Halifax

08/08/2013 - Halifax.  Today we are making the drive to Truro, Nova Scotia to see the famous Tidal Bore it's about an hour drive out of Halifax.  Pre-accident we had planned on taking Stubbie and staying overnight - but she is just not up to the trip.  Still waiting for news from the assessor / insurance company, looks like we wont her anything until next week.  We have realised how much we appreciate Stubbie, Shooter certainly is not as comfortable - but hey she gets us there.

A Tidal Bore is where in a V-shaped bay and inlet the tide enters the broad end and literally 'piles up' as it moves up the bay.  At the very head of the bay this advancing tide becomes a wave varying from just a ripple to several feet in height - this wave is the Tidal Bore.



Whilst I did enjoy watching this phenomenon I did feel it was a bit disappointing in size - I think I've seen bigger waves on the Brisbane River from the Paddlewheeler - oh well Dave really enjoyed it and said that if we go back when it is a full moon the wave will be a lot bigger - see size does matter.

Well, they say things come in three's, we've had Dave's wrist (we still cannot get out on the golf course), Stubbie's accident and today on our way home we were stopped at a set of lights when a semi-trailer nudged us in the back.  One good think about having a 1997 vehicle is that they are built tough - and a few more scratches on the bumper bar aren't going to be noticed (just adds more character).  The driver of the Semi was very apologetic, apparently he was bending down to get something and didn't realise he was moving - oh well no harm done - but hopefully this should be the end of our bad luck....


12/08/2013 - Halifax - Time to get out for the day - we are starting to get cabin fever.  So we have decided to go for a drive down the South Coast and visit Peggy's Cove, a small fishing village known for Peggy's Point Lighthouse.  Still no update from the assessor / assurance....

18/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick - Halifax, Nova Scotia

18/07/2013 - Shediac, NB.  Dave has decided that he is going to take me out for another Lobster lunch, I don't think I'm going to get sick of this.  Well he didn't lie, he did take me out and I did eat Lobster - at McDonalds, not quite what I was expecting, but hey still delicious and only 260 odd calories for the roll, not sure on the cholesterol though.  We went to book ourselves into an RV Park on Prince Edward Island - only to find out that we can't really get into a suitable site until Monday - oh well looks like we might just stay here for the weekend.  Dave is happy he gets to watch the British Open Golf and the Cycling at a reasonable hour, and of course I'm happy just a little walk to all the restaurants.  They are having their Christmas in July party this weekend, which looks like it is going to be huge.  It's surprising how many decorations you an fit on a camping site.  After  seeing me come home last weekend the Big Fella is a bit scared of the natives, so we have decided not to join them all in their Turkey dinner and celebrations.  They all seemed to have a lot of fun travelling around in a huge trailer and golf carts, all dressed up and singing (in French).  Hearing all the festivities etc. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go, but the next morning when we woke up - I was so glad - thanks Big Fella.  I think most of the people were out and about by about 4:00pm and they were still not looking good, it was a very quiet Sunday.

McLobster Container (empty of course)

22/07/2013 - Darnley, Prince Edward Island.  Well we thought we were in a great location at our last RV site.  Dave thinks he is in heaven, we have a direct view of the water which is only about a 250 metre walk across the grass and about a 50 meter walk to a cheap golf driving range - yep $7.00 for a bucket of 100 balls - if only I could of got a photo of his face when we pulled into our site - it was like a child entering a candy shop - priceless.  We had booked in for three nights, and of course needless to say the first thing the Big Fella asks me is if we can book in for any longer, unfortunately this park which is huge is booked out for the weekend, but we did get an extra night.

The Big Fella in is own little piece of heaven

23/07/2013 - We had planned on coming to Prince Edward Island (PEI) just to feed up on the oysters and of course the Lobster etc - needless to say the diet is not going well at the moment.  So after our walking and golfing we are heading off to the Oyster Barn - about 12 km's away.  Whilst the oysters were delicious, Dave did comment that you still can't beat the Sydney Rock Oysters for his liking.  What a life waking up to a view of the water, going for a walk along the beach, hitting some golf balls, going out for lunch, then coming home to Stubbie for a wee nap - and we get to do this for the next couple of days - we may switch things around a bit and go out for dinner instead of lunch - oh the decisions.

Darnley, Prince Edward Island

24/07/2013 - 27/07/2013 - We have been lucky to be able to get another site for three more nights. We have spent the last few days relaxing etc - pure bliss, the weather has been a bit hit and miss, we go from having the air-conditioning on one day to the heater on the next, with squalling winds and heavy rain.  On one of the overcast / windy / rainy days - I talked the big fella into coming for a walk with me, it had stopped raining at the time.  With these conditions I would normally walk around the park but I know how much the Big Fella likes his walks on the beach - so we headed for the beach.  When it is low tide you can walk around the headlands and go from one beach to the other.  Let's say that it wasn't low tide but the Big Fella decided to take on the headlands just the same.  He was scaling the cliff side (filled with red dirt) when all of a sudden he lost his footing, it was like watching a cat sliding down a set of curtains, then about a 5 foot drop straight into the ocean, landing like a turtle on it's back.  I must admit until he had popped that big head of his up and I could see that his head had missed a rather large rock I was very worried.  Okay he is up on his feet, now to survey the damage, shins grazed, right buttock sore - and looks like a very sore right hand / arm, Dave thinks that it may be broken, or very badly sprained.  At least it wasn't the one he broke on his bike riding accident - and he keeps telling me to be careful...  I did say to the Big Fella that he needs to go back to falling like a bag of shit (a line from one of our snowboard instructors) - instead of breaking his fall with his hands...

