Monday, October 19, 2009
We're Home
We got home Friday night. It was a great trip even though we had rain, cold, and wind. The countryside was gorgeous!! Thanks for keeping up with out blog!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Fall colors in the north east
The following pictures were taken in different parts of Maine and Nova Scotia
The Reds were beautiful
One tree many colors
I can't pick the prettiest
The Colors of Maine and Nova Scotia
One of the beautiful trees in Ogunquit, Maine
The Maine coast
Hiking trail in Nova Scotia
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Walking in Schoodic Point
We have driven 2400 miles so far. It was sunny again today. Breeakfast in Bar Harbor at the general store visiting with the locals, probably our best breakfast. Brought us some fresh muffins for later. We started to Sch. Pt but had to stop at the discount sweatshirt place. I have been dying to see a moose. Everyone said they are plentiful on the Cabot Trail but when it rains they don't move but stay undercover. It rained--no moose. New Bruns. the same, and northern Maine is full of moose-even in the sunshine we didn't see one. So the next best thing was to buy at sweatshirt with one on it, so I did. 40-60% off wasn't so bad.
When we go to the pt. the tide was coming in and crashing on the rocks. We walked way out on the rocks and got some great pictures. We got our drinks/muffins and saw in the sun on a flat rock and enjoyed ourselves. We walked the Alder trail. IT was a beautiful one through the woodlands. We encountered a porcupine but he ran back into the woods before we could get a picture. No moose!!!! We stopped by Ruth & Wimpers in Ellsworth on the way back and had lobster rolls. Delicious! Came back to the room and enjoyed our wine overlooking the bay. We had a plate glass window and we were inside because it was cold and windy outside.
We are heading south to Vinalhaven for 3 days and then to Ogunquit and will probably have no computer. Will finish when we get home. Right now it is pouring so we've had to change our plans. Later
When we go to the pt. the tide was coming in and crashing on the rocks. We walked way out on the rocks and got some great pictures. We got our drinks/muffins and saw in the sun on a flat rock and enjoyed ourselves. We walked the Alder trail. IT was a beautiful one through the woodlands. We encountered a porcupine but he ran back into the woods before we could get a picture. No moose!!!! We stopped by Ruth & Wimpers in Ellsworth on the way back and had lobster rolls. Delicious! Came back to the room and enjoyed our wine overlooking the bay. We had a plate glass window and we were inside because it was cold and windy outside.
We are heading south to Vinalhaven for 3 days and then to Ogunquit and will probably have no computer. Will finish when we get home. Right now it is pouring so we've had to change our plans. Later
Schoodic Point
We got up to sunshine (yeah) Had breakfast then walked a trail along the water in front of our motel. The tide here is 27 feet between the low/high tides. We headed down #9 which went through a few small towns where the leaves were spectacular! Nancy was driving and I was the photographer. I took a lot of pictures through the window because she couldn't stop. We did stop when there was a pull-off and then both of us took pictures. Every corner we went around we couldn't believe that the leaves were even more beautiful. You can see them change every day. We saw nature at it's best!
We drove to Schoodic Point to check it out. 7 yrs ago we walked a trail and wanted to find it again. We talked to a ranger and he gave us directions. There were no accommations anywhere around so we drove into Bar Harbor for a room. We will stay here 2 nghts right on the bay. We had clam chowder at the Log Cabin, then relaxed in our room.
We drove to Schoodic Point to check it out. 7 yrs ago we walked a trail and wanted to find it again. We talked to a ranger and he gave us directions. There were no accommations anywhere around so we drove into Bar Harbor for a room. We will stay here 2 nghts right on the bay. We had clam chowder at the Log Cabin, then relaxed in our room.
Across the Border
We had an okay ride across the Bay of Fundy to New Brunswick. The first thing we did was go to the Reversing Falls. We wanted to see where the river met the bay. It wasn't the correct tide to see this but we could at least see the swirling of the fresh and salt water colliding. Then we headed south along #1. We turned twice to go to some small harbors. It was the same as we'd seen in N.S. so we went on. When we crossed the border back into the USA it was still raining. The rain followed us from N.S, on the ship, New Brunwick and now in Maine. We still have 12 more days in Maine and were so hoping for sunny days. Today through N.B. we saw the prettiest colors since we've been here. It was raining, no pictures. We just enjoyed viewing them from the car.
Our motel in Calasis, Me was on the river so we sat outside our room with our coats and wine and enjoyed the scenery.
No computer so we watched T.V.
Our motel in Calasis, Me was on the river so we sat outside our room with our coats and wine and enjoyed the scenery.
No computer so we watched T.V.
continued
We left for the terminal at 6:15, boughtt our $150 tickets and have our muffins. I get motion sick so I needed something n my stomach-food on the Acadia Princess was too expensive.
