3 weeks R&R

Hi, for those of you who have been giving me a hard time about not posting in my blog, even though you have been seeing me face to face and know what I have been doing  (you know who you are); here goes.  We spent 3 nights in New Brunswick after leaving Nova Scotia.  And even though we met some fabulous people and saw some interesting sites, , we were getting weary of travelling, weary of the weather and weary of disgusting bathrooms and mediocre campgrounds so we made the decision to push through to Welland and spend some time with family. We arrived in Welland, Thursday, Sept 5th and spent 3 weeks at Gerry's mother.  We arrived in time to celebrate her 90th birthday so Gerry saw lots of family and friends he hadn't seen for years.  I'm not sure how many people were at the house but it was packed.  After the party we just visited with family, on both sides,  and friends,  one on one and that was nice, but time just flew by.  We were able to help Gerry's Mom get settled in an assisted living apartment as well.  The day before we were supposed to leave I.e. yesterday,  we went to drive the van to say our goodbyes and it wouldn't start.  A friend came over and gave Gerry a boost and we ran the van.  That night we slept in the van as we wanted to wash the sheets in Gerry's Mom's place and get an early start.  The alarm to warn us the battery was low would go off every 2 hours or so. (It is not a noise you can ignore) so Gerry would have to get up and start the van and run it for a few minutes.  Needless to say,  neither of us slept well. We got up today and after breakfast with Gerry's family, we took it to a  service centre and got a new battery.  So, we got a later start than anticipated and only made it to Toledo. The guy at the border was a total jerk - clearly loves his job. Ralph, we stopped at the second stop sign, and waited for him to wave us forward and he just stated at us, so Gerry finally went forward.  We are camped at a KOA, sipping wine and deciding what to do about dinner. Wine is much cheaper here.  In Canada a 4 litre box costs around $45. Here is was only $14 for 5 litres. So I asked the girl if what we had bought was a good brand or gut rot.  She just laughed and said it was a popular brand.  So far I don't mind it.
I hope everybody is happy now.

Nova Scotia - where will we sleep tonight?

We landed in Nova Scotia with van troubles on our mind.  But God is good.  We made an appointment with the mechanic who had changed our oil and rotated our tires a month ago.  We found him quite by accident but felt good about him.  This feeling was confirmed when he fixed our van, and changed our oil for $300 in 2 hours.  So we were on the road again.  Can't say I am in love with Nova Scotia. Loved Cape Breton but the South and Eastern coasts not so much.  But reading back over this, Gerry reminded me that we have done some nice little hikes along this coast.  Along one, we saw several sea caves, some we could actually go right in to.  Another was along the coast, and it started off foggy, but cleared and we saw seals and birds and beautiful beaches.  So I guess it was worth while to see it.   But we are also  having so much trouble getting campgrounds. After leaving the ferry we took the southern route, heading for Halifax. The road was rough, and windy and not very scenic.  The speed limit was 80 but Gerry rarely got the van over 60.  I kept looking for a road to take us back up to highway 1, but once we were on this road it seems we were committed.  Then suddenly the road ended and there was this little ferry we had to take. The ferryman was really friendly and since we were the only ones on the boat he talked to us for the ride over.  He assured us the road would get better about 10 km's up the road.  And it did.  But he made us feel  better about things, and he was just laughing about everything  we had been experiencing (I guess we were ranting a bit); definitely changed our attitudes for the better. We stopped just outside of Haliax as there were some biking trails that we wanted to do.   I had phoned ahead about a campsite and they had none, but she thought there might be a cancellation so if we came through we could stop and probably camp for the night.  And that worked out so we had a site for Friday night. But for the next night, Saturday, there was nothing.   Phoned to Halifax to see if I could get something for Saturday and Sunday and I could for Sunday , but not Saturday.  So I went back to the office and asked if we could go on a wait list.  Sure enough we were able to get a spot for Saturday at the same campground, but had to move spots.  We did a nice little bike and walking hike the next day. It was an old railway line. It felt good to be on our bikes again.  But the little hike we took where we parked our bikes turned put to be a bit more strenuous than we thought.  We hiked for 2 hours and it was tough. I fell, right when we met this really cute guy on the trail and then he was kind of suggesting this trail wasn't for me as it got more technical a little farther up.  How embarassing, plus I got 2 huge bruises on my hip and knee. But yes, we continued the hike and I did not fall again.  We enjoyed Halifax, but did it in one day. We started with a bus tour to get a feel for the city and then returned to some of the spots that really interested us. Plus I got my first Starbucks coffee since Quebec City.  I  tell you, if you have money to invest, buy Tim  Horton's stock.  It is huge in Canada, and busy everywhere we go.  Our next stop was KejimKujik National park where we spent 2 days hiking and biking.  It is a beautiful spot in central Nova Scotia, but it is fairly flat and so you don't get the views.  Most of the hikes we did were along rivers and through forests.  Peaceful. But not that exciting.  We had booked our ferry from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick for Saturday morning, after calculating what we wanted to see and estimating the time line.  It was the long weekend and we started on Monday trying to find campsites for Thursday and Friday night without success.  We were just debating whether to change our ferry and I phoned one last campground that I hadn't been able to contact.  They had a spot we could have for Thursday but not Friday.  Apparantly there is a big motorcycle rally in Digby every Labor Day long weekend. When I explained we were travelling and couldn't plan ahead that far and needed to catch the ferry Saturday she said that if nothing became free, through cancellations, we could dry camp in their parking lot for Friday night.  We did manage to get a nice spot for both nights so it all worked out.  All in all the campgrounds in Nova Scotia haven't been too bad.  Maybe that is why so many people camp here.  I am having trouble with my wine glass though. It doesn't want to stay in my armrest and keeps spilling all over me and my chair.  We have our own designated chairs as mine is wine stained now and Gerry doesn't want anything to do with it (plus he wants to protect his chair). It's a good thing I drink white wine and not red! I also have anew favourite drink;  Bailey's with Maple syrup. We could only find it in Quebec and Nova Scotia, so I bought 2 bottles on our last day in NS.  It is so nice to sip while sitting around the fire.  We enjoyed exploring the Digby neck, which is a thin Pennisula, about 60 km long, with 2 islands, that you take little ferries  to.  We hiked and enjoyed the views of the Bay of Fundy.  Did one little hike with 233 stairs up and down!  Can't forget those stairs! We are now on the ferry headed for New Brunswick so I will post this and say good bye to Nova Scotia.



ferry to New Brunswick.  But it is rainy and miserable out and the forecast for the next few days does not look promising,  so I am curbing my enthusiasm for now.

