covering a few miles and catching the Wood Island Ferry to the main land and Nova Scotia. We loaded up on to the ferry but dragged the bikes quite badly but didn’t seem to do any damage. On board the ferry they had a father and his daughter playing, she on the fiddle and him on the guitar, both did a very good job. We got as far as Antigonish, Nova Scotia and found a campsite right in the middle of town. Very clean with 2 swimming pools and WiFi internet connection all through the park. So if you are reading this and all has gone well we are up to date on our blog. Well, I should get on with it Willa wants to check emails and Tegan wants to visit with friends. Tomorrow it is the Cabot Trail. Have heard mixed comments about taking the motor home on the Cabot Trail but the neighbour next door settled it when I asked him about it. His comment was “you live in BC and have driven through the Rockies, you will have no problem with the Cabot Trail. They live on Cape Breton Island. So tomorrow it is the Cabot Trail, may spend 2-3 days up there, see what happens.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Day 36, August 1, 2007
Day 36, Wednesday, August 1, 2007.
We had a great sleep and didn’t need the air conditioning and just as well because we didn’t have any power to connect to. The campsite was full and we were in the over flow. We didn’t rush out of bed this morning. I read for a while and Willa and Tegan slept. Got up and went down to check if any opening for today and if not were going to move on. There was an opening if the people in #73 left today so I checked it out and told the gal we would take it. The people left in the later morning and a half hour later we are all set up. We would have had to move because the batteries that operate the lights and pump etc. was too low to stay another night. When the batteries go so does everything else, including the fridge. Even though the fridge is operated on gas it needs 12 volts to run the safety feature or something. Driving charges the batteries. I guess yesterday I was operating too many things and we were stopped too often with not enough long driving times. When I plug into the 120 volts this also charges the batteries so by tomorrow all should be full, batteries, fresh water holding tank and hopefully the other tanks will be empty. Willa did some wash today, I vacuumed the motor home and did a few minor repairs but mainly just lazed around. We did do a little bike riding, Tegan went to the beach and walked both ways so she must have covered close to a mile or two. The sand here is not quite white and it squeaks as you walk or shuffle your feet. We asked someone why and they said it is because there is silicon in the sand. Tegan found a 4 inch crab in the water and was playing with it. We stopped by the motor home from BC to see what part of BC they were from. He said from Abbotsford, I thought he was kidding but for real. I introduced myself and he said you are a realtor. Turns out they are friends of Bob and Bev King from Abbotsford, I was on a downtown committee with Bev 12-15 years ago and Bev worked for me as my assistant for about a year I think. We had a real nice visit with them and apparently Bev and Bob are on their way out here also. Blair and Lil (I hope I remembered it right] are away till October and sounds like Bev and Bob are on a one year venture, so exciting. We had a nice visit with them and as we talked, it turned out their 8 year old grand daughter was in school with our youngest in Coughlin Elementary School in Aldergrove, small world. They are traveling with another couple from Langley. Blair and Lil left the same day we did June 27. Well I guess I’ll get back to my book, or maybe the beach, or maybe lay in the sun, so many decisions to make—life is tough. Later in the evening Willa met the neighbour two trailers over and sat around her fire and visited for an hour or so. They were in the campsite with a bunch of their cousins. Everybody is so friendly and are willing to stop and talk and most of the time you get their life story, which is always interesting. One thing we did notice on PEI is how neat the yards are and how well mowed they are. This lady we met made the comment on how important peoples yards were to them on PEI.
We had a great sleep and didn’t need the air conditioning and just as well because we didn’t have any power to connect to. The campsite was full and we were in the over flow. We didn’t rush out of bed this morning. I read for a while and Willa and Tegan slept. Got up and went down to check if any opening for today and if not were going to move on. There was an opening if the people in #73 left today so I checked it out and told the gal we would take it. The people left in the later morning and a half hour later we are all set up. We would have had to move because the batteries that operate the lights and pump etc. was too low to stay another night. When the batteries go so does everything else, including the fridge. Even though the fridge is operated on gas it needs 12 volts to run the safety feature or something. Driving charges the batteries. I guess yesterday I was operating too many things and we were stopped too often with not enough long driving times. When I plug into the 120 volts this also charges the batteries so by tomorrow all should be full, batteries, fresh water holding tank and hopefully the other tanks will be empty. Willa did some wash today, I vacuumed the motor home and did a few minor repairs but mainly just lazed around. We did do a little bike riding, Tegan went to the beach and walked both ways so she must have covered close to a mile or two. The sand here is not quite white and it squeaks as you walk or shuffle your feet. We asked someone why and they said it is because there is silicon in the sand. Tegan found a 4 inch crab in the water and was playing with it. We stopped by the motor home from BC to see what part of BC they were from. He said from Abbotsford, I thought he was kidding but for real. I introduced myself and he said you are a realtor. Turns out they are friends of Bob and Bev King from Abbotsford, I was on a downtown committee with Bev 12-15 years ago and Bev worked for me as my assistant for about a year I think. We had a real nice visit with them and apparently Bev and Bob are on their way out here also. Blair and Lil (I hope I remembered it right] are away till October and sounds like Bev and Bob are on a one year venture, so exciting. We had a nice visit with them and as we talked, it turned out their 8 year old grand daughter was in school with our youngest in Coughlin Elementary School in Aldergrove, small world. They are traveling with another couple from Langley. Blair and Lil left the same day we did June 27. Well I guess I’ll get back to my book, or maybe the beach, or maybe lay in the sun, so many decisions to make—life is tough. Later in the evening Willa met the neighbour two trailers over and sat around her fire and visited for an hour or so. They were in the campsite with a bunch of their cousins. Everybody is so friendly and are willing to stop and talk and most of the time you get their life story, which is always interesting. One thing we did notice on PEI is how neat the yards are and how well mowed they are. This lady we met made the comment on how important peoples yards were to them on PEI.
Day 35, July 31, 2007
Day 35, Tuesday, July 31, 2007
From St Peters Community Campsite we meandered up the road. We followed Highway #16 along the coast today. It passes through most of the small towns, and we pulled off into anything that looked interesting. If we do this much more it may be October before we get home. All the towns, well not towns but villages, because a lot have only a store and or a restaurant maybe 10-20 houses are geared towards the sea. Fishing, lobster, crabs is all there is. Lots of farms up this way and most cut right out of the bush which although not very tall it is dense. The mainstay seems to be potatoes and I think a fallow crop of oats or barley but I don’t think for market, maybe just to keep the nutrients in the ground. We walked in a fishing village called Narfague, it is situated on a little pond with a quay for access to the water. 100s of lobster traps, you would think they would fish it out but they seem to keep going. Up the road we drove into a little village, but bigger than Narfague called North Lake and North Lake Harbour. Lots of boats and 2 or 3 warehouses where they deal with the daily catch, which at this time is tuna. From North Lake we continued East to East Point which is the most easterly point on PEI. There we visited the light house which was built in 1876 and located just off the Point by a half a mile. This created some problems because boats thought it was on the point and swing around it and land on the reefs. So later in 1880 plus or minus they moved the structure a little too close to the point and had to move it again years later because the banks were eroding. I don’t know how they did it but they did. This is one of the oldest still operating lighthouses on the Island. It was open for tours and Willa and I did a walk through. It is 68 feet tall and 64 steps to the top but what a view when you are up that far. In the four of the corners and there are six sides to the light house (I think or 8) anyway in the four corners there are 24 inch beams that run from the bottom to the top (all one tree). The trees were taken from right around where the light house was built. The light house still functions but now with GPS and other navigational aids they tend to be obsolete. A number now have been taken over by Parks Canada and are being restored. It is interesting the amount of holdings that Parks Canada has. Fort Henry, The Rideau Locks, Lighthouses plus a number of others things I’ve heard they have bought or are buying. Looking today in the same area, I doubt there are any trees that are higher than 15-20 feet and I don’t remember seeing any that were 20 feet. The gift shop had internet and so that is where Tegan spent her time and the gift shop was well stocked and very reasonably priced. We got talking to a couple from Scotland and they had heard a big Tuna was coming into the North Lake Harbour. So we were finished at the light house and we headed back to North Lake Harbour to see the big Tuna. It is only about a 10 minute drive but a 20 minute process to find a parking space for the motor home that is level and not blocking someone’s driveway. Well the first boat came in but someone said it was coming in too fast, so no Tuna, and they were right. A couple of other boats came and finally a slow boat and it was towing a Tuna. They are too big to bring into the boat, let me repeat this, TOO BIG TO BRING INTO THE BOAT. The first one was a big fish and I am guessing at about 400-500 lbs. These fish are caught with a rod and reel! Yes a rod and reel. The next boat that comes in is on our side of the wharf and we can watch them hauling the fish in. The boat owner and his wife on shore and other people are all excited about the size of the Tuna, the biggest they have caught for a while. Before the head comes out of the water they have to tag it, too dangerous to do in the open water. Well they haul this Tuna out and weigh it in at 940 lbs, this is caught with a rod and reel but not as big as you might think. They cut the head off and tail and get it ready for the auction that will take place the next day. The price has been as low as .50 cents a pound but lately the price has been $3.50-12.50. The owner of the boat that landed it said it did give him some trouble getting it to the boat. Well I guess it should have at 940 pounds. By the way the rod is hooked to the boat. That was a real treat for the day. From there we headed to Red Point Campground for the night and maybe stay an extra day to lay back and relax. The site was full so we ended up in the over flow for the night and hopefully a site will come up for tomorrow, although I should be good for 2 days. It was cloudy most of the day and so a little cooler. With no hook ups of course no air conditioning but with the wind and the clouds we really didn’t need it. We arrived a little earlier than normal around 3:30 pm. So had time to set up, relax, read and then start supper. I do the BBQing and we have BBQed just about every night. Keeps from heating up the motor home by cooking inside. We walked down to the water and waded out. Looks like a sandy beach for 1-2 miles and where we are it goes out maybe 400-500 feet and doesn’t get over your waist at low tide. I off loaded the bikes and we have them to putter around the campsite. We noticed another BC license plate but no one home to see what part of BC they are from. Tomorrow will be the first day that we sat and didn’t go anywhere. Should be good.
From St Peters Community Campsite we meandered up the road. We followed Highway #16 along the coast today. It passes through most of the small towns, and we pulled off into anything that looked interesting. If we do this much more it may be October before we get home. All the towns, well not towns but villages, because a lot have only a store and or a restaurant maybe 10-20 houses are geared towards the sea. Fishing, lobster, crabs is all there is. Lots of farms up this way and most cut right out of the bush which although not very tall it is dense. The mainstay seems to be potatoes and I think a fallow crop of oats or barley but I don’t think for market, maybe just to keep the nutrients in the ground. We walked in a fishing village called Narfague, it is situated on a little pond with a quay for access to the water. 100s of lobster traps, you would think they would fish it out but they seem to keep going. Up the road we drove into a little village, but bigger than Narfague called North Lake and North Lake Harbour. Lots of boats and 2 or 3 warehouses where they deal with the daily catch, which at this time is tuna. From North Lake we continued East to East Point which is the most easterly point on PEI. There we visited the light house which was built in 1876 and located just off the Point by a half a mile. This created some problems because boats thought it was on the point and swing around it and land on the reefs. So later in 1880 plus or minus they moved the structure a little too close to the point and had to move it again years later because the banks were eroding. I don’t know how they did it but they did. This is one of the oldest still operating lighthouses on the Island. It was open for tours and Willa and I did a walk through. It is 68 feet tall and 64 steps to the top but what a view when you are up that far. In the four of the corners and there are six sides to the light house (I think or 8) anyway in the four corners there are 24 inch beams that run from the bottom to the top (all one tree). The trees were taken from right around where the light house was built. The light house still functions but now with GPS and other navigational aids they tend to be obsolete. A number now have been taken over by Parks Canada and are being restored. It is interesting the amount of holdings that Parks Canada has. Fort Henry, The Rideau Locks, Lighthouses plus a number of others things I’ve heard they have bought or are buying. Looking today in the same area, I doubt there are any trees that are higher than 15-20 feet and I don’t remember seeing any that were 20 feet. The gift shop had internet and so that is where Tegan spent her time and the gift shop was well stocked and very reasonably priced. We got talking to a couple from Scotland and they had heard a big Tuna was coming into the North Lake Harbour. So we were finished at the light house and we headed back to North Lake Harbour to see the big Tuna. It is only about a 10 minute drive but a 20 minute process to find a parking space for the motor home that is level and not blocking someone’s driveway. Well the first boat came in but someone said it was coming in too fast, so no Tuna, and they were right. A couple of other boats came and finally a slow boat and it was towing a Tuna. They are too big to bring into the boat, let me repeat this, TOO BIG TO BRING INTO THE BOAT. The first one was a big fish and I am guessing at about 400-500 lbs. These fish are caught with a rod and reel! Yes a rod and reel. The next boat that comes in is on our side of the wharf and we can watch them hauling the fish in. The boat owner and his wife on shore and other people are all excited about the size of the Tuna, the biggest they have caught for a while. Before the head comes out of the water they have to tag it, too dangerous to do in the open water. Well they haul this Tuna out and weigh it in at 940 lbs, this is caught with a rod and reel but not as big as you might think. They cut the head off and tail and get it ready for the auction that will take place the next day. The price has been as low as .50 cents a pound but lately the price has been $3.50-12.50. The owner of the boat that landed it said it did give him some trouble getting it to the boat. Well I guess it should have at 940 pounds. By the way the rod is hooked to the boat. That was a real treat for the day. From there we headed to Red Point Campground for the night and maybe stay an extra day to lay back and relax. The site was full so we ended up in the over flow for the night and hopefully a site will come up for tomorrow, although I should be good for 2 days. It was cloudy most of the day and so a little cooler. With no hook ups of course no air conditioning but with the wind and the clouds we really didn’t need it. We arrived a little earlier than normal around 3:30 pm. So had time to set up, relax, read and then start supper. I do the BBQing and we have BBQed just about every night. Keeps from heating up the motor home by cooking inside. We walked down to the water and waded out. Looks like a sandy beach for 1-2 miles and where we are it goes out maybe 400-500 feet and doesn’t get over your waist at low tide. I off loaded the bikes and we have them to putter around the campsite. We noticed another BC license plate but no one home to see what part of BC they are from. Tomorrow will be the first day that we sat and didn’t go anywhere. Should be good.
Day 34, July 30, 2007
Day 34, Monday, July 30, 2007.
By the time we finished on the internet at the Tourist Information Centre yesterday and we had gotten in late we didn’t have time to do much else. So we decided to spend another day in Charlottetown. We started off walking up the street and looking at all the old houses and the architecture. Not far up the street there was an older church or basilica and we were allowed to go in. Not as old as I would have thought or as old as some we have seen. But the finish is utterly amazing. I’ve taken a lot of pictures and that is the best way to see what I mean. From there we went on to Confederation House, not as ornate of a building as the church but also government built and even then you can see it as a little austere. But the history the building holds! It kind of blows me away that a group of men got together, not to form a company or some other kind of endeavor, but to plan a country which of course later became CANADA. They met, they entertained, they partied together and from there came the basis for the country you and I call our home and native land. From there to the more important things of our lives - - - - - - - -lunch. We had our lunch on the side walk, we are running out of money and had Tegan begging for food or money to get back home. Makes for a better story than the truth. We were hungry and with the muggy weather it is the best place to eat. The weather is cloudy, if not it would have been too hot sit out on the sidewalk. We had a nice lunch at a place called “Just Us Girls”, even the napkins were pink. Service was a little slow “but I guess that is what happens without men working in the place.” From there we hit a few more shops. There are hundreds of little shops in this area down by the harbor. Very quaint little shops and some not so small. I even bought myself a pair of “croc” shoes. Seem very comfortable. My feet get very hot driving because the motor is right at my feet and must leak a little hot air from the motor. Hope these will help. The time is getting on to around 3:00 pm and we would like to get up the island and a little farther. A couple of days ago we did the west side of the island and tomorrow we will do the east side. May take a day or two, suppose to be some real nice beaches and we may even stay at one for a day or so. The Campsite we are in tonight is run by the Town of St. Peter’s Bay. Very nice campsite and we even got a senior’s discount. It took some convincing that I was over 60 years old. I had to show birth certificates, driver’s licenses - she kept saying I don’t look a day over 29, but she finally trusted me and gave us the discount. (I wish). A lot of the campsites are all grass as is this one tonight. We have been using private sites and Provincial Parks rather than Walmart or Canadian Tire because the weather has been so warm and muggy we needed the air conditioning. To give you an idea it is 10:00 pm and the temp outside is still 68.8 f and muggy. We hit our first rain today. We were heading for the motor home and puttering along when I looked across the bay and I said to Willa and Tegan, we had better make a run for it because the rain is on its way. We just barely made it and it started to downpour. Felt just like home, it did feel good after all the hot weather we have had. Well we are all snuggled into our campsite in the trees. I started to clean the bugs off the front of the motor home and ended up washing the whole thing and it did need it. Probably only do 100-150 miles and will take the ferry across to the mainland in the next couple of days depending on what we find on the east side of the island. Well I think I will finish my tea and head to bed. Made a phone call to my mother, it is her birthday today and she turned 93 years old. We talk to the kids every 3-4 days just to keep in touch and Kathy at the office a little less often and if she has a question she will call also. Sounds like she has been busy while we’ve been away. Suppose to be some beautiful beaches on the east side of the island, looking forward to visiting them. Night All.
