July 26-August 8, 2022

The Canadian journey has begun, we crossed the border on July 26th at a very small border crossing. This did not however stop them from making sure we paid some extra tax for all the wine we still had on board the coach. We were ok with that and moved on because the wine up here is very expensive for what you get. We checked in at the Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping in St. Andrews where we had 2 great spaces right across the street from the water. Lots of exploring around the harbor towns, walking out on the pier, checking out the local lighthouses and a few magical mystery tours. We played golf at the Algonquin Golf Course filled with water views. Biked on the trials along the water, lunch at the Harbor Front Restaurant, visited the Kingsbrae Gardens, a 27 acre property with flowers, plants and some animals.

On the drive from St. Andrews to Parker’s Cove, we stopped at the famous Reversing Falls Rapids viewing platform and visitor’s center. When the tides change, the water flows up river and creates big waves. It was foggy the day we went but could still see the water. This is one of Atlantic Canada’s natural wonders. We drove to the ferry terminal and took the ferry from St. John to Digby. It was a 2 1/2 hour ride on the open water seeing birds, ships and just enjoying being on the big boat. Pretty cool taking the big bus towing the car on the ferry, we were second on next to a semi truck and that made for a quick exit when we arrived in Digby. BTW, this saved us a 7 hour drive around the island to get to Parker’s Cove. Checked into the Cove Oceanfront Campground, got set up and enjoyed terrific sunrise and sunset views from our site. A small harbor next store provide Ron and I a chance to visit and speak to the crews about lobster and scollop fishing. Digby is known to have the best scallops in the world. Lunch at the Crow’s Nest did not disappoint, the clam chowder was fantastic, mussels, lobster roll were equally as good. MMT for the afternoon exploring the island and finding a lobster / scallop pound that we were able to buy some fresh scallops. WOW, they were fantastic. We made scallop ceviche for dinner with a nice bottle of wine made for a great evening. A round of golf at Fort View Golf Course, lunch at Frank and Dora’s Roadside Cafe was a perfect way to to end our stay in Parker’s Cove.

Off to Peggy’s Cove, checked in at King Neptune Campground and met the owners. Paul was very nice a gave us some good tips on what to do and where to buy fresh seafood in the area. Turns out that Ryer Lobsters Retail was close and we were able to buy fresh lobsters, shrimp, scallops and oysters to enjoy at our RV’s over the next few days. Peggy’s Cove lighthouse was the big attraction, it’s the most photographed lighthouse in the world. Cruise ships from Halifax sent bus loads of tourists everyday to get their own pictures. We did a day trip into Lunenburg to see the Fisherman’s Museum and the famous sailing schooner the Bluenose. She is a 143 foot racing and fishing vessel built in 1921 and was nicknamed the Queen of the Atlantic. We were able to board the ship, walk around the deck and check out the craftsmanship upclose. Lunch at the Salt Shaker overlooking the water then walked along the harbor checking out the private yatchs on the docks.

Another day trip into Halifax to visit their museum with artifacts from the Titanic and the huge Halifax explosion of 1917. Both displays were fantastic, didn’t know Halifax played a big role in the Titanic. The Halifax Explosion was a disaster that occurred in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the morning of 6 December 1917. SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship laden with high explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows, a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin.  This blast devistated Halifax for miles inland and many locals lost their eyesight from this huge blast while watching the ships on fire before the explosion. 1782 people lost their lives with another 9000 had injuries.

Cape Breton is the furthist East we will be traveling on this journey, it’s on the Northeast corner of Nava Scotia. This area is know for their famous Cabot Trail, a 293 KM trail that loops around the island with spectacular views from high atop Kelly’s mountain. Beautiful beaches, harbors, small towns, restaurants and blue water all along the trail. We stopped at the Hideaway Campground and Oyster Market because it just sounded intriguing. Who knew there would be an oyster bar out in the middle of these little mountain towns. Oysters and beer for Ron and Glenna while Kathy and I enjoyed just the oysters ( I was the driver). Long day on the road but well worth the time spent exploring the trail. We found a very small harbor with a couple of crab boats coming into the dock to offload their catch of the day. Of course we talked to the captain about their catch and we were able to buy Snow Crabs right off the boat. We took them back to the RV, cleaned them and cooked these great tasting creatures. WOW, they were delicious. I think Glenna and Kathy might call this a highlite of the trip, they really love eating fresh crab. Glenna and I played golf at the Seaview CC with lots of water views and overall a beautiful course.

We are here till Friday then off to Prince Edward Island for 7 nights, Caraquet, Gaspe, Mettis Du Mur and Quebec City before we drop down into Vermont on September 1st.