We had our fish for an early supper and listened to celtic music. Then we walked to the wharf. As we walked to the end we could see fishing/lobster boats very low in the water. We saw a ladder going down to boats. There were 27 steps. Only 5 of them were in the water now. 2 or 3 boats were tied together and go up and down with the tide. We shared a kahula before bed. I'm at a visitor so don't know how I long it have on computer
We had our fish for an early supper and listened to celtic music. Then we walked to the wharf. As we walked to the end we could see fishing/lobster boats very low in the water. We saw a ladder going down to boats. There were 27 steps. Only 5 of them were in the water now. 2 or 3 boats were tied together and go up and down with the tide. We shared a kahula before bed. I'm at a visitor so don't know how I long it have on computer
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Beautiful Sunny Day to Digby
After an included breakfast we left Windsor on a gorgeous day. We went up to Blomidon Park way up on a finger in the Bay of Fundy. We went through a beautiful valley. The farmlands were abundant with healthy crops such as corn, brocolli, apple, pumpkin, apple, plum, various kinds of berries ready to be picked and shipped to market. There were a lot of roadside stands with produce. We stopped to check them out and ended up buying some neat looking gordas. Where we'll put them on the way, no one knows. The tide was out so we saw large fishing boats sitting in the marina with not a drop of water under them. When we finally got to the park it was closed. It seems almost everything closes on Sept 30th up here. This includes restaurants, motels, and shops of all kind. Very few places stay open yr. round. We walked down to the beach, remember the tide was low, so we had a lot of ground to walk on. We took some pictures and then headed back to the car. We looked for trails but couldn't find any. We got our muffins and drinks and sat on a table in the sun.
We arrived in Digby, the scallop capital of N.S. and went directly to the ferry terminal. We wanted to pay our $150 dollars for our car and the 2 of us. They wouldn't let us so we'll have to get up early (5:45)tomorrow to go pay. We checked in our room on main (only) street. We were actually in a room over the restaurant on the wharf.
We had eaten in the restaurant 2 1/2 weeks ago where we had the delicious pan-friend haddock and wanted to get it again. We unpacked only the essentials for the night and took the rest of the stuff back to to car. Since there would be no restaurant open (nothing opens here before 10)we b;ought some muffins for bkft. (Have to go and get in the car-the boat is docking) more later
We arrived in Digby, the scallop capital of N.S. and went directly to the ferry terminal. We wanted to pay our $150 dollars for our car and the 2 of us. They wouldn't let us so we'll have to get up early (5:45)tomorrow to go pay. We checked in our room on main (only) street. We were actually in a room over the restaurant on the wharf.
We had eaten in the restaurant 2 1/2 weeks ago where we had the delicious pan-friend haddock and wanted to get it again. We unpacked only the essentials for the night and took the rest of the stuff back to to car. Since there would be no restaurant open (nothing opens here before 10)we b;ought some muffins for bkft. (Have to go and get in the car-the boat is docking) more later
Beautiful Sunny Day to Digby
After an included breakfast we left Windsor on a gorgeous day. We went up to Blomidon Park way up on a finger in the Bay of Fundy. We went through a beautiful valley. The farmlands were abundant with healthy crops such as corn, brocolli, apple, pumpkin, apple, plum, various kinds of berries ready to be picked and shipped to market. There were a lot of roadside stands with produce. We stopped to check them out and ended up buying some neat looking gordas. Where we'll put them on the way, no one knows. The tide was out so we saw large fishing boats sitting in the marina with not a drop of water under them. When we finally got to the park it was closed. It seems almost everything closes on Sept 30th up here. This includes restaurants, motels, and shops of all kind. Very few places stay open yr. round. We walked down to the beach, remember the tide was low, so we had a lot of ground to walk on. We took some pictures and then headed back to the car. We looked for trails but couldn't find any. We got our muffins and drinks and sat on a table in the sun.
We arrived in Digby, the scallop capital of N.S. and went directly to the ferry terminal. We wanted to pay our $150 dollars for our car and the 2 of us. They wouldn't let us so we'll have to get up early (5:45)tomorrow to go pay. We checked in our room on main (only) street. We were actually in a room over the restaurant on the wharf.
We had eaten in the restaurant 2 1/2 weeks ago where we had the delicious pan-friend haddock and wanted to get it again. We unpacked only the essentials for the night and took the rest of the stuff back to to car. Since there would be no restaurant open (nothing opens here before 10)we b;ought some muffins for bkft. (Have to go and get in the car-the boat is docking) more later
We arrived in Digby, the scallop capital of N.S. and went directly to the ferry terminal. We wanted to pay our $150 dollars for our car and the 2 of us. They wouldn't let us so we'll have to get up early (5:45)tomorrow to go pay. We checked in our room on main (only) street. We were actually in a room over the restaurant on the wharf.
We had eaten in the restaurant 2 1/2 weeks ago where we had the delicious pan-friend haddock and wanted to get it again. We unpacked only the essentials for the night and took the rest of the stuff back to to car. Since there would be no restaurant open (nothing opens here before 10)we b;ought some muffins for bkft. (Have to go and get in the car-the boat is docking) more later
Tidal Bore Rafting
We're on the ship taking us from from N.S. to New Brunswick.