By the time we finished on the internet at the Tourist Information Centre yesterday and we had gotten in late we didn’t have time to do much else. So we decided to spend another day in Charlottetown. We started off walking up the street and looking at all the old houses and the architecture. Not far up the street there was an older church or basilica and we were allowed to go in. Not as old as I would have thought or as old as some we have seen. But the finish is utterly amazing. I’ve taken a lot of pictures and that is the best way to see what I mean. From there we went on to Confederation House, not as ornate of a building as the church but also government built and even then you can see it as a little austere. But the history the building holds! It kind of blows me away that a group of men got together, not to form a company or some other kind of endeavor, but to plan a country which of course later became CANADA. They met, they entertained, they partied together and from there came the basis for the country you and I call our home and native land. From there to the more important things of our lives - - - - - - - -lunch. We had our lunch on the side walk, we are running out of money and had Tegan begging for food or money to get back home. Makes for a better story than the truth. We were hungry and with the muggy weather it is the best place to eat. The weather is cloudy, if not it would have been too hot sit out on the sidewalk. We had a nice lunch at a place called “Just Us Girls”, even the napkins were pink. Service was a little slow “but I guess that is what happens without men working in the place.” From there we hit a few more shops. There are hundreds of little shops in this area down by the harbor. Very quaint little shops and some not so small. I even bought myself a pair of “croc” shoes. Seem very comfortable. My feet get very hot driving because the motor is right at my feet and must leak a little hot air from the motor. Hope these will help. The time is getting on to around 3:00 pm and we would like to get up the island and a little farther. A couple of days ago we did the west side of the island and tomorrow we will do the east side. May take a day or two, suppose to be some real nice beaches and we may even stay at one for a day or so. The Campsite we are in tonight is run by the Town of St. Peter’s Bay. Very nice campsite and we even got a senior’s discount. It took some convincing that I was over 60 years old. I had to show birth certificates, driver’s licenses - she kept saying I don’t look a day over 29, but she finally trusted me and gave us the discount. (I wish). A lot of the campsites are all grass as is this one tonight. We have been using private sites and Provincial Parks rather than Walmart or Canadian Tire because the weather has been so warm and muggy we needed the air conditioning. To give you an idea it is 10:00 pm and the temp outside is still 68.8 f and muggy. We hit our first rain today. We were heading for the motor home and puttering along when I looked across the bay and I said to Willa and Tegan, we had better make a run for it because the rain is on its way. We just barely made it and it started to downpour. Felt just like home, it did feel good after all the hot weather we have had. Well we are all snuggled into our campsite in the trees. I started to clean the bugs off the front of the motor home and ended up washing the whole thing and it did need it. Probably only do 100-150 miles and will take the ferry across to the mainland in the next couple of days depending on what we find on the east side of the island. Well I think I will finish my tea and head to bed. Made a phone call to my mother, it is her birthday today and she turned 93 years old. We talk to the kids every 3-4 days just to keep in touch and Kathy at the office a little less often and if she has a question she will call also. Sounds like she has been busy while we’ve been away. Suppose to be some beautiful beaches on the east side of the island, looking forward to visiting them. Night All.
Day 33, July 29, 2007
Day 33, Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sleeping in day today. Didn’t get away until 11:00 am. Didn’t have far to go about 70k. Good drive into Charlottetown. Found parking right away and ended up in the Tourist Information Center and they had wireless internet connection. Willa and Tegan went on and I got the laptop from the motorhome and was able to connect and as of yesterday you will be able to follow the trip up to yesterday. They have a good interactive display at the TIC. Then we walked around the board walk and had a light dinner about 8:00 pm and then headed to a campsite in Stratford which is just across the bridge from Charlottetown PEI. We set up camp and were into bed by about 11:30 pm It was still 70f at 11:30 at night
Sleeping in day today. Didn’t get away until 11:00 am. Didn’t have far to go about 70k. Good drive into Charlottetown. Found parking right away and ended up in the Tourist Information Center and they had wireless internet connection. Willa and Tegan went on and I got the laptop from the motorhome and was able to connect and as of yesterday you will be able to follow the trip up to yesterday. They have a good interactive display at the TIC. Then we walked around the board walk and had a light dinner about 8:00 pm and then headed to a campsite in Stratford which is just across the bridge from Charlottetown PEI. We set up camp and were into bed by about 11:30 pm It was still 70f at 11:30 at night
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Day 32, July 28, 2007
Day 32, Saturday, July 28, 2007
We were up fairly early but did some cleanup. Willa met a lady camper next door and she is a tour director for PEI and so Willa got the lowdown on where to go and what to see. With her advice we headed up to North Cape at the northerly most point on the West side of PEI. Our first stop was - - - - - - -now you are trying to guess where I am going - - - - - -Willa made coffee at the motor home so we didn’t need Tim Horton’s. Now where was I - - - - - oh yes! Our first stop was a little town called Miminegash, PEI. Now that town was not well known to me but when you consider what it’s main export is you will recognize it right away. This town exports “Irish Moss”. Amazing isn’t it. WHAT! You don’t know either town or product????????? Neither did I but we all use it almost every day. Irish moss is gathered from the ocean as a sea weed, it is then processed and this gives a liquid that is used as a thickening agent in just about everything we use. For instance: ice cream, evaporated milk, chocolate milk (so the chocolate won’t separate from the milk), chewing gum, car tires and a number of other things. Irish Moss is harvested from the ocean after heavy storms and while the waves are still coming in and by horse. I won’t go into the details but if you look it up on the internet you’ll get a better explanation than I could give you. Miminegash is one of the areas that harvests, collects and packages it for processing down in the states and we buy the finished product back. We went through the museum and drove down to the harbor and we had seaweed pie at the museum made from the Irish Moss. We came part way up the #2 highway then cut over to the coast to do the coastal road. You go through all the quaint little villages, most with only a corner store and maybe a garage but lots of boats for harvesting Irish Moss, fishing and catching lobster. Good road for the most part. People are friendly and most wave when you go by. Lots of ATVs on the roads buzzing around. We traveled up the West coast to North Cape, this is where they have a number of wind turbines for generating power. I should have counted them but didn’t but I would say 10-12 at least. The banks in this area are about 4-50 feet high and at the low point you can walk down to the beach. Once on the beach you can look back at the banks and see the different layers for over the eons. From a writeup I read there were mountains here higher than the Alps and over 250-400 million years they have worn down. The red colour of the soil is from the iron in the soil and apparently is very hard on car bodies. Off the cape is the largest rock reef in North America according to something Willa read at the Interpretative Center. We walked along the shore for a bit and a few people walked out on a thin line of rocks to a sandy area but if that tide ever came in you could be stranded out there a long time. Looking back at the banks from the beach you could see swallows nesting in the banks in holes I assume they carved out for their nest, maybe they were Martens. Another traveler was sitting on a bench and she had a Blue and Gold Macaw, very pretty bird and it has a perch at the dash of their convertible that it rides on. There is a restaurant at the Interpretative Centre and we decided to have a late lunch and an early supper. Tegan and Willa only wanted clam chowder soup but I wanted a little more so ordered a seafood platter with the idea that Tegan and Willa would help me eat it. Lucky they ordered light because this came with a bed of steamed mussels, large shrimp, scallops, 2 ousters, large piece of Haddock, 12-14 oz lobster plus a salad, and cup of chowder. The flavors were superb. We all enjoyed the platter. We decided to put on a few miles to shorten up tomorrows drive. We were going to be near the campsite we stayed at two nights before with the music show. It’s out of the way a bit but a free night of entertainment. Who can say no even if you have to drive a little further. They had a young fellow on the fiddle and could he ever play and not just the fiddle but about 2-3 other instruments. One of the people in the audience was one of the fiddlers who played with the Don Messer Band. It was a great show and a couple of people from the audience even came up and sang and they were real good. We bought a cd of the fiddle player and asked him to autograph it and took Tegan’s picture with him. Truly was a great show and even Tegan enjoyed it. Well off to bed again running a bit late again tonight. Morning was a good time for driving not too hot but got a little warm in the afternoon. The motorhome sat for about 4 hours and was 107 f inside when we went back to it. Thank goodness0 for the air conditioning. Starting to cloud over and they are forecasting rain for tomorrow. Will make me feel right at home. Till tomorrow.
We were up fairly early but did some cleanup. Willa met a lady camper next door and she is a tour director for PEI and so Willa got the lowdown on where to go and what to see. With her advice we headed up to North Cape at the northerly most point on the West side of PEI. Our first stop was - - - - - - -now you are trying to guess where I am going - - - - - -Willa made coffee at the motor home so we didn’t need Tim Horton’s. Now where was I - - - - - oh yes! Our first stop was a little town called Miminegash, PEI. Now that town was not well known to me but when you consider what it’s main export is you will recognize it right away. This town exports “Irish Moss”. Amazing isn’t it. WHAT! You don’t know either town or product????????? Neither did I but we all use it almost every day. Irish moss is gathered from the ocean as a sea weed, it is then processed and this gives a liquid that is used as a thickening agent in just about everything we use. For instance: ice cream, evaporated milk, chocolate milk (so the chocolate won’t separate from the milk), chewing gum, car tires and a number of other things. Irish Moss is harvested from the ocean after heavy storms and while the waves are still coming in and by horse. I won’t go into the details but if you look it up on the internet you’ll get a better explanation than I could give you. Miminegash is one of the areas that harvests, collects and packages it for processing down in the states and we buy the finished product back. We went through the museum and drove down to the harbor and we had seaweed pie at the museum made from the Irish Moss. We came part way up the #2 highway then cut over to the coast to do the coastal road. You go through all the quaint little villages, most with only a corner store and maybe a garage but lots of boats for harvesting Irish Moss, fishing and catching lobster. Good road for the most part. People are friendly and most wave when you go by. Lots of ATVs on the roads buzzing around. We traveled up the West coast to North Cape, this is where they have a number of wind turbines for generating power. I should have counted them but didn’t but I would say 10-12 at least. The banks in this area are about 4-50 feet high and at the low point you can walk down to the beach. Once on the beach you can look back at the banks and see the different layers for over the eons. From a writeup I read there were mountains here higher than the Alps and over 250-400 million years they have worn down. The red colour of the soil is from the iron in the soil and apparently is very hard on car bodies. Off the cape is the largest rock reef in North America according to something Willa read at the Interpretative Center. We walked along the shore for a bit and a few people walked out on a thin line of rocks to a sandy area but if that tide ever came in you could be stranded out there a long time. Looking back at the banks from the beach you could see swallows nesting in the banks in holes I assume they carved out for their nest, maybe they were Martens. Another traveler was sitting on a bench and she had a Blue and Gold Macaw, very pretty bird and it has a perch at the dash of their convertible that it rides on. There is a restaurant at the Interpretative Centre and we decided to have a late lunch and an early supper. Tegan and Willa only wanted clam chowder soup but I wanted a little more so ordered a seafood platter with the idea that Tegan and Willa would help me eat it. Lucky they ordered light because this came with a bed of steamed mussels, large shrimp, scallops, 2 ousters, large piece of Haddock, 12-14 oz lobster plus a salad, and cup of chowder. The flavors were superb. We all enjoyed the platter. We decided to put on a few miles to shorten up tomorrows drive. We were going to be near the campsite we stayed at two nights before with the music show. It’s out of the way a bit but a free night of entertainment. Who can say no even if you have to drive a little further. They had a young fellow on the fiddle and could he ever play and not just the fiddle but about 2-3 other instruments. One of the people in the audience was one of the fiddlers who played with the Don Messer Band. It was a great show and a couple of people from the audience even came up and sang and they were real good. We bought a cd of the fiddle player and asked him to autograph it and took Tegan’s picture with him. Truly was a great show and even Tegan enjoyed it. Well off to bed again running a bit late again tonight. Morning was a good time for driving not too hot but got a little warm in the afternoon. The motorhome sat for about 4 hours and was 107 f inside when we went back to it. Thank goodness0 for the air conditioning. Starting to cloud over and they are forecasting rain for tomorrow. Will make me feel right at home. Till tomorrow.
Day 31, July 27, 2007
Day 31, Friday, July 27, 2007
We started off about 8:45 am. From just east of Summerside PEI to 8 k west of Summerside, that was the extent of our driving today. We spent the day in Summerside which is a little port town. We started our day right after - - - - - - - - - - - you guessed it, right after our stop at Tim Horton’s. The Tall Ships 4 of them and 2 Canadian Naval ships where scheduled to be in port about noon. There are a whole bunch of little shops around the docks and that is where Willa and Tegan spent the day other than watching the Tall ships come into port. Quite a show, one was the Bluenose and the other 3 were the more old fashioned style of ship with the square sails, all were two mast. Bluenose was the first to come and it coasted around the harbor until another ship came in and the second as it came into port let off several cannon shots, quite a show. From there we went on to a Café that served seafood for lunch. After lunch we went back to the Tall Ships and by this time they have docked and we did a tour of them. Couldn’t get below decks but the rest was worth the look. From there Tegan found an internet connection and made use of it and Willa did a little more shopping and I went and laid in the shade and had a little snooze. The problem with a little snooze is you feel worse when you get up, just not long enough I guess. Tegan and Willa were shopped out, I was tired so we went to “Cows” and had an ice cream float. New ice cream company I guess, it’s in Vancouver and Whistler also, according to Tegan. She had to have her picture taken on the cow that sits out front of the store. It’s now getting on to 4:00 pm and we have decided to camp as close as we can get to where we are in Summerside. At the Tourist Information Centre, the gal there called the provincial campsite and reserved a site for us. The campsite, Linkletter Provincial Park is right on the water and we got a nice shady site with full hook ups. The plan was to stay in Walmarts, Costco parking lots but the weather has been so hot we need the hookups for the air conditioning and everyone is showering and so I need to dump a little more often then I originally planned. Just means more cost, may need you to send money asap to get us home. The rest of the evening and it is about 6:00 pm we are all going to relax. Willa and Tegan have gone over for a shower and Willa wanted to do one more load of laundry and the rest of the evening is ours. In between relaxing maybe I’ll get the chicken on the BBQ. Nice spot we are in has a view out over the ocean. The temperature was suppose to be over 100 f today, not sure if it made it or not but it was sure hot. Very clear sky with a little haze on the horizon but the haze may just be the fact you are looking so far. Well I am going to start my relaxing now. Just had to tell you what just happened, Tegan just came back from the shower and I asked her how the shower was and in her own words “the shower was great right up until Grandma told me I was in the men’s shower”. I laughed when she said it and so matter of fact. We took a walk around the campsite and looked at the other camping units. We thought ours was big but behind is one that makes ours look small. Further into the campsite there is a right hand drive unit, which is written on the back of the motorhome and the entrance door is on the wrong site of it also. Interesting what you see and how other people enjoy the outdoors their way. When we arrived the tide was out and you could walk maybe
200-300 feet out and another 100 or more didn’t seem above peoples knees. The tide has come in now and the wind with it, not a heavy wind but a steady breeze and enough that it will rock the motor0home. Well it is 9:46 pm and I think I will turn in for the night, may read a bit. Full moon tonight also. Talk to you tomorrow. We are about half our mileage now from what I estimated we would put on this holiday.
We started off about 8:45 am. From just east of Summerside PEI to 8 k west of Summerside, that was the extent of our driving today. We spent the day in Summerside which is a little port town. We started our day right after - - - - - - - - - - - you guessed it, right after our stop at Tim Horton’s. The Tall Ships 4 of them and 2 Canadian Naval ships where scheduled to be in port about noon. There are a whole bunch of little shops around the docks and that is where Willa and Tegan spent the day other than watching the Tall ships come into port. Quite a show, one was the Bluenose and the other 3 were the more old fashioned style of ship with the square sails, all were two mast. Bluenose was the first to come and it coasted around the harbor until another ship came in and the second as it came into port let off several cannon shots, quite a show. From there we went on to a Café that served seafood for lunch. After lunch we went back to the Tall Ships and by this time they have docked and we did a tour of them. Couldn’t get below decks but the rest was worth the look. From there Tegan found an internet connection and made use of it and Willa did a little more shopping and I went and laid in the shade and had a little snooze. The problem with a little snooze is you feel worse when you get up, just not long enough I guess. Tegan and Willa were shopped out, I was tired so we went to “Cows” and had an ice cream float. New ice cream company I guess, it’s in Vancouver and Whistler also, according to Tegan. She had to have her picture taken on the cow that sits out front of the store. It’s now getting on to 4:00 pm and we have decided to camp as close as we can get to where we are in Summerside. At the Tourist Information Centre, the gal there called the provincial campsite and reserved a site for us. The campsite, Linkletter Provincial Park is right on the water and we got a nice shady site with full hook ups. The plan was to stay in Walmarts, Costco parking lots but the weather has been so hot we need the hookups for the air conditioning and everyone is showering and so I need to dump a little more often then I originally planned. Just means more cost, may need you to send money asap to get us home. The rest of the evening and it is about 6:00 pm we are all going to relax. Willa and Tegan have gone over for a shower and Willa wanted to do one more load of laundry and the rest of the evening is ours. In between relaxing maybe I’ll get the chicken on the BBQ. Nice spot we are in has a view out over the ocean. The temperature was suppose to be over 100 f today, not sure if it made it or not but it was sure hot. Very clear sky with a little haze on the horizon but the haze may just be the fact you are looking so far. Well I am going to start my relaxing now. Just had to tell you what just happened, Tegan just came back from the shower and I asked her how the shower was and in her own words “the shower was great right up until Grandma told me I was in the men’s shower”. I laughed when she said it and so matter of fact. We took a walk around the campsite and looked at the other camping units. We thought ours was big but behind is one that makes ours look small. Further into the campsite there is a right hand drive unit, which is written on the back of the motorhome and the entrance door is on the wrong site of it also. Interesting what you see and how other people enjoy the outdoors their way. When we arrived the tide was out and you could walk maybe
200-300 feet out and another 100 or more didn’t seem above peoples knees. The tide has come in now and the wind with it, not a heavy wind but a steady breeze and enough that it will rock the motor0home. Well it is 9:46 pm and I think I will turn in for the night, may read a bit. Full moon tonight also. Talk to you tomorrow. We are about half our mileage now from what I estimated we would put on this holiday.
Day 30, July 26, 2007
Day 30, Thursday, July 26, 2007.