July 12-26, 2022

Beautiful drive from Belfast to Bar Harbor, arrived at our new home for the next two weeks. Checked into the Narrows Too RV Park, Ron had reserved the two best spaces in the park (309,310) overlooking the water. All set up and off to the town of Bar Harbor for a visit. Walked around town, lots of tourist shops, the marina was full of commercial and private boats and tourist galore. Plenty of magical mystery tours to check out the local lobster pounds, marina’s on the Southeast and Northeast sides of the island and just driving thru small towns along the way.

July 12 is a special day for Ron and Kathy, it’s was their 47th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by having a fantastic BBQ dinner with champagne and some great wine with dinner. Congratultions to the Fawcett’s!!!!!!

On Saturday, Ron and I drove down to the Southest Marina and boarded a lobster boat for a tour of the harbor. Putted around the lobster hundreds of lobster traps and headed out to the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean seeing Desert Island where there are huge beautiful homes and properties along the shoreline. We stopped and pulled up a lobster trap, one small lobster inside and the captain procedded to tell us about the lobster fishing in Maine. Everything you wanted to know and more.

Ron found us a great place to buy fresh oysters on the island. The Bar Harbor Oyster Company was the place to get our fill of the local oysters for the entire two week stay. This guy operated out of his garage, building his oyster bed cages and selling oysters along with some murchandise. You picked out your oysters, put your money in his cash drawer all on the honor system while Jessie was out working the beds. We could see his oyster beds from our RV site out on the bay in front of us. We had fun shucking them, eating some raw and some made it to the BBQ with a variety of different sauces. All were delicious but the crowd favorite was the BBQ with butter, garlic, parmesan cheese and a little panco over the top. Pat made a batch of strawberry daiquiris and we sat out enjoying the afternoon and the great view.

Acadia National Park is a spectular place to visit, many options to drive around the park loop, ride bikes on the 45 miles of trails or take nice hikes around the many lakes and walking trails. We took our bikes over for a ride around Eagle Lake, a 5.9 mile trip with stops along the way to see the water from different viewpoints. Another day of hiking was to Jordan Pond, our friends from So Cal joined us for the 3.5 mile hike along the waterside trail. We saw a Mink walking and swimming along the shoreline, huge granite boulders and trees that lined the shore.

Cadillac Mountain is located inside Acadia Park is the tallest mountain on the Eastern seaboard and is a favorite sunrise and sunset attraction for many tourist. You need to be up the mountain by 3:45 am to see the first point of sunlight that hits North America from the States, first light is arounf 4:15 am. The climb up the 1527 foot hill is great in a car but there are many cyclist slowing making their way up the steep grades. The views are spectacular in a 360* setting. Looking over Bar Harbor and the surrounding island made for some great photos. There is a trail at the top of about half a mile and walkways down to view point along the way. Glenna and I went up on a very clear day and then revisited with Scott, Beth, Mike and Judy for some hiking and photos. This is a must see place while visiting Bar Harbor.

Scott, Beth, Mike and Judy were staying in a small hotel in Bar Harbor. Nice rooms and a great place for us to park while joining them on our site seeing trips. We did a walking history tour of BH one afternoon then followed up by checking out the bar at the BH Hotel. It was perfect, 8 seats at the bar and fun bartenders to provide us with well needed refreshments. Some us had a Blueberry Jalapeño margarita that was quite spicy while others had wine, beer and mixed coctails. Two rounds and out made for a fun time catching up with good friends. Friday evening had perfect weather for our Sunset sailing cruise aboard the Margaret Todd Schooner. This 151 foot schooner is the only 4 mast sailing ship in New England. Out aound the Bay seeing seals, birds, small islands, lobster traps and a spectacular sunset. Judy found us a great outbar to have a night cap with the team sitting around a fire drinking thier favorite cocktails. On Thursday night, the Huth’s and Fawcett’s hosted the Vaughan’s and MacKenzie’s at the RV for a pre-retirement dinner party for Mike and Judy. It was a gorgeous night and we sat outside enjoying oysters on the half shell both raw and hot on the BBQ. Kathy made delishous pork tenderlion and we added corn on the cob, charcuterie board and of course some great wines. Rombaurer and Silver Oak for Judy and Sherwin Family Vinyards for Beth, Coors Light for Mike made him happy.