We got up at 6:30 (8 degrees C outside)went across the street to the restaurant for our included breakfast. We left at 8:30 so we'd be early for our trip. Well--we took a "detour" (that's our word for being lost) but still got there on time. We put on our "old" clothes and then tennis shoes of theirs. Then we put on wader jumpsuits and a thermal jackets. 14 of us walked down stairs and slushed to the 2 zodiaks. When the tide is low most of the water is out and leaves mushy clay. To describe this: take clay and mix water with it. With 7 of us in each boat plus our guides we went slowly upstream between 2 high walls of different colored rocks(saw 3 bald eagles soaring over up) We were waiting for the Tidal Boarto come in (the crashing of the fresh water stream going upstream and the saltwater of bay of funday water coming downstream)As the water rose over the sandbars waves were created. We held on, lended in and road the waves. Most of the time our zodiak was under water with us in it. The waves were only 8 feet this time but have been up to 24 feet depending on the tide. We went back and forth again and again yelling and laughing like kids. In between the waves Joel would "gun" the boat bringing the 8' wave over us. All of us loved it. It was high tide now. We got back to the shore and had to hold hands to get up the first stairs because they were slushy. It was hard to get back up the rest of the stairs because we were full of this muddy water, there wasn't a part of us that wasn't soaksd. All of our clothes, face, etc were orange colored. We took showers/washed our hair and had hot chocolate and were then on our way. Everything was going good until we hit roadwork again. We would sit in line from 5-10 mins. We drove along the Cobequid Bay and the Minas Basin. It was 4:30 when we got to Windsor so we decided to stay there, another Super 8 on a hill overlooking the village. We went down the hill after taking our things upstairs/putting our soiled clothes in a washer to a grocery store. We bought chicken, salad and had our supper in the room.
We got up at 6:30 (8 degrees C outside)went across the street to the restaurant for our included breakfast. We left at 8:30 so we'd be early for our trip. Well--we took a "detour" (that's our word for being lost) but still got there on time. We put on our "old" clothes and then tennis shoes of theirs. Then we put on wader jumpsuits and a thermal jackets. 14 of us walked down stairs and slushed to the 2 zodiaks. When the tide is low most of the water is out and leaves mushy clay. To describe this: take clay and mix water with it. With 7 of us in each boat plus our guides we went slowly upstream between 2 high walls of different colored rocks(saw 3 bald eagles soaring over up) We were waiting for the Tidal Boarto come in (the crashing of the fresh water stream going upstream and the saltwater of bay of funday water coming downstream)As the water rose over the sandbars waves were created. We held on, lended in and road the waves. Most of the time our zodiak was under water with us in it. The waves were only 8 feet this time but have been up to 24 feet depending on the tide. We went back and forth again and again yelling and laughing like kids. In between the waves Joel would "gun" the boat bringing the 8' wave over us. All of us loved it. It was high tide now. We got back to the shore and had to hold hands to get up the first stairs because they were slushy. It was hard to get back up the rest of the stairs because we were full of this muddy water, there wasn't a part of us that wasn't soaksd. All of our clothes, face, etc were orange colored. We took showers/washed our hair and had hot chocolate and were then on our way. Everything was going good until we hit roadwork again. We would sit in line from 5-10 mins. We drove along the Cobequid Bay and the Minas Basin. It was 4:30 when we got to Windsor so we decided to stay there, another Super 8 on a hill overlooking the village. We went down the hill after taking our things upstairs/putting our soiled clothes in a washer to a grocery store. We bought chicken, salad and had our supper in the room.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Tidal Bore
We left our cottage on the bay and stopped at a gas station/store for our coffee/hot chocolate.
The owner had seen a coyote roaming her parking lot this morning. A black bear was sited close to where we slept last night and we had a window OPEN! We saw a fox yesterday-a road kill. We had an eye-opener about Canadians health care as we talked to the owner and several locals. First of all-we are paying, like all residents 13% sales tax (AND that is only everything) to help pay for their health care. In this rural village the one doctor comes on Monday and half a day on Friday. If they are sick most of the time they can't get in to see him because there are lines of others waiting . They could go to a clinic next but there are usually more people there. If they thought that they were having a heart attack and couldn't get into the doctor, they could call 911. 911 would decide if they really needed to go to the hospital. They pay 30% of their medications until a certain amt. is paid and then the govert. pays the rest. I'm only repeating what they were saying. They did not like the health care they had. After our visit, the owner said, "Your drinks are on the house".
Since we hadn't had our breakfast we stopped at the Double D Truck Stop. Our odds were great there 13/us!!. Our food was great like most truck stop food.
We drove to Truro and got us a room at the Pallisers. We stayed here 7 yrs. ago. Next to the motel you can see and hear the tidal bore. The tidal bore (water coming in after a low tide)
comes from the Bay of Fundy which is oval shaped. The water comes from the bay into the rivers. The rivers water is flowing out, tide coming in. When the waters collide the tidal bore sounds like a train and huge waves form. We wanted to ride these waves (we did this 7 yrs ago also). We drove to the Tidal Bore Rafting place to see when we needed to be there tomorrow.
We wear old clothes we brought and then their wet suits/shoes.
Tonight the bore is coming in by our motel at 11:30. Everyone will go out around 11:05 and wait for it. Tomorrow after a great breakfast (included) we will head down to take our ride. WE CAN'T WAIT!!!
The owner had seen a coyote roaming her parking lot this morning. A black bear was sited close to where we slept last night and we had a window OPEN! We saw a fox yesterday-a road kill. We had an eye-opener about Canadians health care as we talked to the owner and several locals. First of all-we are paying, like all residents 13% sales tax (AND that is only everything) to help pay for their health care. In this rural village the one doctor comes on Monday and half a day on Friday. If they are sick most of the time they can't get in to see him because there are lines of others waiting . They could go to a clinic next but there are usually more people there. If they thought that they were having a heart attack and couldn't get into the doctor, they could call 911. 911 would decide if they really needed to go to the hospital. They pay 30% of their medications until a certain amt. is paid and then the govert. pays the rest. I'm only repeating what they were saying. They did not like the health care they had. After our visit, the owner said, "Your drinks are on the house".