Willa finished up her wash, just a few things she wanted to finish rinsing by hand. I packed up the motorhome and Tegan slept. We were on the road about 8:45 am. Of course you know what is coming next - - - - - - - coffee - - - - - but not Tim Horton’s she made her own coffee before we left, ha, ha, ha got you. Today is a day of driving, the goal is PEI by tonight. The oil gage is running a little high so decided to have the oil changed and see if that made a difference. Do the simple things first, right. We tried a couple of places but either couldn’t handle the size of unit or busy. But the Ford dealer in Miramichi, New Brunswick had a quick lane and fit us in so within an hour we were lubed, oiled and on our way. The oil gage is still running a little high but it is also 92f on the outside thermostat so I am hoping that is part of the reason for the higher pressure. Not much else to do and it is not to;o high and is holding a steady pressure. It’s been a real hot day for driving, running around 92 f most of the afternoon and we were inland a ways on highway # 11. As we got closer to the ocean again it started to cool down. I would rather drive in rain, its easier to warm up than try and cool down. Even with the rooftop air running the motorhome was not cool. The roads today have been good and we traveled through places like Neguac, Miramichi, Richibucto, Shediac, Bouctouche, Because we were trying to put on miles today most of these we just driven past or through but interesting to be in the same area or outskirts of some of the towns that we have heard of or I had seen on a map. My cruise control is acting up which means I have to have my foot on the gas petal, now this in itsself is not an issue but you have to understand that the motor is right at my foot and it is DAM HOT. I carry a little fan may be 10-12 inches across and I put that so it blows on my feet and what a difference. WE DROVE ACROSS THE CONFEDERATION BRIDGE. Wow is it ever long approximately 12.9 k. Right after the bridge on the PEI side there is a little village set up with lots of little boutiques and would you believe an information centre right off the highway. Willa and Tegan want to go back and have a look around tomorrow. There is also a monument to all the people that worked on the bridge during the construction. Around the monument they have placed red bricks with each of the people’s name on a brick and larger plaques for the companies. A friend of ours, Keith Bennett worked on the bridge, flying helicopter back and forth with supplies or men, remember how high the bridge is and ocean going ships pass under it. Well we found his brick, well actually Tegan found it and there are hundreds of bricks and in no particular order. So we were quite thrilled. I am not sure if Keith has even seen it. We asked about a campsite close by and they recommended the Sun-N-Shade Campsite about 5 minutes down the road. Very nice campsite and we met the couple next to our site, they are from Vancouver, Washington, Pat and Carl. Another couple from Ashcroft, BC. Everyone was telling us we have to go to the show they put on in the Rec Building. So after we ate (we got in late 7:00 pm) we headed over. Well what a show. The band has won awards on PEI and they were real good and they also had people with talent (which ruled out me) from the audience come up and sing a song or two with them. About a two hour show and was it ever worth while. This was included in the price of the campsite which was only $30.00 and included full services. After the show we came back to the m/h and I went to shut off the alarm and I don’t know what went wrong but I could not get it to shut off. It would go off every once in a while, very embarrassing. Had to dig out the manual and hit the override button and hope the code they gave me works. All went well. We are off to Summerside tomorrow for maybe a show and they say the Tall Ships are in there for the weekend so hope to see them also. Keep you posted. We will have to stop meeting like this, people are going to start taking. Tell you another saga of our trip tomorrow.
Willa finished up her wash, just a few things she wanted to finish rinsing by hand. I packed up the motorhome and Tegan slept. We were on the road about 8:45 am. Of course you know what is coming next - - - - - - - coffee - - - - - but not Tim Horton’s she made her own coffee before we left, ha, ha, ha got you. Today is a day of driving, the goal is PEI by tonight. The oil gage is running a little high so decided to have the oil changed and see if that made a difference. Do the simple things first, right. We tried a couple of places but either couldn’t handle the size of unit or busy. But the Ford dealer in Miramichi, New Brunswick had a quick lane and fit us in so within an hour we were lubed, oiled and on our way. The oil gage is still running a little high but it is also 92f on the outside thermostat so I am hoping that is part of the reason for the higher pressure. Not much else to do and it is not to;o high and is holding a steady pressure. It’s been a real hot day for driving, running around 92 f most of the afternoon and we were inland a ways on highway # 11. As we got closer to the ocean again it started to cool down. I would rather drive in rain, its easier to warm up than try and cool down. Even with the rooftop air running the motorhome was not cool. The roads today have been good and we traveled through places like Neguac, Miramichi, Richibucto, Shediac, Bouctouche, Because we were trying to put on miles today most of these we just driven past or through but interesting to be in the same area or outskirts of some of the towns that we have heard of or I had seen on a map. My cruise control is acting up which means I have to have my foot on the gas petal, now this in itsself is not an issue but you have to understand that the motor is right at my foot and it is DAM HOT. I carry a little fan may be 10-12 inches across and I put that so it blows on my feet and what a difference. WE DROVE ACROSS THE CONFEDERATION BRIDGE. Wow is it ever long approximately 12.9 k. Right after the bridge on the PEI side there is a little village set up with lots of little boutiques and would you believe an information centre right off the highway. Willa and Tegan want to go back and have a look around tomorrow. There is also a monument to all the people that worked on the bridge during the construction. Around the monument they have placed red bricks with each of the people’s name on a brick and larger plaques for the companies. A friend of ours, Keith Bennett worked on the bridge, flying helicopter back and forth with supplies or men, remember how high the bridge is and ocean going ships pass under it. Well we found his brick, well actually Tegan found it and there are hundreds of bricks and in no particular order. So we were quite thrilled. I am not sure if Keith has even seen it. We asked about a campsite close by and they recommended the Sun-N-Shade Campsite about 5 minutes down the road. Very nice campsite and we met the couple next to our site, they are from Vancouver, Washington, Pat and Carl. Another couple from Ashcroft, BC. Everyone was telling us we have to go to the show they put on in the Rec Building. So after we ate (we got in late 7:00 pm) we headed over. Well what a show. The band has won awards on PEI and they were real good and they also had people with talent (which ruled out me) from the audience come up and sing a song or two with them. About a two hour show and was it ever worth while. This was included in the price of the campsite which was only $30.00 and included full services. After the show we came back to the m/h and I went to shut off the alarm and I don’t know what went wrong but I could not get it to shut off. It would go off every once in a while, very embarrassing. Had to dig out the manual and hit the override button and hope the code they gave me works. All went well. We are off to Summerside tomorrow for maybe a show and they say the Tall Ships are in there for the weekend so hope to see them also. Keep you posted. We will have to stop meeting like this, people are going to start taking. Tell you another saga of our trip tomorrow.
Day 29, July 26, 2007
Day 29, Wednesday, July 26, 2007
We didn’t get a real early start, about 9:45 am. Nothing to do on the motorhome, just getting ready to go and we didn’t have many miles to put on today. We are on the Acadian coast and going to head to Miscou Island which is the farthest east you can go in New Brunswick. Before we start you know what - - - - - - - - Tim Horton’s which is right on our way. There is a wooden lighthouse there which dates back to the 1800’s. I think it is the oldest wooden lighthouse in use in Canada, I’ll have to confirm that. The drive up is about an hour and again the unseen scenery. Lots of little towns to drive through and the houses are quite spread out. The landscape changes from tall trees in the Shippagan area to a ground cover and a few copse of trees as we went up the Acadian Isles. There just are no tall trees, the tallest is maybe 10 feet and they are sparse and in little copse of trees. These copse are about 15-20 feet across and more or less in a circle. You can see in some areas maybe a half mile or a little more and that is all you see. Very strikingly different. The drive out is very windy, but a good road and actually better than some parts of the Trans Canada Highway. The ground again at the lighthouse is very flat and drops about 8 feet to the water. A different smell to the water here as compared to our ocean. More of a pungent smell. Takes a little getting use to. Unfortunately, the lighthouse was not open to go upstairs. There was a little gift store (and I mean little, 8 x 16 feet) operated by a local lady. Her husband does sand sculptures and she sells them there. Very well done and not very expensive. Willa and Tegan were down at the water and I started talking to this lady ???????????????????. She was born on the Miscou Island as she said “in the dead of winter, in the middle of a snowstorm and with no nurse, my dad delivered me, so I was born and raised on the Island”. Nice lady, her husband is a fisherman and was out herring fishing I think. He also lobster fishes. She had moved away for awhile but moved back with her husband and their little guy was born there, but not delivered by her husband. We have met some interesting and friendly people on this trip so far. Coming back from the lighthouse we stopped at an ecological walk and did the tour, but it was new and so no information on fauna etc. This was in the middle of a peat bog which is what most of this area is like. In fact, there were a couple of peat farms you could see from the road. On our way back, we stopped at the provincial run Aquarium in Schippagan. Very nice and well done. Very informative on the fishing history of the Acadians. I was finished ahead of Willa and Tegan so I thought I would come out and start the air conditioner. I met two ladies on big motorbikes and got to talking to them. They are from Moncton and on a little holiday. Well I got to talking to them and then Willa and Tegan came out and I introduced them around and we must have visited with them for 30-40 minutes. Very nice people. Well it is now getting to be close to 4:00 pm and time to start looking for a campsite. The Town of Schippagan has one right on the water and so that is where we headed about 3-4 k out of town. We are all settled in, been lucky in most of the campsites—the parking space is level so have to do very little to level up, maybe one or two wheels. They have a laundry here so Willa wants to catch up on her washing, some things just seem to follow you from home even on holidays. The weather has been overcast today with a temp of about 80-83 f but very muggy. I’ve ran the roof top air (which needs the generator running which is no problem). You get pretty comfortable in the motorhome traveling along with the a/c running. Then you get out and it hits you. the hot muggy weather. Well I’ve transferred my pictures over to the laptop and I am done with my diary and it is still fairly early. Once a week I transfer my pictures over, that way it gives me an idea where they were taken and if I forget I can look at my diary and hopefully figure out where they were taken. Another day of memories and another day coming to look forward to.
We didn’t get a real early start, about 9:45 am. Nothing to do on the motorhome, just getting ready to go and we didn’t have many miles to put on today. We are on the Acadian coast and going to head to Miscou Island which is the farthest east you can go in New Brunswick. Before we start you know what - - - - - - - - Tim Horton’s which is right on our way. There is a wooden lighthouse there which dates back to the 1800’s. I think it is the oldest wooden lighthouse in use in Canada, I’ll have to confirm that. The drive up is about an hour and again the unseen scenery. Lots of little towns to drive through and the houses are quite spread out. The landscape changes from tall trees in the Shippagan area to a ground cover and a few copse of trees as we went up the Acadian Isles. There just are no tall trees, the tallest is maybe 10 feet and they are sparse and in little copse of trees. These copse are about 15-20 feet across and more or less in a circle. You can see in some areas maybe a half mile or a little more and that is all you see. Very strikingly different. The drive out is very windy, but a good road and actually better than some parts of the Trans Canada Highway. The ground again at the lighthouse is very flat and drops about 8 feet to the water. A different smell to the water here as compared to our ocean. More of a pungent smell. Takes a little getting use to. Unfortunately, the lighthouse was not open to go upstairs. There was a little gift store (and I mean little, 8 x 16 feet) operated by a local lady. Her husband does sand sculptures and she sells them there. Very well done and not very expensive. Willa and Tegan were down at the water and I started talking to this lady ???????????????????. She was born on the Miscou Island as she said “in the dead of winter, in the middle of a snowstorm and with no nurse, my dad delivered me, so I was born and raised on the Island”. Nice lady, her husband is a fisherman and was out herring fishing I think. He also lobster fishes. She had moved away for awhile but moved back with her husband and their little guy was born there, but not delivered by her husband. We have met some interesting and friendly people on this trip so far. Coming back from the lighthouse we stopped at an ecological walk and did the tour, but it was new and so no information on fauna etc. This was in the middle of a peat bog which is what most of this area is like. In fact, there were a couple of peat farms you could see from the road. On our way back, we stopped at the provincial run Aquarium in Schippagan. Very nice and well done. Very informative on the fishing history of the Acadians. I was finished ahead of Willa and Tegan so I thought I would come out and start the air conditioner. I met two ladies on big motorbikes and got to talking to them. They are from Moncton and on a little holiday. Well I got to talking to them and then Willa and Tegan came out and I introduced them around and we must have visited with them for 30-40 minutes. Very nice people. Well it is now getting to be close to 4:00 pm and time to start looking for a campsite. The Town of Schippagan has one right on the water and so that is where we headed about 3-4 k out of town. We are all settled in, been lucky in most of the campsites—the parking space is level so have to do very little to level up, maybe one or two wheels. They have a laundry here so Willa wants to catch up on her washing, some things just seem to follow you from home even on holidays. The weather has been overcast today with a temp of about 80-83 f but very muggy. I’ve ran the roof top air (which needs the generator running which is no problem). You get pretty comfortable in the motorhome traveling along with the a/c running. Then you get out and it hits you. the hot muggy weather. Well I’ve transferred my pictures over to the laptop and I am done with my diary and it is still fairly early. Once a week I transfer my pictures over, that way it gives me an idea where they were taken and if I forget I can look at my diary and hopefully figure out where they were taken. Another day of memories and another day coming to look forward to.
Day 28, July 25, 2007
Day 28, Tuesday, July 25, 2007
Tonight we are camping on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Chaleur Bay and the town is Caraquet, New Brunswick. I don’t know where to start. How about the beginning. We got up real early with the idea we would get a good start. Willa wanted to shower and vacuum the motorhome and because we had full services I decided to not only dump the holding tanks but to flush out the black water tank. I filled it twice with water then let it drain out. I had never done this before, all the time we have owned the motor home. So we didn’t get away until about 9:30. We stopped to get a couple of pictures of the entrance to the campsite then we are off. We get about 10 miles down the road and I check all my gages and my alternator is not working, only putting out about 12 volts. So we turn around and head back to Charlo. The GM dealer is too busy to help but they did make a couple of calls around and the muffler shop right next to where I am parked would have a look at it. So I walked back to the muffler shop and they were ready for us and we pulled the front end of the m/h right into the shop. After a little checking it was the alternator that had went and required replacing. A new one is ordered and within 2 1/2 hours we were on our way. Because it was their lunch time we bought a dozen donuts for their coffee in the afternoon. The bill was very reasonable and the fact they were able to help us right away was great. It,s tough, they have their appointments set up and along comes this stranger with the puppy dog eyes, wringing his hands and practically begging for help. It’s a real judgment call on their part. We have been so lucky with the help we have gotten on this trip with the problems we’ve had. People seem to bend over backwards to try to accommodate a stranger in need. I’ve kept the addresses of the people that have helped us and when we get back we will send them all a thankyou and a calendar at Christmas. From there we are on the road again and I am saying to Willa, I hope that is the end of the problems - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - then I look at the gages and the oil pressure gage is way over what it should be. I start to panic and remember that I have had this before and if I just leave it alone for a while and keep driving it has always come back down again and it did. So other than missing a turn and ending up 15 miles on the wrong road all went well. We are driving up the Acadian Peninsula and our first real taste of New Brunswick. The winters must be harsh and short because the further we went up the Peninsula the smaller and more wind swept the trees and brush. The area makes me think of pictures I have seen of Newfoundand, only with more trees. We are driving a little late to make up some miles; but also to get to Caraquet because there is suppose to be a great Sea Food Restaurant in this town and also a campsite on the water. We found the food to be good and we found the campsite. We had booked at the campsite before dinner. After dinner we stopped at the wharf to look at the fishing boats that are tied up. Some mighty big boats and some colourful smaller ones also. The wharf would be a good half mile in total, and the walk back. Saw some jelly fish doing there thing and a number of people fishing off the wharf. We are in awe of New Brunswick so far and we have only covered a 100 miles or so. Imagine what the next 200 miles will be like (you are going to have to imagine; we are going to see it for ourselves). Talk to you tomorrow.
Tonight we are camping on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Chaleur Bay and the town is Caraquet, New Brunswick. I don’t know where to start. How about the beginning. We got up real early with the idea we would get a good start. Willa wanted to shower and vacuum the motorhome and because we had full services I decided to not only dump the holding tanks but to flush out the black water tank. I filled it twice with water then let it drain out. I had never done this before, all the time we have owned the motor home. So we didn’t get away until about 9:30. We stopped to get a couple of pictures of the entrance to the campsite then we are off. We get about 10 miles down the road and I check all my gages and my alternator is not working, only putting out about 12 volts. So we turn around and head back to Charlo. The GM dealer is too busy to help but they did make a couple of calls around and the muffler shop right next to where I am parked would have a look at it. So I walked back to the muffler shop and they were ready for us and we pulled the front end of the m/h right into the shop. After a little checking it was the alternator that had went and required replacing. A new one is ordered and within 2 1/2 hours we were on our way. Because it was their lunch time we bought a dozen donuts for their coffee in the afternoon. The bill was very reasonable and the fact they were able to help us right away was great. It,s tough, they have their appointments set up and along comes this stranger with the puppy dog eyes, wringing his hands and practically begging for help. It’s a real judgment call on their part. We have been so lucky with the help we have gotten on this trip with the problems we’ve had. People seem to bend over backwards to try to accommodate a stranger in need. I’ve kept the addresses of the people that have helped us and when we get back we will send them all a thankyou and a calendar at Christmas. From there we are on the road again and I am saying to Willa, I hope that is the end of the problems - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - then I look at the gages and the oil pressure gage is way over what it should be. I start to panic and remember that I have had this before and if I just leave it alone for a while and keep driving it has always come back down again and it did. So other than missing a turn and ending up 15 miles on the wrong road all went well. We are driving up the Acadian Peninsula and our first real taste of New Brunswick. The winters must be harsh and short because the further we went up the Peninsula the smaller and more wind swept the trees and brush. The area makes me think of pictures I have seen of Newfoundand, only with more trees. We are driving a little late to make up some miles; but also to get to Caraquet because there is suppose to be a great Sea Food Restaurant in this town and also a campsite on the water. We found the food to be good and we found the campsite. We had booked at the campsite before dinner. After dinner we stopped at the wharf to look at the fishing boats that are tied up. Some mighty big boats and some colourful smaller ones also. The wharf would be a good half mile in total, and the walk back. Saw some jelly fish doing there thing and a number of people fishing off the wharf. We are in awe of New Brunswick so far and we have only covered a 100 miles or so. Imagine what the next 200 miles will be like (you are going to have to imagine; we are going to see it for ourselves). Talk to you tomorrow.
Day 27, July 24, 2007
Day 27, Monday, July 24, 2007
We got a fairly good start today and traveled along the St. Lawrence River. What a beautiful drive. The St Lawrence starts off as fresh water than slowly blends until it is salt water at the Gulf. I am not sure how wide it is or how wide I expected but it is wide. On my GPS it varies from just under a mile to over 3 miles as you head to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The tide was out on most of our drive and there was a lot of reedy land along the shore. In one place the shore was solid rock and all carved up by either the water action or glaciers, if and when they came through. We have kept to the shore road as much as we can, no point in being inland when it is the water that has all the views. Our elevation varied from 20 ft to about 700 feet on my GPS. The GPS sure has been handy for elevation and average moving times plus telling us where we are in relationship to where we should be. The highlight of the day was crossing the New Brunswick, not that we were happy to leave Quebec. We were amazed at the churches we could see driving up the St. Lawrence. Some of the time we were driving on a rise and to the south you could see for several miles, in a valley, and two very prominent items were the churches and the silos on the farms. Lots of farms and lots of skinny fields. They must have been in the family for generations. If you Google Earth, in this area you can see them fanning out from the River. All seemed to be very well kept up. The land seems to change as you come into the boundaries for the individual provinces as if the change in the land was one way of deciding where the boundary was going to be located. Coming into New Brunswick the land got hillier. We came through Dalhousie and found a nice campsite on the south side of town The Blue Herron Campsite. I was having a problem with the spark plug wire again and had bought a new one to replace the old one that got broken when they worked on the gasket for the exhaust manifold. Got that done and a little work in the diary and it was time for bed. Well not quite like that. We do most of our cooking outside, I have the portable BBQ and a propane campstove and a ten pound tank with an attachment that allows me to hook up 3 appliances. It takes me about 5 minutes to set up, and the same to take down. Saves heating the motor home up and its nice to be out sideafter spending all day traveling. Keeps some of the cooking smells outside as well. Willa and Tegan are travelling well but it is a lot of driving. Wish Celeste, our 15 year old granddaughter, had come for company for Tegan. But she felt it would be too much driving and she would have been right but they would have had more fun traveling together and could have done more things together. We even thought of flying her out but would be quite costly. After driving most of the day it is nice to just sit back and relax. Well another day to the journey and another 30 plus to look forward to.
