The Best of the Rest

We left our cozy B&B Tuesday morning and headed off to the highlands in search of excellent scenery and moose. Our first stop was the Glenora Distillery, the only single malt whiskey distillery in Canada. We got a quick tour of how the place worked and a shot of the good stuff to perk us up before we were back on the Cabot Trail. Whiskey making is a very involved process, which might explain the very high prices of the stuff in the store ($15 for one of those itty bitty bottles!). Along the Cabot Trail (which goes through Cape Breton National Park) we took a short detour to the northern-most settlement in Nova Scotia (Meat Cove) which was lacking in both meat and the whales that are supposed to be seen just offshore. The cove was beautiful, but a very brisk sea wind and gathering clouds sent us out of there before too long. Disappointed (in the lack of whales) we went back to our tourist loop and spent the day slowly making our way through the National Park until the rain started and we set up our giant silver home. Although Lonely Planet said we’d have a hard time not seeing a moose, we saw nothing more animal like than the Pitcher plant (which eats insects) on our loop. Liars.

Wednesday was HOT, we woke up to 18oC and within a few hours we were enjoying the sunshine and 30oC weather. Our one stop for the day, an out of the way fish hatchery (Jon’s choice) was surprisingly interesting and we got to watch some very large fish close up.

We headed back to New Brunswick on Thursday to visit the southern portion. The very empty Fort Beausejour National Historic site was an excellent first stop. The fort has restored underground rooms which you can go through (if you’re short enough) and with no one else there we were able to run all over the place. If you’re ever in the area and have half an hour to waste, I highly recommend.

I’d never heard of the Hopewell Rocks until I saw them on the front of our tourist guide for NB, but we figured if they made the cover they should be at least a little interesting. So after getting our fill of history at the fort, we drove out along the Bay of Fundy to see them for ourselves. Fundy is known for its huge tides and along with some other wonderful natural processes has created pillars of rock out on the sea floor which are now known as the Hopewell Rocks. At low tide you can wander out among them and in the off-season, photograph them without a hundred strangers in your shots. We suffered the embarrassment of having to carry our large dog up and down the beach access stairs, much to the enjoyment of all the older folks at the site. The Maritimes are filled with the grey haired set, so we tend to stick out where ever we go (we’re 40 years younger and have a massive hairy dog and no motor home). I think the rocks lived up the hype so it was probably worth the strain on Jon to carry the mutt around.

A short dusk time drive around Fundy National Park finally rewarded us with our moose sightings, along with deer, rabbits and a grouse (all in about 20 minutes). I’ve seen moose before, but 3 of them at one time was pretty neat. Torrential downpour started Thursday night and carried on all through Friday so instead of spending more time in Fundy NP we loaded a very wet tent into the car and hightailed it to the Quebec border. Today we drove through Quebec, stopping only for Tim Hortons and gas – neither one of us speaks enough French to do much more than that. We got lost in Montreal (of course) but finally made it across the border into Ontario where we can communicate with the locals! Again, we’re living large at the KOA South Ottawa (which is no where near Ottawa) and heading to the cottage tomorrow before working our way slowly back to Alberta. We very much enjoyed our trip to the coast – although next time we’re taking a camper van!

Nova Scotia South Shore

It’s a stormy night in Cape Breton so we decided to splurge and have holed up in the Creignish Craft Works B & B on the island. It’s an eclectic place – once a school house it has been refurbished into a B & B overlooking the ocean. There are really no words to describe a house decorated with Scottish tartan and a giant tuna (among the hundreds of things that crowd the hallways and rooms here). But our room is warm, only slightly over budget and out of the howling winds and rain. Our host, Sandra, is quirky and the raccoons out front are amusing.

We arrived in Cape Breton this evening after touring the eastern and southern shores of Nova Scotia for the weekend. We started off Saturday by heading north from Halifax to the Fort Edward National Historic Site. We had to cut our visit short when Jon set off the alarm at the fort building trying to open the door to the blockhouse. We waited a few minutes for someone to show up (the site doesn’t have anyone at it) before scrambling back to our car and heading out of town. We stopped for some apples and cider in the apple capital of Nova Scotia before turning our sites to the slightly out of way Digby Neck, a spit of land that juts out alongside the Bay of Fundy. We were hoping to spot some whales from shore as it is well known for being home to several species this time of year but all we saw was a light house. Bored of another unscenic scenic coastal drive we cut across the middle of the province to the southern shore, famed for Lunenburg and Peggy’s Cove, to spend the night.

Sunday was our day for the big sites. We stopped first at the Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Adjunct where we were the only people in the park. We wandered through the fog to the shore where we saw Harbor and Grey seals lounging on the rocks (I only know that because they have interpretive plaques). Several large rocks provided an excellent spot to sit and watch them up close. Then it was off to Lunenburg (finally, a scenic scenic drive!) to see the Bluenose II and purchase a bobble-headed lobster for our dashboard. Patches was terrified of the Bluenose so we left shortly after watching it dock. We set up camp near Peggy’s Cove before heading to see the famed lighthouse in the late afternoon. Nice, but very windy so we didn’t stay long.

This morning we got lost in Halifax trying to get to the eastern shores and hit every patch of construction. We did stop at two beautiful beaches, but the wind kept us from sitting around too long. By the late afternoon we’d made it to the northern shore and we crossed the causeway (an adventure with the spray) into Cape Breton.

Tomorrow its off to the whiskey distillery and a location called Meat Cove (we’ll find out if they let vegetarians in) to try again for some whales. I have high hopes for some scenic vistas, excellent weather and lots of CBC Radio 1.

Ah, the East...

