Heading to Nfld - July 14

Boy did it ever rain last night.  We seemed to have a little leak on the one side of the trailer but it wasn’t too bad.  We really haven’t had to deal with rain till now so haven’t had any issues.  I will have to check into that when we get home.  It was great timing though – the rain stopped just in time for us to get everything packed up and ready to go and then started again as we waited in the line for the ferry! 

It cost us over $350 to get on the ferry with our 40 foot load (truck plus trailer) and us five people.  The Marine Atlantic ferry we were on was quite nice.  A newer ferry with lots of amenities on board.  We had brought some snacks on board for the 6 hour voyage but hadn’t planned on much more than that.  Next to us, some more experienced ferry riders had brought a cooler with lots of food and drinks!  We will have to remember that for next time!  We did have lunch on board the ferry – a great meal actually and not that pricey considering where you are.  The snack bar was much worse – 2 slices of bread for $2! 

We finally made it to Port aux Basques around 4 pm Newfoundland time and decided to head to Corner Brook.  Only about 2 hours away but we had been warned MANY times not to drive at night on the Rock.  There a plenty of moose here and they seem to come out at night.  One woman told me of seeing almost 75 moose in one hour on the roads!  Better to be safe.

Weighted Down - July 13

We had big plans for today – heading to the Ferry Harbour.  But, before we could do that we did a little side trip to Parrsboro.  This is a little town with the Fundy Geological Museum.  It was a neat little museum but what was really cool was the fact that when we pulled in the water was higher and just over an hour later it was already noticeably lower.  This area apparently has even higher tides than the Bay of Fundy because of how their bay is shaped but they have not marketed it as well as the Moncton area has.  We went to a local beach where the kids picked up enough rocks to weigh down their pants.  That’s the joy of having a trailer though.  We have plenty of room to bring them all home.  No weight restrictions for the kids for sure!

From here we took the scenic route to get to North Sydney thanks to our GPS!  Took a little longer than expected but it was beautiful.  Right along the oceanfront for much of the trip.  Even the trip up to North Sydney was amazing – going on the opposite side of the water as the Cabot Trail.  The entrance to the Cabot Trail was from this route and while we had debated doing the Trail we decided that it may not be as interesting for the kids.  The Cabot Trail is all about nature, scenery, and different rock formations.  While it would be of interest for a few minutes they would likely be more interested in their game systems for the most part!  In the end, they are still kids.

We stopped at the Arm of Gold Campground.  This is a great little campground just minutes from the ferry.  It really caters to people getting on and off the ferry so their rates were very reasonable but their facilities were clean and the people nice.  You can’t ask for more than that really!

Time for Goodbye to PEI - July 12

Overnight, we stopped early at the Charlottetown campsite so we could get some laundry done.  It’s a fact of life that we need time for that as well. It’s funny because while I knew that and brought the soap with me, I hadn’t actually planned laundry days.  For anyone planning something like this a piece of advice – either bring EVERYTHING that is machine wash and dry or plan a few hours in a campsite so you can get that necessary thing don’t as well.  The kids didn’t mind an early stop though.  The campground had an Olympic sized pool plus a secluded beach – how can you beat that?

We decided to head out early so we could see everything in Charlottetown before crossing over the bridge again!  Our first stop was the Provincial Buildings.  They are the smallest province so it is fitting that they have the smallest provincial buildings.  But, they are also of much significance.  This is where the idea of Canada came into being.  When the Fathers of Confederation met and socialized and discussed the idea of one nation under a federal government.  Canada is such a young country so it was neat to see and hear the stories.  Charlottetown takes a lot of pride in being the place where Canada was born.  They do many re-enactments which are worth taking the time to stop and see.  We loved ‘meeting’ John A MacDonald.

And, then a thrill for the kids.  Remember when we couldn’t make it to Deja Bu?  Well, we made up for it.  We decided to stop at a local place – WaterPrince Corner Shop and guess what?   It had been featured on You Gotta Eat Here on May 9^th!  The kids were so excited.  The food was good but I think it tasted better for them because it had the thumbs up from the FoodNetwork!