We got a fairly good start today and traveled along the St. Lawrence River. What a beautiful drive. The St Lawrence starts off as fresh water than slowly blends until it is salt water at the Gulf. I am not sure how wide it is or how wide I expected but it is wide. On my GPS it varies from just under a mile to over 3 miles as you head to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The tide was out on most of our drive and there was a lot of reedy land along the shore. In one place the shore was solid rock and all carved up by either the water action or glaciers, if and when they came through. We have kept to the shore road as much as we can, no point in being inland when it is the water that has all the views. Our elevation varied from 20 ft to about 700 feet on my GPS. The GPS sure has been handy for elevation and average moving times plus telling us where we are in relationship to where we should be. The highlight of the day was crossing the New Brunswick, not that we were happy to leave Quebec. We were amazed at the churches we could see driving up the St. Lawrence. Some of the time we were driving on a rise and to the south you could see for several miles, in a valley, and two very prominent items were the churches and the silos on the farms. Lots of farms and lots of skinny fields. They must have been in the family for generations. If you Google Earth, in this area you can see them fanning out from the River. All seemed to be very well kept up. The land seems to change as you come into the boundaries for the individual provinces as if the change in the land was one way of deciding where the boundary was going to be located. Coming into New Brunswick the land got hillier. We came through Dalhousie and found a nice campsite on the south side of town The Blue Herron Campsite. I was having a problem with the spark plug wire again and had bought a new one to replace the old one that got broken when they worked on the gasket for the exhaust manifold. Got that done and a little work in the diary and it was time for bed. Well not quite like that. We do most of our cooking outside, I have the portable BBQ and a propane campstove and a ten pound tank with an attachment that allows me to hook up 3 appliances. It takes me about 5 minutes to set up, and the same to take down. Saves heating the motor home up and its nice to be out sideafter spending all day traveling. Keeps some of the cooking smells outside as well. Willa and Tegan are travelling well but it is a lot of driving. Wish Celeste, our 15 year old granddaughter, had come for company for Tegan. But she felt it would be too much driving and she would have been right but they would have had more fun traveling together and could have done more things together. We even thought of flying her out but would be quite costly. After driving most of the day it is nice to just sit back and relax. Well another day to the journey and another 30 plus to look forward to.
Day 26, July 23, 2007
Day 26, Sunday July 23, 2007.
We got a good start this morning, we were on the road by about 7:30 am. Nice time of the morning to travel, traffic is less and cooler part of the day, everything seems to run quieter and better. We have decided to skip Quebec City on the way down and maybe catch it on the way back. We’ve had enough of museums, forts and old buildings and besides we are about 4 days behind. We don’t really have a schedule but the Atlantic Provinces are our priority and we are spending an extra day here and there and suddenly you aren’t sure if you won’t need another month. For the same reason we have also dropped off the Gaspe’ Peninsular. So now we have cleared Montreal, Quebec City and come down over the St. Lawrence River and are now heading up the south side of the St Lawrence and into the country where my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents originated from after they came from France in the 1600’s. Now we are looking into my family’s information and Willa is trying to fill in some of the gaps she is missing and confirming some of the information she already has. We were in Mont Carmel, Quebec where my Great Grandparents were born and married. In Kamouraska (which is a native name meaning “Bull Rushes by the Sea”) almost sounds Russian. One of my relatives was the first Dionne in the area. In one of the towns, Cap St Ignace, we tried to find the old church where my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents were married in but apparently the church was washed away by the St. Lawrence River and with it went the graveyard also. Willa is pretty sure that my relatives would have been buried there. Soooooooooooo! I guess you could say that I have ancestors scattered all along the St. Lawrence river (well down stream especially). On our drive I was watching for Pat Pelletier’s ancestor’s farm which is on the road we were traveling on. Pat is the Mortgage Broker at our office. I stopped, took some pictures and called Pat from the motorhome to tell him I was in front of his ancestor’s home. Couldn’t reach Pat so had him paged. Still having some problems with the motorhome but hope to resolve it today. They broke a spark plug wire installing the manifold gasket and I think it is breaking down when I stress the motor. So see if replacing it helps. Well we looked at some more graveyards, churches and towns that were, are inhabited by my ancestors. Hard to believe that they could have been walking these same roads and streets that we have been driving and walking down. From Cap St. Ignace, I called my mother, and sister to tell them where we were. Turns out my oldest sister Jerry and her husband Joe were at my Mother’s. Joe’s brother inlaw had passed away and they were down for the service. Well talk to you tomorrow and update you on our travels. Weather by the way has been real good, not too hot for traveling and not wet and rainy either.
We got a good start this morning, we were on the road by about 7:30 am. Nice time of the morning to travel, traffic is less and cooler part of the day, everything seems to run quieter and better. We have decided to skip Quebec City on the way down and maybe catch it on the way back. We’ve had enough of museums, forts and old buildings and besides we are about 4 days behind. We don’t really have a schedule but the Atlantic Provinces are our priority and we are spending an extra day here and there and suddenly you aren’t sure if you won’t need another month. For the same reason we have also dropped off the Gaspe’ Peninsular. So now we have cleared Montreal, Quebec City and come down over the St. Lawrence River and are now heading up the south side of the St Lawrence and into the country where my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents originated from after they came from France in the 1600’s. Now we are looking into my family’s information and Willa is trying to fill in some of the gaps she is missing and confirming some of the information she already has. We were in Mont Carmel, Quebec where my Great Grandparents were born and married. In Kamouraska (which is a native name meaning “Bull Rushes by the Sea”) almost sounds Russian. One of my relatives was the first Dionne in the area. In one of the towns, Cap St Ignace, we tried to find the old church where my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandparents were married in but apparently the church was washed away by the St. Lawrence River and with it went the graveyard also. Willa is pretty sure that my relatives would have been buried there. Soooooooooooo! I guess you could say that I have ancestors scattered all along the St. Lawrence river (well down stream especially). On our drive I was watching for Pat Pelletier’s ancestor’s farm which is on the road we were traveling on. Pat is the Mortgage Broker at our office. I stopped, took some pictures and called Pat from the motorhome to tell him I was in front of his ancestor’s home. Couldn’t reach Pat so had him paged. Still having some problems with the motorhome but hope to resolve it today. They broke a spark plug wire installing the manifold gasket and I think it is breaking down when I stress the motor. So see if replacing it helps. Well we looked at some more graveyards, churches and towns that were, are inhabited by my ancestors. Hard to believe that they could have been walking these same roads and streets that we have been driving and walking down. From Cap St. Ignace, I called my mother, and sister to tell them where we were. Turns out my oldest sister Jerry and her husband Joe were at my Mother’s. Joe’s brother inlaw had passed away and they were down for the service. Well talk to you tomorrow and update you on our travels. Weather by the way has been real good, not too hot for traveling and not wet and rainy either.
Day 25, July 22, 2007
Day 25, Saturday, July 22, 2007
Well I am writing this about 3 days behind. Had some troubles with the motorhome and had to do a little monkey wrenching in the evening, during the day and or in the morning. Nothing very serious, other than had to replace the exhaust manifold seal, helped make the motor a little quieter.
We got a late start this morning. Very tired after all the walking and being wet all day after the rain we were in. Then I went outside to start packing and ran into a couple of talkative neighbours. Not that it was them, as you know I like to talk also and we got visiting and before you know it half an hour or more has passed. One chap was working in Ottawa, must be a temporary job because he was staying in a motorhome. The other chap was from Alberta and traveling east also. We got on our way at about 10:30 am and headed for the nearest Tim Horton’s, which luckily was just up the road from the campsite. Not too bad a campsite and I had a chance to visit with the manager. Very nice man once you got to know him. The road was from very good to very bad and that seems to sum it up pretty much. You just think you finally got over the worst of it and you find out you have been fooled. We got some pretty good shakings on this trip and not just for a mile or so it could be 10-100 miles of rough road. We got our first or second feed of corn today. If it was the second feed it was real small cobs. Now that I think about it, it was our second feed and very disappointing. We headed out of Ottawa and finding our way out wasn’t too bad, we were on the outskirts of town. Now rolling down the road we have to go through Montreal. Now there is a set of roads. Luckily for us we had a main road we needed and were able to stay on it. Some of the time you would have overpasses, underpasses, sidepasses and on both sides and all of this happening at the same time. As I say we’ve had an easy route to follow but one wrong turn and I don’t know where you could end up and how you would ever find your way back again would be entertaining to say the least. Quebecer’s do drive a little different but all in all, all went well (I wonder if I could work another all in this sentence, I just did it). Had one driver and I am not sure if it was Quebec or Ontario and it was the only close call so far (knock wood) and SHE passes me then cuts right in front of me, missed my front end by about 4 feet, and we are traveling at about 90-100 k’s. Ran a little late today trying to make up time and had to take a site, it was an almost RV park. Old service station, older motel and a restaurant that didn’t seem too bad. But we were the only campers. I wanted to keep the drivers side to the sun, so we would have a shady spot to cook dinner and sit in the evening, so I asked the chap there if he minded if I pulled in sideways taking up 3-4 sites instead of one. Now this is late I don’t think they have many campers at the best of times and there are 20 sites altogether. Well he just didn’t know if other campers came in….. I finally said well how about I park across the sites and if another camper comes in I will move. I didn’t have to move. The place was kind of rundown. But could have had a lot of potential if it was run right. But it was quiet and level.
Well I am writing this about 3 days behind. Had some troubles with the motorhome and had to do a little monkey wrenching in the evening, during the day and or in the morning. Nothing very serious, other than had to replace the exhaust manifold seal, helped make the motor a little quieter.
We got a late start this morning. Very tired after all the walking and being wet all day after the rain we were in. Then I went outside to start packing and ran into a couple of talkative neighbours. Not that it was them, as you know I like to talk also and we got visiting and before you know it half an hour or more has passed. One chap was working in Ottawa, must be a temporary job because he was staying in a motorhome. The other chap was from Alberta and traveling east also. We got on our way at about 10:30 am and headed for the nearest Tim Horton’s, which luckily was just up the road from the campsite. Not too bad a campsite and I had a chance to visit with the manager. Very nice man once you got to know him. The road was from very good to very bad and that seems to sum it up pretty much. You just think you finally got over the worst of it and you find out you have been fooled. We got some pretty good shakings on this trip and not just for a mile or so it could be 10-100 miles of rough road. We got our first or second feed of corn today. If it was the second feed it was real small cobs. Now that I think about it, it was our second feed and very disappointing. We headed out of Ottawa and finding our way out wasn’t too bad, we were on the outskirts of town. Now rolling down the road we have to go through Montreal. Now there is a set of roads. Luckily for us we had a main road we needed and were able to stay on it. Some of the time you would have overpasses, underpasses, sidepasses and on both sides and all of this happening at the same time. As I say we’ve had an easy route to follow but one wrong turn and I don’t know where you could end up and how you would ever find your way back again would be entertaining to say the least. Quebecer’s do drive a little different but all in all, all went well (I wonder if I could work another all in this sentence, I just did it). Had one driver and I am not sure if it was Quebec or Ontario and it was the only close call so far (knock wood) and SHE passes me then cuts right in front of me, missed my front end by about 4 feet, and we are traveling at about 90-100 k’s. Ran a little late today trying to make up time and had to take a site, it was an almost RV park. Old service station, older motel and a restaurant that didn’t seem too bad. But we were the only campers. I wanted to keep the drivers side to the sun, so we would have a shady spot to cook dinner and sit in the evening, so I asked the chap there if he minded if I pulled in sideways taking up 3-4 sites instead of one. Now this is late I don’t think they have many campers at the best of times and there are 20 sites altogether. Well he just didn’t know if other campers came in….. I finally said well how about I park across the sites and if another camper comes in I will move. I didn’t have to move. The place was kind of rundown. But could have had a lot of potential if it was run right. But it was quiet and level.
Day 24, July 20, 2007
Day 24, Friday, July 20, 2007
We set the alarm for 6:00 am. Everyone wanted a shower before we left. We had to hurry because Mike the taxi driver was going to pick us up at 8:00 am. To set the pace for the rest of the story: it started to rain about 4:00 in the morning and it was still raining when the alarm went off and it was still raining at 8:00 when the taxi arrived. It just poured all day. Well we were committed to do Ottawa today so off we went. We had umbrellas and I had a raincoat. Tegan and Willa didn’t want to take theirs so off we went. Mike dropped us off in front of guess what - - -tic- - tic- -tic if you said Tim Horton’s you are absolutely wrong it was Starbucks. Up to this point all is well. Now we have to walk to the information center to find out about the tours of the Parliament buildings. Well it is about 3-4 block, it is just pouring out, there is a gusty wind and we are walking. I don’t know how many times my umbrella did an inversion. By the time we get to the information centre our feet are soaked clean through and we are wet up to our knees. By the way when it is heavy rain do not and I emphasize do not walk near the curb unless you are already soaked. The buses do not worry about the water in the curbs and may have a game to see who can throw it the farthest along the side walk, also how high up on the pedestrians. Well we decided after the first or second bus we were not going to play along and more, and we walked as close to the buildings as we could get. I think some of the drivers were actually disappointed we were away from the curb. We did the tour of the Parliament buildings and it is well worth seeing. The history and the construction is magnificent and the young gal that did the tour did a real nice job also. I think I was most impressed with the library which is the only remaining part left after the fire in 1916. The rest of the building was rebuilt after the fire and they used stone this time, less chance of it burning down again. The library is finished in pine and the craftsmanship that went into it is beautiful. From the Parliament buildings we walked three block to catch the #8 bus to Hull, as you guessed it in the pouring rain. We are on our way to see the Museum of Civilization, again a great experience. At the Museum we see the display by China of some old artifacts plus the Imax presentation of the1st Emperor of China and his story. You may remember reading about the find in China of a whole army made out of Terracotta, something in the number of about 7000 figures (I think) and all buried with the Emperor. What is interesting to note is that each had a different face and in the image of his soldiers. Now we are getting tired but be want to see the War Museum, which we were told was very good. We have tickets too for the bus but have no idea how to get to the War Museum. We saw the bus which was the # 8 back to Ottawa. We talked to the driver and we could use the tickets we have or buy new ones, but they don’t sell them. Anyway it was getting confusing. Suddenly the bus driver, just a young guy, said get on the bus so we piled on and he said here is a day pass and you won’t need your other tickets so off to the War Museum we did ride. Had a real nice visit with the driver as we were the only passengers. Later some other people came on and I had a nice visit with a lady who is moving to Vancouver Island when she retires in the next year. Now the War Museum. We arrived at about 5:30-6:00 pm. We are already tired, but this is unreal what they have done. They start you off in sections. The first section is Early wars that Canada was involved in, moving to another section the Second World War, and the next section the Second World War. In these areas they are describing what went on, how it started, why Canada was involved, etc. They would have the different guns used in each action, including tanks, artillery guns, jet airplanes, torpedoes and all kinds of other displays. Downstairs more army equipment is displayed, 6-7 tanks 30-40 different trucks, cars, etc. plus the black convertible that Hitler rode in. It is now close to 8:00 or 8:30 pm and we are all dogtired. Instead of catching a bus we decided to walk to the Parliament Buildings and catch a taxi from there back to the campsite which is precisely what we did. We arrived back at the campsite at about 9:30 pm, I think or there abouts. We were all into bed and made a decision to sleep in and not go to Quebec City. We have seen lots of history and we are running out of time to cover the eastern provinces. So first things first - -- - - - - - - - - Sleep and to dry my feet out. They have been soaking wet all day and I mean soaking.