Campsite, Darnley, PEI

27/07/2013 - 30/07/2013 - Whilst we are here there us another Christmas in July, parade and all.  The Big Fella hasn't been able to hit any golf balls so he is now happy to move on.

Christmas in July, Darnley, PEI

30/07/2013 Darnley, PEI - Antigonish, Nova Scotia - The quickest way across from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia is via Ferry so off we go.  Whilst we are waiting for the Ferry to arrive - Dave has decided it is time for more lobster and that is going to take me out again - so off we set for Crabby's a little shed at the Ferry terminal - mmmm.  This one looks a bit dubious, but there are plenty of people eating, so after about 20mins of waiting in line I finally get to the counter to order (his wife is not in today, so he is there alone, and boy do we know about it - definitely not a happy camper) - so just as I'm about to order a couple of Lobster Rolls, he lets everyone know that he no longer has any lobster, oh well we will try crab rolls...  Sadly to say, the food matched his personality tough and dry.  We had a nice Ferry ride across, it took about 75 minutes.  We stayed in Antigonish, NS for the night, Dave was still craving some Lobster - it's now been two days since his last feast, so I finally agree to go to Pizza Delight (very similar to Pizza Hut) where he orders his Lobster Pizza, let's just say Dave is now a happy man.

Crabby's Seafood Shack

Ferry going from PEI to NS

31/07/2013 - Antigonish, NS - Ingonish, NS.  On our way to Ingonish, which is located on the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, we stop off at the Alexander Graham Bell Historic Museum.  It was surprising for me to discover that his invention of the telephone was only the beginning.   His ideas also led him to transmit sound on light and create a treadle powered sound recording device, man-carrying kites, airplanes and a record setting-hydrofoil boat.  But his greatest passion was for helping the hearing impaired.  So I really enjoyed our little visit here, even though Dave kept wandering through all the old telephones etc. and asking me if I remembered this one and that one.

Alexander Graham Bell Museum

After visiting the Museum we started on the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island - the masterpiece of Nova Scotia - I can see why it has been described like that - the scenery is just spectacular.

Cape Breton Island

01/08/2013 - Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island, NS.  We are looking forward to the day ahead, we even managed to leave the camping ground by 8:30am.  This drive is just spectacular and I did mention to Dave that I think this is a lot more scenic and enjoyable than the West Coast Coastal line.  

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island

Unfortunately, not long after this stop, when we were travelling down a mountain (gradient 13%) going through an S Bend - a motorcycle rider and his passenger lost control of their motorbike and came across into our lane crashing into Stubbie on her front right hand side.  Luckily we were travelling extremely slow and whilst both driver and passenger were taken to hospital they were later released that night.  It is just unbelievable that they both got out of this with soreness and bruising.  Especially the driver as once the bike hit Stubbie he was flicked up and his head crashed into the windscreen, absolutely shattering the windscreen and popping out the right hand side.  Somebody was definitely looking out for us all.  One of the scary things in regards to this accident is that we were between two of their little towns without any cell phone coverage.  So after we had sent a few vehicles off in different directions we needed to wait for about 30 minutes until the first responders arrived, than about another 30 minutes until the ambulance arrived.

Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Island

After everyone was taken care of and the site was cleaned up, it was time to try and get Stubbie down the rest of this mountain, so with a police escort we travelled very slowly and made it safely down to a parking area, to try and do some repairs so that we could get to the next town were we could at least get cell phone coverage.  So out comes the trusty (never leave home without it) Gaffer Tape, some bungy cords, tin snips and a couple of saws, it looks like Stubbie will get us a bit further. 

Stubbie receiving some beloved medical attention from the Big Fella

So off we set for Cheticamp.  We found a little area off the side of the road in the town where we could pull over.  So after phoning the Insurance Company and reassessing the situation, we've decided that we need more Gaffer Tape (apparently you just can't have enough) so off to the Hardware Store, Dave comes back with another large roll.  Whilst he is doing more repair work a couple from Ontario, who have their RV parked on their block of land in Cheticamp, stop and ask us if we are okay and if there is anything they can do, so after talking for awhile they have kindly offered for us to stay on their block of land, where we can use their wifi, electricity etc.  Their hospitality didn't end their they then invited us into their motorhome and offered us a drink (this was around 4:00pm).  Let's just say we got back to Stubbie somewhere between 10:30 - 11:30pm.  