Good bye Newfoundland

After a week we finally left Gros Morne.  This is definitely a place we would like to return to.  We headed straight for a big centre.  For almost 3 weeks we have not been in a big city-centre and have had to shop at little grocery stores or co-ops where we paid $4.00 for a loaf of bread and $4.00 for a dozen eggs. Vegetables are also expensive so have been eating more canned vegetables and spaghetti type foods.  It was great to shop at a Dominion's (President's Choice equivalent) and stock up on all the things that had run low.  We spent over $170. But our cupboards are full again!  We were in Corner Brook and had planned to camp there and do some exploring.  There were caves there that looked interesting.  So after shopping and then going out for lunch we headed to our campsite.  It was a Kinsmen park and the write up sounded nice.  It had laundry and after the last few rainy hikes I needed to do some laundry.  We got to the campground and were assigned our site.  In a field, in a row of trailers.  It claimed to have wooded sites but they were for full hookups and they were all full.  It was the most disgusting campsite yet.  The garbage in our site was full, rotting and smelly.  In the site beside us, the garbage  had been dumped out and was spread everywhere and the crows were feeding on it.  I wanted to leave, but Gerry suggested we go sight seeing and then just come back to sleep.  So I agreed but we decided to check out the laundry and washrooms on the way out.  Then I lost it.  Garbage cans overflowing and filthy bathroom and laundry.  I would not use it, even with my new lowered standards. So I told  Gerry I could not stay there.  I went back to the office and although they had a no refund policy, I got my money back. We moved further south to the site we had picked out for the next night.  It was a lovely provincial campsite, and our site was right by the water.  We booked in for 2 nights. Unfortunately,  it was very windy there.  We put the kitchen tent up to dry, thinking the wind would dry it quickly and went off to shower.  When we got back the tent was literally twisted inside out.  One of the poles was totally broken from the twisting.  So maybe not such a good idea.  The next day, we hiked a mountain to a beautiful view point.   I have to say Newfoundland spends a lot of money on their trails. We have hiked miles and miles of boardwalks and climbed stairs in the middle of nowhere.  This hike was about 300 metres up and there were 814 stairs (I counted on the way down),  as well as just normal path leading up. I kept thinking about the people who built these stairs and how far they had to carry the wood to do it. I was very impressed. In the afternoon we went for a drive along the coast. It was very rugged and beautiful.  We met  a local who encouraged us to head to the point of the Pennisula.  Which we did.  It was further than we had planned to go, but so worth it. You'll just have to see the pictures when we get back.  On the way back it was late, and dark and rainy making for a long, tiring day.  Our last day in Newfoundland was  a bit of a drag. As we were driving to Port aux Basques the check engine light on the van came on.  We consulted the manual and decided we could drive it if Gerry took it easy.  We headed straight for a garage I had contacted when we reached Port aux Basques. We got there at 11:30.  The mechanic  thought he could squeeze us in between 12:30 and 1:30. He finally looked at the van at 4:00.  What did we do all that time? We sat in the van waiting. So it wasn't a great day.  But he deemed the van was ok to drive. ( I was driving it anyway  - no way I was missing our ferry). But he suggested we get it checked out as soon as we got to Nova Scotia.  The next day we caught the ferry.  It was a good ride back.  It took 7 hours and cost $250. We  were sad to leave Newfoundland.  We loved the coastal scenery, the hiking and the people.  We did not love the rain, wind and fog which I think are pretty common in Newfoundland.  But now we are looking forward to new adventures in Nova Scotia.  Here we go....

The never ending saga of Newfoundland

We were in Twillingate and we decided to check the weather and if it was nice, stay one more night at Dildo Run Provincial park, and if not push on.  The forecast was calling for thunder showers later in the day so we did a couple of shorter hikes.  We did get rained on, with thunder and lightning on our last hike. Clearly, it was time to push on to Grand Falls - Windsor and take a B&B.  We are tired of camping in the rain. On a sad note we found out that a friend, Vic Alaric passed away.  He was a great man, father and had a wonderful faith.  He will be missed by many, but we know he is resting in God's arms now.  At this point we had decided that we wanted to go to Labrador, so we headed north, through Gros Morne.  We spent one night there and did a couple of hikes, one to a beautiful waterfall, and then moved on.  We went to the northern tip of Newfoundland, to a place called St Anthony's.  There we visited a Viking village that was used over 1,000 years ago.  It was quite interesting and well done.  Then we did a couple of smaller hikes.  In one we climbed 476 stairs to a look out.  From there we saw our third iceberg.  It was the biggest one yet.  So when we got down we went to a boat tour company to ask if we would see the iceberg if we took their tour. The answer, sadly, was no. It was too far away. We got up the next morning to pouring rain and high winds and headed to the ferry terminal for Labrador.  Along the way we stopped at Flower's cove and hiked 1/2 km to see some Thrombolites, which are living organisms created 65 billion to 350 million years ago.  They can only be seen in Flowers Cove Newfoundland and Western Australia. So even though we got soaking wet, even with rain gear, it was worth it.  We got to our campground, by the terminal and I just abut cried.  It was a field, surrounded by a chain link fence and the units were lined up , like a sales lot for trailers.  The only thing going for it was that it had a rec building and the bathrooms were very clean.  So we spent the rest of the day in the rec hall, reading, working the Internet and watching a bit of TV.  The next morning our ferry was scheduled to depart at 10:30.  We arrived by 9:00 and were at the front of the line( surprise, surprise),  We were watching the flags and the waves and I said to Gerry I'm not sure I want to sail in that.  The wind was so strong there were whitecaps on the water and the seagulls trying to fly into the wind were either standing still or flying backwards.  That was kind of funny to watch.  Sure enough when it came time to sail, they announced that the sailing time would be delayed, and in 2 hours, they would make a decision.  This continued all day until they decided to cancel the sailing at 7:30 pm. So we spent another day in the van.  Made lunch and supper in there. We played a lot of crib, but that wasn't much fun because Gerry had a lucky streak on and kept beating me, and laughing about it to boot! While I got a refund for the ferry, Gerry went back to Stalag 13, as I called the campground, and paid for another night..  We could have tried for Labrador the next day, but it was still quite windy and it was such a gong show, with all the people trying to cross, we decided to pass on Labrador and return to Gros Morne.
Gros Morne is the most beautiful part of the western coast.  We spent a week there hiking and sightseeing. One  hike of note is Gros Morne Mountain.  It is 16 km hike and you climb 800 metres.  It was supposed to be nice that day, but less than 1/2 hour into the hike it started to rain.  We pushed on though and the rain came and went all day, as well as the fog.  It was a tough hike, took us 7 hours and I won't lie to you, there were a  few tears on the way down.  (By me, not Gerry) But as I always tell my kids -what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  They never believe me and when I was hiking I thought it was a load of crap as well. But  now,  I'm glad I did it. Another interesting, easy hike was  the Tablelands hike.  We had a GPS, supplied by the park, and it gave us information while we hiked. The Tablelands formed when the continental plates overlapped because of extreme pressure, millions of years ago. When the plates that were overlapped, fell back into place it left a mantle that originated in Africa. That's why the rock is so different than the surrounding rock. Our last hike in Gros Morne was to an area called the Green Gardens.  It was a 13 km hike and followed the coastline for part of the time.  We were hiking to the second camp, but we were walking along the side of a steep mountain with a narrow path.  I became increasingly uncomfortable, so I turned around and Gerry went to the next point.  While I was waiting for Gerry at the first camp the clouds became increasingly dark and it started thundering and lightning .  Sure enough we got rained on really hard on the way back.  But there was nothing to do but keep on hiking.  Me, in my raincoat, and Gerry in his garbage bag.  (Editor's note: Gerry has since allowed me to buy him a $29 rain jacket. He was advocating buying 20 extra large hefty garbage bags for $10). We did several other hikes, in between the rain, trying to make the best of it, but everything in the camper feels wet, and we have mold growing on the bottom of our
ttablecloth.  We are almost finished with Newfoundland, so stay tuned.