We set the alarm for 6:00 am. Everyone wanted a shower before we left. We had to hurry because Mike the taxi driver was going to pick us up at 8:00 am. To set the pace for the rest of the story: it started to rain about 4:00 in the morning and it was still raining when the alarm went off and it was still raining at 8:00 when the taxi arrived. It just poured all day. Well we were committed to do Ottawa today so off we went. We had umbrellas and I had a raincoat. Tegan and Willa didn’t want to take theirs so off we went. Mike dropped us off in front of guess what - - -tic- - tic- -tic if you said Tim Horton’s you are absolutely wrong it was Starbucks. Up to this point all is well. Now we have to walk to the information center to find out about the tours of the Parliament buildings. Well it is about 3-4 block, it is just pouring out, there is a gusty wind and we are walking. I don’t know how many times my umbrella did an inversion. By the time we get to the information centre our feet are soaked clean through and we are wet up to our knees. By the way when it is heavy rain do not and I emphasize do not walk near the curb unless you are already soaked. The buses do not worry about the water in the curbs and may have a game to see who can throw it the farthest along the side walk, also how high up on the pedestrians. Well we decided after the first or second bus we were not going to play along and more, and we walked as close to the buildings as we could get. I think some of the drivers were actually disappointed we were away from the curb. We did the tour of the Parliament buildings and it is well worth seeing. The history and the construction is magnificent and the young gal that did the tour did a real nice job also. I think I was most impressed with the library which is the only remaining part left after the fire in 1916. The rest of the building was rebuilt after the fire and they used stone this time, less chance of it burning down again. The library is finished in pine and the craftsmanship that went into it is beautiful. From the Parliament buildings we walked three block to catch the #8 bus to Hull, as you guessed it in the pouring rain. We are on our way to see the Museum of Civilization, again a great experience. At the Museum we see the display by China of some old artifacts plus the Imax presentation of the1st Emperor of China and his story. You may remember reading about the find in China of a whole army made out of Terracotta, something in the number of about 7000 figures (I think) and all buried with the Emperor. What is interesting to note is that each had a different face and in the image of his soldiers. Now we are getting tired but be want to see the War Museum, which we were told was very good. We have tickets too for the bus but have no idea how to get to the War Museum. We saw the bus which was the # 8 back to Ottawa. We talked to the driver and we could use the tickets we have or buy new ones, but they don’t sell them. Anyway it was getting confusing. Suddenly the bus driver, just a young guy, said get on the bus so we piled on and he said here is a day pass and you won’t need your other tickets so off to the War Museum we did ride. Had a real nice visit with the driver as we were the only passengers. Later some other people came on and I had a nice visit with a lady who is moving to Vancouver Island when she retires in the next year. Now the War Museum. We arrived at about 5:30-6:00 pm. We are already tired, but this is unreal what they have done. They start you off in sections. The first section is Early wars that Canada was involved in, moving to another section the Second World War, and the next section the Second World War. In these areas they are describing what went on, how it started, why Canada was involved, etc. They would have the different guns used in each action, including tanks, artillery guns, jet airplanes, torpedoes and all kinds of other displays. Downstairs more army equipment is displayed, 6-7 tanks 30-40 different trucks, cars, etc. plus the black convertible that Hitler rode in. It is now close to 8:00 or 8:30 pm and we are all dogtired. Instead of catching a bus we decided to walk to the Parliament Buildings and catch a taxi from there back to the campsite which is precisely what we did. We arrived back at the campsite at about 9:30 pm, I think or there abouts. We were all into bed and made a decision to sleep in and not go to Quebec City. We have seen lots of history and we are running out of time to cover the eastern provinces. So first things first - -- - - - - - - - - Sleep and to dry my feet out. They have been soaking wet all day and I mean soaking.
Day 23, July 19, 2007
Day 23, Thursday, July 19, 2007
Yesterday we made an appointment for the motorhome with the friend of Sean Murphy, Glenn Carroll who’s shop is just outside of Ottawa. I also made reservations at Rideau Heights Campsite just south of Ottawa. So our day begins. We were on the road by about 7:15 am. I wanted an early start, not knowing how long it would take us to reach Glenn Carroll’s shop. We hit some construction on the way but only about 6 miles north of Smiths Falls and some real rough road after that for about 10 miles and I mean real rough. Still we made good time and ended up at Glenn Carroll’s shop about 9:30 am. They checked my timing and the exhaust manifold gasket was leaking on the passenger side of the engine and we were very lucky they took us right away. Mind you I had called the day before but they are still having to fit us in and it is a busy shop. Glenn operated right out of his home property and has a nicely set up shop. We met his wife, his two boys about 8-12 and his dad who stopped around later in the morning. I missed the name of the chap that worked on the motorhome but a very congenial chap. Visited with a couple of the customers and the morning passed fairly quickly. I had a chance to do some and had a little nap also. They sent the wrong bolts the first time and had to reorder them, other than that we would have been out of there by noon, as it turned out it was 2:30. Glen apologized but I said we weren’t complaining, we were just happy he was able to fit us in. He was very reasonable with the costs also, which was nice to have happen. We stopped in a shopping center outside of Ottawa and picked up a few groceries. Then traveled on to the campsite we had made reservations at last night. We pulled into the campsite about 5:30 pm which is a nice time to stop. Gives you time to eat and cleanup and it is still early in the evening. I had planned on staying at the Ottawa Municipal Campgrounds but this lady Willa had met said this was such a good campsite. I have to say it has only two well maybe three real drawbacks. One: the bathrooms aren’t very nice, Two: we are just east of the flight path for a major airport, Three: The Via Rail tracks are just behind the campsite (HERE COMES ONE NOW. CAN YOU READ THIS OVER THE NOISE?). The rail is not toO bad, they are going slow and you hardly hear them. We bought our first feed of corn for this year at a grocery store we stopped at earlier. Peaches and Cream I think. It was very good and only about $1.99 per dozen. Made for a nice supper. Tegan is just having a shower and then we will walk up to the main street to see about a bus to downtown Ottawa for tomorrow morning and around the campsite. This should be interesting. Want to take the address of the campsite with us tomorrow in case we get lost. Very tired tonight so I think I will be into bed early. Didn’t travel too far today, only about 70 miles. When we leave Ottawa we go to Quebec City and that is about 272 miles. We will be up early on that one because it will be heavy traffic. Try and be on the road by about 6:00 am. Willa and I went for a walk earlier in the evening and noticed a taxi parked at a house just up the street from the campsite. We had decided to take a cab into Ottawa because I wasn’t too sure about the buses. So we knocked on his door and made arrangements for him to pick us up at 8:00 am in the morning, His name was Mike, an older gentleman could have been 60 or 65, very nice man and very accommodating.
Yesterday we made an appointment for the motorhome with the friend of Sean Murphy, Glenn Carroll who’s shop is just outside of Ottawa. I also made reservations at Rideau Heights Campsite just south of Ottawa. So our day begins. We were on the road by about 7:15 am. I wanted an early start, not knowing how long it would take us to reach Glenn Carroll’s shop. We hit some construction on the way but only about 6 miles north of Smiths Falls and some real rough road after that for about 10 miles and I mean real rough. Still we made good time and ended up at Glenn Carroll’s shop about 9:30 am. They checked my timing and the exhaust manifold gasket was leaking on the passenger side of the engine and we were very lucky they took us right away. Mind you I had called the day before but they are still having to fit us in and it is a busy shop. Glenn operated right out of his home property and has a nicely set up shop. We met his wife, his two boys about 8-12 and his dad who stopped around later in the morning. I missed the name of the chap that worked on the motorhome but a very congenial chap. Visited with a couple of the customers and the morning passed fairly quickly. I had a chance to do some and had a little nap also. They sent the wrong bolts the first time and had to reorder them, other than that we would have been out of there by noon, as it turned out it was 2:30. Glen apologized but I said we weren’t complaining, we were just happy he was able to fit us in. He was very reasonable with the costs also, which was nice to have happen. We stopped in a shopping center outside of Ottawa and picked up a few groceries. Then traveled on to the campsite we had made reservations at last night. We pulled into the campsite about 5:30 pm which is a nice time to stop. Gives you time to eat and cleanup and it is still early in the evening. I had planned on staying at the Ottawa Municipal Campgrounds but this lady Willa had met said this was such a good campsite. I have to say it has only two well maybe three real drawbacks. One: the bathrooms aren’t very nice, Two: we are just east of the flight path for a major airport, Three: The Via Rail tracks are just behind the campsite (HERE COMES ONE NOW. CAN YOU READ THIS OVER THE NOISE?). The rail is not toO bad, they are going slow and you hardly hear them. We bought our first feed of corn for this year at a grocery store we stopped at earlier. Peaches and Cream I think. It was very good and only about $1.99 per dozen. Made for a nice supper. Tegan is just having a shower and then we will walk up to the main street to see about a bus to downtown Ottawa for tomorrow morning and around the campsite. This should be interesting. Want to take the address of the campsite with us tomorrow in case we get lost. Very tired tonight so I think I will be into bed early. Didn’t travel too far today, only about 70 miles. When we leave Ottawa we go to Quebec City and that is about 272 miles. We will be up early on that one because it will be heavy traffic. Try and be on the road by about 6:00 am. Willa and I went for a walk earlier in the evening and noticed a taxi parked at a house just up the street from the campsite. We had decided to take a cab into Ottawa because I wasn’t too sure about the buses. So we knocked on his door and made arrangements for him to pick us up at 8:00 am in the morning, His name was Mike, an older gentleman could have been 60 or 65, very nice man and very accommodating.
Day 22, July 18, 2007
Day 22, Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We have come to a major decision this morning, we are going to stay another day at Smiths Falls, Ontario. We want to give the motorhome a good cleaning and do some maintenance work on it. So at 8:00 in the morning there I am in my lawn chair with my cup of tea watching all the boats go by, cueing for the locks. This time I am organized, I have brought out a big heavy towel. Some of these boats are unbelievable. I want to watch them load up the locks so I rush up and you can sit right on the lock gates while they are filling with boats and water. Sorry, what did you say? You want to know what the towel was for? Drool, my good man drool, and it worked. So I was able to watch while they load the boats into the lock, then fill it and let them out on the higher level. They were all bigger boats so only 5 could fit in, and they were tight. Later Tegan and I went to the locks when they loaded a couple of real big boats and watched the process. You ask did I need a towel, well of course not, you just hang your jaw over the railing and it runs into the lock. Some of the owners of the boats I actually think enjoy watching you drool. From there I came back and made bacon and eggs and then started the clean up. Willa was doing laundry again but less this time and there may not be much time in the next few days in Ottawa then Quebec City. The fridge needed reorganizing and the freezer was frosting up a bit so that was on the to-do list. We had collected a lot of brochures and booklets about the different areas and sites to see and they were scattered around, so I pulled them together and put them in a drawer and only kept out the ones pertaining to this area. Very relaxing day and one that we needed. The next 3-4 days will be very hectic. Did some reading, and proof read my diary to get it ready for loading onto my blog if I can get my connection working. (This is Willa —– his proofreading did not work. Can’t imagine what it was like before he proofed it! It sure is good for a laugh though!!!) Once a week I down load all the pictures from my camera and get them organized so they are viewable. Not a big job but nice to have the time to go through them and organize them. We had supper about 6:00 pm and we could hear the thunder in the distance, then the lightning and then the rain and did we ever get a down pour. The water is just lying around in puddles, luckily our site is dry. Some of the boats parked for the night are not much bigger than our boat, I wander how they faied in the rain. Well not an exciting day but a very relaxing day. The sky looks quite dark so we may be in for a few more storms. It’s 8:45 pm. Been a good day for all of us and a good restful day also. Want to be off tomorrow early. First thing is the mechanic that Sean Murphy had recommended, then to the campsite and then we start the tour of Ottawa, Hull and whatever else we can pack into tomorrow and the next day. And in the morning we pull a Willie Nelson - - - - - - - - - - - - “ON THE ROAD AGAIN
We have come to a major decision this morning, we are going to stay another day at Smiths Falls, Ontario. We want to give the motorhome a good cleaning and do some maintenance work on it. So at 8:00 in the morning there I am in my lawn chair with my cup of tea watching all the boats go by, cueing for the locks. This time I am organized, I have brought out a big heavy towel. Some of these boats are unbelievable. I want to watch them load up the locks so I rush up and you can sit right on the lock gates while they are filling with boats and water. Sorry, what did you say? You want to know what the towel was for? Drool, my good man drool, and it worked. So I was able to watch while they load the boats into the lock, then fill it and let them out on the higher level. They were all bigger boats so only 5 could fit in, and they were tight. Later Tegan and I went to the locks when they loaded a couple of real big boats and watched the process. You ask did I need a towel, well of course not, you just hang your jaw over the railing and it runs into the lock. Some of the owners of the boats I actually think enjoy watching you drool. From there I came back and made bacon and eggs and then started the clean up. Willa was doing laundry again but less this time and there may not be much time in the next few days in Ottawa then Quebec City. The fridge needed reorganizing and the freezer was frosting up a bit so that was on the to-do list. We had collected a lot of brochures and booklets about the different areas and sites to see and they were scattered around, so I pulled them together and put them in a drawer and only kept out the ones pertaining to this area. Very relaxing day and one that we needed. The next 3-4 days will be very hectic. Did some reading, and proof read my diary to get it ready for loading onto my blog if I can get my connection working. (This is Willa —– his proofreading did not work. Can’t imagine what it was like before he proofed it! It sure is good for a laugh though!!!) Once a week I down load all the pictures from my camera and get them organized so they are viewable. Not a big job but nice to have the time to go through them and organize them. We had supper about 6:00 pm and we could hear the thunder in the distance, then the lightning and then the rain and did we ever get a down pour. The water is just lying around in puddles, luckily our site is dry. Some of the boats parked for the night are not much bigger than our boat, I wander how they faied in the rain. Well not an exciting day but a very relaxing day. The sky looks quite dark so we may be in for a few more storms. It’s 8:45 pm. Been a good day for all of us and a good restful day also. Want to be off tomorrow early. First thing is the mechanic that Sean Murphy had recommended, then to the campsite and then we start the tour of Ottawa, Hull and whatever else we can pack into tomorrow and the next day. And in the morning we pull a Willie Nelson - - - - - - - - - - - - “ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Day 21, July 17, 2007
Day 21, Tuesday, July 17, 2007
You asked me two days ago how many License plate designations Willa and Tegan had seen, the number is 35 from different States and Provinces. I wouldn’t have thought that many. We got away about 8:30 this morning and meandered up the road. Our first stop is Elgin, Ontario. I had found a site on the internet that gave all the little towns along the Rideau Canal with walking tours of the old buildings and their history. So I ran the information off and we had this along for each town on the list. We asked at the school if we could park there, which was ok, then unloaded the bikes and did a bike tour of Elgin. Very interesting and you are talking the early 1800’s. We took about an hour and then loaded up the bikes and headed off again. Someone Willa had talked to said you have to stop at Smiths Falls and what a nice town it was.
So about 30-40 minutes after Elgin we are looking for a parking space big enough for the motorhome in Smiths Falls. We were going to the museum then to the library so Tegan can access the internet but ended up going to the library instead. I took my laptop and had hoped to get my diary posted to the blog but it would not connect so as of now you all may have to wait until I either get back or get it working before you can read it. Smiths Falls is called the Chocolate capital of Ontario because Hershey’s factory is right in town. So after the Library we did a tour of the plant and of course the gift shop (or should I say chocolate shop). You can buy any of the brand of bars they make, Kisses, whatever and for a very reasonable price, in fact according to Tegan most of it was 1/2 what you would pay in the stores. They had bags of Hershey almond bars big bags, no wraps, I think maybe seconds and it was $7.99 for about 5 lbs. Tegan said this was the highlight of the trip. She has said this quite a lot on this trip, kind of neat that there is always something new and better than the day before. When we first arrived we walked around the locks, there are three of them here. There are three swinging bridges and at one time the car traffic could be held up on all three roads when boat traffic was going through. In the early 1970’s a new lock was put in that went below the bridge and so eliminated one of the swing bridges. The town is divided by the Rideau Canal. Now this new lock is one of three hydraulic operated locks on the Rideau Canal system. To get the boats low enough to make it under the bridge the lock is much deeper than any we have seen so far. I would guess maybe 30 or 40 feet. I must say it does not take long to fill up. During our walk around we noticed a campsite on the south side of the Canal and walked over to check it out. It is a city run site with hookups for both RVs and boats. The boats have docks or other tie ups available to them. The price is reasonable at $30.00 per night with water and electricity. Half of the sites back on to the Canal and we were lucky enough to get one of those. The boats tie up a little further along, so we don’t have any boats right behind us and the boats don’t have any RVs next to them either. We got settled into the campsite after the library and the Hershey tour, had our supper then went for a bike ride around town which was very enjoyable. Packed the bikes up getting ready to move tomorrow although we may stay one more day and get some cleanup done on the motorhome, laundry, and also some maintenance done on the motor home. Nothing serious just tightening down a few bolts and nuts especially on the bike rack. It had taken quite a shaking with some of the roads we have come over but has worked well. The covers have kept the bikes clean and dry. Before supper Willa made a few calls back to Tammy and Jon to touch bases. Kathy, who works with me at the office, and I have had a few conversations over the past two weeks. She is handling everything at the office real well. She said she was loosing weight, because she doesn’t have time to eat, and according to her this was a good thing. Quite a load to put on to her but she is good at what she does. Hard to believe we have worked together for the past 9 years. A great person to work with. We set up a bank account with her that the three of us have signing authority for and she can pay any extra bills that may come up. Really looking forward to tomorrow. There must be 30-40 boats tied up for the night and a lot of them will go right past our motorhome to catch the locks heading south. It will be like a parade for us. Some of the boats are pretty nice, 40-50 feet and two decks with flying bridges. It makes me drool. You could spend years boating the Rideau Canal and still not have seen it all. I am so impressed with the Canal and historic towns all along its banks. To think we have only seen a fraction of what is here to see. So much to see and so little time and money to see it. I shouldn’t say money because the trip so far has not been all that expensive except maybe for gas but even that so far has been within the budget I had guesstimated when we were planning the trip. Now for a sleep and then watch the boats tomorrow morning. Life is goooooooooooooooooooooood.
You asked me two days ago how many License plate designations Willa and Tegan had seen, the number is 35 from different States and Provinces. I wouldn’t have thought that many. We got away about 8:30 this morning and meandered up the road. Our first stop is Elgin, Ontario. I had found a site on the internet that gave all the little towns along the Rideau Canal with walking tours of the old buildings and their history. So I ran the information off and we had this along for each town on the list. We asked at the school if we could park there, which was ok, then unloaded the bikes and did a bike tour of Elgin. Very interesting and you are talking the early 1800’s. We took about an hour and then loaded up the bikes and headed off again. Someone Willa had talked to said you have to stop at Smiths Falls and what a nice town it was.