Cheticamp, NS

02/08/2013 - Cheticamp - Halifax, NS.  This morning I wasn't sure who had the sorest head me or the motorcycle driver.  Needless to say the drive into Halifax, was a very long one. On the way we did need to stop for a few more rolls of Gaffer Tap a few more repairs and off we set again.

We have spoken to the Insurance Assessor and he will be able to come and have a look at Stubbie on Monday or Tuesday (Monday is a Public Holiday here).  The driver of the motorcycle returned our call today to let us know that they were both okay and have only got bruising and soreness - some one was looking out for us all.

Campground Halifax, Nova Scotia

We have a lot of people staring at Stubbie driving down to Halifax and also in the RV Park - so Dave put a photo of a Moose in the windscreen.

03/08/2013 - Halifax, NS.  Well not much we can do for Stubbie, now.  We just need to wait for the assessor.  So we have decided to head on into Halifax Harbour.  It is the long weekend - with Monday being Natal Day, the day they celebrate the birthday of Nova Scotia.  Also, it is the Busker festival on the Harbour.  The Harbour is largely formed by a drowned glacial valley.  The harbour is a beautiful harbour and we got to see some of the largest yachts I have ever seen - just unbelievable of the $'s in the harbour.

Fidelis, Douglas - a Perini Navi 56m Yacht

04/08/2013 - Halifax, NS.  It looks like we maybe expecting some rain today, so we have decided to stay home, not sure how Stubbie will hold-up.  When we where checking into the Campground, we noticed that they had Lobsters for sale, so we made the trip to the office to see if they still had some left.  Luckily for us and our appetite they did, we didn't know that they were alive so we said that we didn't have a pot big enough for them, they said oh what time do you want them ready.  They cook them for you so when you pick them up they are nice and hot still - mmmm, and they crack them for us as well.  Think I will be using this service again...

Halifax Campground, Lobster Supper

06/08/2013 - Halifax, NS.  We are trying to get everything done that we wanted to see in Halifax, so we headed into the Maritime Museum to learn more about Halifax's involvement in the Titanic tragedy and the Halifax explosion.  Halifax was given the grim responsibility of picking up the victims.  The Halifax explosion was on the morning of Thursday, December 6, 1917 the SS Mont-Blanc a French cargo ship carrying explosives collided with a Norwegian vessel SS Imo.  This was the biggest ever man made explosion prior to Nuclear Weapons - approx. 2000 people were killed. 

Deck Chair, recovered from the Titanic

24/06/2013 - 17/07/2013 Montreal, Quebec to Shediac, New Brunswick

24/06/2013 Montreal - Travelling to Montreal we drove though major wind and rain. The 50mph rain/wind squalls tested Stubbie's roof.  No leaks so all good. (It turned out to be a very simple fix.  Replace approximately a metre of sealant on the awning seam...$80)

The campground was straight out of a movie set.  It had a lake with a lifeguard tower and a wooden pontoon in the middle.  The water was about 19 degrees (The ice has just finished melting) and there were adults and kids wearing lifejackets.  (The French don't swim well.) Everyone in the campground speaks French (no English at all.) so it was an interesting few days.  Also this RV Park wasn't far from Lac-Megantic where Quebec had the major train disaster recently.  From the RV Park we did some lovely little drives through the French speaking countryside.

We have decided to use the public transport system to get into the city of Montreal rather than drive Shooter - apparently it is called the LimoCar and will take approx. one hour to deliver us into the Bus Station.  Not sure exactly what to expect as we drive to the Station and eventually purchase two adult return tickets - our French is not improving, but our sign language is, we will make a great team for charades.  We are told where to wait and within 10 minutes we see our Bus arrive, whilst not the Limo that we would of liked, it is very comfortable and does have free wifi.

Montreal (Note: the Montreal and French Flags)

We have tended to do a lot of the hop on hop off city tours to give us a feel of the city and also get the lay of the land (definitely helps with our sense of direction as well).  Normally I have a map of the city and know where to go to get the Hop On Hop Off Bus, and / or alternatively we head for the information counter.  So as we haven't had very good wifi reception, we head straight for information to find out where the nearest stop for the Hop on Hop Off Bus is (remember this is the main Bus Depot for Montreal) whilst, the lady behind the counter did speak some english, and after us trying with our english / french to ask for directions she did not know what we were talking about and couldn't help us out at all.  There was a huge poster and advertisement of the Hop on Hop Off Buses right beside the counter.  Oh well we have our newly bought navigation system, and we have a brochure of the route for the Hop On Hop Off Bus, can't be too hard to find for us season travellers.  Unfortunately, we have no idea where we are and the brochure only has the main tourist attractions on their route listed on the map.  So we decide to enter in the address for the first stop of the bus tour - only 2.5 kms away, nice day for a walk so off we head.  I have tried to turn the navigation system onto walking rather than driving, but our new wonderful navigation system is only compatible for driving - you learn everyday.  So after walking up and down one way streets we do find our destination, I'm sure if we headed there directly it would of been less than one km.