Icebergs, puffins cont'd

Our first Pennisula after, St John's, was the Baccalieu.  I had thought of skipping it but a tourist information guide assured us it was very pretty. And it was, but not spectacular .  They did have interesting names for their village like Cupids, Heart's delight, Heart's desire and Dildo. We did that in one day and then stayed at that "lovely"campground I told you about in my last blog.  Then we moved on to Bonavista Penisula.  I would say this would be one of Gerry's and my favourites in Newfoundland.  We got into a Provincial campground and started sightseeing.  Emily, the bathrooms were so clean at this campground that we stopped and thanked the custodian on the way out.  Told him how nice it was to stay there.  We did one hike called the Skerwink hike along the coast.  It was quite foggy in parts so the pictures weren't great.  But it would clear enough so that you could get a glimpse of what you were missing.  We were kind of hiking along with another couple but they turned back, fed up with the fog.  We kept on and the fog cleared and it was beautiful.  There was a lookout that was quite a steep climb to get to but so worth it when we did.   The next morning we got up and drove to Elliston,  home of the Puffins.  We got to the tourist information office, half an hour before it opened  (of course).  Once it did open we got directions to the Puffin Island.  It was pretty neat.  There are tons of these birds a stones throw from where we were standing.  They were on a separate Island and they do fly over to where the tourists are,  but they didn't the day we were there.  But they were close enough to see quite clearly.  Elliston is also the root cellar capital of the world, and quite proud of it.  As we were leaving the guide working at the Island asked us if we wanted a tour of a root cellar.  We didn't really, but she seemed so excited we said yes.  It was pretty much like we expected, but it didn't take up too much time and it made her happy.  Needless to say we did not visit the other 137 root cellars in Elliston.  From there we went to Dungeon Provincial Park where there are some very interesting rock formations.  It was beautiful, but there was no one there except for  Gerry and I.  We also visited another Lighthouse and in the distance we saw our first iceberg.  This has been  Gerry's dream but we keep getting mixed messages; you're too early, you're too late, they weren't that good this year, this was the best year right up until last week.  We don't know what to believe.  So we were quite excited to see one, even if it was quite small. From there we went to  a fisheries museum that we heard was quite interesting. When we got there we were told there would be typical Newfoundland music in half an hour.  We decided to take it in.  When we got there, there were 3 old guys up front; one on a guitar, one on an accordion and one singer/percussion.  We sat in the very back but there were only 5 of us so they made us all move up to the front.  Those of you who know us from church will know how much we LOVED that !  They had a song book and the idea was to pick out songs and everyone sing along.  Those of you who know Gerry know how much he LOVED that.  But it was too awkward to leave!  Partway through the old guy singing invited me to come up and play the sticks along with them, and of course Gerry is pushing me to do it. Being the good sport I am, I went up.  I guess I did OK because I got invited to play a second song with this broomstick with some noise makers  on it and then a tin can on top.  What could top that in one day?  The next 3 days we booked into the Terra Nova National  Campground.  It was the long weekend, but not for Newfundland.  However we have found that the campgrounds fill up quickly on weekends, so it is best to have reservations and stay in one place.  We arrived and it was hot. I really wanted to get the laundry done so I did that while Gerry went for a hike. That seemed to be the end of our nice weather.  For the next few days it pretty much rained non stop. We did manage to get one 10 km hike in, but it was pretty flat and not that scenic.  The next day was pretty much a van day.  The van is not that big when you have to spend all day in it as well as cook your meals.  But we managed. We are getting very good at moving around in the van; like an orchestrated dance at times. The day we left Terra Nova it was cool and overcast.  We are starting to think our nice days are over.  We headed to Twillingate, another beautiful Penisula in Gerry's and my opinion.  We did a 6 km hike along the coast.  Lots of up and down and foggy at points but pretty nice.  We saw our second iceberg, again far off in the distance.  Then we drove to the Auk Island winery.  This is the only winery in Newfoundland. It was very interesting.  They use grapes from Quebec and then frozen berries from the Island.  We were able to sample as much as we wanted.  We ended up buying a case and shipping it home (well to Barb & Rogers's trusting that it will still be intact when we get home).  It only cost $10.00 for shipping when you bought a case. They had interesting combinations.  We will share when we get home, I promise.  I can no longer read what I am typing so time to publish and start a new post...

Whales, icebergs and puffins!

