Our evening at Camp Lac Frontiere was perfect, the insects not too bothersome, and the shower in the morning was hot. Even though it was "backward" compared to most so I waited for what seemed like forever and it just stayed cold. Cold showers are fine when it is hot but not when it is cool!! I tried shifting the knob a bit and alleluehua the warm, then too hot started! Campgrounds are such amazing places, especially those that offer seasonal accommodations. RVs and campers of all different sizes pull in and don't leave. Some look like maybe they never leave; I guess if they pay their fees, they are good to camp. The additions they add to make it more "homey" are quite logical and also the other extreme. One this morning had TONS of yard statues, and artifical flowers, and fairy lights. Some have just their wooden decks, maybe a few pieces of furniture. Some built roofs over theirs! It is a little deceiving when you pull into a campground and see so many RVs and campers but don't see too many people! Upon closer inspection, you notice they are in it for the long haul!!
We had a short drive to the most amazing place on the planet, at least to some of us. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House. Yes. Why is it so amazing? Well, it was deliberately built straddling both the United States and Canada! A young Canadian met and married a young American and thought building a library with an opera house upstairs would be a perfect addition to the area. The Haskells wanted Canadians and Americans to have equal access to the Library and Opera House and so they chose to build on the border. The library has two different addresses: 93 Caswell Avenue, Derby Line, Vermont, and 1 rue Church (Church Street), Stanstead, Quebec. Construction started in 1901 and the opera house opened in 1904 and the library in 1905. Almost all of the furniture in the library, including the checkout station is original. The tin ceiling tiles, the fireplaces, the wood floor! They were hoping that the opera house admissions would pay for the library but motions pictures were "invented" soon after so the library paid for the opera house! It is still a theater to this day even though the staff shared the building had to be shut down for a time to bring the theater up to code, add an elevator, etc. Entry to the library is on the USA side, and we had to stay on the sidewalk! Staff told us if we would have ventured out into the parking lot, the border agents would have been on us in a hurry!! Yikes, but wow. There is a black line down the middle of the building, not to be prejudice, but for responsiblity purposes. There was a small incident (fire, I think?) years back and each country balked at who hsould pay for the damages, so the line is there to ensure the right party pays if needed!
There are large boulders on the street marking USA 's and Canada's sides as well as rows of flower pots!! Lovely. Their main librarian just recently retired! Hmmmm. Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont, is pretty isolated and not everyone gets excited about libraries, but she said they are actually quite busy with tourists.
Another short drive took us to the Trapp Family lodge. If you've ever seen The Sound of Music, this place is where they landed up! The movie itself was a fictionalized version of a biography written by Maria. They did leave everything behind in Austria but didn't climb any mountains. They landed in Pennsylvania first and toured the world as the Trapp Family Singers and eventually retired from that in Stowe, Vermont. They liked that Vermont reminded them of Austria, and it sort of does! Once the family retired, they pretty well did their own things. One became a doctor, one moved back to Austria, etc. Maria and Geoff actually had 3 children and the youngest, Johannes, and his son, Sam, run the enterprise now. The lodge burned down in the 1980s but rebuilt to be bigger and better. The started in the brewing business not long ago. We had a beer or two at the brewery and a cheese and meat board. Andrew loved his "flat" of beer and Cheryl's ginger beer (local ginger ale) was really really good!
Due to our predisposition of finding the graves of famous singers, we headed back to the lodge and paid our respects to Geoff and Maria and a few of their children that are buried in their family plot next to the lodge.
We then drove a bit further down the road to check out Ben & Jerry. Ben & Jerry's ice cream was "invented" in nearby Burlington, Vermont. Ben and his friend Jerry (they met during 7th grade gym class and were the two slowest!!) spend $5 to learn how to make ice cream from a correspondence course offered from Penn State. They took a risk and renovated an old gas station, and had three flavors: strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate! On their one year anniversary, since they were still in business, they offered all customers a free cone! That tradition is continued even today.
Someone suggested they should add cookie dough. They thought that was a good idea! Ben has a "condition" where he can't smell or taste anything but he can feel. So he decided how chunky the ice cream ingredients have to be! The first flavors included Cherry Garcia, Chubby Hubby, and Chunky Monkey! They are also very community driven, making sure local cows are used, organic ingredients, etc. and give back to the communities they serve. We got a quick tour of how they make it and a free sample of Triple Caramel Chunk. It was GOOD! We then got a couple of scoops (Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and P.B. Doughable Chocolate). Sigh. Ice cream is bliss.
Interesting sign in the restroom: How blue is your loo? I wondered about that when I went in, how could a company that cares so much for the environment use chemicals to keep their toilets clean??!! But I read on:
It's ever-so-blue so the message is clear:
The water you're flushing with here
Is a wastewater reuse solution
That reduces pollution
& conserves a half-million gallons each year!
Gotta love that!
We went back into the main town of Stowe, and wandered around. We like to wander and wonder. :) It is a charming place, full of old homes, and businesses, new businesses designed to look old (also gotta love that!!), and lots of people. Stowe is renowned for skiing in the winter but it boasts some pretty good hiking this time of year.
Cheryl drove for the next part and turned her GPS to get us to Lake Placid. That puts us within a few hours of Montreal. The road wound this way and that, and then an Interstate. Then it turned us down "ferry road" and instructed us to get on the ferry! We had the timing perfect as the ferry just pulled in and we got in line and pulled on. The trip was short so no one got out of their cars. The GPS showed the little car icon in the water, then crossing Vermont into New York and then, as we touched the shore, instructed us to take a left and then a right, right on cue, she didn't miss a beat!
Driving through the Adirondacks was beautiful. It was rainy at this point, and the fog settled down and hid the tops of some of the mountains, "crawling" over some mountains, and we drove up and down and around.
Lake Placid is the "site" of a famous monster horror comedy movie released in 1999. However, its bigger claim to fame is that Lake Placid hosted TWO Winter Olympics, one in 1932 and the other in 1980. Quite often you hear what happens to cities that host Olympics, they have all these empty buildings, those eyesores forever. Lake Placid had a plan and made sure everything that was built would be utilized again. Some things were still in good condition from the Olympics 50 years prior!! One of the biggest controversies was the building of the athletes' housing. The Munich games some years before required that future games would require security for all the athletes, so the town thought, Hmmm, if they have to be secure anyway, why not build the accommodations to the right specifications and turn the buildings into a minimum security prison after the Olympics are over. And that is what they did! Brilliant!! Even though some athletes thought it was pretty weird and got their own rooms elsewhere.
It is still a functional prison to this day and employs 250+ people! The few escapees figure out escaping isn't' worth it as it is really located "out of town" a bit and trying to make it through the remote wilderness was very challenging! This area is quite busy with Olympic training facilities (the height of the ski jumps as we drove in, OMG!), horse shows, sports competitions, and tons of other things keeps this town pretty busy.
We couldn't decide to camp or get a cheap room. It was raining pretty hard and that makes camping cold and wet. :) We are heading home for a long weekend for a wedding and other things and didn't want to leave wet things in a truck at an airport. Imagine that smell? :O
We popped into a restaurant for an appetizer (German onion soup--using a pretzel bun and a little different spices--it was quite tasty--- and a small flatbread buffalo chicken pizza, which was also tasty), and waited forever!! We aren't sure what happened but it got later and later and people around us were getting their food. I personally think our waiter just forgot, but we finally did get it and it was on the house. Side note: When your food is delayed, you get lots of time to watch people. One table was full of young people and one was wearing a sweatshirt referencing horses so we assumed they were part of the big horse event. Another table had the most polite young person, "Do you have lemonade? Yes? Then, I would love some lemonade, thank you." AND watching your waiter "mess" with or "adjust" his nose ring. We don't have any issues with personal statements regarding tattoos, piercings, etc. but you wander if he even realized he was doing it.
While we were driving we saw a reference to John Brown. It turns out that THE John Brown, the abolitionist, bought acreage near Lake Placid and eventually it became known as the "Freed Slave Utopian Experiment." Shortly before he was executed, he asked to be buried on his farm here.
We opted to stay in a motel on the edge of town as the rain picked up and was really coming down. The hotel, since it isn't a chain, had a room and it was cheap. The parking lot was fuller when I last checked so that is good for them.
It was like stepping back in time. The pattern of the wallpaper in the room and the bathroom, the wood trim, the desk, the air conditioner in the wall, the mirrored medicine cabinet in the bathroom, the bulky TV, and telephone, feels like a 1970 time warp, or maybe a little earlier. It is interesting as everything is super clean and it doesn't stink! So, how has that wallpaper stayed so nice all these years? My guess is quality at that time kept it looking in good condition all these years later. Unless, someone recently decorated it this way on purpose? Could be!!
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
June 26, 2018
What a day!
We had a breakfast at Holiday Inn (free!!) and then drove to the outskirts of Quebec City to check out some waterfalls. Not just any waterfalls, but the Montmorency Falls! Sources on the Internet call them large waterfalls. That is so cute, as they are immense waterfalls! Located just a bit outside of Quebec City they are 292 feet tall, only about 99 feet TALLER than Niagara Falls. There are several ways for anyone to enjoy this magic of nature. We drove up a hill and walked a suspension bridge OVER the falls, and then walked about 487 steps down to the bottom. It was incredible. We could then walk along the river (the Montmorency) and catch the tram back to the top. There were several people fishing at the bottom and, for the truly brave or ? , there was a zip line. The force of the falls crashing into the rocks below, the mist that was then launched up created a double rainbow! Nature is wow. The river flowed just so calmly at the top, very misleading, almost daring you to enter, and then, woop, the edge and down you'd go if you didn't know. Imagine one of those first explorers, checking out the river and discovering those mammoth falls! The tops of the falls were actually a natural lookout for anyone attempting a sneak attack, coming down the St. Lawrence River. Most of everything is written in French, so we have to really look and think about what we are seeing!! Apparently the falls are something else to see in the winter!! The bottom as it crashes up, freezes and then keeps getting taller. The record is 126 feet high back in 1829! While we were walking down those 487 steps a group of school children were walking up. I was thinking of how brave those teachers were to take youngsters to such a place! One little guy was WAY ahead of his group, running up those stairs. There's always one, isn't there!! Teachers, as well as other students couldn't slow him down!