Since we hadn't had our breakfast we stopped at the Double D Truck Stop. Our odds were great there 13/us!!. Our food was great like most truck stop food.
We drove to Truro and got us a room at the Pallisers. We stayed here 7 yrs. ago. Next to the motel you can see and hear the tidal bore. The tidal bore (water coming in after a low tide)
comes from the Bay of Fundy which is oval shaped. The water comes from the bay into the rivers. The rivers water is flowing out, tide coming in. When the waters collide the tidal bore sounds like a train and huge waves form. We wanted to ride these waves (we did this 7 yrs ago also). We drove to the Tidal Bore Rafting place to see when we needed to be there tomorrow.
We wear old clothes we brought and then their wet suits/shoes.
Tonight the bore is coming in by our motel at 11:30. Everyone will go out around 11:05 and wait for it. Tomorrow after a great breakfast (included) we will head down to take our ride. WE CAN'T WAIT!!!
SUNSHINE ALL DAY
tHIS WAS THE FIRST DAY THAT WE WOKE UP TO SUNSHINE. a bit chilly but that didn't bother us. We had blueberry pancakes at the Inn with some local fellows. David convinced us to backtrack and go to Cape D'Or. Don found fossils close to where we were of the largest crocodile, estimated to have been 30' and weigh in at 10 tons. He had spoken many places including the Smithtonian. There were 10,000 "fossile lovers" who listened. We felt honored to be talking to hinm. David explained why the seaside villages were 15 milles apart. In the days of the horse and buggy, horses could only go 15 miles before they had to be fed and watered.
We arrived "above" Cape D'Or, of course down a gravel, curvy road. We walked down the steep, rocky road to the lighthouse. It was high on a cliff. The walk back up was no fun! We then went to the 5 Islands Lighthouse, not in service anymore. Because of the action of the Bay of Fundy the lighthouse has already been moved away from the cliffs 3 times. We gazed at the 5 island about 1 mile out in the bay. The tide was beginning to recede. Once a yr, 2oo runners go 1 mile out to the big island and then run around it. This is always on the lowest tide. There is only a 30 mins. time period that they can get around the island. From having no water to having 56 feet of water made the timing very important. If stragglers get caught in the water they always keep a boat there to get them.
A man from Calif bought one of the islands. He built a retreat on the top with 190 steeps stairs to get there. They take them by boat and use a hydraulic lift to get their belongings up to the top. We age at Mo's owned by the same man. This restaurant was highly recommended by the locals. It was delicious.
Most of our drive today was filled with gorgeous colored leaves. Nancy kept pulling off the road so we could get pictures.
We ventured to Economy Point. Down a road that was more potholes than road. As I said before the tide was going out. At the overlooks on our 2 1/2 miles walk through the wilderness we could see huge boulders that were now out of water.. The water was out more than a mile. It's really amazing to see the high tides then see the water disappear.
We got a cabin overlooking the Bay for the night. We walked down to the waterless bay. It was so dark that we didn't get to see it when the water was high because it was low when we got up. We ended our day with a glass of wine on our porch, a lovely mean at Mo's and another wine when we got home. Since we didin't have a t.v., for the first time we had to read ourselves to sleep. We're hoping for another sunny day.
We arrived "above" Cape D'Or, of course down a gravel, curvy road. We walked down the steep, rocky road to the lighthouse. It was high on a cliff. The walk back up was no fun! We then went to the 5 Islands Lighthouse, not in service anymore. Because of the action of the Bay of Fundy the lighthouse has already been moved away from the cliffs 3 times. We gazed at the 5 island about 1 mile out in the bay. The tide was beginning to recede. Once a yr, 2oo runners go 1 mile out to the big island and then run around it. This is always on the lowest tide. There is only a 30 mins. time period that they can get around the island. From having no water to having 56 feet of water made the timing very important. If stragglers get caught in the water they always keep a boat there to get them.
A man from Calif bought one of the islands. He built a retreat on the top with 190 steeps stairs to get there. They take them by boat and use a hydraulic lift to get their belongings up to the top. We age at Mo's owned by the same man. This restaurant was highly recommended by the locals. It was delicious.
Most of our drive today was filled with gorgeous colored leaves. Nancy kept pulling off the road so we could get pictures.
We ventured to Economy Point. Down a road that was more potholes than road. As I said before the tide was going out. At the overlooks on our 2 1/2 miles walk through the wilderness we could see huge boulders that were now out of water.. The water was out more than a mile. It's really amazing to see the high tides then see the water disappear.
We got a cabin overlooking the Bay for the night. We walked down to the waterless bay. It was so dark that we didn't get to see it when the water was high because it was low when we got up. We ended our day with a glass of wine on our porch, a lovely mean at Mo's and another wine when we got home. Since we didin't have a t.v., for the first time we had to read ourselves to sleep. We're hoping for another sunny day.