Newfoundland is a beautiful province but getting here was a bit tortuous.  We had to book the ferry ahead of time.  It only goes 3 times a week and always at night,  so we booked our spot and we're told to be at the terminal by 3:00 , even though the ferry didn't leave until 5:00.  Typical us, we were there by 2:00 and third car in our line up. We wanted to get on the ferry early as we had not been able to secure a berth and were told there were a few reclining chairs on level 8. Loading is much like the Vancouver ferry.  They didn't start loading after 4:00 and cars got on first.  They even loaded RV's in a different line before us! Needles to say I was getting quite perturbed. We were one of the last to load!  I raced up to level 8 and secured 2 seats for Gerry and I.  It turned out we didn't really need to worry.  I would say 95% if the people get berths and there is a theatre with reclining chairs that seats hundreds.  The lounge we were in was small, about 30 seats and was only half full.  There was a TV in there where they showed movies until about 11:30 and then turned it off so it was nice and quiet and dark.  You still don't get a great sleep though .  About 2 hours into the trip our name was called and we were told we could have a berth but we decided to pass.  The trip had already cost $565 and the berth was another $200 with taxes. Gerry promised me a motel the first night we were in Newfoundland and that seemed to be a more attractive and cheaper option ( and it was).
The first day and a half was very foggy and we could see very little. We did go to a bird reserve on the southern tip of the Avalon Pennisula.  We got to the interpretive centre and decided to pass on the 1 1/2 km hike to the bird island, figuring we would not see anything.  But the guide at the interpretive centre assured us it was worth the walk.  And it was.  It was very foggy and we could hardly see each other but I could hear Gerry gagging all the way because there were sheep all over leaving their presents and it stank!  When we got to bird Island I couldn't believe all the birds !  Plus there was only one other couple there.  We tend to be early starters and get there before crowds which is nice.  Sometimes we get there before things open and that is a bit of a pain.
Because of the fog we decided to skip the rest of the coast and headed inland to Witless Bay, on the Eastern side of Newfoundland, about 50 km south of St John's.  We stayed at a Provincial park there and did a coule of hikes along the East Coast trail. The one hike we did along the coast was really nice. We started off fairly early and as we were hiking I noticed spray in the water. I asked Gerry if they were whales and they were.  It was awesome! We saw at least a dozen or so.  But wouldn't you know it - every time Gerry took his camera out to take a picture, they disappeared.  He'd put his camera away and they would start all over again!  I think he did finally manage to get one.  We saw lots of beautiful coves and coastal scenery - high cliffs with water splashg against the rocks below.  It was also a record hot day in the area we were in and so humid.  I'm sure I lost 10 pounds in sweat! We have been very lucky with the weather.  When we get rain, it is usually at night and it cools things off a bit.  But we have had some pretty hot days. We did a couple of smaller hikes along the East coast trail and then moved on to St. John's.  We visited Cape Spear which is the most eastern point in North America.  So I guess technically, we are heading home now.  We got a picture in front of a sign that declared this, but alas, no toe dipping as the cliffs were too high.  As we were touring Cape Spear the fog started to role in and then rain so we called it a day and went back to our campground to do laundry and grocery shopping. Newfoundland is not a good place to be a vegetarian. Vegetables are very expensive and not that fresh. We are eating more canned food here.  The next day was beautiful again and we headed to Signal Hill.  We got there before it was open but we could see the trail around the hill so we took it.  It was quite a long hike around the hill, but very scenic.  There was even a part where  you had to hang on to a cable while traversing a very narrow strip of path.  Lots of stairs up and then down as well.Gerry gots lots of pictures of st John's harbour .  Visited Cabot tower where Marconi sent the first transatlantic signal.  We then headed out of St John's to the north tip of the Pennisula and did a couple of smaller East coast trail hikes.  All in all a good day.
The next couple of days were spent exploring the coast of Newfoundland.  They have these pennisulas that jut out from highway 1.  Each one is unique and beautiful in it's own way, but the roads are terrible!  Usually the speed limit is 80 but Gerry doesn't even do that, and cars are passing us, like we are standing still. We did a couple of small hikes and met a couple who were travelling the opposite direction we were.  As we were trading hiking and must see places we saw a whale out in the distance, just meandering along a fish line. Again, very beautiful.  That night we camped at the Bellevue Beach campground. In Newfoundland there are not a lot of campgrounds in certain areas, and very few recommended by the NFLD tourist industry.  This one was not in the book, but it was getting late so we decided to take it.  We paid $32 for the night and they only had pit toilets!  We should have known we were in trouble when we saw the gate system at the registration.  There was a rope strung across the road, and there was a hole in the registrant building. When you were allowed to enter or leave the lady would release the rope and you would drive over it and then she would tighten it.  They did have showers and flush toilets but they were locked by the rope lady and you had to pay $3.00 to use them.  The campsites were so tight that the picnic table of the site beside us was 2 feet from our van.  No privacy  whatsoever. This is the worst site we have been in since landing in Newfoundland,  most of
them, even the one in St John's are more like what we are used to; semi private and lots of room.  The bathrooms are varying degrees of clean though. Yes Emily I am fixated on bathrooms!
This is getting long so I will close and continue.  I haven't told you about the puffins yet . . .

Cape Breton rocks!

We arrived in Nova Scotia on Saturday morning. We caught the 8:00 ferry from PEI. Of course the first place we visited was the welcome centre where we got lots of  information - information overload!  The tourist information hostess suggested we make a reservation for the night and then proceeded to phone 3 places before she found us a spot. She assured us it was nice campsite. We got there and there was at least 100 trailers parked side by side. We could only get an unserviced site and we were given several sites to choose from.  Not one of them was level! We ended up buying firewood so we could level the camper. (We do have some, but we didn't have enough!)  The site we chose was nice in that we had a great view of the ocean and the sunset was spectacular, but there was no privacy.  For that many sites they had 1 bathroom with 6 stalls and 3 showers for the women.  That place was busy and pretty gross by the end of the day.  I went for a swim and then stood in line for a shower.  When I got out there were at least 6 women lined up waiting.   I tell you both Woodall's and the provincial campsite books they give you are sure misleading.  I have given up looking forward to a campsite.  It only makes me want to cry when I get there.  Woodall's gave this a 10* for the washrooms!  Having said that we stayed at the nicest private campground yet since we started this trip. Nice private sites and clean, clean washrooms.  Gerry and I both made a point of telling the owners how nice their campsite was.  Unfortunately we could only stay the one night. After our problems getting a site for Saturday night we didn't sleep well, worrying about the next few days, so on Sunday morning we stopped at a visitors centre and made reservations for the next 3 nights. (One was the really nice one, one was the dive we are in tonight and one was the National Park which was average or below at best.)  With that out of the way, we were able to enjoy the Cabot trail and enjoy it we did!  I would have to say that the Cabot trail is the most stunning area we have been to so far.  On Sunday we planned to go whale watching at 1:30 pm.  We only had to travel 80 km from our campsite to the whale watching village and having left at 9 figured we had lots of time. Wrong!  I came to accept that we were not going to make it.  We stopped for a couple of short hikes (less than 2 km each) but we stopped so many times at lookouts for Gerry to get pictures that we pulled into the parking lot at 1:15.  The last half hour was tense as I wanted to push on through but Gerry kept stopping and saying"just a quick picture honey".  As he was roaring down the mountain into the fishing village I was in the back packing a bit of lunch.  Did I mention the Cabot trail is very windy and up and down?  Sadly when we got there we found out the tour had been cancelled  because of high winds.  Plus we found out that we might not have been able to get on because we didn't have reservations.  Anyway we moved on and went to visit a Buddhist Monastery that was close by. It was ok, nothing special.  After that we did a couple of short hikes in the park.  Very enjoyable. That night we stayed at the best private campsite yet!  The only problem was the Internet and cell service was spotty.  The next morning we phoned another whale watching site on the East side of the island and yes they were sailing and yes they had room.  So we headed north abut 1/2 hour and had the most amazing ride!  We saw tones of pilot whales, seals, birds and beautiful scenic inlets.  Gerry has it all recorded on camera trust me!  That day we still had time to do a coastal hike which was also very scenic! The Cabot trail has lots of coloured rock, lots of deciduous trees, beautiful beaches and lots of waves spraying against the rocks.  I have not been quilting because there is so much to see.  Also they have a lot of  roundabouts here; sometimes  2 in a row.  I think the first three roundabouts we were on we got off at the wrong spot.  Gerry blamed me because I took my eyes off the road so I stopped quilting for a while.  I have made some other navigational errors as well.  For example, today as we were driving to our destination, I noticed that none of the towns listed were on my map, but I kept quiet.  All of a sudden the road ended.  I told Gerry this but he thought  I was joking.   I was not.  There was a small cable ferry to cross an inlet.  I figured out where we were, and it wasn't that much of a detour, but again, I don't know how I missed the turn off. For our 3rd and final night in Nova Scotia and the Cabot trail we stayed in another "nice" campsite according to the books and tourist information guides. (It was not). The only saving grace was that the town of Bedeck had a Ceilidh night so we went. Music is such an important part of their culture, I really wanted to see this. It was very informal; a fiddle player and a piano player but very enjoyable!  Both players were very talented.  They were basically jamming, but the fiddler explained a lot about the Gaelic culture and way of life in between songs. It started raining while we were at the concert and
continued to rain and rain all night.  There is something very comforting about being in a dry camp
er and listening to the rain pelting on the van.
Wednesday we were scheduled to leave for Newfoundland.  We made the reservations on Saturday when we landed in Nova Scotia and plotted out our rough plans.   It is a 16 hour ferry ride fromNorth  Sydeny to Argentina, NFLD. The ferry leaves 3 times a week and it is always at night I.e. 5 pm.  We were able to get a reservation for the ferry but not for a berth.  As it is the ferry ride will cost us $565. A berth would be another $200.  Not looking forward to that but Gerry has promised me a hotel when we land in Newfoundland and I am looking forward to that!
I am at an Internet cafe so will publish this while I can. Stay tuned for Newfoundland!