Our next stop was the Cows Factory.  We had been waiting to see the Cows Factory for a while.  The kids were excited about getting T-shirts, having another ice cream before heading back over the Bridge.  The shop was nice and big – lots of options.  We got another Anne chocolate, some Raspberry Cordial and our ice cream.  But, the tour?  Not worth it.  It was so short and so pricy – I would rather spend the money on buying more ice cream (or cheese which they also make).  Live and learn.

With our bellies full of ice cream, it was time to head back over the Confederation Bridge and say goodbye to PEI.  The toll bridge was a little too fast for me and before we knew it, we were on our way to Nova Scotia.

I M Anne - July 11

In the morning, we packed up and hit the road again.  Just down the road there is a little attraction called the Bottle House.  We decided to stop there and check it out.   With a trailer being pulled though, we realized we couldn’t pull into their little parking lot so we just pulled over to the side of the road!  You have to love it when you can pull over and just stop with no one getting upset.  It’s a laid back life out here!

The Bottle Houses were so neat.  It is being run by the daughter of the man who many all these houses made with reclaimed bottles.  He made a church, a little house, and a bar area!  The bottles looked like stained glass.  It was a cute little stop for sure!

We went from here to another little community where we had heard they had great lobster dinners.  Despite the fact that Dad doesn’t eat meat he was OK with us stopping here and having a unique PEI dinner.  We had the lobster dinner and some local PEI fare – a meat pie, corn and chicken soup, and pork served with molasses.  It was good but I think the favourite was the lobster for sure!  Sadly, the kids love the expensive foods.

After lunch, it was time to head to Avonlea.  The community has really been built up around the storybook heroine.  They have restored the home of the author – LM Montgomery – and created a little village to bring the stories to life.   I was so excited.  This part of the trip is for me!  Navras and Shanti have read the book but they didn’t fall in love with it like I did.  As soon as we got in the kids spotted a Cows Creamery!  After hearing for weeks about how great the ice cream was here where do you think they wanted to go first?  Yup – time for ice cream but double yup – it was worth it!

And, when we came outside – who did I see but two girls walking across the street.  Anne and Diana!!!!!  I had to have my photo taken with the girls.  They asked me about my unfortunate incident and compared it to when Anne jumped off the roof of the barn and twisted her ankle.  The actors here are great – keeping in character all the time.  Rachel Lynde told me I should be careful and should have taken my horse instead!  We listened to local music, watched oyster shucking, won a potato sack race, took part in the parade, and had some great photo ops!   It still makes me smile to think about how much fun it was.  A definite must for any Anne of Green Gables fan!

Longest Bridge - July 10

We continued on the Acadian Coastline drive and decided to stop at a local grocery store to get some things to have a picnic on the beach!  I was VERY surprised at the cost of the food.  Just a few necessities and a couple of pre-made sandwiches and we were over $75 already.  A local resident told us that groceries here are more than rent for most people.  It was quite shocking and not something I had expected at all.  Regardless, we found our little oasis so the kids could dip their feet into the Gulf of the St Lawrence and experience a salt water beach.  It was great.  The beach was a little rocky and had many crab shells near the water but the kids loved the little sand path they could take into the Gulf.  Even I dipped my good foot into the water and I have to say it wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be.  That may have been since the weather was so warm! 

I was thinking I might get a chance to use my outdoor utility shower today but by the time we walked back to the trailer it was not necessary.

We continued on our way – heading to the Confederation Bridge.  But, before we could get there we had to do a quick stop at the biggest lobster display in Shediac!  How much fun to be ‘caught’ by the lobster!

And, then suddenly, we were there!  We stopped at a little nature centre just before getting onto the bridge.  Everyone was so helpful.  Despite the fact that it was closing, one woman showed us the way to the little museum featuring information on local birds and a tower.  Four stories up and we got an amazing view of the Confederation Bridge.  What a feat to have made something this impressive over the ocean.  It was beautiful to see the arches.   I can finally say I crossed the Confederation Bridge!