Montreal

The bus tour shows us the highlights of the city and surrounds and gives us a bit of information, and of course as we are on the bus, we drive about 100 meters away from where the Bus Stations was.  We normally do a full loop and then decide what we want to see more of.  Our first visit is to Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mont Royal.  The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph to whom Brother Andre credited all his reported miracles.  These miracles were mainly related to a kind of healing power.  On display in the church is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who were supposedly healed.  Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother Andre.  Pope Benedict XVI then canonised Brother Andre the saint.  Inside the Church there is an area which contains Brother Andre's heart, which he requested as a protection for the basilica. St Joseph's is Canada's largest church and the world's 5th largest.  It is also the largest shrine dedicated to St Joseph.  It really was very majestic.  

St Josephs

Outside the church, the steps are divided into three sections, the middle section has been covered by wood which is set aside for people who wish to climb up on their knees.  The Old Section of Montreal was really quaint and I imagined it was something like a wee street in France.  We had a lovely meal in an Italian Restaurant, yes we ate Italian whilst in Canada in the French Province. We had a nice day in Montreal and enjoyed this city a lot more than Toronto.  

St Josephs

                                     

Time to move as we need to meet Dad and Heather in Quebec.

28/06/2014 - Quebec City.  We have arrived at our RV Park and have secured the last site, it is the long weekend celebrating Canada Day.  

I decided that after about 12 weeks it was time to get my hair done.   First challenge making an appointment.  So I go to a shopping centre and suss out two hairdressing salons, make up my mind which one I would like to go into and walk in to try and make an appointment - a little bit challenging but I get an appointment for the next day.  Not sure if I'm doing the right thing going into a French Speaking Salon to get my hair done - feeling a wee bit nervous - Dave no worries it's only hair it will grow back / out - thanks Dave fills me with a lot of confidence.  So the next day I wander into the Salon get seated and my hairdresser walks on over and starts speaking to me in French, I ask in my best French if she speaks English - a little bit she replies - great.  Now I need to explain what I would like done - I look around for some magazines - but can't see any, then I see one of the other hairdressers walk past who has a similar cut / colour to what I want - surely I can explain this.  Well after a bit the hairdresser wanders away to mix up some colours - let the show begin.  At first she applies a colour to my part, then goes back into the back room and comes out with a damp towel - she has decided to do it differently and starts wiping the colour off - okay now I'm getting really worried - perhaps I should just get up and walk out now - no it's only hair.  So after a few attempts at having a conversation - we settle into silence as I watch her work on my hair.  I have tried to explain that I want a very similar hair cut as the lady in the Salon but not as short.  Well lets say that the clippers didn't come out but the back of my hair is about 1 - 3cm in length - not quite what I was looking for.  Oh well after she has finished blow drying it is looking ok - at least it is better than when I went in.  So I get back to Stubbie and ask the Big Fella how it looks - yes I know silly mistake - to which he replies mmmm I will need a bit of time to get used to it.  I have decided to reserve my judgement until after I wash and blow dry it myself.  Mmmm I have a golden stripe down the middle - I'm assuming this was the first attempt, and whilst I normally use a brush to blow dry the back of my hair, my hair is no longer long enough to do that.  So I have decided that whilst I thought I was being very brave going into a non-english speaking Salon, it may not of been one of my best decisions, to go in unprepared with no photos or french hairdressing terminology - oh well it's only hair and it will grow out (in a year or two).

30/06/2013 - Quebec City.  Dad and Heather arrived safely yesterday - perhaps with a few more grey hairs than when they left.  We had planned on going into Quebec City, but as the Big Fella has done something to his back, we have decided that he will stay home and the Turtles and I will go on to see the Montmorency Falls.  When we arrive we notice that there is a cable car or a huge number of stairs to get to the top of the falls, mmm didn't take us long to decide that we are all happy for the cable car.  The Falls were quite spectacular and we had a lovely meal on top of the mountain.  

Montmorency Falls

01/07/2013 - Quebec City.  The Big Fella's back has improved but is still a bit sore, but he has decided to soldier on and come with us into Quebec City.  The drive took us a bit longer than expected, I wasn't thinking that just because it was Canada Day and their week long festival was due to begin next week that some of the roads would be closed - ooops.  Oh well we managed to park at the Hilton Hotel very close to the Old Quebec City.  I fell in love with Quebec City, it has a huge amount of character and is very clean.  The one thing that we have noticed is that whilst we have found the people in Canada and USA to be very helpful, polite and happy, that is not completely true over here in the Province of Quebec.  They Quebecians do say that they are more French than the French, and whilst I haven't been to France, if what I've heard about how arrogant some of the French can be is true than it is true that the Quebecians are more arrogant.  It has come as such a huge shock to us all.  Dave and I have been really taken aback, they certainly don't go out of their way to help and when you do ask for help, it seems to be such an inconvenience to them, and just the overall feeling of Quebec is a bit unfriendly.  