Chignecto Bay in the Bay of Fundy
We started down the Nova Scotia coast closest to New Brunswich. It was cloudy early but not raining. We drove to Joggins. This coast is known for finding fossiles of 300,000 yrs. ago. We wanted to walk on the floor of the bay and look for some but it was high tide and all water. We drove down a smaller road heading for Cape Chignecto/Advocate Hbr. The drive was full of colorful trees, overcast, but we hoped we still got some great pictures. Wen we got to the park, it looked like rain so we didn't want to pay to walk the other trails so we opted to walk the beach. This beach was so heavily laden with rocks and was very hard to walk on. These rocks were various colors and sizes. The high cliffs were also. As we began walking back to the park it started to sprinkle. Before we got back to the car it was pouring!!! We both got soaked. We had just washed our clothes last night and now everything was wet again. It was raining too hard to see the road so we had to just sit in the car. When we finally got started on our way, we had to stop again because Nancy couldn't see the road. We missed going to Cape 'Or, a peninsular out in the bay that had a lighthouse. Bay of Fundy rises and falls twice a day. From low tide to high tide can be up to 58 feet. When it's low tide you can walk on the floor of the bay out for a long way. We drove in the rain to Parrsboro, another seaside village. We couldn't see anything so we decided to stop for the night in the town's only motel, Sunshine Inn. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Rain, Rain Go Away
We drove up to the North Shore to Cape George. It was gorgeous and for once all of the trails were marked. We couldn't even get out of the car. Nancy did drive up to the lighthouse so I could take a picture out of the window. We drove along the coast and then headed across N.S. in the rain. We are going to the coast of Bay of Fundy (Amherst), the entrance to get into New Brunswick. It rained on us until around 3 today. I still tried to take pictures of the beautiful leaves. When N could, she would slow down so I could stick my camera out to take a picture.
Hopefully some of them will turn out. We're in a new Super 8 tonight. pool, whirlpool, and the works. We walked down to the shopping center and walked around the Target (only clothes) and a few other stores and then went to the Pizza Delight. We split a pizza again. There were no other restaurants, only fast food places. We hope to get some pictures on our blog tonight.
Hopefully some of them will turn out. We're in a new Super 8 tonight. pool, whirlpool, and the works. We walked down to the shopping center and walked around the Target (only clothes) and a few other stores and then went to the Pizza Delight. We split a pizza again. There were no other restaurants, only fast food places. We hope to get some pictures on our blog tonight.
Last of Cape Breton
We headed out of C.B. hoping the weather would clear up. It didn't rain today but was cloudy, not good for picture taking. We took some of the changing leaves and hope they turn out.
We wanted to go to Egypt Falls but the Dreamers and Doers (their travel book) didn't explain where it was. We asked several people and they all said it was a very wide and beautiful waterfall..but they'd never climbed down to it. The last guy we talked to said he had done it. He said it was long and very steep to come back up--but not to worry, they had ropes to help you up--after just a little bit of considering we decided it wasn't for us. so we keep on driving. We did find a nice trail back into the marsh to walk. This 2 mile trek was boring, flat and uneventful.
We are finding more and more that roads, lighthouses, trails are not marked. It's very frustrating to not be able to find them. We see many cars parked along the road and guess they're on a trail but don't know where the trail leads to.
Each house in N.S. that we see along the way has it's own designer garbage holder. Some even put flowers on them. It must be hard for the trash men to have to open up each one to get the garbage.
Most homes, even small ones have green lawns with flowers. Some have acres of green grass. Americans would hire someone to cut these huge yards usually high on hills.
We are finding if there is a New Harbour, there is also a North, East or West New Harbour too.
Ice Cream is big up here. There are ice cream shops but it's also sold in craft stores, etc.
We see many old wooden boats in yards, don't know if they are there during the off season or beginning used as decorations
We're staying in Antognish. Went across the street and treated ourselves to ribs.
We wanted to go to Egypt Falls but the Dreamers and Doers (their travel book) didn't explain where it was. We asked several people and they all said it was a very wide and beautiful waterfall..but they'd never climbed down to it. The last guy we talked to said he had done it. He said it was long and very steep to come back up--but not to worry, they had ropes to help you up--after just a little bit of considering we decided it wasn't for us. so we keep on driving. We did find a nice trail back into the marsh to walk. This 2 mile trek was boring, flat and uneventful.
We are finding more and more that roads, lighthouses, trails are not marked. It's very frustrating to not be able to find them. We see many cars parked along the road and guess they're on a trail but don't know where the trail leads to.
Each house in N.S. that we see along the way has it's own designer garbage holder. Some even put flowers on them. It must be hard for the trash men to have to open up each one to get the garbage.
Most homes, even small ones have green lawns with flowers. Some have acres of green grass. Americans would hire someone to cut these huge yards usually high on hills.
We are finding if there is a New Harbour, there is also a North, East or West New Harbour too.
Ice Cream is big up here. There are ice cream shops but it's also sold in craft stores, etc.
We see many old wooden boats in yards, don't know if they are there during the off season or beginning used as decorations
We're staying in Antognish. Went across the street and treated ourselves to ribs.
Highlands National Park/Cape Breton
We bundled up (43 degrees)this a.m. I had on twice as much as Nancy did. We headed down the East side of C.B. We found cups of coffee and hot chocolate to eat with our muffins from yesterday.