I love PEI

Another week, another province.  We arrived in PEI Sunday night  excited about what lay ahead of us and we were not disappointed. We have travelled from one tip of PEI to another, seen almost all of the coastline and attended a Celtic night, with fiddle playing, Celtic dancing and a little gospel thrown in for good measure.  Our favourite spot was the National campground at Cavendish.  We had a nice, private spot, the bathrooms weren't bad (I have lowered my standards over the last 8 weeks) and we were right on the ocean, so even though it was hot we had a nice breeze from the water.  We ended up stays there 3 nights, a record for us.  One day we rode our bikes along the coast, about 20 km.  The next day we rode the confederation trail, which I had really been wanting to do.  The confederation trail runs right down the middle of PEI from one end to another.  We parked about 16 km's outside of Charlottetown, then rode our bikes into town, toured around and then rode back.  The ride back was the tough part because we had a fabulous lunch in town (ate too much though) and then had to ride back with a full stomach and against a fairly strong wind. Gerry was very happy to see the van! We saw lots of lighthouses. I can honestly say I have had my fill of them but Gerry hasn't. In fact at the last one, he took the tour and I stayed at the van and made a coffee.  Have I mentioned there are no Starbucks out here?  I haven't seen nice since Ottawa and when you ask they direct you to a Tim Horton's.  They don't even have independent coffee shops that make espressos.  In the middle of nowhere on PEI, we saw a Tim Horton's and they are always busy!  There may be no one for miles but you come upon a Timmy's and the drive through and parking lot are busy.  So that's where all the people went. We have noticed that the guide books can make the attraction sound really interesting but then after you go, you wonder why?  For example the Canadian Potato Museum.  When in PEI - check it out right? Wrong, this is something you can pass on your next visit to PEI. Bev and Gerry give it two thumbs down.  I was also disappointed in the town of Cavendish; background for LM Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.  I guess I pictured it like the books but it is commercialized beyond recognition. There is a was a water slide, an amusement park, a house of horrors, and even a Santa's village! The only thing Gerry &  I did was the Anne of Green Gable National Historic site.  We got in free with our Discover Canada Pass.  After Cavendish we were kind of toured out so we made short work of the East coast - only spent one day touring there and then headed for the town that would take us on the ferry to Nova Scotia. PEI is truly beautiful. The roads are quite unique in that the roads are quite narrow, and there are no shoulders. The grass comes right up to the highway.  It's like driving in Scotland, but at least we are driving on the right side of the road!
People keep asking us if we are getting on each other's nerves.  Well Gerry is getting on mine, but I can't think of anything I've done to get on Gerry's.  JJ! We are together 24 / 7 so what do you think?  But we have both learned to bite our tongues and keep quiet.  The reality is we only have each other so we do our best to get along.  I have found that going for a swim when we get to a new site is a god way to get some space as Gerry won't come to the beach with me anymore.  Failing that, beating him a crib is a good way to get rid of frustration as it makes him so mad! LOL!

New Brunswick part one

Sorry it took me so long to post our Quebec travels.  I have had it done for a while but we have been staying in National parks in New Brunswick and there is no Internet there.  We have just spent 5 days in New Brunswick .  The first few days was on the Acadian coast .  New Brunswick is not as scenic as Gaspe, but still beautiful in it's own way.  The first thing we visited was an Acadian historic village that was very well done.  We got a very good lesson on the Acadian history.  They, like many other groups in history, were not treated well by the French or the British.  We keep making the same choices  and mistakes.  When will we learn how to treat each other properly?  From there we moved on to Kochibouguac National Park. We had a nice campsite there.  They had miles of bike trails there and every thing was far away so you needed a bike. For example the beach was 2 km's from the campground.   We rode to the beach the first day and I went in the water.  They claim it is the warmest water in the Atlantic until you get to Virginia.  It was cool but refreshing.   The next day we were planning a long bike ride, and then a swim but my bike had a flat tire when we woke up.  Gerry went for a bike ride and I stayed at the campsite and got my quilting organized, read and relaxed.  The bugs have been bad so we set up our mosquito tent which was nice and shady.  When Gerry got back we fixed my flat and went for a short ride, that included the beach.  However  it was a bit cooler this day and I only got wet to my knees.  By dinner time my tire was going flat again.  Time to buy a new inner tube. Everyone recommended we head to Shediac, which was just 127 km down the road.  It is known for it's beaches and warm water.  But Gerry does not like the water and while I am swimming he is sitting in the sand in his blue jeans, socks and shoes and long sleeve shirt, looking for shade. (There  are no trees on the beach).  Don't think he really enjoys it much.  We didn't want to push on to PEI as it was Friday and we feared it would be busy so we headed inland to Moncton.  Did the Magnetic hill and then headed for Fundy NAtional Park and the Bay of Fundy.  We had fun at the Magnetic hill. I'm sure the workers were shaking their heads at us.  We  did the hill 4 times! Once just to do it, twice as I tried to video Gerry coming backwards up the hill and then once as Gerry taped me driving!  (Clearly I don't know how to work the camera!). We made reservations for 2 nights at the National park while driving down the road. ( I love my smartphone. ) We selected an unserviced site as they are more private and in the shade. When we got there the campsite was fairly quiet but by Saturday morning the campground exploded! Anyway there was so much to see and do.  We did a 10 km bike ride ( I got my tired fixed properly) and several small hikes over the 2 days. The weather was fantastic! We left there and contined on the Bay of Fundy trail.  We saw a lighthouse and the Hopewell rocks.  Those are very interesting. At low tide the rocks look like giant flowerpots.  We walked for 2 hours on the beach.  We continued along the south shore of New Brunswick and planned to spend one more night in NB before heading to PEI, but I could not find any campsites listed so we pushed on to PEI.  We arrived at about 6 pm Sunday night and there was a KOA campground right off the bridge.  When we got there they said that there would be a gospel singing at 7:30. I was excited, Gerry less so.  Anyway I started the laundry and then went off to the gospel meeting and Gerry finished the laundry.  Works for me!  I love coming into a new province .  The staff at the Welcome centres are usually very well informed and excited and they get me all excited with everything there is to see and do and PEI is no different.  But that will be for another blog.