We decided to check out Quebec City for a few hours. When we had just crossed over int the Quebec Province, we stopped for gas and a quick check for a map at the visitor's center. Andrew came back to the truck laughing and smiling as the youngster working at the counter shared a ton of information with him. BUT those circled Ps for Parking came in real handy! Andrew is not only a pro at getting us back in town but at backing in and around to fit in parking spaces! We found a spot near ground zero and enjoyed the leisurely walk around. We found a grand monument commemorating Samuel de Champlain, streets of quaint shops, street musicians and other performers like acrobats and hula hoop dancers (!), lots of constructions projects, grand hotels and restaurants, and lots of people. The architecture is a mix of old, very old,and new.
We stopped for a restroom break and had a water and beer, and ordered Fondue. The menu in French said Fondue and we were like, "Yes, we know what Fondue is!!" We got what amounted to two giant cheese curds!! :) They were beyond delicious and the cheese on the inside was soft and gooey, so all was good.
The alley near this restaurant was featuring Artisans, so we took a walk through. My, how some people are so talented!! Paintings, and jewelry and knitted items, and more paintings, and just fun things. Some that the most unique way of presenting common things. Very lovely!
We wandered into the Basilica Notre Dame Quebec...the church is big and beautiful and you feel you are in France or Italy. Apparently the remains of Samuel de Champlain may be buried here. They really don't know as he was going to be buried at a new chapel but it burned so they really don't know. Highly respected scholars believe he is in or near this basilica! I lit a candle for peace and good health.
We walked down some steps to the "old" part of Quebec City. Narrow streets, more quaint shop, original buildings, it wasn't hard to imagine strolling the streets 400+ years ago. There were two building with giant murals painted on them, depicting who was who and big events.
We stopped at a restaurant featuring a musician singing American songs with a French accent or in French. He was quite good actually! We shared a lemon crepe and Cheryl actually ordered a drink: lemonade. Except when she got it the drink wasn't yellow. It did have two lemon slices on the edge of the glass, but the drink was orange-ish. It didn't taste like orange juice. We haven't quite figured out what it was. It was cool and refreshing as it was our hottest day so far in our trip: 74. Yeah, we know it's hotter at home. :)
The park near where we parked was setting up or tearing down something big. It turns out they are setting up for a BIG music festival to start July 5 and run 11 days. They expect 80,000+ people! The parking attendant said some big acts have played before, including the Stones and the Who. I asked how that many people will find parking, and he answered, "Eh, I take care of my 100 spots and they are on their own!" Funny. But big cities in most countries have a tremendous public transport system and most take advantage of that to get around.
TMI (Too Much Information) moment here: I was wearing my dress/top and it doesn't have pockets. I didn't want to drag my big purse so I just tucked my phone into my upper undergarment. :) I USUALLY try to keep my phone on mute but I had listened to a video earlier and forgotten. Well, I got a text so my dress "ding" as I was chatting with the parking lot attendant. He was an older guy and he just sort of looked around, and then looked at me. I had to explain that, indeed, yes, it was me, as I didn't have pockets. He just laughed.
Our goal for tomorrow is to go visit a library. Yes, but this one straddles the Canada and USA border!! We didn't have too long of a drive, about 2 1/2 hours, but we found a cute campground about 8 minutes from Vermont. When we called to verify they had spaces, she said they had one left. Oh, my! We've really been lucky so far! We explained we have a pickup and sleep in the back. And she asked slowly, "You want the truck for extended camping??" Aw.... no, we only needed it for one night! She laughed and said come on down as the had plenty of those available. And they did. We got to drive the loops and pick out lot 72 which was nice and shady. We made hamburgers for supper and all is good.
Some random thoughts forgotten in prior blogs. Yesterday we actually spent the day hugging the Maine border to get to Quebec!! If you look at a map, Maine is really really up there!! A few hundred miles of the New Brunswick CA 2 "inter-state" which goes right along the border versus through the foreign territory of USA "Up" the long straight side then across the "bumpy" top of Maine. Then into Quebec (our 5th province of the trip so far -- we have now been in total of 9 of the 13) and then along the St. Lawrence river
Also, have you ever thought about what you see and what it could mean? Cheryl loves mysteries and noticed a man smoking outside of the hotel last night. When her and Andrew walked out and got into their truck, he looked around and put out his cigarette and walked towards the hotel; as they drove away, another gentleman at the edge of the parking lot, put out his cigarette as if on cue, and got into his car and followed us out of the parking lot. Hmmm. He didn't follow for long but is there a story there? And later, their room smelled of aftershave or some similar. :)
And, just in case you are wondering, Cheryl's hair is okay. It is much darker than "normal" and has vibrant reddish highlights, which is unusual in and of itself as we picked out a simple medium brown. Yeah, well.
The moon is nearly full, and it is time for bed. It actually isn't super late but it was a late night last night and we did quite a bit of walking today.
We can't wait for tomorrow! Libraries are amazing places. And we will literally walk all the way from from Canada into the 49th state we have now visited over the years.... only 1 left (next summer...that's another story...to be continued)
We had a breakfast at Holiday Inn (free!!) and then drove to the outskirts of Quebec City to check out some waterfalls. Not just any waterfalls, but the Montmorency Falls! Sources on the Internet call them large waterfalls. That is so cute, as they are immense waterfalls! Located just a bit outside of Quebec City they are 292 feet tall, only about 99 feet TALLER than Niagara Falls. There are several ways for anyone to enjoy this magic of nature. We drove up a hill and walked a suspension bridge OVER the falls, and then walked about 487 steps down to the bottom. It was incredible. We could then walk along the river (the Montmorency) and catch the tram back to the top. There were several people fishing at the bottom and, for the truly brave or ? , there was a zip line. The force of the falls crashing into the rocks below, the mist that was then launched up created a double rainbow! Nature is wow. The river flowed just so calmly at the top, very misleading, almost daring you to enter, and then, woop, the edge and down you'd go if you didn't know. Imagine one of those first explorers, checking out the river and discovering those mammoth falls! The tops of the falls were actually a natural lookout for anyone attempting a sneak attack, coming down the St. Lawrence River. Most of everything is written in French, so we have to really look and think about what we are seeing!! Apparently the falls are something else to see in the winter!! The bottom as it crashes up, freezes and then keeps getting taller. The record is 126 feet high back in 1829! While we were walking down those 487 steps a group of school children were walking up. I was thinking of how brave those teachers were to take youngsters to such a place! One little guy was WAY ahead of his group, running up those stairs. There's always one, isn't there!! Teachers, as well as other students couldn't slow him down!
We decided to check out Quebec City for a few hours. When we had just crossed over int the Quebec Province, we stopped for gas and a quick check for a map at the visitor's center. Andrew came back to the truck laughing and smiling as the youngster working at the counter shared a ton of information with him. BUT those circled Ps for Parking came in real handy! Andrew is not only a pro at getting us back in town but at backing in and around to fit in parking spaces! We found a spot near ground zero and enjoyed the leisurely walk around. We found a grand monument commemorating Samuel de Champlain, streets of quaint shops, street musicians and other performers like acrobats and hula hoop dancers (!), lots of constructions projects, grand hotels and restaurants, and lots of people. The architecture is a mix of old, very old,and new.
We stopped for a restroom break and had a water and beer, and ordered Fondue. The menu in French said Fondue and we were like, "Yes, we know what Fondue is!!" We got what amounted to two giant cheese curds!! :) They were beyond delicious and the cheese on the inside was soft and gooey, so all was good.
The alley near this restaurant was featuring Artisans, so we took a walk through. My, how some people are so talented!! Paintings, and jewelry and knitted items, and more paintings, and just fun things. Some that the most unique way of presenting common things. Very lovely!
We wandered into the Basilica Notre Dame Quebec...the church is big and beautiful and you feel you are in France or Italy. Apparently the remains of Samuel de Champlain may be buried here. They really don't know as he was going to be buried at a new chapel but it burned so they really don't know. Highly respected scholars believe he is in or near this basilica! I lit a candle for peace and good health.
We walked down some steps to the "old" part of Quebec City. Narrow streets, more quaint shop, original buildings, it wasn't hard to imagine strolling the streets 400+ years ago. There were two building with giant murals painted on them, depicting who was who and big events.
We stopped at a restaurant featuring a musician singing American songs with a French accent or in French. He was quite good actually! We shared a lemon crepe and Cheryl actually ordered a drink: lemonade. Except when she got it the drink wasn't yellow. It did have two lemon slices on the edge of the glass, but the drink was orange-ish. It didn't taste like orange juice. We haven't quite figured out what it was. It was cool and refreshing as it was our hottest day so far in our trip: 74. Yeah, we know it's hotter at home. :)
The park near where we parked was setting up or tearing down something big. It turns out they are setting up for a BIG music festival to start July 5 and run 11 days. They expect 80,000+ people! The parking attendant said some big acts have played before, including the Stones and the Who. I asked how that many people will find parking, and he answered, "Eh, I take care of my 100 spots and they are on their own!" Funny. But big cities in most countries have a tremendous public transport system and most take advantage of that to get around.