Our first trail was walking to the end of White Point. It had rained off and on but wasn't when we began. We walked to one of the end, high on rocks above the Atlantic. It started to sprinkle and we were a long way from the car. Nancy "hauled buggy" and I only sauntered down because I'm not taking any chances with my knee. We both were at the car when the rain really started. We headed back up the Cabot Trail/ We had to stop many times because men were working on the road to get prepared for winter.
All this time we looked for a place to have breakfast. We like to start out with this especially if we're going on a hike. No luck. We proceeded down the road stopping at a lot of the coves. The sun finally came out when we got to Green Cove. We walked up (of course)to the top of a bunch of pink, white and grey granite. Can you believe it was finally high tide. The waaaaves crashed on the rocks before us, making great pictures.
At 11:00 we finally found a place for breakfast. They can't mess that up. After that we filled up the car with gas and headed for the Keltic Lodge, a gorgeous hotel, convention center up on a penisula. We used their powder room but thought the penthouse for $1,600 was out of our range. We did the Middle Head trail behind the lodge.(2.5 miles) Again the trail went up and down mostly rocky. It was well worth it though. We were high on the point, waves crashing and the sun was still out !!!!! We met some other hikers on the way down they said they had seen a bald eagle and a golden eagle flying around up there but by the time we got there they were gone. We had worked up such a sweat, Nancy had taken off one sweatshirt, I had taken off two.
We continued on down the road to Baddeck, a fairly large town.(1 street) It was getting late and we were tired and didn't know what accommodates were around the corner. We treated ourselves to the Lynwood Lodge. We walked down the street and found a small diner and had fried chicken and mash potatoes. Potatoes are grown up here so they're served at each meal
The whirlpool in our room helped our aching body. We tried to get something on t.v. but all there was was sports. That seems to be true on most of their stations. Sorry if I have repeated myself. It's difficult to type something that I wrote several days before.
Our first trail was walking to the end of White Point. It had rained off and on but wasn't when we began. We walked to one of the end, high on rocks above the Atlantic. It started to sprinkle and we were a long way from the car. Nancy "hauled buggy" and I only sauntered down because I'm not taking any chances with my knee. We both were at the car when the rain really started. We headed back up the Cabot Trail/ We had to stop many times because men were working on the road to get prepared for winter.
All this time we looked for a place to have breakfast. We like to start out with this especially if we're going on a hike. No luck. We proceeded down the road stopping at a lot of the coves. The sun finally came out when we got to Green Cove. We walked up (of course)to the top of a bunch of pink, white and grey granite. Can you believe it was finally high tide. The waaaaves crashed on the rocks before us, making great pictures.
At 11:00 we finally found a place for breakfast. They can't mess that up. After that we filled up the car with gas and headed for the Keltic Lodge, a gorgeous hotel, convention center up on a penisula. We used their powder room but thought the penthouse for $1,600 was out of our range. We did the Middle Head trail behind the lodge.(2.5 miles) Again the trail went up and down mostly rocky. It was well worth it though. We were high on the point, waves crashing and the sun was still out !!!!! We met some other hikers on the way down they said they had seen a bald eagle and a golden eagle flying around up there but by the time we got there they were gone. We had worked up such a sweat, Nancy had taken off one sweatshirt, I had taken off two.
We continued on down the road to Baddeck, a fairly large town.(1 street) It was getting late and we were tired and didn't know what accommodates were around the corner. We treated ourselves to the Lynwood Lodge. We walked down the street and found a small diner and had fried chicken and mash potatoes. Potatoes are grown up here so they're served at each meal
The whirlpool in our room helped our aching body. We tried to get something on t.v. but all there was was sports. That seems to be true on most of their stations. Sorry if I have repeated myself. It's difficult to type something that I wrote several days before.
Cape Breton
Nancy drove most of the day in the rail. The sun would come out for a minute and tease us. Again we took roads that ran along the water. We saw beautifully colored trees (finally had a high tide) and water crashing against the rocks but it was so gray we hardly took any pictures. It got colder as the day progressed. Nancy was fine with the cold but I was freezing. I bought 2 more sweatshirts (I have many at home). We are staying in Cape North(two t.v. stations) no coffee pot) which is almost at the top of Cape Breton Island. There are 2 motels, 2 B&B, 1 restaurant, 1 sm. grocery store, and a few homes. We drove to Bay of St. Lawrence, the highest point in Cape Breton. There was nothing these. Then we drove to Dingwall. It had a small cafe so we split a pizza for supper. We didn't walk today.Tomorrow is suppose to be 40 degrees with wind but if its not rainy there are many trails down the east coast that we want to do. Middle Head Trail behind the Keltic Lodge is the trail we really want to do. We needed gas so we ask a man and he said that it was 1/2 click down the street. Anyone know what that means?
As we drove today we noticed that the rock formations changed. Many were boulders, then others were like big flat rocks. We drove out to Cheticamp Island. Down a wet, clay road to the east end we saw Enrage Lighthouse. The lighthouse come in various sizes depending on where they are but they're always red and white. Maine lighthouses are much taller, don't know why.
Facts: no rye bread here, gravy on french fries, no crackers for soup, great ham, different tasting sausage, speed limits seems to change more often than ours (it's still scarey to see speed signs saying 100 (52 for us)
As we drove today we noticed that the rock formations changed. Many were boulders, then others were like big flat rocks. We drove out to Cheticamp Island. Down a wet, clay road to the east end we saw Enrage Lighthouse. The lighthouse come in various sizes depending on where they are but they're always red and white. Maine lighthouses are much taller, don't know why.