Au revoir Quebec

When I last wrote we were heading to Quebec City.  We absolutely loved it!  We spent one day exploring the city;  we did a lot of walking.  Gerry really liked the citadel.  We just happened to be there when they were performing a once a year parade of the guards.  They were celebrating Quebec City's birthday.  We couldn't have timed it better if we tried and we didn't even know about it.  I really liked lower Quebec, with the cobblestone streets and colourful squares.  Like I said we did a lot of walking, but it was worth it.  From there we moved on to the Gaspe Pennisula.  I would recommend the Gaspe to anyone,  It is very scenic and beautiful. I don't know how many pictures Gerry took.  Our favourite place was Perce rock.  We spent 2 days exploring and did a couple of hikes in the area.  The day we were leaving Quebec we decided to eat lunch out.  I read about this restaurant in a park overlooking a beautiful bay that had reasonable prices.  Our GPS couldn't find it by name but when I put the address in he got us close, after a detour off the highway.  George, our GPS voice, took us to the middle of nowhere but down the road there appeared to be activity.  We got there and there was a bay and a truck type diner that sold hot dogs and hamburgers. You ordered and then sat on picnic tables by the bay.  Definitely not what we had in mind so we left.  We got back on the highway and decided to stop at the next rest stop and make grilled cheese sandwiches.  After 15 minutes driving I saw signs for the park we had been looking for. I figured we had turned too soon.  So we followed the signs about 6 km's off the highway.  We were following the sign for the fork and knife and drove past the campground, knowing we were close.  All of a sudden we realized we were no longer driving on a road but on a bike path and 200 ft away was the truck stop diner that we had left 1/2 hour ago. Gerry quickly turned around and there were 2 workers at a gift store watching us with jaws open.  As soon as Gerry parked ( we found the restaurant we were really looking for by the gift store) they ran and put up barriers,  Good  idea! Sadly the restaurant turned out to be a disappointment. No one spoke English, the bay wasn't that nice and we had mediocre grilled cheese sandwiches; white bread and one slice of processed cheese. It would have been better to let Gerry make them.   I used up my eating out card for this! What a waste. We were glad to be leaving Quebec.  There were some things we really liked about Quebec. The picnic / rest stops are beautiful and always clean. The houses are all well kept and colourful. Everyone has large lots 1 or 2 acres it seems but we never saw one house where there  were old cars and junk piled up.  We could learn from that.  The scenery, as I mentioned, is breath taking and even if it is really hot there is always a nice breeze from the water; very refreshing.  I also discovered Coureur de Bois, thanks to my friend Caroline in Temiscaming.  It is Bailey's with maple syrup; very nice. Sadly we never worked out the courage to try poutine.  What we didn't like we're the campgrounds.  They are all like Parking lots and they jam you in so there is no privacy.  I got tired of that.  Also there are times when I feel like the  Angliase are treated a bit differently than the Francophones.  It is subtle, but maybe they don't tell us everything and they save the better camp spots for their francophone friends.  I have no proof, just a feeling, especially from people who work in the tourist industry. But having said that the people we met hiking or biking were very friendly,  Most of the time we were able to find that they all spoke a bit of English. The only exception was a 2 hour tour we booked to see the sunset over the St Lawrence and learn a bit about the nature and water system.  We booked and paid $30/ each but the person who booked it for us failed to mention that it would be all in French and our guide claimed he didn't know enough English to translate.  And this was in a National Park. (A Quebec National park mind you)
I also know we are both getting a bit travel weary and homesick so this could account for our slightly negative attitude. As soon as we find a nice campground we have agreed we will stay a couple of days and just rest and re-charge. All in all we are having a fantastic time but seriously, when Gerry asks if you want to see some pictures beware! He has a lot of them!

Happy Canada Day eh?

We spent 3 days in Ottawa over the long weekend.  It was kind of weird. The things we thought would be great we're a disappointment but then other things we really enjoyed.  Let's start with the campground.  It was rated high in our Woodall's book but it was not.  I always look at the rating for restrooms and it had a 9.5 with a star!  Yeah!.  We would have given it a 4. And that is being generous. And there was no privacy.  It was just one big field with units parked fairly close to each other.  But it was easier to get around in Ottawa than I thought. We got into town fairly early each day so that helped and we found good parking the first day.  Then we caught the hop on hop off, which gave us a feel for the city.  We saw a couple of museums.  The war museum was very interesting and well done.  By the time we got to the modern wars though  we were pretty much done. But I would definitely recommend it.  On Canada Day we parked out farther from the centre, but we were close to a bike trail and we spent the day riding the city.  Seeing things we missed on the hop on, hop off.  We saw the Rideau Hall and 24 Sussex place,  the falls and rode the Rideau canal from one end to the other. We did a lot of riding.  And of course there was Parliment hill.  What a show!  Wall to wall people, screaming shutting, singing.  And the line ups!  Museum were free so we thought we might check out the Mint, but the line up snaked for miles.  I don't think I saw lines ups at Disneyland that were as long!  President's choice had food tasting tents set up.  People stood in line for 1 1/2 hours to get 1/2 of a hot dog or burger - they were free mind you but really!  That is one big advantage of the van. We decided that we didn't want to Stand in lines to eat, or pay the prices, so we headed back to the van and Gerry made a nice little dinner there and then I did dishes.  It was a nice break from the madness that was Ottawa. When we were on the hill we locked our bikes far from the crowd and walked or waded in.  We managed to catch some of the show and saw (or heard) the opening ceremonies.  If you watched it on tv or the news you probably saw more than we did.  When we were in the crowds I hung onto the strap of Gerry's knapsack so we wouldn't get separated. Apparently I am hard to spot in a crowd!  We ventured to the hill 3 times during the day. Just to say we'd done it. Proudly I can say that I never had to use on the the porta potties once but as Gerry said, "when you got to go bad enough even they look good "( Not to me -  ever ). Clearly he had to use them once.  We waited around until 10:00 for the fireworks and after being in town since before 9:00 am that was a bit of a chore.  We did manage to find a little outside bar by the canal where we had  a couple of glasses of wine and watched the people but that just made me sleepy.  I must say the fireworks were disappointing. They lasted less than 15 minutes and as soon as they started going off we realized we were not in a good spot (too close) and were running back to get up on a bridge.  And then they were over.  What there was was good but short!
On Canada Day we parked in a lot that advertised parking for $9.00/day.  Gerry is so paranoid about getting a ticket that we chose that route rather than the street.  When we got back from the fireworks though we had a $75 parking ticket!  Don't worry I am going to fight it all the way!  But it was a bad way to end the day.
After our Ottawa experience we decided we had had enough of traffic and crowds and sailed right through Montreal and headed to Quebec City.  We are here for 2 nights .  We are staying at a KOA and I love it!  The campground is not very private but clean bathrooms.  And they have a shuttle that will take us into Qubec city and back! We stopped at a tourist information booth right on the Quebec border.  The girl was wonderful!  We have 2 days in Quebec City and then onto the Gaspe peninsula which we are both excited about. It just re-in forces our decision to skip Montreal.
Sadly I am starting my last bag of wine that we bottled at Grapes and Suds.  But Gerry finished all of his ages ago! LOL!