Our excitement on reaching NB Monday afternoon was dampened by the long, boring forested drive across the top of NB to the coast - possibly less scenic than the drive to Sudbury. Our spirits were lifted upon arrival in Campbellton, where we set up camp in Sugarloaf Provincial Park and immediately headed up the "mountain" for the beautiful views the guidebook promised. After nearly a week in the car, our bodies were unaccustomed to any activity and we dragged ourselves up the 400m to the summit to survey a nice, but not amazing panorama of Campbellton and the nearby bay. "Nice but not amazing" describes the rest of the coastal drive along the eastern shore towards the Confederation Bridge. The bright spot in the 3 days we spent in NB was Kouchibouguac National Park - a nice slice of sand dunes and marshes that boasts a very nice (and deserted in September) campground. We also enjoyed the Irving Eco-center, a 2km boardwalk in Bouchtouche which leads out onto a dune. Patches did not enjoy it as he had to be kenneled.

Wednesday afternoon we decided to try our luck on the island and crossed the 12km Confederation Bridge into PEI. We immediately felt better - red cliffs and cute houses, just as we'd been promised! In mere minutes we'd forgotten New Brunswick as we weaved along country roads towards the north coast and PEI National Park. Although quite small, PEI National Park (at least the eastern section) is nice. Great red cliffs along beautiful beaches. We even smuggled the dog down to the beach one morning so he could have a drink of the Atlantic Ocean.

Thursday we drove to Charlottetown to walk the historical waterfront and sample some Cows ice cream. Then it was back to New Brunswick (this time we had to pay to cross the bridge) and onward into Nova Scotia.

We drove along the northwestern shore stopping in Joggins for the fossil cliffs (and even found a fossil) and then in Cape d'Or to marvel at the massive waves and cliffs. We like Nova Scotia, the only negative being the gangs of raccoons that were roaming our campsite last night trying very hard to get into the garbage bins. Things got quite rowdy when another family of raccoons showed up and a fight began.

Today (Friday) we drove to Halifax to get an oil change and see the Citadel National Historic Site. We've learned that dogs in are allowed in the historic sites so even Patches got a tour. We arrived just in time to hear the noon cannon being fired right over top of our car as well as hear several pipers and drum players. The dog was less than thrilled with the drummers and tried to flee the site.

All is well with the car (except the clutch and a burned out licence plate light) so we're good to keep on driving. Currently we're holed up in our luxury accommodations (the Halifax area KOA), doing laundry and using the free WiFi. The weather is supposed to stay nice (highs in the low 20s!) and we're moving on to see the rest of the province starting tomorrow.

Out of Quebec

After a very long drive from Sault to Sudbury (involving the worlds longest detour) we made it to Pembroke on Saturday night. The weather cleared up (no more snow!) and we had a relaxing drive from there to Montmagny, Quebec yesterday. This morning we woke up to brillant sunshine, drove the scenic route along the south bank of the St. Lawrence and crossed the border into New Brunswick just a few minutes ago. We're ready to start exploring!

South of the mighty Superior

We're in Sault Ste. Marie, its been raining/snowing all day but has cleared off finally although I hear it might freeze tonight. We bought another sleeping bag at Canadian Tire yesterday with our wad of CT money, so we should be snuggly warm!

Off to Ottawa tomorrow...

Across the Great Seas of Wheat

We've made it to Thunder Bay (for anyone tracking our progress), cruising through Sask, Manitoba and a bit of Ontario in the last 3 days. That's just over 2700km and just under 30 hours of car riding.

Its been pretty uneventful. We've caused quite the stir with the old folks in their motor homes who seemed very concerned that we're going to camp our way across the country but we haven't frozen yet (although it has been chilly!). We'll see how it goes as we get further east and it gets further into the fall.

Patches seems to be enjoying himself - especially last night when our campground mate fed him 3 hot dogs.

The plan is to spend tomorrow in TBay, relaxing and letting our sore bones recover from so much time in the car. We'll be on the road for Friday and Saturday finishing off northern Ontario and Quebec. Hopefully we'll be in the Maritimes by Sunday!

The Road Trip Begins!

On Thursday we left Calgary and drove to Hinton to stay with my family and organize ourselves for further adventures. We've spent the weekend relaxing, packing and playing way too much frisbee with the dog. Its been a good break, and given us the chance to recharge before heading out on stage two of the road trip. Tomorrow we start out across the prairies to Thunder Bay, home of the sleeping giant and the Persian Man donut!

The WCT Trail

I kicked off my 4 months of travel with a hike along the 75 km length of the West Coast Trail (WCT), located on beautiful Vancouver Island. This was my second trip along the trail, the first one being 7 years ago when I hiked it with my family. In comparison to that trip, our time on the WCT was a true vacation. We had wonderful weather and lots of time for relaxing.

We hiked the trail north to south (opposite of what I did the last time), getting the easy stuff done with heavy packs. The highlight of my first day was the huge sea lion colony we stopped to view. These massive male sea lions can be heard before they are seen and were quite entertaining.

Sea lions on the rocks

The following days were spent alternating between hiking on the lovely beaches and hiking in the forests on boardwalks or in the mud. Luckily for us, the sunshine kept the boardwalks almost usable and the mud to a minimum. During our first four days, we watched a pod of whales swim by one evening, basked in glorious sunshine and marveled at the giant trees.

Jenn on the shelf and a very nice looking section of boardwalk

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the trail conditions in the difficult last sections of the trail were no different than the previous days, and we had to spend only a portion of each day slogging through the forest. We were treated to beautiful beach views, interesting forest walks and a family of sea otters playing just offshore at one of the camps.

Beach view and me on the boardwalk

Overall it was an excellent hiking trip, worth the mud and the sometimes monotonous forested sections to see things not possible when hiking in the Rockies. We took several hundred photos, with my favorites being HERE and HERE.