October 15, 2004

We managed to find a tire store – and through broken English and French determined that they could do the work at 8:00 AM on Saturday (ugh). Oh well, it will be an early start for tomorrow as well.

Into Quebec City for the day. It was windy and rainy throughout the day but we tried to make the most of it. We toured the Plains of Abraham – and the museum attached to the site. In addition to history of the battles – they had a display of the many uniforms that the British and French troops would have worn. Parked at the top of the hill and did the governor’s walk around the Citadel on a boardwalk. It ends up at Hotel Frontenac – and the water entrance to lower town (Old Quebec city). Spend our time walking up and down the streets – with a very old European feel, until the rain got too much and then popped into a pub for some seafood chowder.

As this is Pat’s last official day of work before his leave of absences starts (and the cheques stop) felt that it would be appropriate to have a couple of pints in celebration. (Kids were just as pleased with their hot chocolate). Great food and good service – and a welcome break from the rain. It was also nice to be able to take the kids into a pub with us. The kids were fascinated with how easily our waiter was able to switch between English and French – as he talked to the various tables.

Rain continues to increase – so back to the campground and to pack up those things that we can – as we need an early start in the morning.

October 16, 2004

There were heavy rain and winds up to 80 km per hour last night. Good thing we took down the awning before we went to bed. It was still raining hard when we got up this morning and still had a variety of things that we needed to pack up and hook up before we had to hit the road. Decided it was easier to go out in a rain jacket and shorts and just accept that you were going to get wet packing up – and then into a warm shower afterwards.

Off to tire store – and they had us in right away. Had to do some jimmy-rigging to get it fixed and they did not have any more flex extenders (we will have to pick up another one down the line). They were really good – and between our broken French and their bits of English – we were able to sort things out. Their primarily concern was to get us on the road as soon as possible – and were very pleased with the extra cash for a couple of beer after work for their efforts.

Headed off on the road towards New Brunswick. Rainy and windy most of the way – but got a bit of a break in Edmundston (lunch and grocery stop) and again in Perth-Andover where we stopped for the night. (This was a small town that Pat and Deb remember from 1985 – as they had a great little fish shop). We were able to spend some time walking beside the Saint John River and collecting clay before it got dark. The kids were fascinated by the tidal river, and the amount that the river raised and fell over the day. We have also crossed into another time zone – so are now three hours ahead of our time at home.

The kids were able to do a great deal of homework while we were on the road today – and seemed to be getting back into the routine again. We are the only one at the campground again tonight – and they are in the process of closing it down after this weekend. The restaurant that is attached to the campground is closed for a private surprise party – and there are people hiding their vehicles everywhere in order not to be seen by the guests of honour.

Still do not know what are plans are for tomorrow – will have to see what the weather looks like and play it by ear.

October 17, 2004

Well, we were up at just past midnight to take down the awning – due to the high winds. Good thing that we did, as they had a severe storm – especially closer to Saint John where the winds got up to over 90 km an hour.

Up to a cloudy and rainy morning – but decided to poke our way along the Saint John River. The area was really pretty with all the leaves turning colours and many older homesteads. After a bit of navigating around the area (looking for the second magnetic hill and the Spud museum), we stopped in Hartford – to walk across the longest covered bridge.

We ended up getting into Fredericton in the early afternoon – and the rain had let off and the skies cleared up. We had enough time to do some exploring around the old garrison district. There are some marvellous old homes and buildings in the town especially along the River. Also the town is connected by a series of walking and biking trails that are really well maintained. One of the paths runs right by the front of our campground so were able to do a short ride before supper.

The weather is predicted to be rain showers tomorrow – but then clearing for the rest of the week. So we will head towards Moncton tomorrow – and use that as a base of operations until the end of the week. Oh well – it could be worse as when we checked the weather forecast for back home, it was predicting snow today for both Cranbrook and Calgary.