TMI (Too Much Information) moment here: I was wearing my dress/top and it doesn't have pockets. I didn't want to drag my big purse so I just tucked my phone into my upper undergarment. :) I USUALLY try to keep my phone on mute but I had listened to a video earlier and forgotten. Well, I got a text so my dress "ding" as I was chatting with the parking lot attendant. He was an older guy and he just sort of looked around, and then looked at me. I had to explain that, indeed, yes, it was me, as I didn't have pockets. He just laughed.
Our goal for tomorrow is to go visit a library. Yes, but this one straddles the Canada and USA border!! We didn't have too long of a drive, about 2 1/2 hours, but we found a cute campground about 8 minutes from Vermont. When we called to verify they had spaces, she said they had one left. Oh, my! We've really been lucky so far! We explained we have a pickup and sleep in the back. And she asked slowly, "You want the truck for extended camping??" Aw.... no, we only needed it for one night! She laughed and said come on down as the had plenty of those available. And they did. We got to drive the loops and pick out lot 72 which was nice and shady. We made hamburgers for supper and all is good.
Some random thoughts forgotten in prior blogs. Yesterday we actually spent the day hugging the Maine border to get to Quebec!! If you look at a map, Maine is really really up there!! A few hundred miles of the New Brunswick CA 2 "inter-state" which goes right along the border versus through the foreign territory of USA "Up" the long straight side then across the "bumpy" top of Maine. Then into Quebec (our 5th province of the trip so far -- we have now been in total of 9 of the 13) and then along the St. Lawrence river
Also, have you ever thought about what you see and what it could mean? Cheryl loves mysteries and noticed a man smoking outside of the hotel last night. When her and Andrew walked out and got into their truck, he looked around and put out his cigarette and walked towards the hotel; as they drove away, another gentleman at the edge of the parking lot, put out his cigarette as if on cue, and got into his car and followed us out of the parking lot. Hmmm. He didn't follow for long but is there a story there? And later, their room smelled of aftershave or some similar. :)
And, just in case you are wondering, Cheryl's hair is okay. It is much darker than "normal" and has vibrant reddish highlights, which is unusual in and of itself as we picked out a simple medium brown. Yeah, well.
The moon is nearly full, and it is time for bed. It actually isn't super late but it was a late night last night and we did quite a bit of walking today.
We can't wait for tomorrow! Libraries are amazing places. And we will literally walk all the way from from Canada into the 49th state we have now visited over the years.... only 1 left (next summer...that's another story...to be continued)
Monday, June 25, 2018
June 25, 2018
Happy Anniversary, Brian and Eileen! Has it really been 30 years since we took that fateful trip, with kids (sometimes screaming loudly!) in tow to share and celebrate your wonderful day! Hope you had a great day!
We had a travel day today, to Quebec City, about 8 hours. It pretty well rained all night and it is hard getting up when it is cold and rainy outside but not so much inside. We didn’t set up the entire camp since it was later so it is that much easier. We did drive to the showers to enjoy a hot one before we headed out. It wasn’t a very strong stream but it stayed hot and that is always good! The rain lasted several ours, sometimes stronger than others. We stopped at a Tim Horton's and had breakfast and then moved on. The coasts were behind us and it was “Interstate” driving. Cheryl wrote the blog from yesterday and we are hoping for publication yet this evening.
We took a small detour to drive through the WORLD’S longest covered bridge, 1282 feet! It was actually built in 1901 as a ferry was the only way to cross otherwise. It was originally a toll bridge to help pay for it. A fire nearly destroyed it in 1907 and then ice jams took out sections of it. It was repaired and covered in 1922. It was vandalized in the 1960s (WHY????) and ultimately heavy trucks were barred from using it. There is another road since then that heavier traffic can use now. It is now considered a National Historic Site!
Cheryl drove for a bit. Since she is extremely extremely directionally challenged, straight stretches or the same roads for long distances are usually the safest. She zipped right past Edmundston, and pulled over for gas and Andrew pulled the final stretch.
Deciding on where to stay is always complicated. AirBnBs are usually awesome and easy. For some reason, in Quebec City, it was not. A really good price was only a good price for 30 days! Another had poor reviews for cancelling without notice. Another didn’t have parking and several were rather pricey--more than hotels!! A look at “native” hotels also brought up some interesting prospects! Built in the late 1800s, tall ceilings, charming furniture, close to historic downtown, etc. but the real problem is parking!! We did want to be near the OLD part so we could meander around in the morning. We decided to go with Holiday Inn even though it wasn’t downtown. Free parking, free breakfast and a bus that stops right there as well as a shuttle if we wanted to explore that too. They are dependable! The only downside was this one did NOT have laundry facilities and that is something we wanted/needed(?) to do. But we know how to rinse and wring and hang. :)
We hopped in the truck and drove down towards the old downtown to grab a quick bite. Parking was definitely an issue. Most places required permits or were underground parking. Quebec is reminiscent of European cities and the streets are narrow, most cars small. We have a large truck anyway and currently it is even longer with the bike hitch and two bikes. We did find parking near a park!! The sign reminded us of the one hour limit but it was close enough. We walked the wooden boardwalk around the area. A commemorative plaque stated that this area was the original location of where Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec in 1608. That is something we do talk about in 5th and 6th grade Social Studies as he explored quite bit of Canada. He was the first European to explore and describe the Great Lakes! Side note: his children were named Faith, Hope, and Charity!
We found an entire street lit up with many restaurant choices. Once we crossed into the Quebec province most signs and such were in French only. To luck we’d seen enough moose warning signs to know what the French ones said! Every other place it was English first and then French, or in parts of Nova Scotia, English and Gaelic! The menu had a French side and an English and we just shared a couple of appetizers and one dessert. Outstanding!!! A neighboring table got drinks and steel straws!! That was a first and a great idea!!
Usually Aaron does his magic on Cheryl’s hair every 5 weeks or so, but she can’t be on vacation and at Aaron’s at the same time so we HAD to attempt it ourselves. There is a reason she has a standing appointment! It is complicated and messy. First, we needed to stop to get a box of color (This hasn’t been done at home in maybe 15 years??). ONE pharmacy was open 24 hours (even the local Walmart was already closed!), and the “recommended” one for ease of use was not to be found so Cheryl had to stand and study the 15’ x 5’ aisle of choices. Several people stopped to look over the selections as well including one with orange hair. We sincerely hope we didn’t get whatever brand she used. :O
The GPS told us to go left and then right too late so we landed up going across the river again, but Andrew’s a pro and got us back to our hotel.
Then you carefully mix this with that and open the door as it stinks!! With covered hands, you hope you cover the gray good enough, wipe off the stuff that gets on skin without hair, go over it again, have someone (Thanks, Andrew!) to check the back for coverage (of what should be and what shouldn’t be) and then assist with whatever is needed. And wait, and wonder what the housekeeping staff will think when they see a hair color box in the trash--that we are trying to change our identity!! :)
We are waiting it out. It will be fine regardless!! Perhaps a hat for the upcoming wedding??? Hats are very fashionable!
June 22, 23, & 24, 2018 ---Finally!
June 22
We traveled today; our Newfoundland/Labrador excursion has come to an end ad we are heading back to Nova Scotia aboard the ferry. We left our Pirate’s Haven and headed to the terminal. This place would be heaven for those that ATV. The location was above a river and the showers were hot and the staff extremely friendly.
It was actually sunny when we left but the fog rolled in for part of our journey. Fog gives everything that mysterious touch. We got to the terminal with a LOT of time to spare, but you never know with transportation! We parked the truck and wandered around. We mailed some post cards, and had a quick breakfast. We didn’t want anything too much and looking over the menu we wondered about the “beans and bologna.” Really? It really was a really good plate of pork and beans and fried bologna! Bologna is a serious option for food up here; we also noticed prominant diplays of the Canadiain version of SPAM, and Vienna weiners!! In fact, we saw a cookbook dedictiated entirely to different ways to cook bologna. We kid you not. The ferry’s free magazine even had recipes for Vienna sausage “corn dogs.” Be honest, how many times have we had a hankering for some fried SPAM? I personally haven’t even bought Vienna sausages since the boys were little. I always thought there was something unusual in their texture. Fried bologna, on the other hand, is awesome!
We drove straight in and didn’t have to take the steep ramp to the gut today. Straight in and straight out, level 3. It wasn’t too busy again. We wondered what ferries do if they are really light with passengers. Do they need some kind of ballast to make sure it sets low enough in the water? The schedule doesn’t run as much until the “season” so perhaps that forces people’s schedules to make it fuller. And what about those motorcycles that pulled in? Do they secure them somehow after we’ve gone upstairs so they don’t topple over? The boat was pretty “wavey” both trips!!
We actually got a “car wash” for this trip. Why? We wondered too but she also asked us whether we had any potatoes on board? Or plants with dirt? A little research shared that Newfoundland/Labrador is struggling with potato “warts” and Nova Scotia is being very active in trying to keep this out. We had a little dirt around the bottom of the truck as some of our campsites are dusty so they washed it off! Interesting!
It was a gorgeous day on the water but still cold once she got moving. We napped, and read, and walked around. Cheryl had set aside some work to do for some upcoming training BUT the FIVE PCs were offline. This is a 7 hour trip so perfect! And they WERE working on Monday! One finally popped up online but then the keyboard didn’t work. Obviously a sign that work was not on the agenda for the day but a Clive Cussler book from a little library. A little known fact about Cheryl: She has read a LOT of books but never any Clive Cusslers. She’s ordered them for the tons of boys that love that kind of book but not until now has she read one. It is okay. It has a lot of things about mercenaries and such in Africa so it is hard to keep up but it is good and it will be finished. :) Perhaps, one day, another Cussler will be read.
