Sunday, Aug.23, 2009 - Nobleboro to Watkins Glen, NY

Sun., Aug.23, 2009 - Nobleboro, NY to Watkins Glen, NY
This day would take us to the Finger Lakes area of New York.
In the early morning I shot some pictures of our creek side camping area, with the fog lifting off the water.
We rolled Southwest leaving the Adirondack Park. Stopped at Camping World for some supplies. We had made some good time on the New York Thruway, but moved to a smaller road at Syracuse. We trundled through the small towns of Auburn, Seneca Falls, Waterloo, and Geneva before turning South. Cayuga Lake was first. It started raining but it was still enjoyable to visit. The next, and bigger, lake was Seneca. It starts at Geneva, a small college town. It was difficult to access the shore of Seneca Lake. It looked like everyone in New York had a small home on this lake. On the banks of the lower part of the lake was a series of wineries with their vineyards. It had the look of the Rhine area of Germany.
We stopped for the night in Watkins Glen, at the bottom end of the lake. The state park office had closed 5 minutes before we got there, so I guess we’ll find a space & settle up in the A.M.

ATTACHMENTS:
TOP - New York Finger Lakes Wine Country
Middle - Seneca Lake, NY
BOTTOM - Cayuga Lake, NY

Aug. 21 & 22, 2009 - Brunswick, ME to Nobleboro, NY

Fri., Aug. 21, 2009 - Brunswick, ME to Lake Bomoseen at Castleton, VT
A good day for traveling far on mostly interstates. We continued South on I-295 almost to Portsmouth, NH then connected with I-95. Turned NW onto I-89, traveling in the rain almost all the way through New Hampshire. Things noticed in New Hampshire: Seat belts are only required for those under 18 years of age. Rest areas contain state liquor stores. Some of their state signs promote using common sense. I didn’t see any references to “Live Free or Die”.
In Vermont, we left the Interstate and got on Hwy 4. We started climbing almost immediately. The rain had stopped and we saw some fantastic foggy mountain scenes.
The town of Woodstock was maybe the prettiest small town we’ve ever seen. Will Google this place when time permits. The high elevation town of Killington was definitely ski country. Lots of ski lifts, ski shops (Aspen East, etal.), etc.
Rolled down the mountain into Rutland. Stopped long enough for pizza to go.
Continued West to Castleton, then North to Lake Bomoseen. Guess what? The office was about to close (they turned out the lights after us) … I think that again, we got their last site. Our luck continues to hold.
Before turning in for the day we heard singing coming from the site next to ours. It was very good. I thought it was a radio tuned to country music. There were two guys singing and one guitar. I think they sang every song that Hank Williams ever wrote. Rita and I walked over and joined them. It was a combination of three families; one from St. Johnsville, NY, located just below the Adirondack Mountains Park. The other two families were from New Hampshire.
Our campground was just about 8 miles from the eastern edge of New York state.

Sat., Aug. 22, 2009 - Castleton, VT to Nobleboro, NY
After swapping names and addresses with our new friends we headed west into Whitehall, NY. Another small town with a canal and a set of locks…nice.
Traveled NW to Lake George, NY. I heard about Lake George Resort area for years because of the Americade Motorcycle rally every summer. It was another huge tourist mecca. Think Gatlinburg with a 6 Flags placed in the center of it. We went to the beach part of the lake, had a picnic lunch, and some strawberry ice cream from their snack bar. Sat and watched water skiers, parasailors over the water, kids playing on the beach, and the paddlewheel tour boat taking folks around the lake.
We wanted to see more of the Adirondack Mtns before leaving the area, so we drove North on Hwy 9 to Indian Lake. Indian Lake is supposed to be the moose capitol of North America…could be…but today they hid well.
It was a great area with lots of mountain lakes.
As we traveled SW on Hwy 8, I was tiring so we pulled off into a scenic view area near Nobleboro, NY. The spot was along the confluence of two rivers, the West Canada and the Jessup rivers. Another awesome spot for the night.
Fired up the generator to heat up some pizza.