October 18, 2004

Up and off to Moncton this morning in the drizzly. However it let up quickly and turned into a relatively nice day. We were able to navigate our way to Moncton and to the advertised campground – without difficulty despite there being a number of major road construction projects. (Deb is a good navigator). However – the campground that was advertised at 12.50 per day and open to the end of October – was not open and they were not interested in living up to their advertisement. Therefore we headed into the information centre downtown – which was also closed. Deb finally asked a local police officer – who took some humour in our dilemma – but indicated that there not really any good campground options that were still open.

The campground that we ended up finding – you entered beside a gas station – and looked pretty run down. It was located just below the Magnetic Hill – and with all the road construction at the interchange – was not easy to get at. However, the campground turned out being far better than it initially looked and we ended up with a beautifully treed spot – away from everyone. The campground host was really friendly and more than helpful in identifying things we should do and see. He was also in the process of winding down operations – as he heads off to Florida at the end of the month. We will use this as a base to see the rest of N.B.

Headed up to Magnetic Hill, and took a couple of runs “up” the hill in the Suzuki. The area has been surrounded by a theme park / water park – all of which were closed. A couple of the little tourist stores were open – and we walked around the shops. On the way home we hit a road side yard sale and market and picked up some fresh vegetables.

October 19, 2004

We were up this morning and headed off to Kouchibouguac National Park via Miramichi. Unfortunately we still have not been able to pick up a map of the area – and ended up going farther inland than we needed to. When we got to Miramichi – Deb was given directions to a scenic route to the Park by a couple of the locals – which also took up more time than anticipated – but we still made out fine, and saw some interesting areas.   The kids were commenting on how many of the houses in the area were white in colour – and even started to joke that where the houses were not white – the road did not seem to be repaired – “maybe it was a local by-law”.

We spent a couple of hours walking around the dunes at Kouchibouguac – and collecting shells – lobster buoys, etc. The boys seemed to really love the time – and were always finding something else to look at. Deb and Pat remember the campground from when we were here 15 years ago – but the dunes have changed significantly since then, with the water now being visible from the one restaurant and rest area.

We continued to drive south to Bouctouche and the Dune Restoration project – sponsored by Irving Corporation. There are many kilometres of boardwalk – which the locals seem to use as their daily exercise (the only other ones there). We did about 5 kilometres of the board walk and saw many of the Herons and dune structures. As soon as the sun started to set and the wind picked up – it started to get cool and we bundled up and headed back to the Suzuki and started our drive back to Moncton.

By the time we got back to Moncton it was dark and we came in an alternative route. We encountered a big traffic circle – which they did not advertise as being anything more than a normal intersection. In the dark – it was sort of unnerving to realize what you are in the middle of – and had to circle around once to get to the right exit. Dad really quite enjoys traffic circles for moving traffic through – however he appreciates knowing that he has entered one.

By the time we got into Moncton – all the exercise and long day had made everyone hunger – so we headed for Ponderosa – rather than cooking back at the Motor Home. Good thing as I think the boys had two large helpings – and I am not at liberty to divulge the number of servings the adults had. Oh well – it was a good day.

October 20, 2004 –

Up early and off to Prince Edward Island – via Shediac. The purpose of the detour through Shediac was to find and get a picture with the giant lobster. Somehow we managed to drive right past it while looking at other things and ended up finding a giant chicken first (advertisement for a restaurant). Felt a little silly when we had to stop and ask for directions to it – especially when we drove back and could not understand how we missed a 50 foot lobster beside the road. Oh, well – dad’s excuse is that he did not have enough coffee. (Keelan now stays on the outlook for Timmy’s (Tim Horton’s) partly to keep Dad more alert and partly because he is starting to get used to the hot chocolate, when he is cold from walking outside.

We drove across the Confederation Bridge to PEI. A little windy – so the Sidekick was a bit of fun to drive and in some ways really glad we are not driving the motor home. It is quite amazing to see the 10 km bridge – with the 243 street lights on each side of the bridge (Dad had to count). They do not charge toll to get to PEI – only when you go to get off the island – (either by bridge or ferry) so I hope this is not foretelling of what is to come. Although the rain held off most of the day when we were outside – it was still cool and windy most of the day and we had to bundle up good.