Facts: no rye bread here, gravy on french fries, no crackers for soup, great ham, different tasting sausage, speed limits seems to change more often than ours (it's still scarey to see speed signs saying 100 (52 for us)
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Going North
We are having a very difficult time find computers. Most of the motels don't have them, no internet cafes.
It rained most of the night and most of the day. "Riding the Tide" was not in the works for us today because of the rain and day. Do this means going out in a zodiak at low tide, waiting for the high tide to come in, and then riding the waves. It is more fun than white water rafting. We had to change our plans. We picked back roads, mostly were maintanced ones. The roads went up the mts. and then into the valley and it was my time to drive. Driving in the rain on windy roads was tiring. We had no sun therefore no pictures. It was hard to see the roads with the rain and the mist from the other cars. I was glad when we stopped for lunch and Nancy started driving. We stopped at the visitor center when we got to Cape Breton. They made a reservations for us at Inverness Lodge, waterview--we though this was going to be super. Well--when we got there around 4 our image was squelched. Couldn't see the water. We drove down to the boardwalk near the beach. We couldn't get to the beach because there was 6-7 foot cliffs down to it. We finally found one entrance to the beach. It was covered with rocks- good thing we had shoes on. We didn't really how lucky we were to have such beatiful beaches.
For those of you that know me will know I love hamburgers. But no more for me. The beef taste so different, evidently not their best meat. The best food we've had was pan fried haddock--it was delicious. On one of our back street, we saw probably 100 Cana. geese rest from their flight south. I scared them so they took off flying. Got a great picture of that! Not edited.
It rained most of the night and most of the day. "Riding the Tide" was not in the works for us today because of the rain and day. Do this means going out in a zodiak at low tide, waiting for the high tide to come in, and then riding the waves. It is more fun than white water rafting. We had to change our plans. We picked back roads, mostly were maintanced ones. The roads went up the mts. and then into the valley and it was my time to drive. Driving in the rain on windy roads was tiring. We had no sun therefore no pictures. It was hard to see the roads with the rain and the mist from the other cars. I was glad when we stopped for lunch and Nancy started driving. We stopped at the visitor center when we got to Cape Breton. They made a reservations for us at Inverness Lodge, waterview--we though this was going to be super. Well--when we got there around 4 our image was squelched. Couldn't see the water. We drove down to the boardwalk near the beach. We couldn't get to the beach because there was 6-7 foot cliffs down to it. We finally found one entrance to the beach. It was covered with rocks- good thing we had shoes on. We didn't really how lucky we were to have such beatiful beaches.
For those of you that know me will know I love hamburgers. But no more for me. The beef taste so different, evidently not their best meat. The best food we've had was pan fried haddock--it was delicious. On one of our back street, we saw probably 100 Cana. geese rest from their flight south. I scared them so they took off flying. Got a great picture of that! Not edited.
Driving along Bay of Fundy
We left Annapolis Royal to go to a wilderness trailhead. We haad filled up with gas in Digby and were really glad abecause we hardly saw a station. They don't have them on every corner like we do. We paid $1.02 a liter. We were told by a aCanadian that was abouta $4.00 a gallon. (Sounds like last yr. doesn't it) We found Delap's Cove after driving down 2 mi. of very steep garvel road. We began our walk to the waterfall and cliffs. The trail went through an old growth forest going up, then down. In places we had to dodge the roots and others had to make our way through the rocks. During the walk Patty had a serious discussion with a Cana. about Health Care. We agreed to disagree. Nancy of course was aheqd of me (I take 2 steps to her one) and she's fast and I'm slow. After 20 mins., she came back to find me thinking I had fallen but only found me talking. The tide was low again (the tide's abeen low since we got to N.S.) so all the rocks are exposed with seaweed. We're hoping for a high tide so we can see the water crashing on the rocks. We then headed on #1 which runs along he Bay of Fundy. Because we were so high up, the leaves showed color. We drove on other roads that neither had names or numbers. We just hoped we were going the right way. We went up to Lookoff. We could see the beautiful valley abelow. The leaves had more color in the valley, various shades of green, orange, red, maroon. We drove through many "coves" each having about 10 homes. Saw healthy horses with their winter coats, but we saw hardly any people. Each little cove, village, town had their own cementry some with only 10-12 headstones. We had to stop on many of the roads because men were repairing the roads for winter. We saw many ornate churches, sometimes two next to each other. We saw one hanging off of a cliff. We joked about where the preacher stood--on the side on land. We found most Cana. people so gracious and willing to help. They stop when you walk up to a street to let you cross, same as in Maine. I know I drink too many diet cokes but I can't here. There are no free refills. Someplaces don't even have ice for your water. We're staying in Windsor, the birthplace of Hockey. We have seen more Canadians on vacation than people from the states. Won't have time to edit this so forgive me.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Cat/Nova Scotia
We bought muffins again and waited to get on the Cat. Many cars, buses and walkons were right along with us. We found us good seats with a table in the middle of the catamaran. After 3 1/2 hr. we arrived in Yarmouth, N.S. We followed Rt. 1 up the coast to Digby Neck, a peninsula with 2 islands sticking out into the Bay of Fundy. It took us a long time to drive to the end of the peninsula, then caught a ferry to Long Island, then another ferry to Brier Island. We had made reservations at the Brier Island Lodge. This is an lobstering island, everything seemed to be old. Because we didn't get there until 7:00 we didn't have time to check out any trails. We did some blogging with our wine and then turned in early. Today we were up early but you couldn't see past your nose. The fog was so thick! We were going on a whale watching tour but they didn't go out until noon because of the fog and we didn't want to waste the rest of the day. We did drive down a gravel road to the lighthouse, parked, then walked to Seal Cove. By the time we got there the seals had gone back to the sea to feed. We walked down to the Balancing Rock. The trail had a boardwalk over the bog and 235 STEPS down to the water. That wasn't bad until we had to go back up those 235 STEPS. It was almost to foggy to see much of anything when we got there. We did all of the ferries again and ended up in Digby, N.S. where we had a late lunch. The haddock was the best piece of fish that we've had so far. We drove on the Anapolis Royal and found us a room. lWe wanted to be close to where we will walk tomorrow.