Saturday 23, 2022

Plenty of MMT (magical mystery tour ) while in Bar Harbor. A super fun trip over to Deer Isle crossing the 1939 suspension bridge and driving around the island. The small town of Stonnington at the far end eastern point had little shops, restaurants and a working fishing marina with lots of activity. Lobster boats, sight seeing tours and private boats filled the waters. We went to the Granite museum and watched a film on how they mined the granite back in the 1800’s was pretty cool, what a life they had to live to survive. Small snack in town at Stonnington Lobster Roll, Glenna and I split a smoked Haddock fish sandwich which was delishous then back on the road exploring. We hit the famous Nervous Nelly’s Jam and Jellies tourist trap, hard to explain this outside art showplace but worth the stop. Our dinner spot was at Perry’s Lobster Pound on the mainland near Blue Hill. Right on the water provided a beautiful place for outside dinner. Ron, Kathy, Scott, Beth, Glenna and I enjoyed lobsters, seafood salads and since it was a BYOB, we had some good wine to share. Surprised to find a very well stocked wine store in Blue Hill. Back to the RV for a final final with Scott and Beth, said our good bye’s because they left for the next part of their journey on Sunday. Mike and Judy left on Saturday morning heading to Boston for one night then back to San Diego. We spent the last two days enjoying our water views, picking up some oysters (we are getting a lot better at shucking these little suckers) for our final night and getting ready to cross the border and start our journey on the Canadian Maritime Trail for the next 5 weeks.

sunrise view from the rv

June 22- July 5, 2022

We left Cooperstown in the morning and started our spectular drive thru upstate New york on our way to Maine. Small towns, country roads, rivers, waterfalls and farm stands made for a great day. We arrived in Kennebunkport mid day, checked in to the Red Apple RV Resort and got settled in for our 6 night stay. Beautiful park with trees, pool and a 1948 Ford pick up truck that delivers fresh hot lobsters to your site everyday at 5PM. The next morning we put our order in for 4 lobsters and sure enough, here comes Jane in her truck to deliver the lobsters. Great dinner with Ron and Kathy sitting outside enjoying good wine with good friends. This was actually our second lobster meal because we had to try Allison’s restaurant in the small village of Kennebunkport for a late lunch when we arrived. Took a trolley tour seeing all the site including driving by the Bush compound where the Presidential flag was flying meaning that #45 was on property. Very interesting seeing all the lobster pounds, marina’s and boats out and about. Beautiful weather has once again blessed us, mid 70’s with no humidity.

While this close to Boston, we had to go for a visit. We left on Friday morning, checked in the Marriott and off to the Union Oyster House for lunch. This is the oldest bar / restaurant (established in 1826) in the country. We scored seats at the oyster bar and had oysters, clam chowder and a couple of beers on tap. Time to walk the Freedom trail, visit Fannuel Hall and site see around the city. A nice walk thru the North End led us to a small bar where Kathy, Glenna and I met up with Jim Duffy, had a burrata appetizer and a couple bottles of white wine as we spent the next two hours catching up. Now, it’s time to meet Ron and Susan Duffy at my favorite Italian restaurant in the North End. The Daily Catch is a small place where you sit family style and can see all the action of the kitchen form your table. I think Glenna’s scallop dinner was the best dish. All the pasta and seafood meals hit the spot and it was special that the server went next door to get me a real red wine glass. (I am kind of a wine glass snob). Great catching up with Susan and Jim and sharing a meal together. Spent most of Saturday walking and doing the Hop on Hop off tour around the city. Jim, Glenna and I tried to find the Grillo’s pickle store in Cambridge but it was closed so we decided to go to a DDD place for lunch called Mr. Bartleys. Fantastic burgers, onion rings and staff.

Back to Kennebunkport on Saturday late afternoon, stopping at Costco to restock food and gas. Kennebunkport has plenty of lobster pounds to purchase fresh lobsters so we continued to try new ones. Glenna and I tried the food truck new the rv park and it was delicious. Fun tasting the different styles of lobster rolls in Maine.