We toured up through Summerset then across the north coast and back down through Charlottetown. Stopped at Cabot Beach Provincial Park on the north side of the island and explored for a bit. Deep red rocks and sand – as well as water worn caves along the banks. The boys and Dad did some exploring in the woods around the park and found a wide variety of mushrooms as well as some old overgrown apple orchards. Keelan gathered up a few apples – and although small – they were surprisingly good. Keelan really enjoyed them and we are now on the lookout for old orchards and different types of apples wherever we stop.

The kids also noticed how the house colours have now changed from basic white – to a multitude of colours and accenting trim. Also PEI has more cottages to rent (most of which are now closed) that I am sure that they could house 8 times the population and do so during the summer months. Everything from quaint little home hardware sheds fixed up – to fancy resort villas all appear to be rentable.

Continued on through the National Park and into Cavendish and the home that was inspiration for Anne of Green Gables. This was the first place that we encountered any great number of tourists – as it seems to be a favourite stop for bus tours and there were several buses coming and going. The boys only sent a few minutes in the house – looking at the re-creation of Anne’s room – etc – but really like walking through the haunted woods.

We were on the road again and traveled through Charlottetown – and some of the older areas along the bay. Very nicely laid out and picturesque – especially around the old harbour. By the time we headed for home – most things were closed up and it was too late to find any seafood – so we had to satisfy ourselves with something else. We were able to secure a bag of PEI potatoes for our trip at a road side self serve stand. They had to be really fresh – as many of the farms were out doing their picking. By the time we got back the Confederation Bridge the wind had died down – and the drive back across was far more pleasant.

October 21, 2004 –

We were up this morning and off to the Bay of Fundy National Park. First stop was at the Hartwell Rocks. Although the area is closed – and there are signs warning of the dangers banks and tides – we were able to get down through everything – with the exception of the interpretive center. The rocks and caves are really unique and were lots of fun for the kids to explore – especially with no one else around. Everything was like a new discovery for them. As we were there as the tide was going out – it was amazing to see how high up on the rocks the water was at high tide.

Then we continued up the road to Fundy National Park and the park office. There were a number of number of staff working there and they indicated that they could arrange for park interpreters to join us this afternoon – as the school tour that was planned had cancelled out (probably do to the weather forecast). We decided however to explore on our own and got a couple of suggestions from the park staff. First stop however was a seafood shop in Alma to pick up a big cooked lobster.

Down to Dickson falls – and a great little hike down the waterway. Mickey and Dad did the longer route while Keelan and Mom went back the start to set up for our lobster lunch. Sat at the top of the parking lot – overlooking the Bay of Fundy – and eating lobster and smoked salmon. Couldn’t ask for much better – great food and a phenomenal view.

Continued down to Wolfe Pointe and hiked down to the old harbour. A great boardwalk trail leading to an old harbour where you can still see some of the pier supports in the sand and mud. Then on to Herring Cove – which was an old farm stead, that for a period of time was a boys camp. The train down to the beach and the sea caves were great. The tidal water difference is stated to be about 25 feet here – and in the short time that we were here we watched the water rise significantly. Keelan once again found a couple of old apple trees and found some green apples that he enjoyed although they were far tarter than the ones from PEI – he seemed to enjoy them.

As the tide was coming in it was time to head back to Moncton and see the tidal bore. We were told that this was a must see – and had consulted the tidal tables and location from the tourist information book. We arrived about 25 minutes ahead of schedule – and walked around in the cold, waiting for the big event. Well – we are not sure if it is because the tide was at low ebb – or the information was incorrect – but it is appropriately named “Tidal Bore”. Hopefully we will have more eventful occurrence with the tides at St. John next week.

Stopped by a pawn shop on the way home and picked up the boys a cheap digital camera so that they can take their own pictures when we are out and about. They are continually pointing out different things that they want to take pictures of – and Keelan especially has an eye for different perspectives. Then back home in time to pack up the motor home and get things ready to go for tomorrow as we are off to Halifax.