Royal 22 Regiment

As it is Canada Day we have decided to go to the raising of the flag with the Royal 22s regiment.  It was interesting to see the regiment in all there gear.  

Then we are off to the Hop On Hop Off bus to do our little tour.  Well we fell in love with the old city of Montreal and are now falling in love with Quebec City, the character and architecture is really amazing.  Old Quebec City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is North America's only walled city outside of Mexico City.  The Citadel is North America's largest fort and Le Chateau Frontenac is said to be the world's most photographed hotel.

Le Chateau Frontenac

The Citadel (Cher Impersonator)

Outside Parliament is a statue of a very colourful former Premier of Quebec - Rene Levesque.  He is considered sovereigntism's spiritual father. His fingers on his right hand are slightly parted so that people can take a photo of him with a cigarette.  Quebec has voted twice about seceding from Canada.

Rene Levesque - (now who's got the Big Head not to mention hands)

02/07/2013 - Quebec City.  Because we enjoyed the city so much we have decided to go in for another day and have a look around.  Dave and I have decided to go and walk the wall, whilst Dad and Heather have headed off to the church we will meet back up for a late lunch.  This is Dad and Heathers last night before they head on home.

Old Quebec City

03/07/2013 - Quebec City.  Well it was time to say goodbye to Dad and Heather, after a little bit of trouble booking them in, we say our farewells.

It has been interesting talking to travellers / non-Quebecians around the area, it is common knowledge that the Quebecians don't really want to be part of Canada.  The Quebecian flag is flown so much more than the Canadian flag.

04/07/2013 – St-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec. As it’s the Big Fella’s 60^th birthday I have picked this particular RV park for Cable TV.  We knew we were in a French speaking province but were still hoping that there would be 50/50 of English / French speaking channels – we were soon disappointed it was about 30 / 70.  We were able to watch the tour de France (in French) and we did get snippets of the golf channel so overall it was better than nothing.  We are set-up on a hill high above a lake.

 RV Park - St-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec.

05/07/2013 – St Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec.  The Big Fella’s Birthday.  We have headed off into the town of Rimouski, about 45 minutes away, so we have a nice drive through the countryside and into the city.  We have stopped at the Marina to have Lobster and Corona’s for his birthday, which I’m pretty sure he enjoyed – the Lobster was devoured very quickly.   

My Big Spunk on his Birthday

One of things we do like about Quebec is that you can buy live lobster in the grocery stores – they are around $6 – 7 a pound.  They are swimming around happily in a huge fish tank in the middle of the store.

09/07/2013 –  Rimouski, Quebec - Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.

We were originally planning to spend a bit more time in Quebec, but have decided to head on over to New Brunswick.  We are looking forward to getting into a friendlier place.  We have spent the night at Walmart and have woken up to a flat tyre on Stubbie.  After a few hours we have finally got the tyre fixed so off we go.  We soon notice the high number of mosquitos – oh well we have insect repellent.  

We go to the dump station first and when Dave is dumping I let him know that whilst we don’t have a dump spot at our site, we do have electricity and water. We have been given a huge space, I did read that the sites were 20 x 20 (meters) – but to be honest I didn’t really believe it – but ours is well over that size. (More like a typical house block.)   Well as we are setting-up Dave comes inside says there is no water connection – oops got that one wrong.  As Dave thought we had water he didn’t refill our tanks – looks like we are on water rations for a while – or we need to pack up and go and get some water.  We have decided to be on rations. We are soon looking for the mosquito spray - I am slapping myself more than a Sumo Wrestler.

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

After dinner and a few drinks Dave has decided to look at the map for our hike the next day (we have been looking forward to getting back into our hiking) and with a few beers under his belt he has decided that we should do the perimeter of the park – 30+ kms, I said you have to be kidding that’s a long way – he says we have all day, we’ll just pack a backpack for the day and head off, I have reiterated that that is a long hike to start with, perhaps we should cut it down, to which he reluctantly reduces the hike to about 22km’s – (I was thinking 10km’s would be more than a good start).  I’ve agreed to go for 22km’s especially since we are in a National Park so we should get to see a few critters and have some lovely scenery.

10/07/2013 - Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.  The next morning it is a slow start, not quite a panadol party but we have decided to wait a bit and head off after lunch – we know we have plenty of sunlight hours, it doesn’t get dark to well after 10:00 pm.  So after lunch we pack one of the backpacks (which I carry) and head off with a little pep in our step.  The hike is actually quite boring the scenery is exactly the same and our expectation of the ‘Beach’ that we have come to see is diminishing from what we have seen so far.  We hit our first beach and Dave’s comment ‘You are Kidding – this can’t be a beach’ - Well 4 hours later we arrive back at our site with no pep left in our step.  As for the wildlife we saw one bird that we hadn’t seen before and other than that just some of the local birds – that we have been seeing everywhere. We have been eaten alive, we did apply plenty of  insect repellent before we left and also on our little hike, not happy.  One thing that I really look forward to after a bit of exercise is a nice shower, but because some Goose (me) has put us on rations, that’s not going to happen.  As we are getting ready for bed – there is a rabbit just outside our door – didn’t see one of these on our 4 hour hike.  The Big Fella is a little sore, his back, his knees, his thighs etc. etc. – he did comment that perhaps that was a bit far to go, since he hadn’t really done any exercise since we left home – really.