Moved on to Booth Bay for a 7 day stay, the Shore Hills RV Park is close to the small town with Ron booking us the best two sites in the park. Nice marina and town to walk around with shops, bars and restaurants everywhere. Took a tour boat called the Pink Lady our of Booth Bay Harbor for a 1 1/2 hour tour of the harbor then going out to the edge of the Atlantic seeing a couple of beautiful light houses. We were all amazed at the number of lobster traps that were out in this area, hundreds of traps bringing lobsters in to the port. We did a few magical mystery tours along the coastlines seeing more beautiful properties and visiting more lobster pounds to see where we are going to buy the next days meal. We had lunch at Betts Fish and Chips, highly recommended by many people and it did not disappoint. Two large pieces of Haddock fish perfectly cooked with a very light batter was perfect for lunch. Our last day in Booth Bay was spend on a magical mystry tour down to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park. Nice ride thru the countryside seeing small towns, farmers markets, oyster farms and the North Vountry Wind Bells store but it was closed for the holiday. We arrived at the park to see the famous lighthouse and lobster museum. Walked the property with stunning views of the ocean, wildlife and crashing waves on the seaside rocks. On the way home, we stopped at Scully Sea Products to try the fresh oysters. Very friendly staff that set us up with 2 dozen oysters, glove, shucker knife and hot sauce that was delicious. We did a good job shucking the oysters but had a couple of tuff ones so Adam came over to assist. Turns out, he was the regional oyster shucking champion and was practicing for the national competition in a few months. Winning times are around 2 minutes to shuck 2 dozen oysters with clean shells. Back to the RV then to our secret spot to buy some lobsters for dinner. Dave took good care of us with fresh lobsters and a great price, 8 one and a half pound lobsters and in the steamer they go. Great dinner on the patio with wonderful wine and fantantic friends.

Off to Belfast and Bar Harbour for the next three weeks, more updates from the road.

June 9-17, 2022

Started in Houghton, Michigan with a stay at the City of Houghton RV Park. We had side by side spaces on the front row overlooking the water watching the cruise ships pass by. Water averages 49 * so no swimming for us. Enjoyed our long bike rides along the shoreline and a visit to the Hockey Museum where Professional Hockey started in the USA. Moved on to Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground, drove over the famous Mackinaw bridge and visited Mackinaw Island. We took the ferry over to the island, rode our bikes around the 8 mile trial right on the waters edge seeing all the sites and beautiful houses. No cars allowed on the island so there was plenty of horses and horse poop all over the road. Visited the Grand Hotel and sat out on their famous front porch and had a few cocktails while enjoying the spectacular views of the island and Lake Huron. The Mackinaw bridge is where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron. Spent one day going to the Soo St. Marie Locks which connects Lake Superior and Lake Huron and went thru the locks on a cool tour boat. We had a 775 foot freighter join us in the lock to rise up the 21 feet needed to get to Lake Superior, we went out onto the lake then turn around and back in the locks for the ride back to Lake Huron. Drove South to Muskegon to visit our friends Jim French and Bill Stratton. Jim live on Lake Mona and has a nice pontoon boat he keeps right on the water. We visited on the patio for a bit then hit the lake for a tour, stories of them growing up in the area, thru the channel and into Lake Michigan. What a treat going onto the big lake and seeing all the beautiful houses along the shoreline. With four of the five Great Lakes under our belt it is time to move on to Niagra Falls and see Lake Ontario as well. The Falls were spectacular, we visited the US side one day then the Canadian side the next day. The views were great from both sides but more impressive from Canada. While in Canada, we visited a friend of Glenna’s that she went to middle school with in the little town of Niagra on the Lake. From there, we had great views of Lake Ontario. Nice visit with Brenda and Rod having lunch and sharing stories from the past. Back across the border and spent the last night in Niagra before moving on to new adventures heading East,

More to follow from Corning, Cooperstown and Lake George!!!!!

June 2-9, 2022

We hit the road on Thursday morning for a series of one night stands as we headed East. First stop was Bismark, ND. Checked into the Journey KOA where we had spots together with Ron and Kathy, no satilite service because of the trees but not a big deal. Drove around town then left Friday morning for Fargo. Ron and Kathy had a check engine light come on with a problem with the DEH sensor. After some checking around, the camp host help them get into a place where they could get it fixed. We waited and Kathy finally got to go to Arby’s for lunch. Turned out the new part was also bad and they had to stay in Bismark till Monday to get this fixed. Pat and Glenna moved on to Fargo where we visited the Roger Maris Baseball Museum, very interesting but he passed from cancer way to young. Lots of road construction if Fargo, not much else to see according to the locals. Saturday morning we headed to Duluth, wonderful drive on the Lake Scenic Highway with water everywhere. Trucks pulling boats seemed to be the vechicle of choice. Checked into the RV Park at the Marina, full hook ups overlooking the boats in the harbor. Rode the bikes into town and spent a few hours sight seeing, stopping at a local eatery called Grandma’s Cafe and Brewery overlooking Lake Superior. Can’t believe the size of this Lake, looks like the Pacific Ocean. It’s the largest fresh water lake in the world, holding 10% of the worlds fresh water. Cute town with lots of tourists and local places to visit. Dinner at the RV patio watching the boats cruise through the harbor and passing under a huge bridge that opened vertically to let the tall ships come in and out.