This ferry had two options for pets. One was to keep them in your vehicles, and the other was a container on level 7 that was labeled, “Kennel.” On Monday, it was very rainy and the kennel door was closed. Today was warmer and sunny so it was open. EVERYTIME someone walkd out on deck the kennel erupted into a chorus of barking! Amazing!!
On level 7 were also the lifeboats. They resembled nothing like imagined, but they looked sort of like wide, flat submarines? They were encapsulated! Andrew figures it had to do with the water temperature, which makes perfect sense! The Bass Harbor fisherman that took us out said that this time of year in Maine, a person would get hypothermia in just 10 minutes. It is probably less than that in Canada with the Labrador current coming from the north!
We are driving the Cabot Trail, a partcularly scenic route highly recommended by all who have driven it. The drive is spectacular. Trees and water, very curvy roads reminiscent of the northern 1 of California!! VERY curvy. The guardrails don’t look new as most of them have minor and major dents and scrapes. :O
We opted to stay at the Cape Breten Highlands National Park. There was someone still there when we arrived but we had to pay in the mornng. Our campsite was close to the amazingly clean and roomy washrooms, our neighbor was an older lady (guessing late 50s to mind 60s) and her dog. They slept in the back of their van. It was relatively full, no electric though, and LOTS of mosquitoes!! We had to hightail it in the truck as soon as we got cleaned up.
Nightly night!
June 23, 2018
We slept in slightly as we needed to make sure the Visitor’s Center was open so we could buy our national park pass and pay for our night of sleeping. We got a map and headed on our way through the Cape Breton National Forest. We had several thing highlighted that we wanted to do and there is enough to do that a person could just pull in a camper or stay in a cabin or hotel. We did drive by Old MacDonald’s farm, from 1930. :) We also drove past a car parked on the side of the road near a path in the grass with grass growing around it. We didn’t see a house or cabin but you never can tell as the trees or so thick.
The drive was magical. More trees, more amazing ocean views and then St. Lawrence Bay views. UP the mountains, and then curving down and around. Small towns, each with their own little charm. Trees and plant life just hanging onto the rocks and crevices. NO cell service the entire day. We stopped at pullouts and lighthouses and more pullouts. We intended to pull off for a waterfall, but suddenly we were at the 2nd one. Hmm. We then realized that our first pull off was actually closed and unmarked as they were replacing a bridge so we had a detour in that area. The 2nd waterfal l was down a beautiful path, rockyand rooty but lovely. The brook gurgled and was always close. We followed, chatted with, and then passed a retired couple carrying some heftycameras. He was born in Detroit and has family in Michigan and Terre Haute, Indiana. He has a fine art studio and takes lots of pictures of the area. The trail got busier as we were heading back to our truck. If you stopped, the mosquitoes attaacked! They had big signs warning of moose, bear, and coyote (no mention of mosquitoes?) and what to do if you encounter any. We did see a moose track but nothing beyond that. We had to cross three bridges to get to the falls, and what was interesting is that the supports were actually boxes of rocks. So the water could flow through.
We then pulled off to hike the Skyline trail. It had two different options which became one as you hiked as the one trail was closed off. It was a fine rock trail with warnings about moose, bear, and coyotes. Sigh. You gradually went up a slow grade, encountered a very large gate and enclosed area. Hmmm. It was to keep the moose OUT. Moose were common and then hunted to near extinction. They introduced them again and discovered moose LOVED their birch trees and could decimate an entire forest to nothingin a short time. They were trying to get different trees to grow and didn’t want the moose interferring. We did overhear a couple, “Oh, the moose are gone.” as we were going out and they were coming back.
The trail ends on a cliff above the gulf. Undescribleable. You’ll have to see the pictures. It was windy and there were steps DOWN DOWN DOWN to varying levels for viewing. It was really windy and you really had to concentrate to not be blown off. But the view. Wow. We didn’t count the steps but we’ll see if we can find out how many. It got busier as we were heading back. The temperature has been warmer today, actually above 70! But the wind keeps it cool. We didn’t see any moose but we did see a squirrel and a chipmonk.
Some more weaving and driving UP and DOWN, and we are near a beach on the St. Lawrence Gulf. The beach is mostly rocks, really smooth and varying colors. It was really neat to hear the waves as they came in and went out, the sounds of those rocks rolling back and forth.
While up on top the Skyline hike cliff we noticed a lighthouse in the distance. This was also circled on our map. We traveled some more of the Cabot Trail (the national park is part of the trail) and then drove across a causeway to the Cheticamp Island. We turned onto a non-paved road and into a …. cow pasture. Yes. There was a big sign alerting us to the fact that we were now on private property, were alllowed to be there only during the day and to watch out for cows. We didn’t see any to start but it was a fairly long road. We rounded a corner and there was a herd of really pretty brown cows!! They didn’t even give us a second look! We drove on and the lighthouse (Pointe Enragee) was cordoned off with tall metal fencing, so no access. It may have been the most remote one we’ve encountered? We’ll get back to you on that as our vacation isn’t over yet and the Port Bickerton may have been.
We wanted to get as close as we could to our ferry terminal for tomorrow as we are heading to Prince Edward Island. We were finishing up the Cabot Trail and Andrew and Cheryl both thought they saw an eagle. Cheryl saw it flying and it disappeared into a bunch of trees; a few seconds later Andrew sees it on the river bank. Eagles are amazing regardless of where you see them. We had to turn around and park safely so we could get out to take a closer look. Lovely.
We wanted a light supper so found a town called Angonish. It is a college town (St. Francis Xavier) and was a pretty nice size. We had a “board” at a local pub, where Andrew tried a couple of local brews and Cheryl, the local tap (water!). The board was smoked salmon, some salted salon, some greens, cucumbers, dark soda bread (OMG) and onions with a very nice spread of some kind. Light fare that is very tasty. This town looked llike it would be a fun town to spend some time in, a little Scotland!
We made our way to the ferry to get some information. We wanted only a one-way ticket to PEI but they don’t sell them that way online. The entry guard said to just show up and we’d pay once we landed on the other side. Okay. Hmmm.
We found a campground nearby so we don’t have a long drive and it was interesting. LOTS of RVs. The most we’ve seen these past weeks. Maybe all of them put together! Many looked to be “residents”. We got the most amazing little sight tucked in the back, electricity and water, but the WiFi won’t pick up. Unbelieveable!! But it is what it is. And it cost… $0. He told Andrew, “Merry Christmas.” I am assuming it was too late to use the CC machine and we are leaving first thing in the AM or they weren’t expecting anyone else. There are a few mosquitoes out. A park ranger said they are really bad now but disappear in July. They really LOVE Cheryl. :)
Nighty night!
June 24, 2018
The gorgeous moon and stars disappeared sometime during the night as the rains started and the wind picked up. There is something to be said for sound sleeping during rain!
The ferry left bright and early. We lined up, ran into the terminal just to move around a bit and made our way back to be loaded. This ferry runs back and forth all day, the trip only 75 minutes long. Everyone rushed upstairs and when we caught up and walked by, everyone was in line for food! We got a quick bite after the rush. It was still raining and, unfortunately, the forecast for the entire day looked the same. Rain and 50 degrees is cold.
Prince Edward Island is a lovely island, not too many trees really, gentle hills, ocean or Gulf of St. Lawrence views. It became a British Colony in the 1700s and federated into Canada in 1873. It’s primary focus is agricultural and there are fields upon fields upon fields of…. Potatoes!! We were surprised too! But there are about 200 families that grow 25% of all of Canada’s potatoes on this island paradise! We wondered what was planted in the mounded rows and thought it looked potato-like, and it was. We did pass a field or two of corn (maybe 2” tall!) but most fields were dedicated to potatoes. They also were fields of cows, sheep, and alpaca (which we did not see). The ground is a reddish brown color, so the beaches and unpaved roads and, eventually our truck sported it. We took many unpaved roads to catch a few lighthouses.
Our first was the Woods Island was right after we departed the ferry. This had a small, miniature model next to the real thing, along with a huge playground, complete with wooden houses and wharf overlooking a small “pond.” What fun for the kids! It was just a tad too early to go in. It was originally built in 1876 and actually finished by a local farmer. It had to be moved further inland in 2009 due to erosion.
You’d think finding lighthouses on a relatively flat island would be super easy but we went down three different roads to find Cape Bear. There are some trees and some hills and turns and house. What is interesting is the road is dirt. It was rainy so it was muddy. There wasn’t rock on the top at all, even though there could have been a rock base somewhere below the muck.
Cape Bear was built in 1881 and the Marconi Wireless Station was constructed here in 1905 to communicate with the icebreakers (ships designed to break up the ice!) that linked the Island with the Mainland. On April 14, 1912, a Marconi Operator by the name of Bartlett received the “first in Canada” distress call from the Titanic. The lighthouse has been moved several times, relocated the first time in 1947 due to erosion and it was moved northwest. It was moved again in 2015 back eastward and is being developed as a historic and heritage site. We were allowed to climb up this one and it amounted to us climbing ladder/stairs. They were narrow and steep! The view was great even if fog kept it close to shore.
Next up the road was the Point Prim Lighthouse. It has the distinguished honor of being Prince Edward Island’s oldest lighthouse, built in 1845. It is actually a brick tower, one of the few round brick lighthouses in all of Canada. Now it has wooden shingles on the outside. We climbed this one as well, same steep ladder/steps to the top. In the gift shop there was a poster showing all the shipwrecks of this area and the cemeteries for all those lives lost at sea. Wow.