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

11/07/2013 – Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.  I’ve decided to keep my walk to inside the camping area, and around 5km’s - I see Groundhogs, squirrels and woodpeckers, certainly more than I saw yesterday.

We have learnt from the adds on the TV (the one station that we get) that you can buy Lobster at McDonalds, SubWay, Pizza Delight (similar to Pizza Hut)– so who knows where else you can buy it from, I’ve never heard Dave say before that he wants to go to McDonalds.

12/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  Today is a small drive to Shediac our next stop, the self-proclaimed Lobster Capital - yummy.  As we drive into town we have realised that we have arrived in time for Lobster Festival - Bonus.  We are in a great park, the staff are extremely friendly and can not do enough for us.  The people in the park smile and say hello - oh it's so nice to be back into the friendly Canada. We have a view of the bay and the sun is shining. So after getting ourselves organised we set off on our walk to the Lobster Festival - it's only about 1.5 kms away and on our way we walk through the little town, really cute with lots and lots of restaurants - and of course, they are all advertising Lobster, can't wait to explore this town (okay restaurants).  Well the Lobster Festival itself wasn't exactly what we had thought it would be, more like a mini mini mini Ekka.  A couple of rides including the Zipper, a couple of food stores and a restaurant selling Lobster Supper - so that's were we head. $30.00 for a full lobster, salad, bread roll and a glass of australian white wine, I'm in my element.  

Shediac Lobster Festival

13/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  We had originally planned to stay two nights, but I have already booked in for another 5 nights.  Today we are heading off to a restaurant that has been recommended to us by the owners of the RV Park (we later find out, it is his brother).  But this time we order the special, full lobster, prawns and oysters all for $25.00 - does eating (a huge part of my life) get any better than this.  The restaurant is right on the Bay, we have few drinks then head on home. As we are driving into the park I see a band setting up, so I find out that they will start playing around 8:00pm, I did ask them what type of music they play - Rock N Roll and Country.  So we settle outside of Stubbie and have a few drinks -  must admit I am getting a little bit happy.  I have met a friend who is going over to listen to the band, so I have decided to go and join her, the Big Fella has decided to sit quietly.  Well lets just say I got home around 1:30am, the band played a fair bit in French, but after a few drinks (ok a lot of drinks) I didn't care. I have realised that I can shake by booty to any music in any language (well I call it dancing).  Oh I love it here, the women that drink wine pour it into a Grande Sized Coffee Stainless Steel mug and drink from there.

14/07/2013 -  Shediac, New Brunswick.  Well the morning is starting very slowly for me.  I had planned on having a rest day today and thank goodness I had, I'm really not up to doing much.  I'm lucky I have a loving husband who is also happy to take it easy today.

15/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  After going into the little downtown area for a lobster roll for dinner, we have decided to check out the beach area - Parlee Beach (apparently, one of North America's finest beach).  It's just after 8:00pm but we know we still have plenty of time as sunset isn't tell well after 9:00pm.  Well, when we hit the famous beach area Dave was in stitches, not only do you have to walk out about 200 meters to get the water up to your waist, there is no surf, not even a little swell and there are people absolutely everywhere.

Parlee Beach

16/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  Instead of going out for dinner I have decided to go and buy a couple of cooked lobsters from the Seafood Markets.  I was going to make-up some garlic butter, but instead purchased some from the Supermarket.  Mmmm - life is fantastic.

17/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick. We listened to the State of Origin this morning.  Another Queensland win.....Another couple of lobsters today and tomorrow and then off to Prince Edward Island....

27/05/2013 - 21/06/2013 Penticton to Montreal

27/05/2013 - 02/06/2013 Penticton.

Dad and Heather have arrived back in one piece from their little escapade across British Columbia and Alberta - more importantly so has the car.  Bobbie and Brant have organised to go out for a nice dinner at the Poplar Grove winery. A beautiful  winery with some spectacular views of the Okanagon lakes.

During the night we developed some heavy rain and gusty winds.  Unfortunately, Stubbie become all religious and developed a hole in the roof.  We managed to control the leak during the night and the next two days the Big Fella was removing the old chalking and replacing it with new material.  Dave believes / hopes that after a fair amount of sealant and some tape, that the roof should now be fixed (fingers crossed).

We did manage to get one game of golf in - which was my first in nearly two years - the driving was okay, but ohhh that chipping absolutely tragic.  The Big Fella picked up exactly where he left off - smarty pants.  It was great to be out on the golf course again - hopefully we will get a chance again soon.

So after a couple of weeks of catching up and spending some wonderful time with the Howard's and Navin's - we needed to move on.