One down - four to go

I can't believe we have been on the road for 4 weeks already!  The good news is we are still talking to each other..  Actually, Bev talks and I just say "Yes Dear". There was one tense situation.  We were in the middle of nowhere between North Bay and Temiscaming and we stopped for gas.  I went in to the store because I had been trying to find yesterday's Globe and Mail. (Jeremy had an interview in the car section).  I was able to find 2 and was quite happy because everywhere I'd looked in north Bay they didn't have them.  I came out just as Gerry pulled out and started driving down the highway.  I'm yelling at him and he doesn't stop. Meanwhile he's yelling at me, thinking I went to the washroom in our van. (When there are public toilets - please).  He's trying to tell me the mileage for me to record and doesn't realize I'm not in the van. He did finally clue in (when he saw me , in his rear view mirror, running down the highway  ) and pulled over.  We got over it by the time we reached Temiscaming.
We had a nice couple of days in Lloydminster visiting a friend and nephew. Lloyminster is an interesting place in that 1/2 of it is in Alberta and half in Saskatchewan. We headed towards Winnipeg on Highway 16 thinking we would stop whenever we saw something interesting. But there is really not much to see.  And the winds were blowing so hard !!!  I took the wheel for 1 hour to relieve Gerry but it was all that I could handle.  We did stop at Fort Battleford and found out that it was the capital of the North West Territories and an important site during the Louis Riel rebellion.  That night we took our first motel room.  It was pouring rain and they were forecasting severe thunderstorms for the area.  Wouldn't  you know it; 15 minutes after we checked in the skies cleared and it was a beautiful evening.  I' m thinking - Great.  Because Gerry told me if it rained the next night we would have to camp so I used my motel ticket too soon!
The next stop was Dryden which was nice but the water was so bad we had to throw out our morning coffee and use filtered water.  We spent the weekend in Thunder Bay with friends.   It is nice to have a break on the road from camping and have someone else to talk to besides each other.
We took 2 days to travel between Thunder Bay and Sudbury.  For most of that time we had no cell service.  I was going through serious withdrawal.  Spent another pleasant 2 days with family.  I think that is the last visiting we will be doing until we reach Welland in ???
We are now in Ottawa for 3 nights.  The campground sounded nice in the book but it sadly did not live up to it's description .  Today we are doing laundry (the first time we haven't done it at someone's house).  Tomorrow and Monday we will venture into Ottawa to sight see.
The weather has not been the greatest.  We have had rain off and on.  But we can manage that. As I type this it is pouring rain but we are dry sitting under the awning.  The mosquitoes are a bit more annoying.  One night was particularly bad and Gerry was slapping all night. We woke up in the Morne to find that we had opened the window and the screen so it was an open invitation to the mosquitoes! However we have found that Bounce sheets really do help. (Thanks for the tip Hazel).
Hopefully this will satisfy those who have made comments about me not updating the blog.  I will try to do better going forward.  But a lot depends on Internet service.

Don't trust the weathermen

When I last wrote we were facing a gloomy couple of days , according to the weather forecast, and were debating whether to stay in Jasper or push on through.  We compromised and decided to book 1 night and see how it went.  But when we got to the campground , at 11:30 am, it was already over half full and RV's were lining up, so we decided to book in for 2 nights.  That turned out to be a good decision.  In the brochure they handed out at the gate they had the top 5 things to do in Jasper in the rain ( I'm guessing it rains here a lot).  So after checking in, we took one of the recommended drives along the Maligne road. It was beautiful with rock canyons and waterfalls.  We spent the rest of the day exploring the area.  And the rain held off for the most part.  That night it rained off and on.  We had a campfire and Gerry put the canopy in the van up so we would move between the fire and the canopy, depending in the weather.  The next day we got up and drove to the Columbia Icefields.  It is 100 km south of Jasper, but it took us almost 3 hours to get there.  We stopped at a couple of waterfalls, several scenic lookouts and even in between.  Gerry took LOTS of pictures.  At the Icefields we hiked to the toe of the glacier.  Haven't used are bikes at all, except in Summerland but we are doing lots of walking.  The weather on Sunday was absolutely beautiful; sunny and warm, not the rain and thunderstorms forecast.  Today is another beautiful day and we are heading to Lloydminister for a couple of nights to visit.  We get to sleep in a real bed and do laundry.  Yeah!

Rain, rain, go away

We have not had nice weather since leaving Victoria.  But we spent a nice couple of days with our friends Marilyn & Tim.  Good food, good friends what more could one ask for?  Oh I know; Marilyn played cards with me! She even let me win one game.  The weather wasn't that great but Gerry and I were happy to be inside a nice spacious house instead of a cramped camper.  They live in a beautiful spot.  We were going to cross over at Comox and head down the Vancouver coast through Campbell river and Gibsons, but the weather was so bad we just crossed over at Nanaimo to Horeshoe Bay.  The drive north to Whistler was beautiful and the weather was a bit better, so we stopped at a few scenic spots along the way.  All in all,  a nice day.  We stopped in Lillooet for the night at a campground I found on my smart phone; flush toilets, showers and free wi-fi.  There  was one shower in this cramped building with a toilet for boys and girls (yuck) and the wi-fi only worked when you were in the office which was the back of a camper.  Plus it was pouring rain.  In the morning Gerry got up at 6:30 to take a shower but they were locked, so he was watching, thinking someone was in there.  About 10 minutes later a gentleman came along with a key and went in.  When he was finished he RAN to his camper (Gerry was just heading out to take his turn), gave the key to his wife and she went in.  So we were not impressed. Now Emily I know that you would say hippies would embrace this opportunity and dance naked in the rain and wash themselves at the same time, thanking Mother Nature all the while.  But I have decided I am not a hippie - I am a princess.  Flush toilets and showers (preferably clean) for me, thank you very much.  Today we were going to stop and camp at Wells Gray Provincial park but it was pouring rain so we are now just outside of Jasper at a place called Valencourt.  We are planning to go to Jasper tomorrow.  We had originally planned to camp for 2 days in Jasper but that will depend on the weather for sure.  Thank heaven we have lots of wine...