We then went in search of sea glass. Sea glass isn’t actually native to oceans but is the result of glass bottles and such finding its way into oceans and the oceans then doing their magic in smoothing them out and rounding the edges, a process that takes 30-40 years at least. Some research said that we could find some close to where we were, but when we arrived we thought, “No way.” and we were right. The beach was called Canoe Cove Beach because the PEI First Nations pole (Mi’kmaq) brought British soldiers ashore by canoe! We got there when the tide was out and it was a HUGE beach, with tide pools, and red sand and red cliffs, really pretty. The water was actually warm and there were a few people out enjoying the area. The rain had stopped for just a bit; there were seals off the coast, a grandma with her grand kids (“Grandma, look at this!” “Grandma, look at this!” “Grandma, look at this!”) The only rocks were hugging the shore and they were the reddish color of everything else. The sand itself was “wavy” and there weren’t any rocks or shells on the beach itself. Needless to say, no sea glass, but a leisurely walk on a beach is always good for the soul. Actually in the water knee deep - pretty warm for a cold day.
COWS Creamery happened to be on the way to our next destination, so, of course, we had to stop. It has been touted as the best ice cream in all of Canada, and perhaps beyond. They have free self-guided tours but the factory wasn’t running today. The ice cream was extremely good, and the gift shop offered insanely funny t-shirts and other souvenirs, all with a cow theme. Doctor Moo, Cow Wars, The Cows on the Bus Go Moo, Moo, Moo, and SO MUCH MORE. Too funny. Apparently they are as well known for their whimsical attire as their ice cream! (Voted best in the world --- Ben and Jerry is #10 on same list--- rest overseas)
Anne of Green Gables is a book first published in 1908 by Lucy Maud Montgomery, born and raised on Prince Edward Island. She had an interesting life up to this point, writing and publishing MANY articles and short stories. It was this book and its sequels that propelled her and Prince Edward Island into international popularity. “Anne of Green Gables” is listed as one of the most popular books for children by MANY lists! The entire area where she grew up and wrote found places in her books as well. Many places have “Anne” themes for enticing tourists to come in to shop or sit a spell. We visited the house where she lived (and was later married) and were allowed quick glimpses into the rooms, completely intact as they were then, with original furniture and other things. We drove past her birthplace (she only lived there for 21 months) and the fields where she was raised by her grandparents after her mother died. No buildings here remain. We spend time on the grounds of her “Green Gables” and walked the trails. It isn’t even officially “tourist” season and yet busloads of tourists were descending on the house of Green Gables!! She actually led an interesting life and we bought a copy of her journal so we can read it at our leisure. We stopped by her final resting place, her grave planted with flowers and lovingly attended.
One more lightlhouse for the trip. We will be leaving the coasts behind as we head inland towards Quebec City. The original Cape Tryon Lighthouse was built in 1905 at Cousins Shore about 2 ½ miles from the cape and it was deactivated in 1969. A second lighthouse was built on Cape Tryon itself and is still active today. It sets high on red cliffs, at the end of a muddy red road.
We head off the island via a causeway instead of the ferry. The Confederation Bridge is beautiful, and eerie when you are driving towards it in the drizzle and it looks like it is floating on air as the fog and clouds and gray of the sea hide its supports. The 8-mile bridge opened in 1997.
We called ahead to assure we’d have room at a campsite only to find out once we arrived that they didn’t have bathrooms???? That is something we have never had to ask. We always ask about taking a credit card or cash, electric and water if possible, and showers, but never have we felt the need to ask about bathrooms (washrooms in Canada). It turns out that this site was a HUGE site for RVs, those that are self-contained! Great view for those that just needed to pull in and out and camp. Not too funny at this hour. They did recommend the Murray Beach Provincial Park just down the road. It literally was less than a mile down the road and not only had the most amazing sites ever with the view, but also they were cheap, had washrooms and showers, electric and water, and a very very kind staff. Our day ended well.
The day in and out of the cold and rain prompted an early to bed so WiFi didn’t even enter into the picture. We hope to catch WiFi on Monday and publish all our days. Tomorrow is a long drive day, 8 hours to Quebec City.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
June 21, 2018
It rained during the night and it really is a lovely sound on the camper shell. We were up and on the road by 7:15. They mystery camper was still there; maybe she was just pulling our leg? I sort of thought we'd see a light on or something. :)
The landscape is so picture postcard perfect. Pictures don't do it justice; words definitely don't either! Perhaps since the weather is unusually cold and it is just coming off of their winter weather that everything just pops.
As we've been in Newfoundland/Labrador these few days, we've come across school buses all with NLESD on them. A little research and it stands for Newfoundland Labrador English School District. Canada has two official languages, English and French. So, ALL of Newfoundland and Labrador are in ONE school district! Talk about consistency!! There are 258 schools, just over 65,000 students, over 8,000 employees (and hiring!) and are split into four regions. It is interesting as the board consists of 17 members, there is a CEO and an associate, and also two assistant directors, plus each region has its own assistant director of education and their own staff as needed. Wow. The board meetings are "live" so anyone in the district can watch and, we are assuming, act like they are there with questions, comments, etc. The schools are still in session! We think that tomorrow may be their last day or it could be next Friday. The clerk at one of the shops shared that her town/business gets really busy once school is out! She may have used the word chaotic. :)
We headed to Gros Morne National Park to hang out for the day. It actually first became established as a national park reserve in 1973, becoming a full-fledged national park in 2005. It is a HUGE park and encompasses many little towns, lakes, harbors, and more. We weave around and around the turn is the Tablelands, mountains that look their tops were just shaved off, complete with quite a bit of snow here and there! The rocks from the Tablelands is a unique brown color so it looks so out of place with all the green surrounding it. We passed natural waterfalls (from the ice melting!!) and their rivers, and dandelions blooming everywhere!
We drove to Woody Point, on Bonne Bay and found our first light house of the day, this structure completed in 1959 to replace the original one built in 1919. With as many rocks scattered EVERYWHERE you'd think it would have had a lighthouse earlier, but the British were slow at settling the western part. Once it was settled by fisherman it was a booming town. A fire in the early 1900s destroyed much and it has never fully recovered. The light source is actually solar powered!!! That is cool!
We headed down the road to the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse, which back in the day didn't have roads to it, only the sea. If there was an urgent message, they flew different flags and every captain knew the code. The port quieted down some after the 1950s so the flags are only used for celebrations. Today they spelled out "Tina" as it was her last day at the lighthouse. We got to have a tour of the house and it was quite roomier than we expected. There was quite a few from the kitchen window!! A GIANT boulder and tree. The tree may not have been there when they lived there but that rock wasn't new!! In fact it is interesting to see how most people in this area build on/around the rocks as necessary! The house had a set of stairs actually leading to the real lighthouse, so the keeper didn't have to leave the house; we couldn't actually enter it. Our guide that answered questions was named Bonnie Lou. :)
As we were leaving we noticed a unique cloud formation. It was such a great day that the white clouds really popped from the sky! This cloud looked a lot like a UFO masquerading as a cloud!! We have pictures if we can ever get WiFi dependable enough to load them!
Stopped for a cold drink (3 if you count Cheryl's) on the water looking across a fjord type cove warm air, the acoustic guitarist playing later that eve was tuning up...`a little Petty "Into the great wide open...." for a few verses ... LIFE is good.
We stopped by a HUGE lake, surrounded by mountains, including Tablelands in the distance, and sat in two red Canadian chairs. Peace. Love. Awe. Love. Life is good.
On our way in the park we noticed a sign for some waterfalls and thought we'd stop on the way out. The Southeast Brook Falls were so awesome and so powerful. The walk itself was very short and easy. The path was narrow but a real path, woven through balsam fir and white birch trees. We could hear the power before we saw it. The water flows over a billion-year-old ridge of granite (!) and plunges 40 meters! The steps to the top were closed so we had to settle for close enough. :)
It is neat to drive through these tiny towns. They have their own lives most of the year and then tourist season hits. We were amazed at how many people we encountered everywhere we went. Tour buses, RVs and simpler campers, and such and not families yet as school isn't out! It must be a bittersweet thing as you want to have that tourist income but the chaos of having that many people driving through your towns!! The mini-house market his a market in most of Newfoundland/Labrador as that was an easy way to add housing for tourists! They are tiny and cute, all colors, and perched here and there. The ones right next to the rock breakers with their own decks and chairs were adorable! It makes touring so much easier if you "have your own place." The B-n-Bs and these tiny cabins looked to be booked whereas the hotels usually had vacancy signs. Of course, as we've been told repeatedly, school is out next week and then..... boom!
Every town had its church and cemetery. Some cemeteries had the amzing views of the bay or mountains, or river. One in particular was set literally on the edge of cliff. We were wondering if had always been so close and if they'd ever lost anybody(ies).
We found a haven this evening at Pirate's Haven, a campground for everyone but more specifically for ATV enthusiasts, with a pirate theme. Andrew got a hearty handshake and Cheryl got a hug! They were working on a new addition (a 40 foot crow's nest to look out over everything (river, bay, trees) including a new pool! There were many RVs already parked here, but most leave them here. They have porches, lights, etc. as this is their ideal home away from home. There are ATV trails and apparently great fishing in the river (as someone stated in their online review). We head out early to catch our ferry. ....
The landscape is so picture postcard perfect. Pictures don't do it justice; words definitely don't either! Perhaps since the weather is unusually cold and it is just coming off of their winter weather that everything just pops.