The crossing was beautiful – as PEI came into view I can even put into words how I felt.  PEI – this is something I have read about, dreamt about seeing but I never thought it would happen.  I love the idea of PEI.  One of my favourite books as a child was Anne of Green Gables and now I was seconds away from stepping into the same area where it all happened.

We decided to stay in Summerside overnight.  The red sands area and from what I have heard warmer waters.  And, while the water may have been warmer, the mosquitoes were also larger!  We had to come into the trailer fairly early just to keep from being eaten alive.  But, as we were getting set up, some other newbie campers came over and made friends!   I have to say I was glad I had brought an extension cord.  Our new friends told us the plug-ins don’t work very well so you need to have an extension cord, not just the adapter.  Little things you find out as you become an experienced camper!

Acadian Village - July 9

After driving for about four hours we finally arrived in Caraquet’s Acadian Village.  I have to say I love having access to the kitchen in the trailer as we just hopped inside and grabbed a quick sandwich before heading into the village.  They had said the village was quite accessible (which sadly is of importance now) and while at first it didn’t seem so easy to navigate it was fantastic.  It reminded me of Fort Edmonton – everyone dressed in costume telling the tale of the homes they were tending.  It was quite neat as not only were they dressed up but they were actually using the homes – making tea, bread and stews for the workers in the village to enjoy.  The workers were all very good at explaining the Acadian life.  Acadians were originally from France and came into the New Brunswick area which they thought looked like Arcadia and they were called Acadians as a result!  When the British started to rule the area they asked the Acadians to give up their French culture and Catholic religion.  When they refused, many Acadians were deported to wherever and many others fled.  The current residents are all descendants of those Acadians who fled into the woods.  Caraquet shows some of the original homes once Acadians were allowed to own land again.

After shutting down the Village – that does seem to be a trend for us already – we headed off to find a campsite.  As we drove into the local town, we found a restaurant featured on FoodNetwork – Deja Bu.  Unfortunately, it was closed on Mondays so we didn’t get to experience the lobster grilled cheese which we had heard about!  Still it was neat to drive by and see it....  Mental note - next time, plan to go but check their hours of operation!

We finally got to our KOA campsite.  The kids were so excited.  Not only was there a great playground but a pool and a jumpy pillow!  That is just as much fun as the learning part of the trip.  In fact, it’s nice to see so many campgrounds cater to families to allow the kids to release some energy when we stop!

On the Road Again - July 7 - 8

Today, Papa (my dad) arrived from Grande Prairie.   I know how lucky I am to have a family who will come to my rescue when I do silly things.  Dad left home, drove to Edmonton, caught a flight out to Quebec City and was at the campsite by 4 PM on July 8^th.  How nice to see a familiar face.  He is willing to drive us to where we are headed next so I can continue on my once in a lifetime trip with the kids.  So, while it will be different, it will be!  And, it will be great for all of us to spend some time together.  Too bad Mum couldn’t come as well but someone needed to be home to take care of things there!

The first thing we did when Papa arrived was to take Navras to a medi-clinic.  It turns out since I had been a little focused on myself I had let a small tonsil thing turn into a full blown ear infection that needed antibiotics.  After waiting 3 hrs, we were finally seen and received the prescription.  We certainly have used and abused the Quebec health care system haven’t we?  I decided that Quebec City had it in for us and that it was time to head on.

We hadn’t seen the city at all but after all that had happened, I was not in the mood to.  On the morning of July 9^th we left Quebec City and headed to New Brunswick.  We decided to skip the Gaspe Penninsula in the interest of saving a little time.  After all, Papa does have a life to get back to as well!   We drove as far as we could and ended up the Amqui Campground.  Again, campers come through for us – Papa does not have practice backing up the trailer so another person (who was waiting for us to back into our spot so he could get by) offered to do it for us and in less than 2 minutes we were set and ready to have supper.

Despite everything that has happened, I am grateful that I am still able to do as much as I can and enjoy seeing the country with my family.  I am thankful for many things – family, friends and strangers who help and show support along the way.  And, I am hopeful that this trip will be even better than I had planned.  A three generation trip – one which will live in our memories for years to come.