So about 30-40 minutes after Elgin we are looking for a parking space big enough for the motorhome in Smiths Falls. We were going to the museum then to the library so Tegan can access the internet but ended up going to the library instead. I took my laptop and had hoped to get my diary posted to the blog but it would not connect so as of now you all may have to wait until I either get back or get it working before you can read it. Smiths Falls is called the Chocolate capital of Ontario because Hershey’s factory is right in town. So after the Library we did a tour of the plant and of course the gift shop (or should I say chocolate shop). You can buy any of the brand of bars they make, Kisses, whatever and for a very reasonable price, in fact according to Tegan most of it was 1/2 what you would pay in the stores. They had bags of Hershey almond bars big bags, no wraps, I think maybe seconds and it was $7.99 for about 5 lbs. Tegan said this was the highlight of the trip. She has said this quite a lot on this trip, kind of neat that there is always something new and better than the day before. When we first arrived we walked around the locks, there are three of them here. There are three swinging bridges and at one time the car traffic could be held up on all three roads when boat traffic was going through. In the early 1970’s a new lock was put in that went below the bridge and so eliminated one of the swing bridges. The town is divided by the Rideau Canal. Now this new lock is one of three hydraulic operated locks on the Rideau Canal system. To get the boats low enough to make it under the bridge the lock is much deeper than any we have seen so far. I would guess maybe 30 or 40 feet. I must say it does not take long to fill up. During our walk around we noticed a campsite on the south side of the Canal and walked over to check it out. It is a city run site with hookups for both RVs and boats. The boats have docks or other tie ups available to them. The price is reasonable at $30.00 per night with water and electricity. Half of the sites back on to the Canal and we were lucky enough to get one of those. The boats tie up a little further along, so we don’t have any boats right behind us and the boats don’t have any RVs next to them either. We got settled into the campsite after the library and the Hershey tour, had our supper then went for a bike ride around town which was very enjoyable. Packed the bikes up getting ready to move tomorrow although we may stay one more day and get some cleanup done on the motorhome, laundry, and also some maintenance done on the motor home. Nothing serious just tightening down a few bolts and nuts especially on the bike rack. It had taken quite a shaking with some of the roads we have come over but has worked well. The covers have kept the bikes clean and dry. Before supper Willa made a few calls back to Tammy and Jon to touch bases. Kathy, who works with me at the office, and I have had a few conversations over the past two weeks. She is handling everything at the office real well. She said she was loosing weight, because she doesn’t have time to eat, and according to her this was a good thing. Quite a load to put on to her but she is good at what she does. Hard to believe we have worked together for the past 9 years. A great person to work with. We set up a bank account with her that the three of us have signing authority for and she can pay any extra bills that may come up. Really looking forward to tomorrow. There must be 30-40 boats tied up for the night and a lot of them will go right past our motorhome to catch the locks heading south. It will be like a parade for us. Some of the boats are pretty nice, 40-50 feet and two decks with flying bridges. It makes me drool. You could spend years boating the Rideau Canal and still not have seen it all. I am so impressed with the Canal and historic towns all along its banks. To think we have only seen a fraction of what is here to see. So much to see and so little time and money to see it. I shouldn’t say money because the trip so far has not been all that expensive except maybe for gas but even that so far has been within the budget I had guesstimated when we were planning the trip. Now for a sleep and then watch the boats tomorrow morning. Life is goooooooooooooooooooooood.
Day 20, July 16, 2007
Day 20, Monday, July 16, 2007
We got a bit of a late start this morning, Willa and I showered, which filled the gray water tank. I was hooked up and it was time to empty the tanks anyway. The pipe from the toilet to the black water tank was plugged, which is a problem with the motorhome. I have a special tool that is a long flexible hose with a sprayer on the end. It took a bit of work but it did clean out. A shitty job but someone has to do it. Anyway, we got the tanks dumped, showered, fed and we are off to Fort Henry in Kingston. We arrived at Fort Henry with the idea of spending a few hours. Well the tour alone took an hour and then we went back to look at a few other things. Fort Henry has been taken over by Parks Canada and sounds like they have taken on quite a handfull. They are redoing one of the Gun Posts and because they try to bring it back to original, and the Fort is made from cut stone, they have to bring in people that know how to do it. I wouldn’t think it is local people either. They fire off a cannon during the tour and have demonstrations of what Fort life would have been like. Not easy I would say. All the people are in period dress. Plus they have extra costumes that the people coming in can wear while they are doing the tour of the Fort. They also have the kids make like soldiers and get them marching around, kind of cute. Couldn’t talk Tegan into dressing up though, such a poor sport. The Fort is very impressive and the restorations have been well done plus what they have planned. We spent about 4 or more hours at the Fort. I met a lady from Alberta and we got talking and she was complaining how she did not enjoy her trip out east. I said “I can’t understand that because we have been in awe of everything so far.” She said “but I am so disappointed in the shopping”. I thought to myself ’lady if you want to go shopping fly to Paris or go to the Edmonton Mall”. I guess everyone is looking for something different and if it is not there they are disappointed. From Fort Henry we started back on our tour of the Rideau Canal. We thought we would put a few miles on and find a campsite up the road. The plan is to stop and see some of the locks and small towns along the way. We came to Jones Falls Locks and pulled in. Again the setting is spectacular and about a 40 foot cruiser and a 25-30 foot boat were on their way up the locks, so were able to watch the locks in action. Hard to believe this is all done without any power other than the people opening and closing the gate or opening and closing the valves all by hand. We spent about 2 hours watching the boats and touring the buildings. This lock system also has a dam which up until 1876 (I think) was the biggest dam in North America until the Cleveland Dam was built. There was also a power generating station below the dam. All the park people are very informative and helpful, I even gave a hand opening and closing the lock gates. Not that hard to do considering the size of the doors. They are made from West Coast Douglas Fir and last 25-30 years. The main timbers I would say are about two foot square. Turns out there is a campsite right close to the Locks so we headed there, a little expensive at $35.00 with electricity and water but not much different from most of the other sites we’ve camped in. Not many Walmarts in this area. We got into the campsite about 7:30 and we were tired from all the walking at Fort Henry and then at the Jones Falls Locks but a good tired, we read and I updated my diary. I was two days behind and I went to bed about 11:00 pm. Willa was already sawing logs but Tegan was reading. Well another bend in the road coming tomorrow and exciting to see what will appear.
We got a bit of a late start this morning, Willa and I showered, which filled the gray water tank. I was hooked up and it was time to empty the tanks anyway. The pipe from the toilet to the black water tank was plugged, which is a problem with the motorhome. I have a special tool that is a long flexible hose with a sprayer on the end. It took a bit of work but it did clean out. A shitty job but someone has to do it. Anyway, we got the tanks dumped, showered, fed and we are off to Fort Henry in Kingston. We arrived at Fort Henry with the idea of spending a few hours. Well the tour alone took an hour and then we went back to look at a few other things. Fort Henry has been taken over by Parks Canada and sounds like they have taken on quite a handfull. They are redoing one of the Gun Posts and because they try to bring it back to original, and the Fort is made from cut stone, they have to bring in people that know how to do it. I wouldn’t think it is local people either. They fire off a cannon during the tour and have demonstrations of what Fort life would have been like. Not easy I would say. All the people are in period dress. Plus they have extra costumes that the people coming in can wear while they are doing the tour of the Fort. They also have the kids make like soldiers and get them marching around, kind of cute. Couldn’t talk Tegan into dressing up though, such a poor sport. The Fort is very impressive and the restorations have been well done plus what they have planned. We spent about 4 or more hours at the Fort. I met a lady from Alberta and we got talking and she was complaining how she did not enjoy her trip out east. I said “I can’t understand that because we have been in awe of everything so far.” She said “but I am so disappointed in the shopping”. I thought to myself ’lady if you want to go shopping fly to Paris or go to the Edmonton Mall”. I guess everyone is looking for something different and if it is not there they are disappointed. From Fort Henry we started back on our tour of the Rideau Canal. We thought we would put a few miles on and find a campsite up the road. The plan is to stop and see some of the locks and small towns along the way. We came to Jones Falls Locks and pulled in. Again the setting is spectacular and about a 40 foot cruiser and a 25-30 foot boat were on their way up the locks, so were able to watch the locks in action. Hard to believe this is all done without any power other than the people opening and closing the gate or opening and closing the valves all by hand. We spent about 2 hours watching the boats and touring the buildings. This lock system also has a dam which up until 1876 (I think) was the biggest dam in North America until the Cleveland Dam was built. There was also a power generating station below the dam. All the park people are very informative and helpful, I even gave a hand opening and closing the lock gates. Not that hard to do considering the size of the doors. They are made from West Coast Douglas Fir and last 25-30 years. The main timbers I would say are about two foot square. Turns out there is a campsite right close to the Locks so we headed there, a little expensive at $35.00 with electricity and water but not much different from most of the other sites we’ve camped in. Not many Walmarts in this area. We got into the campsite about 7:30 and we were tired from all the walking at Fort Henry and then at the Jones Falls Locks but a good tired, we read and I updated my diary. I was two days behind and I went to bed about 11:00 pm. Willa was already sawing logs but Tegan was reading. Well another bend in the road coming tomorrow and exciting to see what will appear.
Day 19, July 15, 2007
Day 19, July 15, 2007.
We left Bob and Mary-Ann’s at about 8:45 am. Then we spent the next hour looking for a Tim Horton’s. About 9:30 by the time we were on the highway heading for Kingston. The drive in was good but the traffic coming to and through Toronto was heavier than I would have thought for a Sunday. If you counted our lanes and the road next to us including the oncoming lanes there were 12 lanes. We were on the Express Way and there seemed to be another highway that paralleled ours on both sides of the Express Way. The traffic moved well and we had no problems. I stayed in the right hand lane and it ran from one end of Toronto to the other. We were maybe an hour driving through the City and suburbs. We came to this rise and you could see maybe 1 or 2 kilometers, the highway dipped then came up the other side so you had a good view. All you could see was freeway and lanes running every direction. I am not sure of the exact count but I estimated there had to be close to 16 or more lanes of highway plus over passes, underpasses. I must say it was a little intimidating, but I stayed in my right hand lane and drove straight through. We arrived in Kingston about 2-3:00 in the afternoon. One of the things I was sure impressed with was the Service Centers they have along the 401 Freeway. On both sides of the Freeway will be a gas station, MacDonalds, Tim Hortons, Subway, or a selection of other fast food places. Plus all kinds of parking for the big highway trucks or RV’s. The one we pulled into had a MacDonald’s and was it ever busy. There were at least four lines with about 8-10 people in each line. One I noticed as I drove by had a truck wash also. I almost think you could stay there for the night if you so wished and I don’t think there is any charge for it. Now for a little complaint. The Tourist Information Centers they show on the highway, you know the “?” with the arrow. Well! We followed one in one city and it was a good 5 miles to find it. All they will have is this “?” and an arrow pointing in a direction you should go and if you miss it on a turn then good luck. Well in Kingston I was smart, at a grocery store I asked a couple if they knew where there was a Tourist Information Center. She gave me the directions and she was right to the block, However she either failed to mention it, or forgot there was a big celebration going on in downtown Kingston. The traffic and the people were unbelievable. With the bikes on the back I am 34 feet long and 8 feet wide and I have to thread the motorhome through this throng of people. Some streets are closed and people and cars all over the place. Thread is the right word because in some cases it was like threading a needle. But we made it and with some searching we found the road we needed to get out of town. Oh, by the way, the Tourist Information Center was there but you couldn’t park a car let alone our motorhome. We are on our way to start the Rideau Canal Tour which starts in Kingston, but passing through we saw the ad for Fort Henry and decided to do that tomorrow.
We stopped at the Kingston Mills locks before hitting a campsite. They are absolutely unbelievable. To imagine they were constructed 175 years ago and no power required to run them. They use gravity as the basis to raise the boats, by bringing the water down from the higher lake to flood the lower locks, thereby raising the boats to the next level. The one we looked at today has 3 locks. The whole Rideau Canal System has been taken over by Parks Canada and this year has been claimed, I think, as a World Heritage Site. Everything is operated the same as it was 175 years ago. A parks person floods the lock, opens and closes the gates all by hand. Pretty impressive. We are going to be seeing more in the next few days as we follow the Rideau Canal by road. Lots of towns to do walking tours through and the old buildings. The old buildings are something else.
So now a campsite. We found one in Kingston Mills, Rideau Acres Camping Resort a huge RV park with some where in the neighbourhood of 300-400 campsites. But a very nice quiet place to stay and very friendly people on either side of us. I met the next door neighbour, Shawn Murphy, he was from the Ottawa area, and asked him if he new any mechanics he could recommend. He has a chap he uses close to his home, Glen Carrol, so I will give Glen a call as we get closer to Ottawa. Nothing serious just want to get my timing adjusted as it is pinging a little under a heavy load and I think after all the shaking, part of my exhaust has come loose but that I may get done at a chain store, so if there are problems later on there should be some warranty to fall back on. We also met another couple from the Ottawa area, they just spent 3 weeks in New Brunswick, his home area. I guess the weather wasn’t very good in fact quite cool. He gave us a few hints about the Cabot Trail. When you come to it go right instead of left the views are better. Someone else didn’t recommend we take the motorhome, but I figure if we can survive Toronto’s freeways and Kingston’s street celebrations then the Cabot trail should be a cinch. At the campsite we did a walk around, Willa and Tegan are keeping track of the different license plates, I forget how many, Willa is in bed now but I will try and remember to ask her in the morning, how many they have collected and let you know tomorrow.
We left Bob and Mary-Ann’s at about 8:45 am. Then we spent the next hour looking for a Tim Horton’s. About 9:30 by the time we were on the highway heading for Kingston. The drive in was good but the traffic coming to and through Toronto was heavier than I would have thought for a Sunday. If you counted our lanes and the road next to us including the oncoming lanes there were 12 lanes. We were on the Express Way and there seemed to be another highway that paralleled ours on both sides of the Express Way. The traffic moved well and we had no problems. I stayed in the right hand lane and it ran from one end of Toronto to the other. We were maybe an hour driving through the City and suburbs. We came to this rise and you could see maybe 1 or 2 kilometers, the highway dipped then came up the other side so you had a good view. All you could see was freeway and lanes running every direction. I am not sure of the exact count but I estimated there had to be close to 16 or more lanes of highway plus over passes, underpasses. I must say it was a little intimidating, but I stayed in my right hand lane and drove straight through. We arrived in Kingston about 2-3:00 in the afternoon. One of the things I was sure impressed with was the Service Centers they have along the 401 Freeway. On both sides of the Freeway will be a gas station, MacDonalds, Tim Hortons, Subway, or a selection of other fast food places. Plus all kinds of parking for the big highway trucks or RV’s. The one we pulled into had a MacDonald’s and was it ever busy. There were at least four lines with about 8-10 people in each line. One I noticed as I drove by had a truck wash also. I almost think you could stay there for the night if you so wished and I don’t think there is any charge for it. Now for a little complaint. The Tourist Information Centers they show on the highway, you know the “?” with the arrow. Well! We followed one in one city and it was a good 5 miles to find it. All they will have is this “?” and an arrow pointing in a direction you should go and if you miss it on a turn then good luck. Well in Kingston I was smart, at a grocery store I asked a couple if they knew where there was a Tourist Information Center. She gave me the directions and she was right to the block, However she either failed to mention it, or forgot there was a big celebration going on in downtown Kingston. The traffic and the people were unbelievable. With the bikes on the back I am 34 feet long and 8 feet wide and I have to thread the motorhome through this throng of people. Some streets are closed and people and cars all over the place. Thread is the right word because in some cases it was like threading a needle. But we made it and with some searching we found the road we needed to get out of town. Oh, by the way, the Tourist Information Center was there but you couldn’t park a car let alone our motorhome. We are on our way to start the Rideau Canal Tour which starts in Kingston, but passing through we saw the ad for Fort Henry and decided to do that tomorrow.
We stopped at the Kingston Mills locks before hitting a campsite. They are absolutely unbelievable. To imagine they were constructed 175 years ago and no power required to run them. They use gravity as the basis to raise the boats, by bringing the water down from the higher lake to flood the lower locks, thereby raising the boats to the next level. The one we looked at today has 3 locks. The whole Rideau Canal System has been taken over by Parks Canada and this year has been claimed, I think, as a World Heritage Site. Everything is operated the same as it was 175 years ago. A parks person floods the lock, opens and closes the gates all by hand. Pretty impressive. We are going to be seeing more in the next few days as we follow the Rideau Canal by road. Lots of towns to do walking tours through and the old buildings. The old buildings are something else.
So now a campsite. We found one in Kingston Mills, Rideau Acres Camping Resort a huge RV park with some where in the neighbourhood of 300-400 campsites. But a very nice quiet place to stay and very friendly people on either side of us. I met the next door neighbour, Shawn Murphy, he was from the Ottawa area, and asked him if he new any mechanics he could recommend. He has a chap he uses close to his home, Glen Carrol, so I will give Glen a call as we get closer to Ottawa. Nothing serious just want to get my timing adjusted as it is pinging a little under a heavy load and I think after all the shaking, part of my exhaust has come loose but that I may get done at a chain store, so if there are problems later on there should be some warranty to fall back on. We also met another couple from the Ottawa area, they just spent 3 weeks in New Brunswick, his home area. I guess the weather wasn’t very good in fact quite cool. He gave us a few hints about the Cabot Trail. When you come to it go right instead of left the views are better. Someone else didn’t recommend we take the motorhome, but I figure if we can survive Toronto’s freeways and Kingston’s street celebrations then the Cabot trail should be a cinch. At the campsite we did a walk around, Willa and Tegan are keeping track of the different license plates, I forget how many, Willa is in bed now but I will try and remember to ask her in the morning, how many they have collected and let you know tomorrow.
Day 18, July 14, 2007
Day 18, Saturday, July 14, 2007.