As we've been in Newfoundland/Labrador these few days, we've come across school buses all with NLESD on them. A little research and it stands for Newfoundland Labrador English School District. Canada has two official languages, English and French. So, ALL of Newfoundland and Labrador are in ONE school district! Talk about consistency!! There are 258 schools, just over 65,000 students, over 8,000 employees (and hiring!) and are split into four regions. It is interesting as the board consists of 17 members, there is a CEO and an associate, and also two assistant directors, plus each region has its own assistant director of education and their own staff as needed. Wow. The board meetings are "live" so anyone in the district can watch and, we are assuming, act like they are there with questions, comments, etc. The schools are still in session! We think that tomorrow may be their last day or it could be next Friday. The clerk at one of the shops shared that her town/business gets really busy once school is out! She may have used the word chaotic. :)
We headed to Gros Morne National Park to hang out for the day. It actually first became established as a national park reserve in 1973, becoming a full-fledged national park in 2005. It is a HUGE park and encompasses many little towns, lakes, harbors, and more. We weave around and around the turn is the Tablelands, mountains that look their tops were just shaved off, complete with quite a bit of snow here and there! The rocks from the Tablelands is a unique brown color so it looks so out of place with all the green surrounding it. We passed natural waterfalls (from the ice melting!!) and their rivers, and dandelions blooming everywhere!
We drove to Woody Point, on Bonne Bay and found our first light house of the day, this structure completed in 1959 to replace the original one built in 1919. With as many rocks scattered EVERYWHERE you'd think it would have had a lighthouse earlier, but the British were slow at settling the western part. Once it was settled by fisherman it was a booming town. A fire in the early 1900s destroyed much and it has never fully recovered. The light source is actually solar powered!!! That is cool!
We headed down the road to the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse, which back in the day didn't have roads to it, only the sea. If there was an urgent message, they flew different flags and every captain knew the code. The port quieted down some after the 1950s so the flags are only used for celebrations. Today they spelled out "Tina" as it was her last day at the lighthouse. We got to have a tour of the house and it was quite roomier than we expected. There was quite a few from the kitchen window!! A GIANT boulder and tree. The tree may not have been there when they lived there but that rock wasn't new!! In fact it is interesting to see how most people in this area build on/around the rocks as necessary! The house had a set of stairs actually leading to the real lighthouse, so the keeper didn't have to leave the house; we couldn't actually enter it. Our guide that answered questions was named Bonnie Lou. :)
As we were leaving we noticed a unique cloud formation. It was such a great day that the white clouds really popped from the sky! This cloud looked a lot like a UFO masquerading as a cloud!! We have pictures if we can ever get WiFi dependable enough to load them!
Stopped for a cold drink (3 if you count Cheryl's) on the water looking across a fjord type cove warm air, the acoustic guitarist playing later that eve was tuning up...`a little Petty "Into the great wide open...." for a few verses ... LIFE is good.
We stopped by a HUGE lake, surrounded by mountains, including Tablelands in the distance, and sat in two red Canadian chairs. Peace. Love. Awe. Love. Life is good.
On our way in the park we noticed a sign for some waterfalls and thought we'd stop on the way out. The Southeast Brook Falls were so awesome and so powerful. The walk itself was very short and easy. The path was narrow but a real path, woven through balsam fir and white birch trees. We could hear the power before we saw it. The water flows over a billion-year-old ridge of granite (!) and plunges 40 meters! The steps to the top were closed so we had to settle for close enough. :)
It is neat to drive through these tiny towns. They have their own lives most of the year and then tourist season hits. We were amazed at how many people we encountered everywhere we went. Tour buses, RVs and simpler campers, and such and not families yet as school isn't out! It must be a bittersweet thing as you want to have that tourist income but the chaos of having that many people driving through your towns!! The mini-house market his a market in most of Newfoundland/Labrador as that was an easy way to add housing for tourists! They are tiny and cute, all colors, and perched here and there. The ones right next to the rock breakers with their own decks and chairs were adorable! It makes touring so much easier if you "have your own place." The B-n-Bs and these tiny cabins looked to be booked whereas the hotels usually had vacancy signs. Of course, as we've been told repeatedly, school is out next week and then..... boom!
Every town had its church and cemetery. Some cemeteries had the amzing views of the bay or mountains, or river. One in particular was set literally on the edge of cliff. We were wondering if had always been so close and if they'd ever lost anybody(ies).
We found a haven this evening at Pirate's Haven, a campground for everyone but more specifically for ATV enthusiasts, with a pirate theme. Andrew got a hearty handshake and Cheryl got a hug! They were working on a new addition (a 40 foot crow's nest to look out over everything (river, bay, trees) including a new pool! There were many RVs already parked here, but most leave them here. They have porches, lights, etc. as this is their ideal home away from home. There are ATV trails and apparently great fishing in the river (as someone stated in their online review). We head out early to catch our ferry. ....
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
June 20, 2018
It is now raining but I am sitting under our canopy and all is good for now! We just got back from a walk overlooking a small harbor to watch the sunset. We didn't get to see the entire sunset as there were some hills in the way but it was way beyond gorgeous anyway!
Our day started at 4 AM. We checked out and headed east so we could watch the sun rise over the most eastern part of North America, Cape Spear lighthouse! There are actually two lighthouses here, one is the original one of a tower with a house built around it 1886 and the newer one built just a bit down the rocks built in 1957. This lighthouse along with the Fort Amherst one guided ships into St. John's harbor, and also served as a defense during war and potential war. This one still has some bunkers and other remnants of its being buffered during World War II. The sun rose at 5:03 so we were too early to tour the original lighthouse. We did tour around the grounds before heading out. Prince Charles and Princess Diana actually visited St. John's in 1983 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of becoming a British Colony and officially open Cape Spear as a historical site! There were red chairs here! So we sat in them. :)
It was pleasant driving the TCH without horrendous windgusts and hydroplaning and we could see and avoid most potholes!! It was actually quite foggy to start but eventually burned off. The mountains covered with trees, the clear lakes reflecting house, boats, clouds, or nature were picture-perfect! We passed our first Walmart and also more poles with rocks boxed up at their bases. It is hit and miss on that, no pattern that we can see thus far.
We arrived in Twillingate for our boating adventure with a little time to spare. They had a charming gift shop featuring local crafts people and some things not locally but interesting just the same. It was nice to browse and buy a few things.
Our boat departed with the captain, his daughter home from colleges to take pictures, a 1st mate, and a family of four, of which one of the young ones was decorated by a gull straight way so both opted to stay inside the cabin for a bit, and 9 more of us. It was such a beautiful day to be out on the ocean. He said it was almost too calm!! Once we were out a bit a sure-sighted guest spotted something white and it was an ice berg! This area's waters see ice bergs as they are pushed here via the Labrador current. They actually start in Greenland and get taken north first by the Arctic current and then get grabbed by the Labrador one. It takes 3-5 years (!) for them to reach this island!! The dates may be wrong but close but he said that 2010-2013 saw a bunch, and 2014-2017 saw none. This year it is hit and miss. The one we got close to was about 7 miles from their dock and about the size of a double-wide home? That is a weird comparison but it was hard to come up with something! Only about 8% of it was visible and it groaned and whooshed. He said they actually melt mostly from the bottom, and water erosion and only really minimally from sun melting. He said this would most likely be completely gone in another week and when they first spotted it three weeks ago it was about 3 times bigger! We spotted another white shape on the horizon and the captain's daughter said that was substantially bigger and about 25 miles from their dock (so we weren't heading that way at all). We didn't see a single whale (He said they hadn't seen any all week), even though the weeks prior they had seen quite a few. We also didn't see many birds (we did see gulls, some razorbill puffins, and some other black ones but not overly many) or seals (we did see 3 harp seals) , which he said was unusual. He made a comment to his 1st mate that he noticed bird commotion on the other side of the harbor so he wondered if that is where the action was. Even with no animal sightings, it was a wonderful trip. Oceans are so relaxing and it was a small boat with few people and a knowledgeable captain and crew so all was good! Cheryl thinks MAYBE she saw a spot. It was very small and over quickly and neither her nor Andrew saw another. Minke whales don't have big spouts and don't do the fluke tail thing so she thinks she had a whale sighting, just not verified!
We found a campground called Peyton's Campground and got a really nice spot. Electric and water as a bonus, toilets not too far away, and a shade with a view of the harbor and ocean. It isn't right on it, but the view is great regardless. The lady that checked us in said there was a whale playing earlier in the harbor and she's seen them about three times in the last three weeks. There are noisy neighbors up the hill that aren't part of the campground and a mystery camper.
Yes, a mystery camper. We were heading out to get some food stuffs for supper and to check out the lighthouse here on the points when we stopped by the office to let her know that we have a small "brook" that runs off to the side of our spot. It looks like it runs under the camper next door and we wanted to let her know that the camper may have a water leak while they were out for the day. It turns out the camper has been out since last October!! What?? Interesting. She said someone else was working that day and he was new. The guy backed it in and said he'd be back and he never returned. I didn't understand if he was here to start for a day or so or not but I got the feeling he wasn't. I probably would have called the police or something after not getting paid for having a camper taking of space but she hadn't yet. We joked about possession is 9/10 of the law and she could probably get someone to break in to see if there is any identifiers in it or ??? It is a nice looking camper! We talked about that it doesn't really look like it's been setting out all winter, as winters here can be pretty harsh, but what do we know!
We found a grocery store (it looked like a butler building!) and bought some spaghetti fixins' and some milk and blueberries for breakfast as we still have cereal. We discovered many of the commercial buildings look like butler buildings, minimal impact and few windows and hard to find signage!!