Acadia National Park
It was 39 degrees this a.m. I was so cold! The heater in the room didn't work so well so we like to have frozen before we even went outsde. We started off this morning with breakfast at the local Exxon station. We bought muffins to eat later on. We tried Thunder Hole today but this time the tide was too high for it to blow. Better luck on our way back to Acadia. We parked our car there and started our hike. We took Otter Cliffs trail to Sand Beach. We were going to ride the trolley back to the car but Patty said that she thought she could make it. Then we drove to Jordan's Pond. We went upstairs on the balcony overlooking the pond. Many tables were set ulp on the lawn and we serving lunch. Our muffins and drinks were just as good but a lot cheaper.
We bought ball caps to wear so we didin't have to mess with our hair. It's so windy here. Bar Harbour was our next stop. We shopped around and each bought another sweatshirt. We have many at home but didn't pack any because we never dreamed it would be so cold/windy. We had dinner there and then headed back home. It had warmy up considerably so we took our wine/snacks and sat on chairs on the lawn.
We bought ball caps to wear so we didin't have to mess with our hair. It's so windy here. Bar Harbour was our next stop. We shopped around and each bought another sweatshirt. We have many at home but didn't pack any because we never dreamed it would be so cold/windy. We had dinner there and then headed back home. It had warmy up considerably so we took our wine/snacks and sat on chairs on the lawn.
Acadia National Park/Bar Harbour
We left Rckland headed north. We first drive to the summit of Mt. Bettie and took pictures of Penobscot Bay and Camden Cove. Then we drove through Ducktrap, Northport, Lincolnville, Bayside- small villages that you'd miss if you blinked. We found a room in Bar Harbour just one mile from Acadia. In the park we checked out Sand Beach the only sandy beach in the park) It was very cold but many were in the water. We drove to Thunder Hole hoping that it would blow but the tide was too low. We didn't drive the entire loop road because we wanted to go to Bar Harbour to buy our tickets to go on the Cat across to Nova Scotia. We had our regular glasses of wine and snacks for supper.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Lighthouses
Forgot to tell you this! In Boothbay I was using the office computer...and after i did the blog, i accidently went to another blog....well all we saw was a bunch of nude BUTTS! I got out of there so fast that we didn"t see anything else. I guess the guy working the front desk occupied himself very well. From Boothbay Harbour we headed up the coast to Rockland. We visited Pemaquid Litehouse whi ch had huge slabs of rockjs going into the sea. It was low tide so we were able to climb down on the rocks. We also climbed to the top of the litehouse. Then we walked up the many stairs to Owl's Nest lithouse. Below the shoreline was very rocky. BUT the Rockland Breakwater one was the hardest to get to. It was 7/8 's of a mile out in the bay. To get to it we had to walk on a rock walkway. These rocks were placed on the water supposedly in a line. Some had openings between them, some higher than the ones next to them.We had to watch where put our feet or we would have fallen beteen the cracks. It seemed like we were going UPUPUP..whether we were in the car or walking. This was much different walking for to Fl gals.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monhegan Island
Our first morning in Maine was in the 40's. After we bundled up we headed for Monhegan Island. The boat ride was an hour and a half of rockin' and rollin'. The island has only sand roads and 65 permanent residents, most of who are artists. People go over there to paint or hike. We hiked the Whitehead trail that went across the island to the high cliffs. We ate our snacks sitting on the cliff overlooking the ocean crashing into the many rocks. The trails were steep and rocky and many were difficult to manuveur around the roots and rocks. Some of the trails were only 2 ft. wide. We both did well with our "bumb" knees. We're staying in Boothbay Harbor right on the water. Tomorrow we're heading up the coast towards Acadia National Park.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Time for another trip
It's a great time of the year for two Florida gals to go to the north east. We are looking forward to some cool weather and hope to see the beautiful colors of a New England fall. I hope you will join us on our trip and enjoy it as much as I know we will.
On the Road Again
Nancy and Patty are leaving for Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswich on Wed. We are excited to be out in nature again. Nova Scotia has so many small fishing villages and trails to explore. We might try ziplining ...who knows what else we might try. Hope you follow along with us on our adventure.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)