So time to make the trek from Penticton to Niagara Falls, only a small drive of over 4000 km's, about the same distance from Brisbane to Perth.  I get cranky when I have to fly that far.  Let the trek begin.

06/06/2013 - Black Hills, South Dakota.  Our first sightseeing stop is the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world some 266 kilometres long.  Before you enter the cave they have a hollow cement block to show you how tight the cave is in some places.  You have to be able to squeeze through this if you want to explore certain parts of the cave - well the big fella put the challenge out, so of course as you can see I had to give it a go.  Okay it did take me two attempts, the first attempt my belt got caught on the edge.  Oh well at least I kept a few other visitors entertained for a while.  Dad is not particular fond of caves, and as we finished our 2 hour tour of the cave, his comment was - 'well I'm glad I have done it, but that is that last cave I will be doing' - not sure if he really enjoyed.

Next Stop -  Crazy Horse Monument, Crazy Horse monument is the world's largest mountain carving.  It was built to honour Crazy horse and to let white men know that red men have heroes too. It is not far from Mount Rushmore.  Even though the mountain carving looks similar in size to Mt Rushmore.  There is a substantial difference with Crazy Horse monument dwarfing the whole of Mt Rushmore.

Crazy Horse

Last Stop for the day is Mt Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is the mountain carving of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt.  Dave and I have visited this memorial before, so Dad and Heather went to have a closer look.

Mt Rushmore

07/06/2013 - Rapid City, South Dakota, Bear Country USA Park

One of my all time favourites stops - and one that I have been looking forward to seeing again.  The Park is a drive thru park featuring North American wildlife.  My favourites are the Bears and the Bear Cubs.  This year they only had 4 cubs, they have been practicing birth control in the park - every female is given an injection and some have had tubal ligation.  Last time we were here there was over 30 cubs...  Oh well it just makes these 4 more special to me. 

Dave felt my comment about a great bear rug - probably wasn't appropriate at the time...

07/06/2013 - 08/06/2013 Badlands National Park, South Dakota.  
Today we have had really pretty drive through the Badlands National Park - it has turned out to be a welcome surprise.  The scenery is really quite spectacular.  We are camping in the National Park and Dad has decided that rather than me cook again (not sure if it is my cooking) that he would take us out for dinner.  So off we go - well let's just say that whilst the scenery has been a welcome suprise the food and wine was definitely not.  I think for the first time in my life I couldn't eat my main meal - the Salmon tasted and felt like it had been cooking since Good Friday in a very hot oven, very dry, chewy and had absolutely no flavour - no matter how many condiments I could put on it.  And if that wasn't bad enough, Dad ordered a bottle of wine, which we thought was going to be a dry white and it was the sweetest wine, I have ever tasted, it was that bad that after my initial taste I just couldn't drink anymore - it smelt like a very sweet sherry.  Even Dad and Heather couldn't drink it - it was sent back to the kitchen to let the staff enjoy.  Mmm my cooking now doesn't look that bad.

Badlands National Park

09/06/2013 - Mitchell, South Dakota.  
We have decided to spend our next night at Mitchell, South Dakota, it is about the right distance of driving and they have the Corn Palace - mmm yep Dave and I were excited too.  Dave was so excited in fact he just couldn't bring himself to make the trek.  So off the turtles and I went in search of the Corn Palace - originally built to show that Mitchell had a healthy agricultural climate.  I must admit it wasn't as bad as I had expected (admittedly I didn't have any positive expectations).   Unfortunately that night we have a fairly large storm come through and Stubbie has sprung the same leak - all hands on deck.

10/06/2013 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  

We have decided to try and seek professional help.  So off to Sioux Falls the next large city.  We register into an RV Park and Dave has decided to have another look at the roof - he now wants to go and get some more sealant, so off to an RV Dealership.  Whilst we were in there we asked if they could fit us in, in the next couple of days for a look at the roof, to which they reply 9:00am tomorrow morning - now fingers crossed it doesn't rain tonight.

We have decided to take the advice from the Lonely Planet (yet again) and visit a very small eatery named Bob's.  The Lonely Planet did mention that there were 12 stools at the counter - we just thought that there would be more seating tables as well.  Well when we walked inside we soon found out we were wrong, everyone shuffled around so the four of us could sit together - the food was delicious.

11/06/2013 - The next morning we wake up and send Dad and Heather off in Shooter for the day, whilst the Big Fella and I head on over to the RV Service Centre.  We drop Stubbie off and head on over to Denny's for breakfast.  Well we were gone for just over an hour and when we return Stubbie is outside of the Service Bays.  We are not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign.  Dave talks to the technician and he thinks he has found the problem and fixed it, he believes there was some creases in one of the tapes, so they have pulled that up and resealed that section.  The only problem is it takes about 4 hours to become waterproof and looking outside the weather is not looking good - so for peace of mind we ask if we can put Stubbie back into the undercover Service Bay until the four hours has passed, needless to say we did receive a few very very light showers.  Dave is really very sceptical that they have fixed the problem - but has decided to head on over to Niagara Falls, see what happens in bad weather and make the call from there.  He has decided that if the roof is not fixed he wants to take Stubbie to the RV Roof Man in Sacramento, California - only approx 4000 km's away.  