We drove over to the lighthouse and this was painted almost all red with a white topper, and had a long covered walkway leading to a building. This lighthouse was completed in 1876, stands about 300 feet above the ocean, and features an amazing panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. OMG! The ocean was still calm and blue and the gulls were out swirling and swirling. It looked so neat! We walked down to one of the three observation platforms and heard someone talk about whales. What?? Whales? Yes, we saw whales. There was one in a smaller cove to our left, and two out just a bit from the cliffs. We think they were minke whales as the spots were not tall at all and they weren't showing off by rolling over or showing their flukes. Just their back fin popped up out of the water along with some of their smooth black backs. Oh, my. Whales are such neat mammals.
We headed back to camp and fixed our spaghetti, cleaned up the dishes, took our walk and are now ready to call it a night.
Our day started at 4 AM. We checked out and headed east so we could watch the sun rise over the most eastern part of North America, Cape Spear lighthouse! There are actually two lighthouses here, one is the original one of a tower with a house built around it 1886 and the newer one built just a bit down the rocks built in 1957. This lighthouse along with the Fort Amherst one guided ships into St. John's harbor, and also served as a defense during war and potential war. This one still has some bunkers and other remnants of its being buffered during World War II. The sun rose at 5:03 so we were too early to tour the original lighthouse. We did tour around the grounds before heading out. Prince Charles and Princess Diana actually visited St. John's in 1983 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of becoming a British Colony and officially open Cape Spear as a historical site! There were red chairs here! So we sat in them. :)
It was pleasant driving the TCH without horrendous windgusts and hydroplaning and we could see and avoid most potholes!! It was actually quite foggy to start but eventually burned off. The mountains covered with trees, the clear lakes reflecting house, boats, clouds, or nature were picture-perfect! We passed our first Walmart and also more poles with rocks boxed up at their bases. It is hit and miss on that, no pattern that we can see thus far.
We arrived in Twillingate for our boating adventure with a little time to spare. They had a charming gift shop featuring local crafts people and some things not locally but interesting just the same. It was nice to browse and buy a few things.
Our boat departed with the captain, his daughter home from colleges to take pictures, a 1st mate, and a family of four, of which one of the young ones was decorated by a gull straight way so both opted to stay inside the cabin for a bit, and 9 more of us. It was such a beautiful day to be out on the ocean. He said it was almost too calm!! Once we were out a bit a sure-sighted guest spotted something white and it was an ice berg! This area's waters see ice bergs as they are pushed here via the Labrador current. They actually start in Greenland and get taken north first by the Arctic current and then get grabbed by the Labrador one. It takes 3-5 years (!) for them to reach this island!! The dates may be wrong but close but he said that 2010-2013 saw a bunch, and 2014-2017 saw none. This year it is hit and miss. The one we got close to was about 7 miles from their dock and about the size of a double-wide home? That is a weird comparison but it was hard to come up with something! Only about 8% of it was visible and it groaned and whooshed. He said they actually melt mostly from the bottom, and water erosion and only really minimally from sun melting. He said this would most likely be completely gone in another week and when they first spotted it three weeks ago it was about 3 times bigger! We spotted another white shape on the horizon and the captain's daughter said that was substantially bigger and about 25 miles from their dock (so we weren't heading that way at all). We didn't see a single whale (He said they hadn't seen any all week), even though the weeks prior they had seen quite a few. We also didn't see many birds (we did see gulls, some razorbill puffins, and some other black ones but not overly many) or seals (we did see 3 harp seals) , which he said was unusual. He made a comment to his 1st mate that he noticed bird commotion on the other side of the harbor so he wondered if that is where the action was. Even with no animal sightings, it was a wonderful trip. Oceans are so relaxing and it was a small boat with few people and a knowledgeable captain and crew so all was good! Cheryl thinks MAYBE she saw a spot. It was very small and over quickly and neither her nor Andrew saw another. Minke whales don't have big spouts and don't do the fluke tail thing so she thinks she had a whale sighting, just not verified!
We found a campground called Peyton's Campground and got a really nice spot. Electric and water as a bonus, toilets not too far away, and a shade with a view of the harbor and ocean. It isn't right on it, but the view is great regardless. The lady that checked us in said there was a whale playing earlier in the harbor and she's seen them about three times in the last three weeks. There are noisy neighbors up the hill that aren't part of the campground and a mystery camper.
Yes, a mystery camper. We were heading out to get some food stuffs for supper and to check out the lighthouse here on the points when we stopped by the office to let her know that we have a small "brook" that runs off to the side of our spot. It looks like it runs under the camper next door and we wanted to let her know that the camper may have a water leak while they were out for the day. It turns out the camper has been out since last October!! What?? Interesting. She said someone else was working that day and he was new. The guy backed it in and said he'd be back and he never returned. I didn't understand if he was here to start for a day or so or not but I got the feeling he wasn't. I probably would have called the police or something after not getting paid for having a camper taking of space but she hadn't yet. We joked about possession is 9/10 of the law and she could probably get someone to break in to see if there is any identifiers in it or ??? It is a nice looking camper! We talked about that it doesn't really look like it's been setting out all winter, as winters here can be pretty harsh, but what do we know!
We found a grocery store (it looked like a butler building!) and bought some spaghetti fixins' and some milk and blueberries for breakfast as we still have cereal. We discovered many of the commercial buildings look like butler buildings, minimal impact and few windows and hard to find signage!!
We drove over to the lighthouse and this was painted almost all red with a white topper, and had a long covered walkway leading to a building. This lighthouse was completed in 1876, stands about 300 feet above the ocean, and features an amazing panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean. OMG! The ocean was still calm and blue and the gulls were out swirling and swirling. It looked so neat! We walked down to one of the three observation platforms and heard someone talk about whales. What?? Whales? Yes, we saw whales. There was one in a smaller cove to our left, and two out just a bit from the cliffs. We think they were minke whales as the spots were not tall at all and they weren't showing off by rolling over or showing their flukes. Just their back fin popped up out of the water along with some of their smooth black backs. Oh, my. Whales are such neat mammals.
We headed back to camp and fixed our spaghetti, cleaned up the dishes, took our walk and are now ready to call it a night.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
June 19, 2018
We woke up very early. We wanted to go all the way to St. John's today and then work our way back to the ferry. It was about 6 1/2 hours of driving, all in the rain! The rain just kept coming, varying between heavy spitting to all out downpours. The Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) is the only main road, so the road is "worn" somewhat and water sets. Random hydroplaning and wind gusts only added to the adventure!! The vehicles in the other lane would hit their spots and SPLASH into us! They had signs warning of pot holes and some of those were doozies!!
The scenery was gorgeous if not consistent! LOTS of trees! Canada is a major player in the timber and paper market so it makes sense. Few houses and a few cities. Newfoundland and Labrador together are one province and about 526,000 people live here, most in Newfoundland proper. Rock-ish roads would appear but no destination obvious. School buses would appear and we wondered where they were going as it was pretty isolated! There are many campgrounds for RVs, perhaps tents too but we think perhaps people set them up for weekend destinations. The "season" here for tourism starts July 1 so we are a little early.
We did see one moose, shortly after we started driving. We both wondered how this island would have a native population of moose. Perhaps swim across a narrow part?? But it turns out they really haven't been here that long, only a few decades!! And we assume (but don't know yet) that they didn't realize how they'd take over!! They are a nuisance, not only for traffic problems including death for those that hit them as they tend to roll over onto cars, but truly decimating the forests! We saw lots of signs but only one moose.
We both took turns driving today and catnapping while the other was driving. The wind and rain made for a sleepy ride. We need to research but some of their electric poles also have boxes of rocks around their bases. Not all of them, but just some. We don't know if it has to do with the freeze line, or wind patterns, or moose?
We arrived in St. John's amidst even stronger rain. It is a very colorful city, with colorfully painted houses along the harbor and up the hillsides, and colorfully ships of all sorts in the harbor. It reminded us just a bit of San Francisco.
Greenland glaciers produce up to 40,000 ice bergs each year!! About 370 on average will reach the waters of St. John's, even though most remain offshore. In 1983/84, 2,200 ice bergs reached the waters off St. John's!
We aimed for Cabot Hill and it was even windier, rainier (and slightly sleety) up there! It was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's North American landfall. Because of her location on the eastern edge of North America, St. John's had been part of the wars in the 1600s and 1700s among other wars up to and including the World Wars. Cabot Hill is also referred to as Signal Hill as this hill was also the site chosen by Marconi and his assistant to test his transatlantic radio signal. With a telephone receiver and a wire antenna kept aloft by a kite, they heard Morse code for the letter "S" transmitted from Cornwall.
We noticed a lighthouse and, of course, had to check it out. We drove around and around and found the lighthouse of Fort Amherst. We had to park down a street as the lighthouse was located at the end of a dead end road, and the houses were all privately owned. It was amazing to see how prolific the dandelions were growing!! :) They were everywhere! It was also neat to see how the houses just utilized the existing rocks as part of their building process. Anyway, the rain had quit for just a little bit making the walk up the hill bearable! The fort was completed in 1777 and used up to the World Wars, being added to as needed. There really isn't much left here, and nothing reminiscent of the 1800s original fort. The lighthouse that is here was built in the early 1950s and is the third one with the first being built built around 1813. It was built by the British inside the fort built to defend their claim to Newfoundland and its rich fishing grounds.
We are staying this evening at another Holiday Inn (gotta love those points!!) and the GPS just loves to give us tours of all the residential areas when she can! We veered this way and that until we arrived literally driving through every neighborhood, or it seemed like it. This hotel is also a convention center so very busy!! It did have a laundry that wasn't busy (yeah!) and the laundry we couldn't do last night can be done this evening. We plan on driving downtown to check out some historically significant churches and eat at a local brewpub yet this eve...
John-Paul sent us some data... we are about as far away from home as it is to San Francisco the other way... and going the other way...we are also about same distance from here to Ireland as we are from home...