ATTACHMENTS:
TOP - West Canada Creek campsite at lower end of Adirondack Park in NY
MIDDLE - Rita in Lake George
BOTTOM - Village of Whitehall, NY

Aug. 19 & 20, 2009 - Calais, ME to Acadia National Park, ME

Wed., Aug. 19, 2009 - Calais, Maine to Acadia National Park, Maine
We followed Hwy 1 south along the coastal shores of Maine, with one deviation to scenic Hwy 182, which bypassed the town of Harrington. As we got to Trenton we turned off Hwy 1 to take us into Acadia National Park. We made a stop at the visitor center, where a call was made to check on camping availability. One campground was full, but the Seawall Campground had a space for us, yea!
We were able to use our National Park Pass to get into the park free, then pay only $10.00 to camp. Our best deal yet.
Since it was only 4:00 P.M. we still had plenty of time for seeing more of the park before dark. We hiked about a mile or so out to the beach to an area called ‘Wonderland’.
I took pictures of some sailboats, a schooner, and some rocky shorelines.
We continued to drive around the south end of the island to the lighthouse (yes, another one). Surprise, this lighthouse was inhabited by a U.S. Coast Guard family. I was glad to see one that was not completely automated.
Upon returning to camp, we only had 20 minutes time before generator running was not allowed (not after 7 p.m.). Rita did it! The generator allowed the use of the electric skillet and the microwave oven. We had a great meal of salmon croquettes, corn, and broccoli.
At 8:00 we attended the ranger talk at the amphitheater.
The program was called Nature’s Gifts, the story of the National Park Service. It was excellent. It was fun for us to reminisce about all of the National Parks that we have visited in the past.

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 - Acadia National Park, Maine to Brunswick, Maine
We spent most of the day driving through Acadia Natnl. Park. Took a lot of pictures from the top of Cadillac Mountain. Should a person get up early enough, he or she would be the first in the U.S, to see the sunrise if they were on top of Cadillac Mountain. We were camped about and hour from the top of that mountain, meaning we would have to arise at 4:30 A.M. to get there at 5:30...so we’ll take the ranger’s word for it.
Had lunch at Jordan Pond House ‘cause Rita wanted to try their quiche. Enjoyed the meal and had a great view of the pond. We were warned earlier of the crowds in the Park. They were right. This is their high/peak season. Lots of people enjoying the views. On our way out, we drove through the town of Bar Harbor.
We left the Mount Desert Island (Acadia) around 4:00 make some time.
We made it to Brunswick for the night. Since it was late, we chose another free night at a Walmart parking lot.

ATTACHMENTS:
All of these pictures were taken in Acadia National Park

Aug. 17 & 18 - Grand Manan Island, NB to Calais, ME, USA!

Mon., Aug. 17, 2009 All Day on Grand Manan Island
The whale watch tours were all booked for Monday so we booked a midday tour for Tuesday. Today we spend time exploring the island. We drove to the South end lighthouse. Lots of fog. Took some pictures of the foggy conditions, eerie. The lighthouse fog horn blasted every 15 seconds…pretty loud when you’re right beside it.
Trundling back up the coast, we stopped for a picnic lunch on a cliff overlooking a wide expanse of beach. Lots of folks enjoying the beach, though the water here is very cold (says Rita).
We drove to the North end of island and to the Hole In The Wall Park. This is the camping area that we’d been told about earlier on our trip. There’s lots of hiking trails along the cliffs offering great views. We checked in and met the owner, Basil, who escorted us to our site. He was quite a character. He rode up on a 4 wheeler. He had oxygen tubing attached to his nose, the tubing was attached to a tank. Later he told us he uses 10 tanks of oxygen per week…it’s delivered each Monday by ferry.
He asked if we’d recognized the woman who’d just left his office, we told him, no. He said she’s famous. She’s the widow of Dr. Benjamin Spock, the noted author of the “Baby and Child Care” book. He said that she still handles all of Dr. Spock’s business interests. While on our hike later, we saw her again. I started talking to her, mainly about the beauty of the area. She liked our accents. We talked awhile about Dr. Spock’s book and other things. She told us she was camping on a bench (a cliff ledge) nearby in a tent. She appeared to be an amazing woman and we were honored to be able to meet and chat with her. Basil had told us earlier that she wants to go to India and write an Indian culture version of Baby and Child Care.