We got up about 6:30 am with the idea of getting an early start. Willa wanted to shower before we left Cathy’s place and I wanted to fix the shower in the motorhome. A couple of days ago I went to have a shower and I heard a crack and looked down and I had cracked the bottom of the shower which put an end to showering in the motorhome. Luckily I had just started to shower and it was a matter of drying off and not rinsing shampoo out. The crack was right at the bottom of the shower on the floor so any water would run out under the shower and I didn’t need that cleanup. I had bought an epoxy patch kit to try and do the job. I got the patching done from underneath the shower, there is a large access panel in the hallway so access was easy. The job went well and will try it in the next day or so. Before we left Cathy’s, she gave us a tour of her house (over 100 years old) she bought about 2 1/2 years ago. What a neat house, like a doll house. We said our goodbyes to Cathy and we are off, right after we find a Tim Horton’s for Willa’s coffee. Now we are off, have a pretty easy drive to Bob’s house, about 64 miles, all good roads even though they are all backroads. But before Bob and Mary Ann’s house we stopped at the Hamilton Farmers Market. We missed our turn off the freeway and ended up driving through an industrial area, reminded me of Christmas Eve “not a creature was stirring not even a mouse”. Breakdown here and you could wait a long time for someone to come by. Took a bit of maneuvering but we found it and got parked. Most of the time it’s not finding what you are looking for, it’s trying to find a parking space. I need 34 feet with the bikes on behind. Little hard to find that space and especially downtown. The Hamilton Market - over 186 vendors in a huge two floor building. Just about any kind of vegetable you can imagine, plus spices, fruits and more. Hamilton seems to have a very diverse population and it showed up in the selection of vegetables you could buy. We pulled into Bob and Mary Ann’s about 3:00 pm. Bob insisted on taking us on a tour of Campbellville and Milton. Milton is distinguished as the fastest growing community in Canada. You should see the track housing they are building. Now they are going to pre-build the houses on site, like a mobile home factory then haul them to the lot. Bob cooked a nice roast beef dinner. Bob’s grandson Douglas and Bob’s mother-in-law Billy joined us for dinner. Both real nice people. Well, off to bed and hope for an early start tomorrow. Want to be in Kingston and start the Rideau Canal tomorrow,
,
We got up about 6:30 am with the idea of getting an early start. Willa wanted to shower before we left Cathy’s place and I wanted to fix the shower in the motorhome. A couple of days ago I went to have a shower and I heard a crack and looked down and I had cracked the bottom of the shower which put an end to showering in the motorhome. Luckily I had just started to shower and it was a matter of drying off and not rinsing shampoo out. The crack was right at the bottom of the shower on the floor so any water would run out under the shower and I didn’t need that cleanup. I had bought an epoxy patch kit to try and do the job. I got the patching done from underneath the shower, there is a large access panel in the hallway so access was easy. The job went well and will try it in the next day or so. Before we left Cathy’s, she gave us a tour of her house (over 100 years old) she bought about 2 1/2 years ago. What a neat house, like a doll house. We said our goodbyes to Cathy and we are off, right after we find a Tim Horton’s for Willa’s coffee. Now we are off, have a pretty easy drive to Bob’s house, about 64 miles, all good roads even though they are all backroads. But before Bob and Mary Ann’s house we stopped at the Hamilton Farmers Market. We missed our turn off the freeway and ended up driving through an industrial area, reminded me of Christmas Eve “not a creature was stirring not even a mouse”. Breakdown here and you could wait a long time for someone to come by. Took a bit of maneuvering but we found it and got parked. Most of the time it’s not finding what you are looking for, it’s trying to find a parking space. I need 34 feet with the bikes on behind. Little hard to find that space and especially downtown. The Hamilton Market - over 186 vendors in a huge two floor building. Just about any kind of vegetable you can imagine, plus spices, fruits and more. Hamilton seems to have a very diverse population and it showed up in the selection of vegetables you could buy. We pulled into Bob and Mary Ann’s about 3:00 pm. Bob insisted on taking us on a tour of Campbellville and Milton. Milton is distinguished as the fastest growing community in Canada. You should see the track housing they are building. Now they are going to pre-build the houses on site, like a mobile home factory then haul them to the lot. Bob cooked a nice roast beef dinner. Bob’s grandson Douglas and Bob’s mother-in-law Billy joined us for dinner. Both real nice people. Well, off to bed and hope for an early start tomorrow. Want to be in Kingston and start the Rideau Canal tomorrow,
,
Day 17, July 13, 2007
Day 17, Friday, July 13, 2007
Bob Cormack, Willa’s Mom’s cousin and his daughter Cathy went with us to Niagara Falls, Ontario. At about 9:00 am we were off to the nearest Tim Horton’s for Willa’s and Bob’s coffee. Bob volunteered to drive us into Niagara which was great because parking is a bit of a problem downtown. We had an absolutely great day. We had heard what a tourist trap Niagara was but we found it to be quite the opposite. Mind you, you could spend the money if you wanted to but if you thought out the sights you could keep it pretty reasonable. We did the Walk behind the Falls and walked the promenade which gives you some pretty nice views of the Falls. Hard to believe the amount of water that pours over the Falls. When we went to the Walk Behind the Falls you could just hear the power of that water. The portal views were not that great but the viewing area outside was outstanding! You are about half ways down the Falls and just to one side so you can see the full power of the water coming down. Every once in a while the wind would change and you would get the spray from the Falls. Even lunch wasn’t too badly priced considering it is a tourist town. When we left Niagara Falls we drove back the scenic route and stopped at the Whirl Pool and watched some big jet boats play in the rough water. The boats had 3 jets and carried about 50 people, could they ever move. We drove back through Niagara on the Lake which is a very pretty town. Full of all kinds of shops. We didn’t stop because it was getting late and Bob still has an hours drive to get back home. He lives in Campbellville, Ontario. We will see him tomorrow and spend the night with him. His wife Mary Ann is in Montreal judging a diving competition. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant called Mandarin. It is not cheap but the buffet is unreal. I would hazard to guess how many different plates they had and all of it was fresh and very good and I haven’t even come to the desert table yet. We got home about 8:30 pm. We were all tired and ready for bed. If we could peek into the future we would already know what tomorrow is going to bring.
Bob Cormack, Willa’s Mom’s cousin and his daughter Cathy went with us to Niagara Falls, Ontario. At about 9:00 am we were off to the nearest Tim Horton’s for Willa’s and Bob’s coffee. Bob volunteered to drive us into Niagara which was great because parking is a bit of a problem downtown. We had an absolutely great day. We had heard what a tourist trap Niagara was but we found it to be quite the opposite. Mind you, you could spend the money if you wanted to but if you thought out the sights you could keep it pretty reasonable. We did the Walk behind the Falls and walked the promenade which gives you some pretty nice views of the Falls. Hard to believe the amount of water that pours over the Falls. When we went to the Walk Behind the Falls you could just hear the power of that water. The portal views were not that great but the viewing area outside was outstanding! You are about half ways down the Falls and just to one side so you can see the full power of the water coming down. Every once in a while the wind would change and you would get the spray from the Falls. Even lunch wasn’t too badly priced considering it is a tourist town. When we left Niagara Falls we drove back the scenic route and stopped at the Whirl Pool and watched some big jet boats play in the rough water. The boats had 3 jets and carried about 50 people, could they ever move. We drove back through Niagara on the Lake which is a very pretty town. Full of all kinds of shops. We didn’t stop because it was getting late and Bob still has an hours drive to get back home. He lives in Campbellville, Ontario. We will see him tomorrow and spend the night with him. His wife Mary Ann is in Montreal judging a diving competition. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant called Mandarin. It is not cheap but the buffet is unreal. I would hazard to guess how many different plates they had and all of it was fresh and very good and I haven’t even come to the desert table yet. We got home about 8:30 pm. We were all tired and ready for bed. If we could peek into the future we would already know what tomorrow is going to bring.
Day 16, July 12, 2007
Day 16, Thursday, July 12, 2007
We were up about 7:00 am and Willa and I had a shower, separately. We packed up and headed off - - - - to the nearest Tim Horton’s which turned up in Thamesford, Ontario. There was no parking in the T/H lot so I parked in a private drive across the street. I should have asked if it would be ok but just wasn’t thinking. The people that live there came out and started to suggest that perhaps my parents weren’t married (next time I will bring Marriage Certificates). Needless to say I moved into an area where the sign said no parking minimum fine $100.00—from the frying pan to the fire. Luckily Willa came out and we were off down the road before the City people arrived. Willa wanted to stop in Brantford, Ontario at the local Genealogy Society. Once we found them Willa was able to get more information on where her great great grandparents were buried, it was off to the Presbyterian Cemetery in Mount Pleasant a small community SE of Brantford. Once we got the info off the tombstone (and pictures), were off to Cathy Tedesco’s in Jordon Station, Ontario. Cathy was our flower girl at our Wedding, and daughter of Bob Cormack. Bob was a Jockey all his life until he retired from racing. His Dad was a very famous Jockey and raced a lot over in France in the early 1900’s. If you have ever watched the movie “Seabiscuit” the main character was Red ??????, can’t think of his last name, but Bob knew him when they both were Jockeys. Red was a lot older than Bob and just winding down his career. Tomorrow we are off to Niagara Falls and Bob and hopefully Cathy will be able to come also. We arrived at Cathy’s about 6:00 pm. She won’t be home until about midnight but we will see her in the morning. Cathy lives in Jordan Station, Ontario about 30 minutes north of Niagara Falls. The drive over was good, we hit a few of the backroads and a couple of wrong turns, but we got to see some unique neighbourhoods on our travels. The GPS works real good, at least if you are lost you know where you are lost at. It will show you the road you are on and if you have made a wrong turn. It will even plot your trip for you. Not much else to tell about today. We seem to be finally getting our days turned back. Traveling East you keep losing an hour in every Province and we had to get that sorted around. We’ve been in Ontario long enough we are adjusting to the time change. When we are traveling we start off in the morning about 8:00 am. We will go to call someone and then stop because it is 5:00 am in BC. Should work to our advantage going home, I hope. Another day another few miles down the road. Let’s see how the next miles unfold.
We were up about 7:00 am and Willa and I had a shower, separately. We packed up and headed off - - - - to the nearest Tim Horton’s which turned up in Thamesford, Ontario. There was no parking in the T/H lot so I parked in a private drive across the street. I should have asked if it would be ok but just wasn’t thinking. The people that live there came out and started to suggest that perhaps my parents weren’t married (next time I will bring Marriage Certificates). Needless to say I moved into an area where the sign said no parking minimum fine $100.00—from the frying pan to the fire. Luckily Willa came out and we were off down the road before the City people arrived. Willa wanted to stop in Brantford, Ontario at the local Genealogy Society. Once we found them Willa was able to get more information on where her great great grandparents were buried, it was off to the Presbyterian Cemetery in Mount Pleasant a small community SE of Brantford. Once we got the info off the tombstone (and pictures), were off to Cathy Tedesco’s in Jordon Station, Ontario. Cathy was our flower girl at our Wedding, and daughter of Bob Cormack. Bob was a Jockey all his life until he retired from racing. His Dad was a very famous Jockey and raced a lot over in France in the early 1900’s. If you have ever watched the movie “Seabiscuit” the main character was Red ??????, can’t think of his last name, but Bob knew him when they both were Jockeys. Red was a lot older than Bob and just winding down his career. Tomorrow we are off to Niagara Falls and Bob and hopefully Cathy will be able to come also. We arrived at Cathy’s about 6:00 pm. She won’t be home until about midnight but we will see her in the morning. Cathy lives in Jordan Station, Ontario about 30 minutes north of Niagara Falls. The drive over was good, we hit a few of the backroads and a couple of wrong turns, but we got to see some unique neighbourhoods on our travels. The GPS works real good, at least if you are lost you know where you are lost at. It will show you the road you are on and if you have made a wrong turn. It will even plot your trip for you. Not much else to tell about today. We seem to be finally getting our days turned back. Traveling East you keep losing an hour in every Province and we had to get that sorted around. We’ve been in Ontario long enough we are adjusting to the time change. When we are traveling we start off in the morning about 8:00 am. We will go to call someone and then stop because it is 5:00 am in BC. Should work to our advantage going home, I hope. Another day another few miles down the road. Let’s see how the next miles unfold.
Day 15, July 11, 2007
Day 15, Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Our day started about 7:00 am this morning. Had to be up and ready because Willa’s 1st cousin once removed is coming to pick us up and we are heading into Woodstock today to do family tree business. Bob Cormack arrived about 9:30 and we were off. Our first stop was in Tavistock, Ontario, at Tim Horton’s coffee for Willa. The second stop was Woodstock to start the family tree research. Willa
had very little information on Barbara Rutherford which would be Willa’s greatgrandmother. For some reason the information about this lady is very sketchy and found nothing in the Embro area; lots of Rutherfords but no relatives. The people in the Genealogy department were so helpful especially Cathy Bechard who bent over backward to help Willa. (They were able to tell Willa that greatgrandmother Barbara Rutherford was born in Brantford, ON and married just outside in Mount Pleasant, ON.) This department is in the old Land Titles building, an old building in it’s own right, the information stored there was utterly amazing. Willa is going to send her familytree info to these people when she gets back. Willa found out where this lady, Barbara Rutherford, was born, where she was married, her parents and where they are buried. Now it is off to the Woodstock Presbyterian Cemetery to find her and her husband’s graves. It took a little bit of looking but we found it, more correctly I found it. Turned out Bob’s father is also buried beside his parents. While Willa was researching in the Genealogy Society, in Woodstock,
I took some time to go through some of the old buildings. The Court House was right next door and so Bob and I did a personal tour. The door to one of the court rooms was open and so I peeked in and the court was not in session so I stepped in. A voice booms at me “take your hat off”, which I complied with immediately. I asked permission to look around and she had no problems with that and pictures were ok also. Very pleasant lady and gave us some information on the Court House and the room we were in. This was the Supreme Court room. It seated about 100-150 people plus a jury setting on one side of 12 chairs and the other of 13 which was for the Appellant Court. Very heavy wood finishing all old oak, made me feel guilty and I hadn’t even done anything wrong. From there Tegan and I went to the Library to look around and to use the internet, Tegan to touch
bases with her friends and me to answer some emails. We had lunch in a bar and grill called Crabby Joes, very nice atmosphere and the food was real good also and very reasonably priced. When we were looking for a place to eat, I asked a chap on the street if he knew of a good restaurant to eat at and I thought he said “Crappy Joes” and the first thought was ‘that doesn’t sound like a very good place to eat’. I had not heard him correctly. We did a short tour of the Knox Presbyterian Church. They were remodeling the pulpit area but the rest was magnificent. Beautiful balcony that wrapped 2/3 around the main sitting area. Turned out Bob had been christened in this church in 1931. Tegan got in a little 
shopping while Willa was working on her family tree. We have walkie talkies that we are able to keep in touch with each other. All and all it was another great day in our holiday. One more day down and another 45 to go. Every day is a surprise, I wonder what surprises await us tomorrow.
.
Our day started about 7:00 am this morning. Had to be up and ready because Willa’s 1st cousin once removed is coming to pick us up and we are heading into Woodstock today to do family tree business. Bob Cormack arrived about 9:30 and we were off. Our first stop was in Tavistock, Ontario, at Tim Horton’s coffee for Willa. The second stop was Woodstock to start the family tree research. Willa
had very little information on Barbara Rutherford which would be Willa’s greatgrandmother. For some reason the information about this lady is very sketchy and found nothing in the Embro area; lots of Rutherfords but no relatives. The people in the Genealogy department were so helpful especially Cathy Bechard who bent over backward to help Willa. (They were able to tell Willa that greatgrandmother Barbara Rutherford was born in Brantford, ON and married just outside in Mount Pleasant, ON.) This department is in the old Land Titles building, an old building in it’s own right, the information stored there was utterly amazing. Willa is going to send her familytree info to these people when she gets back. Willa found out where this lady, Barbara Rutherford, was born, where she was married, her parents and where they are buried. Now it is off to the Woodstock Presbyterian Cemetery to find her and her husband’s graves. It took a little bit of looking but we found it, more correctly I found it. Turned out Bob’s father is also buried beside his parents. While Willa was researching in the Genealogy Society, in Woodstock,
I took some time to go through some of the old buildings. The Court House was right next door and so Bob and I did a personal tour. The door to one of the court rooms was open and so I peeked in and the court was not in session so I stepped in. A voice booms at me “take your hat off”, which I complied with immediately. I asked permission to look around and she had no problems with that and pictures were ok also. Very pleasant lady and gave us some information on the Court House and the room we were in. This was the Supreme Court room. It seated about 100-150 people plus a jury setting on one side of 12 chairs and the other of 13 which was for the Appellant Court. Very heavy wood finishing all old oak, made me feel guilty and I hadn’t even done anything wrong. From there Tegan and I went to the Library to look around and to use the internet, Tegan to touch
bases with her friends and me to answer some emails. We had lunch in a bar and grill called Crabby Joes, very nice atmosphere and the food was real good also and very reasonably priced. When we were looking for a place to eat, I asked a chap on the street if he knew of a good restaurant to eat at and I thought he said “Crappy Joes” and the first thought was ‘that doesn’t sound like a very good place to eat’. I had not heard him correctly. We did a short tour of the Knox Presbyterian Church. They were remodeling the pulpit area but the rest was magnificent. Beautiful balcony that wrapped 2/3 around the main sitting area. Turned out Bob had been christened in this church in 1931. Tegan got in a little 
shopping while Willa was working on her family tree. We have walkie talkies that we are able to keep in touch with each other. All and all it was another great day in our holiday. One more day down and another 45 to go. Every day is a surprise, I wonder what surprises await us tomorrow..
Day 14, July 10, 2007
Day 14, Tuesday, July 10, 2007.
Today we arrived in Embro, Ontario and this is Family Tree Country. Well at least for us. This is the area Willa’s family on the Cormack side of the family came from. This would also include the Innes and Rutherfords. We spent the day talking to different people in Embro. One of the people Willa spoke to was the Mayor of Embro, Margaret Lupton, and in the discussions it turns out that Willa and her are related through her husband’s side of the Innes family. Small world. Willa happened to stop at the Historical Book Society office. They are working on a book for the area and the history of the area. They have most of the history on the different pieces of property and who owned them and a story about as many as they could gather. This is now being put into book form which will be held in 2 books of about 5-800 pages each. They will sell them for about $100.00 for the set which is about 1/2 the cost of production with the balance coming from grants, fund raising, and donations. Willa had been in touch with a lady from this area about 20 years ago with regards to family tre
e information. Willa found out where she lived and we made a call on her. Jean Coulthard is 93 years old this year and lives on a farm with her 3 sons just south of Stratford, Ontario which is about 20 miles from Embro. While Willa and Jean visited, one of Jean’s sons took Tegan and I for a tour of their farm or more correctly farms. They own 3 farms totaling about 320 acres of land. They mix farm with the emphasis on dairy and raising registered Holstein cows. Interesting enough the market right now is in Russia and they are shipping the younger stock that is ready. Very long pedigrees on these animals. They have them very tame and of course like cats are very curious. Tegan is petting them and they all want some attention, They have the longest tongues and just like sandpaper. A couple of the young calves are suckling on her fingers and this is quite an experience for her. They milk about 50 head of cattle which are all machine milked but the feeding is done by hand. It’s an older operation but very well organized and managed as far as I could see. The one farm has been in the family for 67 years and over time they bought the other two. Each farm has a house and two have good barns. Now the houses! They are 100 years or over. Two are made of brick and the third is cement block. They are absolutely gorgeous. Two story homes and the original wood work in the one we were inside. I would like to have had a tour of the other two homes but didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask. Doesn’t sound like a Realtor does it. At the second farm we met the other two brothers Alex and Gordon Coulthard and a grandson Murray Coulthard. One of the highlights of the trip is driving through some of the towns and often you will hear a name like Stratford, London, Woodstock and towns you don’t hear about like Arthur, Embro, Oxford, St Mary's, Elora and many others but it is the old buildings in these towns. The history is unreal, most are 100 to 200 years old maybe older and most are in such good condition. I am saying houses but it’s also the old stores, churches, and other buildings and these are not the commercial Historical sights that you pay to go into. Just driving through the town and a few times we got turned around in the town and toured some residential areas as well so had an opportunity to see lots of these buildings. After we left Willa’s relative’s farms we found a campsite and settled in for the night. We stopped at the Wildwood Campground near Stratford, Ontario. Willa wanted to catch up on laundry and so we hauled the laundry over and she started while Tegan and I went back and finished setting up, then I took Tegan to the beach. Turns out 14 days of laundry is a lot of laundry and I think it took Willa close to 3 hours to finish. I think we will be doing laundry a little more often. Met an interesting lady at the beach, Stephanie Du Laux. Her and her daughter have opened up a shop I think in Lambeth, near London, Ontario and it is a home décor and gift shop based on Fung Shway. They have a web site that I will check when we get Internet access. www.fungshwayway.com, if you are interested leave a note for Stephanie and tell her you heard about her website from the guy and his granddaughter she met on the beach, nice lady and seemed very knowledgeable in Fung Shway. We unloaded the bikes and Tegan and I did a little riding around. Later in the evening Tegan had taken a little ride down a very dark trail right behind the motorhome and came rushing back all excited and we had to go with her to see what she had found. It was like magic, maybe like Christmas in July - - - - - - - fire flies - - - - - all these little lights flashing off and on through the trees and for as far as you could see in the bush. It seemed that they only flashed just at dusk, as it got darker they weren’t around any longer. I had heard my mother tell stories of finding fire flies and putting them into jars but this is the first time that I saw them for myself. Another first. We seem to be hitting these firsts quite often on this trip. Willa’s mother’s cousin, Bob Cormack (Bob and his father were both Jockeys) will meet us tomorrow and try and locate the old homestead and old house around Woodstock. Bob took the pictures at our wedding and one of his daughters Cathy was our flower girl at our wedding. We hope to meet up with Cathy later in the week at Niagara Falls, where she lives. Always fun getting together with Bob. Well I know what tomorrow is going to bring, dead relatives, searching graveyards. By the way this is not boring stuff, I find it so interesting and met some great people who I feel as akin to as if they were blood relatives, which they are even if it’s only by marriage.