Tomorrow at Cape Spear lighthouse, we will be the first one to watch the sun rise in all of North America... (5:01 here = 3:31 back home in Indiana)
We have now driven over 4,000 miles since leaving home... and it would be 2,230 (43 hours) if we went "straight back" from here per google... but, we are not done yet...
We did venture out and drove to a microbrewery called Quidi Vidi Brewing Company which is located in former fish plant! Andrew had the flight of several "tastes" and proclaimed them good - made from only barley, hops, yeast and water...from icebergs. Being a former fish factory, it was situated directly on the waterfront and we were wondering about some of the picnic table seating on the deck. The one side was literally on the edge! If you'd fall back, you'd fall in!
We drove to George Street, apparently a busy street much like Beale Street or Bourbon Street. It was empty! We heard music and like the pied piper followed it into an Irish Pub. There were many people in there - open mic night!! So most likely the other places were busy too even though it is said it really really gets going about midnight and people are still out and about at 6 AM!! We had split pea soup (which was quite tasty on a cold day like today) and we split some panko fried fish as recommended by our bartender/waitress. It was outstanding.
Cheryl struck up a conversation with a lovely lady sitting next to her. We believe Cheryl was an escape as a loudly-talking man--can't really say gentleman-- sort of cornered this lady and kept edging closer and closer to her and even grabbed her arm at one point to "make a point!" He insisted on buying her a drink and she declined, and scooted her chair closer to us and started to chat. The man left his beer and walked off--hopefully he didn't return after we left! This lady was very nice, widowed about two years and it sounds like she was trying to figure out how to go to a bar by herself (That is what is sounded like she said.). She worked for the government and retired two years ago; her and her husband loved to travel, including to Indiana for the Indianapolis 500!! They also did the Cleveland 500 and the Michigan 500 as well as followed Formula racing! She sounded like she would be a nice person to get to know better. Andrew drank a beer and listened to the music.
We walked towards the Jellybean row, which is a row of colorfully painted shops and galleries. Most of the houses were colorful and well-maintained! We walked around the block to the St. John the Baptist Anglican Church that took up an entire block! It was founded in 1699 as a parish church and the consecrated as a Cathedral in 1850 and is the oldest Anglican church in all of Canada. It is an active parish which offers 5 services on Sundays!
Four o'clock will be here before we know it. Nighty night all!
The time difference is unusual here: we are 1 1/2 hours ahead of home. Yes, 1 and 1/2 hours. It caused some strife yesterday as my phone caught the time change but my watch did not as I hadn't synced it yet. When I went down to do the laundry the desk clerk said it wouldn't be done was it was already past 10, and my clock said only a little past 9:30. Strange.
Another interesting thing. :) Andrew has voices inside of his head. Yes, he really does. His new hearing aids are amazing!! He can adjust them and can really hear well. They are also bluetooth capable and are synced to his phone. So sometimes I will hear the voice of the GPS emitting from his ears. To be honest, it freaked me out the first time I heard it. He literally can listen to music, phone calls, and the GPS directly in his ears. --- (note from Andrew... and I can adjust real world volume left-right up/down, plus bass, mid-range,treble adjustment -- built in equalizer ... even turn it all off and tune out completely if needed....)
The scenery was gorgeous if not consistent! LOTS of trees! Canada is a major player in the timber and paper market so it makes sense. Few houses and a few cities. Newfoundland and Labrador together are one province and about 526,000 people live here, most in Newfoundland proper. Rock-ish roads would appear but no destination obvious. School buses would appear and we wondered where they were going as it was pretty isolated! There are many campgrounds for RVs, perhaps tents too but we think perhaps people set them up for weekend destinations. The "season" here for tourism starts July 1 so we are a little early.
We did see one moose, shortly after we started driving. We both wondered how this island would have a native population of moose. Perhaps swim across a narrow part?? But it turns out they really haven't been here that long, only a few decades!! And we assume (but don't know yet) that they didn't realize how they'd take over!! They are a nuisance, not only for traffic problems including death for those that hit them as they tend to roll over onto cars, but truly decimating the forests! We saw lots of signs but only one moose.
We both took turns driving today and catnapping while the other was driving. The wind and rain made for a sleepy ride. We need to research but some of their electric poles also have boxes of rocks around their bases. Not all of them, but just some. We don't know if it has to do with the freeze line, or wind patterns, or moose?
We arrived in St. John's amidst even stronger rain. It is a very colorful city, with colorfully painted houses along the harbor and up the hillsides, and colorfully ships of all sorts in the harbor. It reminded us just a bit of San Francisco.
Greenland glaciers produce up to 40,000 ice bergs each year!! About 370 on average will reach the waters of St. John's, even though most remain offshore. In 1983/84, 2,200 ice bergs reached the waters off St. John's!
We aimed for Cabot Hill and it was even windier, rainier (and slightly sleety) up there! It was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's North American landfall. Because of her location on the eastern edge of North America, St. John's had been part of the wars in the 1600s and 1700s among other wars up to and including the World Wars. Cabot Hill is also referred to as Signal Hill as this hill was also the site chosen by Marconi and his assistant to test his transatlantic radio signal. With a telephone receiver and a wire antenna kept aloft by a kite, they heard Morse code for the letter "S" transmitted from Cornwall.
We noticed a lighthouse and, of course, had to check it out. We drove around and around and found the lighthouse of Fort Amherst. We had to park down a street as the lighthouse was located at the end of a dead end road, and the houses were all privately owned. It was amazing to see how prolific the dandelions were growing!! :) They were everywhere! It was also neat to see how the houses just utilized the existing rocks as part of their building process. Anyway, the rain had quit for just a little bit making the walk up the hill bearable! The fort was completed in 1777 and used up to the World Wars, being added to as needed. There really isn't much left here, and nothing reminiscent of the 1800s original fort. The lighthouse that is here was built in the early 1950s and is the third one with the first being built built around 1813. It was built by the British inside the fort built to defend their claim to Newfoundland and its rich fishing grounds.
We are staying this evening at another Holiday Inn (gotta love those points!!) and the GPS just loves to give us tours of all the residential areas when she can! We veered this way and that until we arrived literally driving through every neighborhood, or it seemed like it. This hotel is also a convention center so very busy!! It did have a laundry that wasn't busy (yeah!) and the laundry we couldn't do last night can be done this evening. We plan on driving downtown to check out some historically significant churches and eat at a local brewpub yet this eve...
John-Paul sent us some data... we are about as far away from home as it is to San Francisco the other way... and going the other way...we are also about same distance from here to Ireland as we are from home...
Tomorrow at Cape Spear lighthouse, we will be the first one to watch the sun rise in all of North America... (5:01 here = 3:31 back home in Indiana)
We have now driven over 4,000 miles since leaving home... and it would be 2,230 (43 hours) if we went "straight back" from here per google... but, we are not done yet...
We did venture out and drove to a microbrewery called Quidi Vidi Brewing Company which is located in former fish plant! Andrew had the flight of several "tastes" and proclaimed them good - made from only barley, hops, yeast and water...from icebergs. Being a former fish factory, it was situated directly on the waterfront and we were wondering about some of the picnic table seating on the deck. The one side was literally on the edge! If you'd fall back, you'd fall in!
We drove to George Street, apparently a busy street much like Beale Street or Bourbon Street. It was empty! We heard music and like the pied piper followed it into an Irish Pub. There were many people in there - open mic night!! So most likely the other places were busy too even though it is said it really really gets going about midnight and people are still out and about at 6 AM!! We had split pea soup (which was quite tasty on a cold day like today) and we split some panko fried fish as recommended by our bartender/waitress. It was outstanding.
Cheryl struck up a conversation with a lovely lady sitting next to her. We believe Cheryl was an escape as a loudly-talking man--can't really say gentleman-- sort of cornered this lady and kept edging closer and closer to her and even grabbed her arm at one point to "make a point!" He insisted on buying her a drink and she declined, and scooted her chair closer to us and started to chat. The man left his beer and walked off--hopefully he didn't return after we left! This lady was very nice, widowed about two years and it sounds like she was trying to figure out how to go to a bar by herself (That is what is sounded like she said.). She worked for the government and retired two years ago; her and her husband loved to travel, including to Indiana for the Indianapolis 500!! They also did the Cleveland 500 and the Michigan 500 as well as followed Formula racing! She sounded like she would be a nice person to get to know better. Andrew drank a beer and listened to the music.
We walked towards the Jellybean row, which is a row of colorfully painted shops and galleries. Most of the houses were colorful and well-maintained! We walked around the block to the St. John the Baptist Anglican Church that took up an entire block! It was founded in 1699 as a parish church and the consecrated as a Cathedral in 1850 and is the oldest Anglican church in all of Canada. It is an active parish which offers 5 services on Sundays!
Four o'clock will be here before we know it. Nighty night all!
The time difference is unusual here: we are 1 1/2 hours ahead of home. Yes, 1 and 1/2 hours. It caused some strife yesterday as my phone caught the time change but my watch did not as I hadn't synced it yet. When I went down to do the laundry the desk clerk said it wouldn't be done was it was already past 10, and my clock said only a little past 9:30. Strange.
Another interesting thing. :) Andrew has voices inside of his head. Yes, he really does. His new hearing aids are amazing!! He can adjust them and can really hear well. They are also bluetooth capable and are synced to his phone. So sometimes I will hear the voice of the GPS emitting from his ears. To be honest, it freaked me out the first time I heard it. He literally can listen to music, phone calls, and the GPS directly in his ears. --- (note from Andrew... and I can adjust real world volume left-right up/down, plus bass, mid-range,treble adjustment -- built in equalizer ... even turn it all off and tune out completely if needed....)
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