We’re thinking this was our best camping site, ever. We were about ten feet from the cliff edge. What a view!
Down below us, at water’s edge was a sardine weir, a fenced enclosure for trapping sardines. These enclosures served as a buffet for harbor seals. From our campsite we saw three seals around the weir.
We hiked around the north end of the island. Two viewing platforms were located along the trail. Along with more harbor seals we spotted a finback whale!
The trail continued along the cliff in a fairly difficult area for walking. The sun was beginning to set, and we did not know exactly how far we were from the hole in the wall rock formation. There was a fork in the trail and a sign posted that read ‘Park Entrance’ with an arrow. We took that trail. It was the first exit from the trail that we’d seen. This new, exit trail was almost straight up but I was happy to see it. We later found out that if we’d continued about another two minutes we would have seen the unique rock formation that extends into the water.

Tues. Aug. 18, 2009 - Grand Manan Island to Calais, Maine
We left our most excellent campsite, rolled down the hill, and turned onto Lighthouse Road for another closeup look at one of these beacons on a hill. This particular light, named the Swallowtail Light, had kept us awake a lot the night before with it’s fog horn blasting every 15 seconds (I counted). Apparently the fog had rolled in about the time we were ready for bed. Most all of the area lighthouses have been on automatic for several years, making it no longer necessary to have manned lighthouses.
After our hike to the lighthouse we continued on down hill to the marina, where our sailing boat was ready for a day of whale watching. It was excellent! We went southerly for about 20 miles before we started to see whales. Onboard was a marine biologist who identified the whale types. We saw that the whales like to travel and play in groups, or pods. Many times we saw four and five running together.
The camera was busy. At the end of the day, when Rita asked Laurie, the biologist lady, if she had a number that were spotted, she said we’d seen about 30 finback whales, around 10 right whales, and about 7 humpback whales, for nearly 50 in all. It was a good day.
We docked, and had almost an hour until time for our return ferry to the mainland. Again, we ate while on the ferry.
We departed Blacks Harbor with the goal of spending the night in Maine, USA.
We crossed the border at Calais, Maine. This crossing took a little longer than when we entered Canada. The customs officer was nice and polite while asking his questions, but he also searched inside our camper.
As we drove south on Hwy 1, I turned in at the very first campground I spotted.
We stayed the night at Keene’s Lake campground.

ATTACHMENTS: Whale Watching in Bay of Fundy (1&2)
Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick (3&4)

Aug. 15 to 16 - Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia to Grand Manan Island, NB

Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009 - Spencer’s Island, NS to Penobsquis, NB
We learned from our next door campsite neighbors , who have a permanent set up for their campsite, that last night’s wind was an anomaly. She said they’ve been coming there for years, and she’d never seen the wind blow that hard before last night. She said they got very little sleep.
I apologized for bringing the wind with us. She said, “I accept your apology, but please do not ever do that again.”
The morning was very calm. Her husband, Gordon, was already out on the water fishing for flounder. Later, he told me he caught his limit, 10.
Their 2 dogs were Bernese Mountain dogs. The breed originated in Bern Switzerland. They were big and beautiful and very gentle, with a thick coat of black, brown, and white fur. The dogs had one trait that was funny. Upon approaching you for attention, they turn around and sit down on your foot, with their back to you. Maureen told us that was seen as a protective gesture.
As it was near dark when we arrived last night, we bought a takeout meal from a restaurant adjacent to the campground. The food was a little pricey, but excellent. We had buttered chicken with local vegetables of carrots, cucumbers, rutabagas wrapped in grape leaves, and some mixed vegetables with a light batter. The restaurant was not equipped for takeout but they let me take the plate and silverware with me to our camper. I returned it Sat. a.m.
We were reluctant to leave our beachfront spot but had to move on. We followed the winding road north along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. We were told that this road is known as Little Scotland. It’s curves are very popular with local motorcyclists, we met several of them along the way.
We went into the next costal town of Parrsboro. While there, we visited the Ottawa House, the bayside summer home of gentleman named Tupper. Tupper was one of the group of men who helped form the confederation later known as Canada. Before leaving Parrsboro, we stopped at Glooscap for a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie and coffee.
We headed north to the town of Springhill, the home of singer, Anne Murray. The Anne Murray Centre is located on Main Street. Closed, sorry. Took a few pictures. Lots of flowers in front.
Drove north to Amherst to complete our loop and our Nova Scotia experience.
As we reentered New Brunswick, we turned southwest toward Saint John.
We stopped alongside Hwy 114 in a picnic area for the night.

Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009 - Penobsquis, NB to Grand Manan Island, NB
Today we continued on into Saint John, NB, crossed a toll bridge and went on to the ferry crossing at Blacks Harbor. Our goal was to spend the night on Grand Manan Island. The ferry crossing takes 90 minutes so we had the time to eat while on board. Upon arrival on the island we set out to find Anchorage Provincial Park. We checked in and got lots of info regarding whale watching tours. The choices were to tour on a fishing boat or on a sailing yacht.

ATTACHMENTS:
1. Rita being 'guarded' by Bernese Mountain dogs
2. Lighthouse at Cape D'or, Nova Scotia

Aug. 12 thru 14 - Prince Edward Island thru Murray Beach Pr.Pk., NB

Wed., Aug. 12, 2009 Prince Edward Island
A.M. - Sunset CG at Cavendish, PEI
P.M. - Holiday Haven CG, near Charlottetown, PEI
Started the day with Rita’s blueberry muffins. By the time we checked out it was lunch time. Just outside the CG was a small shopping area. We chose this day to have some English fish and chips for lunch. Mistake. I think it was a combination of the grease and the malt vinegar but my stomach ached the remainder of the day.
One of our propane bottled was empty so we stopped at the first refill station that we spotted…$36.00. Propane needed for hot water heater, refrigerator, furnace, and generator.
We were getting low on U.S. dollars. We had $21.00 left. As we drove to see more of the island, I spotted a used book shop. A couple of used books took most of the cash. We’ll look for a bank Thursday in Charlottetown. We’re trying not to end up with carrying too much Canadian $$ back into the U.S.
Spent most of the day on the North side of the island checking out the beaches and lighthouses. Rita says there are about 50 lighthouses on Prince Edward Island. They’re smaller than the ones on the Outer Banks in N.C.
Ended the day near Charlottetown at Holiday Haven Campground (CG). It’s right beside the water.



Thurs., Aug. 13, 2009 Prince Edward Island 2
Left Holiday Haven CG and located the library in Cornwall. Used their Wi-Fi to check on some Internet things regarding utility payments, etc.
Also stopped by Post Office and mailed Sara a post card…$1.03 postage (yikes!).
We drove into Charlottetown and played tourist most of the afternoon. We’ve noticed that every time we stop and consult our map someone will always walk up to our truck window and offer assistance. That happened today in Charlottetown. A gentleman who used to live in Charleston, SC offered us tips on how to get to some places of interest.
Our biggest expense of the day was to toll fee of $42.50 to drive back across the Confederation Bridge.
We opted to stay at a different camping place near the New Brunswick side of the bridge. We are staying the night at Murray Beach Prov. Park.
We arrived in time for some sunset photos.