Today we arrived in Embro, Ontario and this is Family Tree Country. Well at least for us. This is the area Willa’s family on the Cormack side of the family came from. This would also include the Innes and Rutherfords. We spent the day talking to different people in Embro. One of the people Willa spoke to was the Mayor of Embro, Margaret Lupton, and in the discussions it turns out that Willa and her are related through her husband’s side of the Innes family. Small world. Willa happened to stop at the Historical Book Society office. They are working on a book for the area and the history of the area. They have most of the history on the different pieces of property and who owned them and a story about as many as they could gather. This is now being put into book form which will be held in 2 books of about 5-800 pages each. They will sell them for about $100.00 for the set which is about 1/2 the cost of production with the balance coming from grants, fund raising, and donations. Willa had been in touch with a lady from this area about 20 years ago with regards to family tre
e information. Willa found out where she lived and we made a call on her. Jean Coulthard is 93 years old this year and lives on a farm with her 3 sons just south of Stratford, Ontario which is about 20 miles from Embro. While Willa and Jean visited, one of Jean’s sons took Tegan and I for a tour of their farm or more correctly farms. They own 3 farms totaling about 320 acres of land. They mix farm with the emphasis on dairy and raising registered Holstein cows. Interesting enough the market right now is in Russia and they are shipping the younger stock that is ready. Very long pedigrees on these animals. They have them very tame and of course like cats are very curious. Tegan is petting them and they all want some attention, They have the longest tongues and just like sandpaper. A couple of the young calves are suckling on her fingers and this is quite an experience for her. They milk about 50 head of cattle which are all machine milked but the feeding is done by hand. It’s an older operation but very well organized and managed as far as I could see. The one farm has been in the family for 67 years and over time they bought the other two. Each farm has a house and two have good barns. Now the houses! They are 100 years or over. Two are made of brick and the third is cement block. They are absolutely gorgeous. Two story homes and the original wood work in the one we were inside. I would like to have had a tour of the other two homes but didn’t feel it was appropriate to ask. Doesn’t sound like a Realtor does it. At the second farm we met the other two brothers Alex and Gordon Coulthard and a grandson Murray Coulthard. One of the highlights of the trip is driving through some of the towns and often you will hear a name like Stratford, London, Woodstock and towns you don’t hear about like Arthur, Embro, Oxford, St Mary's, Elora and many others but it is the old buildings in these towns. The history is unreal, most are 100 to 200 years old maybe older and most are in such good condition. I am saying houses but it’s also the old stores, churches, and other buildings and these are not the commercial Historical sights that you pay to go into. Just driving through the town and a few times we got turned around in the town and toured some residential areas as well so had an opportunity to see lots of these buildings. After we left Willa’s relative’s farms we found a campsite and settled in for the night. We stopped at the Wildwood Campground near Stratford, Ontario. Willa wanted to catch up on laundry and so we hauled the laundry over and she started while Tegan and I went back and finished setting up, then I took Tegan to the beach. Turns out 14 days of laundry is a lot of laundry and I think it took Willa close to 3 hours to finish. I think we will be doing laundry a little more often. Met an interesting lady at the beach, Stephanie Du Laux. Her and her daughter have opened up a shop I think in Lambeth, near London, Ontario and it is a home décor and gift shop based on Fung Shway. They have a web site that I will check when we get Internet access. www.fungshwayway.com, if you are interested leave a note for Stephanie and tell her you heard about her website from the guy and his granddaughter she met on the beach, nice lady and seemed very knowledgeable in Fung Shway. We unloaded the bikes and Tegan and I did a little riding around. Later in the evening Tegan had taken a little ride down a very dark trail right behind the motorhome and came rushing back all excited and we had to go with her to see what she had found. It was like magic, maybe like Christmas in July - - - - - - - fire flies - - - - - all these little lights flashing off and on through the trees and for as far as you could see in the bush. It seemed that they only flashed just at dusk, as it got darker they weren’t around any longer. I had heard my mother tell stories of finding fire flies and putting them into jars but this is the first time that I saw them for myself. Another first. We seem to be hitting these firsts quite often on this trip. Willa’s mother’s cousin, Bob Cormack (Bob and his father were both Jockeys) will meet us tomorrow and try and locate the old homestead and old house around Woodstock. Bob took the pictures at our wedding and one of his daughters Cathy was our flower girl at our wedding. We hope to meet up with Cathy later in the week at Niagara Falls, where she lives. Always fun getting together with Bob. Well I know what tomorrow is going to bring, dead relatives, searching graveyards. By the way this is not boring stuff, I find it so interesting and met some great people who I feel as akin to as if they were blood relatives, which they are even if it’s only by marriage.Day 13, July 9, 2007
Day 13, Monday, July 9, 2007.
We started off about 9:00 am and we are off to see part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park, specifically the Grottos. It is about a 12 mile drive but in the direction we want to travel anyway. I had seen some writeups on the internet about this area so it was on our list of places to visit. A bit of a narrow
windy road but all paved. We arrived shortly after 10:00 am and packed a backpack with coats etc and off we went. The hike in is about a kilometer maybe a little more. We hit the first grotto and it was quite exciting. Tegan climbed down in through an opening and got down that way, I climbed down the sheer face of the cliff. Actually it was not all that steep nor that f
ar down but the first story sounds better. We explored this grotto for awhile then climbed back out using that same sheer cliff in the first story. As you were standing on the floor of the grotto you could hear the waves coming in and hitting the underground caves. It was a gurgling sound. Also, there was a very small pool and I mean small like 6 by 8 inches and it was moving up and down with the wave action. I assume the waves were hitting an underground cave and pushing the water up to this little pool. As I said earlier, amazing, just amazing. We walked over to the second Grotto. The ground we are walking on, other than the trail we walked in on which was fine bark mulch, is layers of rock which is the makeup of the cliffs we are
walking on. On the cliffs there are lots of handholds to walk down. You still have to be careful because a lot of the rocks are wet and slippery. To get to the second Grotto we climbed through a cave entrance which took us down to the water level. This was easier than the cliffside, although we did climb back up that way. Now this second grotto is way larger than the first and as you got down to it you could see there was a pool inside. Once you got inside of the grotto, there was a tunnel coming in from under the water and letting in a very blue light, it was almost magical. These grottos are made from the water action on the rock and probably using tools of nature, rocks to help carve out these amazing places. The water in this area is a very pretty green, other th
an the temperature you would think you were somewhere tropical. It was the highlight of the parks although we really enjoyed the boat ride yesterday. By the way Willa was the hoity toity one, she stayed on the top of the cliffs and looked down on Tegan and me. We got back to the motorhome and I decided to see if I could find the leak in the exhaust system. At first it looked like a loose spark plug which it wasn’t, but I broke the plug wire trying to pull the plug out. I was able to put it back together but a few miles down the road the motorhome started to miss and I had to stop, buy a new wire and put it back together again. This done we continued down the road. This would be around 1-2:00 pm. We decided to drive and try to find a free place to stay. We drove through a couple of towns to no avail. Now it is was getting late and we were in Arthur, Ontario. We stopped to ask a few people if there was a place to spend the night and a couple of girls on the corner couldn’t think of a place to stay overnight but made a suggestion where I could spend a few hours, but we were really looking for a place for overnight. Another person suggested the Community Center so we asked there and the chap on duty said it would be ok as far as he was concerned. “Besides” says he, “the boss won’t be in before 8:00 am and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him”. I thought this was sound advice and the recommendation of us being gone by 7:45 in the morning also had a very true ring to it. He came and checked on us later and made sure we were settled in, which I thought was nice. So here we are in a huge lawn area and all to ourselves. It is just starting to sprinkle a little and earlier there was some rumbling of thunder in the distance. It has cooled off now which will make it a nicer evening and easier to sleep. Other than a few minor problems, all has gone well. I’ve always said when an incident arises it’s not the incident that is the problem—it’s how you react to it. Another sleep and another day coming to surprise us.
We started off about 9:00 am and we are off to see part of the Bruce Peninsula National Park, specifically the Grottos. It is about a 12 mile drive but in the direction we want to travel anyway. I had seen some writeups on the internet about this area so it was on our list of places to visit. A bit of a narrow
windy road but all paved. We arrived shortly after 10:00 am and packed a backpack with coats etc and off we went. The hike in is about a kilometer maybe a little more. We hit the first grotto and it was quite exciting. Tegan climbed down in through an opening and got down that way, I climbed down the sheer face of the cliff. Actually it was not all that steep nor that f
ar down but the first story sounds better. We explored this grotto for awhile then climbed back out using that same sheer cliff in the first story. As you were standing on the floor of the grotto you could hear the waves coming in and hitting the underground caves. It was a gurgling sound. Also, there was a very small pool and I mean small like 6 by 8 inches and it was moving up and down with the wave action. I assume the waves were hitting an underground cave and pushing the water up to this little pool. As I said earlier, amazing, just amazing. We walked over to the second Grotto. The ground we are walking on, other than the trail we walked in on which was fine bark mulch, is layers of rock which is the makeup of the cliffs we are
walking on. On the cliffs there are lots of handholds to walk down. You still have to be careful because a lot of the rocks are wet and slippery. To get to the second Grotto we climbed through a cave entrance which took us down to the water level. This was easier than the cliffside, although we did climb back up that way. Now this second grotto is way larger than the first and as you got down to it you could see there was a pool inside. Once you got inside of the grotto, there was a tunnel coming in from under the water and letting in a very blue light, it was almost magical. These grottos are made from the water action on the rock and probably using tools of nature, rocks to help carve out these amazing places. The water in this area is a very pretty green, other th
an the temperature you would think you were somewhere tropical. It was the highlight of the parks although we really enjoyed the boat ride yesterday. By the way Willa was the hoity toity one, she stayed on the top of the cliffs and looked down on Tegan and me. We got back to the motorhome and I decided to see if I could find the leak in the exhaust system. At first it looked like a loose spark plug which it wasn’t, but I broke the plug wire trying to pull the plug out. I was able to put it back together but a few miles down the road the motorhome started to miss and I had to stop, buy a new wire and put it back together again. This done we continued down the road. This would be around 1-2:00 pm. We decided to drive and try to find a free place to stay. We drove through a couple of towns to no avail. Now it is was getting late and we were in Arthur, Ontario. We stopped to ask a few people if there was a place to spend the night and a couple of girls on the corner couldn’t think of a place to stay overnight but made a suggestion where I could spend a few hours, but we were really looking for a place for overnight. Another person suggested the Community Center so we asked there and the chap on duty said it would be ok as far as he was concerned. “Besides” says he, “the boss won’t be in before 8:00 am and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him”. I thought this was sound advice and the recommendation of us being gone by 7:45 in the morning also had a very true ring to it. He came and checked on us later and made sure we were settled in, which I thought was nice. So here we are in a huge lawn area and all to ourselves. It is just starting to sprinkle a little and earlier there was some rumbling of thunder in the distance. It has cooled off now which will make it a nicer evening and easier to sleep. Other than a few minor problems, all has gone well. I’ve always said when an incident arises it’s not the incident that is the problem—it’s how you react to it. Another sleep and another day coming to surprise us.Day 12, July 8, 2007
Day 12, Sunday, July 8, 2007
We set the alarm for the first time on this holiday. We had booked a spot on the Manitoulin to Tobermory Ferry and had to be there an hour ahead of time, so the alarm was set for 6:00 am. We still had a number of miles to cover, about 63 to be exact and I didn’t want to be late for the ferry, so we were on the road by about 7:15 am. We arrived at about 8:50 and so had a few minutes to spare. Willa picked up
a coffee and Tegan found an internet café and was able to touch bases with her friends and get any messages she had received. The ferry ride is about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We had breakfast on board and for $5.88 it wasn’t too bad, in fact good. Not a bad size ferry holds about 143 vehicles, not too much different from the BC Ferries. The end of the ride is at Tobermory, a very quaint little town, with lots of little shops and boat rides, and diving. There are two national parks here, one in Five Fathoms National Park and the other is Bruce Peninsula National Park. When we got off the ferry we found a Visitors Information Centre to get an idea what there was in the town to see. They are always so friendly and helpful. The young chap there suggested we go to the Five Fathoms National Park Visitors Centre which we d
id. Well worth the walk through and later we went up the look out tower which was about 4-5 stories and walked up, didn’t like it too much, once you were up there you’d think you would sway a little with people walking around on it. Must tell you, when we were in the visitor centre I did a walk through the displays they had about the park. Well I guess Willa and Tegan couldn’t find me and decided I had gone through the display area, so they paid to go through and of course found me, I hadn’t paid. How I got in without paying is beyond me but I did. (I did go back and pay, just to show you what an honest guy I am). Then we took a boat ride which toured you around the Five Fathoms NP. Very nice ride in a twin jet glass bottom boat. Very lar
ge boat with lots of room inside and must hold 100 or so people. Very shallow draft on the boat, about 6 feet, and it could go right over some of the shipwrecks that are in the bays around Tobermory. This is part of the reason for the National Park, it is a diver’s paradise with lots of shipwrecks to dive to. Some of the wrecks date back to the 1700s and maybe a little earlier. The shipwreck we went over is right in town, in fact there were two wrecks and one dated way back into the 1800s. The water is so cold that the wood is preserved, somewhat. All three of us enjoyed the tour. From there we just tootled around town looking in the shops and I went and drooled along the boardwalks looking at all the boats moored in for the night. Some pretty
nice boats. I can see if you lived anywhere around the great lakes you would want to have a boat. The scenery, and hundreds of small islands to visit and small protected coves to moor in. The water is so clear and blue. We found a private campsite for the night in Tobermory, and decided to stay there for the night, a little expensive at $40.00 per night. To average out we are going to need some Walmart parking lots for awhile. Tomorrow we hope to visit Bruce Peninsula National Park. Tomorrow, tomorrow what doest thou bringest.
We set the alarm for the first time on this holiday. We had booked a spot on the Manitoulin to Tobermory Ferry and had to be there an hour ahead of time, so the alarm was set for 6:00 am. We still had a number of miles to cover, about 63 to be exact and I didn’t want to be late for the ferry, so we were on the road by about 7:15 am. We arrived at about 8:50 and so had a few minutes to spare. Willa picked up
a coffee and Tegan found an internet café and was able to touch bases with her friends and get any messages she had received. The ferry ride is about 1 hour and 45 minutes. We had breakfast on board and for $5.88 it wasn’t too bad, in fact good. Not a bad size ferry holds about 143 vehicles, not too much different from the BC Ferries. The end of the ride is at Tobermory, a very quaint little town, with lots of little shops and boat rides, and diving. There are two national parks here, one in Five Fathoms National Park and the other is Bruce Peninsula National Park. When we got off the ferry we found a Visitors Information Centre to get an idea what there was in the town to see. They are always so friendly and helpful. The young chap there suggested we go to the Five Fathoms National Park Visitors Centre which we d
id. Well worth the walk through and later we went up the look out tower which was about 4-5 stories and walked up, didn’t like it too much, once you were up there you’d think you would sway a little with people walking around on it. Must tell you, when we were in the visitor centre I did a walk through the displays they had about the park. Well I guess Willa and Tegan couldn’t find me and decided I had gone through the display area, so they paid to go through and of course found me, I hadn’t paid. How I got in without paying is beyond me but I did. (I did go back and pay, just to show you what an honest guy I am). Then we took a boat ride which toured you around the Five Fathoms NP. Very nice ride in a twin jet glass bottom boat. Very lar
ge boat with lots of room inside and must hold 100 or so people. Very shallow draft on the boat, about 6 feet, and it could go right over some of the shipwrecks that are in the bays around Tobermory. This is part of the reason for the National Park, it is a diver’s paradise with lots of shipwrecks to dive to. Some of the wrecks date back to the 1700s and maybe a little earlier. The shipwreck we went over is right in town, in fact there were two wrecks and one dated way back into the 1800s. The water is so cold that the wood is preserved, somewhat. All three of us enjoyed the tour. From there we just tootled around town looking in the shops and I went and drooled along the boardwalks looking at all the boats moored in for the night. Some pretty
nice boats. I can see if you lived anywhere around the great lakes you would want to have a boat. The scenery, and hundreds of small islands to visit and small protected coves to moor in. The water is so clear and blue. We found a private campsite for the night in Tobermory, and decided to stay there for the night, a little expensive at $40.00 per night. To average out we are going to need some Walmart parking lots for awhile. Tomorrow we hope to visit Bruce Peninsula National Park. Tomorrow, tomorrow what doest thou bringest.
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