13/06/2013 - Warren Dunes State Park, Lake Michigan, Michigan
Well we have finally made it to one of the Great Lakes - Lake Michigan.  Whilst there are children in the water swimming - to us the ice has only just melted and it is way too cold, to even put our feet in the water.

15/06/2013 - Niagara Falls, Niagara, Ottawa.  
We have finally made it - it has been a long journey and whilst some of the scenery was just spectacular a lot of the drive across the plains, for Dave and I at least did become monotonous, both Dad and Heather did enjoy the journey.  As we got closer to the East Coast the roads have been very bumpy with a lot of construction and traffic.  I can see why they say they only have two seasons, Winter and Construction.


16/06/2013 - Niagara Falls, Niagara, Ottawa.  
Well the day has arrived (this has been what Heather has been waiting for - her highlight) and of course it is rainy and overcast, we decide to wait awhile and see what the weather is going to do.  So just before lunch we decide to bite the bullet and head on over to the Falls.   Wow....  Absolutely magnificent - Heather was like a child in a lolly shop and really couldn't stop smiling.  We book ourselves in to do the Maid of the Mist (the boat ride up to the falls) and the Journey behind the Falls (elevator ride down 150 feet and in behind the water fall).  The one thing that did surprise me was that the noise from the falls wasn't as loud as I had expected.





The sheer beauty of watching the falls was mesmerising.

Dave and I decided to have a wander around (whilst Dad and Heather went to have a wee drink and a sit down).  The town of Niagara was interesting, it really was a bit like Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise.  There was Ripley's,  Wax Museums, restaurants, games etc.  It did come as a bit of a shock.

 Town of Niagara..

We decided to stay until sunset (well after 9:30pm) and watch the lighting of the falls.

18/06/2013 - Toronto, Ottawa.  

We have decided to catch the train into Toronto and jump on the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour.  We do do the Hop On Hop Off Touristy thing regularly, we find it a good way to get the feel of a city whilst pointing out the highlights.  

The City of Toronto is doing some major construction work on the roads - so I'm sure that if the roads were all good this tour would only take 45 minutes, but when the roads are all being worked on (and you can see why -winter must really knock the roads around) it takes about 2 hours to do the loop.  The main attractions for us to see are - Dad and Heather the Canadian Tower (know as CN) and for Dave and I - the Hockey Hall of Fame.  So after the full loop of the bus we head our separate ways and agree to meet up at the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Dave and I head off for a bite to eat and then onto the Hockey Hall of Fame.  For me I found the Hockey Hall of Fame a little disappointing - the highlight for me (which was a huge highlight) was to be able to see and touch the Stanley Cup.  The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy awarded to the winner of the National HockeyLeague - other than the cup I really did loose interest quite quickly.  Whilst in the RV park I have had the pleasure of sitting back and watching the little chipmunks running around.  Also, we have had the chance to observe a ground hog.

Best of all we have had rain and no leak in Stubbie.

 A little bit of Silverware we picked up on the way.  "THE STANLEY CUP".

19/06/2013 - 22/06/2013 Toronto, Ottawa - Montreal, Quebec

Dad and Heather have decided to rent a car for just over a week and travel over to Boston and meet us back at Quebec, with a few days to catch-up and look around Quebec City until they make the long journey back home.  Dave and I have decided to take our time and drive up to Quebec via Montreal.  Well as soon as we crossed over from the province of Ottawa into Quebec, all signs are now only in French, prior to this you would find that most signs were in both languages.  Whilst we are driving along and nearing the City of Montreal, we notice the word 'Barree' written on a few of the road signs - Dave looks at me and asks what does that mean - well let me say that my one semester of French in grade 8 does not help me out.  Oh well we continue to drive on.  We are getting close to our turn-off when we notice that the word Barree is now appearing on our exit.  What to do? - so of course we continue on, only to find out that the exit we had planned on taking is closed - no problems we will take the next exit and try and work our way back.  All the while we have a navigation system that insists on taking us on a freeway that is closed.  Of course the next exit takes us into Downtown Montreal - remember we are in Stubbie and towing Shooter - luckily our next turn takes us back on the highway.  We have both realised it is time to get our French for Dummies book out and start reading.  When we get to the RV Park, I start to look up a few of the french words that I will need and also to look up the word Barree.  Yep Barree does mean Road Closed.  The RV Park we are staying in is about 1 1/2 hours out of Montreal.  We plan on staying here for about 5 days, the first two days have been spent catching up on things around Stubbie etc.  We have both really enjoyed these couple of days.

The RV park we are staying at is quite full because of the Canadian long weekend for the start of summer.  It is strange not to hear any english being spoken and our French is being tested to the limit...and beyond.

We have had a few showers with no leakage - so fingers crossed.....