Friday, Aug. 14, 2009 - Murray Beach Prov. Pk., NB to Spencer’s Island, Nova Scotia (NS)
Another day another Province. The day started routinely with a trip to the laundry and getting ready to checkout of the campground. We were so close to Nova Scotia, and we’d always heard stories about it, that we had to venture there. The first thing noticeable about Nova Scotia (NS) was the wind. All the flags at the visitors center were standing straight out from very strong, gusting wind. As we gathered brochures to learn about the place, I asked if all of Nova Scotia was this windy. I was told, no, it’s because the visitor center area lies closely between two large bodies of water, the Bay of Fundy (I love that name) and the Northumberland Strait. Somehow that makes for lots of wind, most all of the time. We sought a loop route that would allow us to sample the island in a fairly brief time period.
We drove Southwest to the small village of Joggins, where there is a fossil museum. It turns out that the island has a pretty interesting geological history, check it out.
We continued to another small village (one store) called Advocate Harbor (yes, they spell it harbour). We saw two shrimp boats in the harbor. Until I know more, I assume that the locals subsist on fishing, farming, and perhaps mining. We saw signs for Cape d’Or and it’s lighthouse.
The sign read 6km to Cape d’Or lighthouse, restaurant, and accommodations. What the signs did NOT say was that the 6km distance was almost straight up another unpaved road. Again, 4 wheel drive was needed, and came through quite well. Our truck camper saw roads steeper than ever experienced by us. Imagine a motorcycle hill-climb type road. Rita and I both agree the effort was worth it. The view atop the cliffs, looking below at the lighthouse, the Bay of Fundy, and the swirling waters was fantastic. The result was a few nice pictures and more great memories.
We stopped the night at the beach at Spencer’s Island, a village with a history of ship building.
We found this to be another very windy area. The wind off the water was stronger than I ever remember coming off Lake Michigan in Chicago, and this wind was all night long. We had to lower all four jacks on the camper to keep it steady. The brace on one of our roof vents is broken and needs a part. The wind kept opening and closing the vent. I had to climb up on the roof and place a large rock on the vent to keep it closed…fun.
The campsite this time involves a shaggy dog story that I’ll save for another time.

ATTACHMENTS:
1. Murray Beach, NB Prov. Park
2. The 'Anne of Green Gables' house on Prince Edward Island

Aug. 7 thru Aug. 11 - Quebec City thru Cape Tormentine, NB

Friday, Aug. 7, 2009 - De La Joie CG in Quebec City to Le Bic Natn’l Pk near Rimouski, QC
Highlights
…older couple roller blading w/ski poles
…popsicles at rest area.
…the drive as close as possible to the St. Lawrence River

Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009 - Le Bic Natn’l Pk to Roadside park along Matapedia River
…driving day
…stopped at viewing area for the night, along with about 4 other campers.

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009 - From Roadside stop along Matapedia River To Kouchibouguac Natnl. Pk., New Brunswick (NB)

Monday, Aug. 10, - From Kouchibouguac Natnl. Pk. To Cape Tormentine, NB

Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009 - From Cape Tormentine, NB To Sunset CG at Cavendish, Prince Edward Island (PEI)
This day started quite special! When we turned out of the Tormentine RV park, I either misread the GPS unit or it was trying to ‘torment’ me and send me the wrong way. As we traveled down a road we saw a sign that read “bridge construction, local traffic only” . I thought we’d be turning before I got to the construction area, so proceeded onward.
Apparently the GPS provided a detour route for us. We turned onto a dirt, actually muddy, road. The unit told us this detour was only about 2 miles long. No big deal, I thought, since we’re in 4 wheel drive.
Well, we’re riding along at a pretty good clip…the bushes are brushing against both sides of the camper….we’re having to gun it through long mud holes…having a ball.
Then, up ahead the road disappears into a creek then it continues on the other side. The bank on each side is about six feet down to the water.
O.K., sometimes even Conrad and Rita know when to retreat.
We backed up about 100 yards to a clearing just wide enough for us to turn around. We retraced our route back to Cape Tormentine for a fresh start at looking for the Confederation Bridge over to Prince Edward Island (or PEI).
We’re pretty sure that we had the muddiest truck camper on the island that day.
Confederation Bridge connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island and it is 8 miles long. It is a toll bridge.
There’s no cost to travel over it to Prince Edward Island but for vehicles with 2 axles, the toll fee is $42.50 to leave the island and return to New Brunswick.
PEI is divided into 3 mail sections. Due to time constraints we followed the coastal roads around the center section of the island. The roads are a little rough in places but the scenery is fantastic.

Attachment:
Le Bic National Park, Quebec near Rimouski