Slowly but surely . .

Just sitting in Nanaimo having a coffee and updating the blog.  We have had more adventures to report.  After leaving Vancouver we travelled to Victoria to my sister Heather's place.  it's actually in Brentwood Bay.  It was nice to visit with her, Marshall, Sam and Zachary.  We went to mile zero and dipped our feet in the ocean.  Hopefully I can attach a picture.   We then proceeded to French Beach Provinical park just outside of Sooke.  Our first disappointment came when we realized there were no flush toilets, only pit toilets.  Truthfully they weren't that bad but I am a princess.  Pit toilets must be avoided as much as possible.  Then we planned a nice dinner which included an omelette to use up the eggs we had been hauling since Cranbrook. We pulled out the eggs and they wouldn't crack.  Finally Gerry stuck a knife in the egg to crack it and realized that it was frozen solid!  I guess we haven't got the fridge regulated quite right yet.  We made the omelette after peeling the shell off the frozen eggs, thawing and stirring at the same time.  Not the best omelette I have ever had, but we didn't get sick.  We finished the eggs off the next morning in French toast.
After leaving French Beach we went to China Beach and hiked the Juan de Fuca trail..  We hiked to Mystic Beach - absolutely stunning.  Then we continued on but it was quite muddy and hilly after that and I got quite muddy.  How does that work?  Gerry doesn't have a spec on him, but my pants and shoes were covered in mud!  Fortuneatly the campground we stayed at last night had showers and was pretty empty so we both got cleaned up.
Today we decided to empty the camper tanks.  We found a place in Lake Cowichan but could not find the disposable rubber gloves ; an absolute must for handling the sewer hose.  We literally took apart every cupboard and storage area in the camper and found them in the very last place we had to look,  in the most unlikely place - where I stored the winter coats.  Don't know what I was thinking with that one.  They are in a better place now.  Before we started we reviewed the written instructions  so we didn't have a Robin William's disaster.  one thing they recommended was putting a rock on the hose going into the sewer to make sure it doesn't slip out.  They said another choice would be to have your wife hold the hose, but this option was not recommended for obvious reasons.  So we get it set up and the hose is a bit short, but it works.  Then Gerry tells me to stand there and hold the hose!  I did.
Hopefully we have all the kinks out although we realized last night that our plug ins do not work when we have electrical hook ups.  We may try and get that fixed if we do not have to unpack everything to fix it.
We will be on the Island for another two days visiting friends,  then we will finally start heading East.

Well things are going much better now (touch wood).  We had a nice day and a half with Emily ,
Jon and their new puppy Taika.  I have never been exposed to such a young pup and although Taika is very cute she is as much work as a new born.  Emily & Jon were both quite tired.  She gets them up every 2 to 4 hours.  And like it is with a newborn, most of our time was spent sitting around watching Taika's antics.
Monday morning we travelled all the way from Winfield to Summerland where we stayed with an old friend Mark.  (His wife, Louise was in Ontario ).  We went on a lovely bike ride long the Kettle Valley railway and spent the rest of the time visiting over a glass or two of wine.
Tuesday we headed to Cultus Lake Provinical park near Chilliwack.  Jeremy met us there and we spent two great nights relaxing.  This was the first chance we have had to camp.  Camping has gotten much more expensive than I remember.  It cost us $30/ night plus another $12 for Jeremy.  And that is for no services; although they did have flush toilets and showers.  As well we had to pay $20 for green firewood for 2 nights.  But on the positive the camper is very comfy for sleeping and we seem to have everything organized quite well.  Plus nothing can compare to sitting around a campfire listening to Jeremy play the guitar and sing.  I think everyone around us was jealous!
We are now at Jeremy's for one night.  It is good to be plugged in again.  Didn't realize how dependent I had become on my toys.
I also realize that we have been on the road for almost a week and are only in Vancouver.  I guess it is a good thing we have 5 months, at the rate we are going. LOL!

Water, water, everywhere

We did not get off to a very auspicious beginning.  It all started on Friday; the day before we were scheduled to take off.  The night before we had a small get together/barbecue with our friends. The rain put a bit of a damper on our plans for a fire, but did not dampen our moods.  Friday was spent doing last minute preparations.  While I was in the house doing laundry and house work, Gerry was outside getting the camper ready.  He had to fill the water tank.  So he connected the outside hose to the tank and then left to put the car into the garage and do a few other chores.  When he got back to check the camper water was pouring out the back and side of the camper!  He had forgotten to re- connect one tiny, but oh so important,  piece of hose so the water was flowing from the hose into the camper.  Everything that was on floor level was sopping wet;  he had to take the bikes off and we had to unpack all of the stuff that was in the benches.  The rest of my day was spent drying out coats and tools while Gerry was in the camper with a space heater and my blow dryer drying out all the nooks and crannies in the camper.  By 8:00 we had everything dry, the stuff re-packed, the floors re-washed and the bikes back on.  We were good to go!

We got up about 6:00 am on Saturday ready to hit the road.  I ran downstairs to the pantry for something I had thought of in the night and I noticed water on the rec. room floor.  I looked up and saw water dripping from the ceiling tiles.  "Gerry!".  It seems like one of the pipes leading to the main floor shower had cracked.  it took a while for Gerry to Identify the problem, then his buddy Roger came over and pinpointed the exact source of the problem - a crack in the shower assembly unit.
We had decided we needed to wait until 8:00 am before we started calling for help.  Then I started calling friends, plumbers who we had used in the past and then anyone in the yellow pages, without any success.  Where do al the plumbers go at 8:00 on a rainy Saturday?  That's what I'd like to know.  Finally just after 9:00 we got hold of the fellow who will be staying in the house while we are away.  We wanted to let him know about the problem and also he mentioned he had a friend who was a plumber.  When Gerry explained the problem he figured he could fix it or get his friend to do it.  He told us to get going and he would look after It.  Bless him for that.  By 9:45 we had the cooler packed and were on the road.
We have such good friends!  But I hope water is not going to be a theme for this vacation.
 Stay tuned . . .