Sunday was moving day and the drive along the North Shore Scenic Highway was stunning, 110 miles of water overlooking Lake Superior winding through beautiful homes and small towns. Checked in to our new resort and scored a wonderful space staring right at the small Bay and the Lake. Drove into the town of Grand Marais and scoped out the golf, lakes, tourist trap shops and of course the Worlds Best Donut shop.

The Gunflint Golf Course provided a fun afternoon playing in the woods and beautiful scenery on Monday. Tuesday we drove up the North Shore Highway to the National Monument, Grand Portage area and a spectacular water fall. The Pigeon River which runs along the US and Canadian border provided the High Falls waterfall. The water peaked two weeks ago at 96,000 gallons per second coming over the falls. We hiked up to the falls and couldn’t believe the force of the water coming down the falls. Stopped at the Chicago Bay Deli and Bakery on the way back for a great sandwich on homemade bread. Very nice owner with a passion for providing good, fresh, homemade items for her customers. Wednesday is another golfing day, Superior National Golf Club. This ranks in the top 5 most scenic golf courses we have play all over the world. Truly a spectacular course and so happy we were able to play there.

Thursday is moving day, heading back down to Duluth then up Michigan to the top of the state in Houghton for a 3 night stay.

More to follow from there.

June 2, 2022

This week flew by in Spearfish with lots of history and iconic sites to see. Visits to Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, The Badlands, Spearfish Canyon, Devils Tower watching the rock climbers scale this granit tower and Sturgis to see the motorcycle Hall of Fame. We had two fun golf outings at Elk Horn Ridge Golf Resort and even had time to see the new Top Gun Maverick movie in Rapid City. This RV Resort was in a great location to visit the surrounding areas and National Parks, spaces were large and had good WIFI. Today is moving day, off to Bismark, Fargo, North Dakota, Duluth, Minnesota in a series of one night stands then, Grand Marais for four nights.

May 27, 2022

We just spent four wonderful days in Buffalo, Wyoming. The RV Resort was fantastic with wild geese doing fly by’s every morning and evening. We had breakfast at the Busy Bee Cafe, the restaurant where the series Longmire was filmed, Buffalo was the insparation for the series. One of my highlites was talking to the gentelman sitting next to us, there was five guys that were 89-90 years old and they came to the Busy Bee every morning for coffee, maybe some breakfast and plenty of conversation. The 90 year old was a former Mayor of Buffalo. I listened to some stories for a bit, told them about our trip and wished them a good day. Next door is the Occidental Hotel which is the oldest hotel in the state from the 1880’s. Some of it’s famous guest include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Buffalo Bill Cody, Tom Horn, Teddt Roosevelt and Calamity Jane. The Jim Gatchel museum was very inforative and gave us a good insight to the history of Buffalo and the Bosman Trail. We visited the small town of Sheridan and toured the Don King saddlery and rope shop with attached museum that had over 600 saddles and lot’s of western artifacts. The wildlife was abundant, there is more Pronghorn deer than people in Wyoming. We golfed at the Buffalo Golf Club and hit the Cowboy Saloon after for a refreshing cocktail. Had time to visit our long time friend for Poway, Sue and Ken (except Ken was working) in Story, Wyoming. Sue gave us a driving tour of the area and explained some key history points. The wooden Box battle from 1887, the Battle with Red Cloud in 1866 and Fort Phil Kearny where the Army built this to protect the locals. Packed up on Thursday and Glenna drove us to Spearfish, South Dokata for the next 7 days. More to follow from Spearfish……

May 22, 2022

Well four days at Colter Bay RV Park in the Grand Tetons proved to be a terrific place to see this part of Wyoming. The weather was very cold including snow the first day, cold nights down to 20 degrees and chilly days in the 40’s made for some bundling up and Pat wearing long pants. The Grand Tetons, Jackson, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and surrounding towns were easy to visit and full of wildlife this time of year. Lunch at the Million Dollar Salon, drinks stitting on a saddle at the Cowboy Bar, lunch at Nora’s Fish Cafe, Terrific drive thru Yellowstone, touring Jackson and the ski resort gave us a great understanding on why people visit here. Having a drink at the Mangy Moose was fun. The visiting centers including a movie about Jackson Hole was fantastic. Lots of wildlife to see including Deer, Elk, Bison (including some new borns hanging with thier Mommies) Geese, Ravens and a wolf feeding on a bison carcass, but the highlight of the trip was seeing a Grizzly bear just 20 yards off the highway right in front of us. A five year old male, according to the Ranger was just hanging out on a grassy knoll eating away and posing for pictures. Today is moving day, off to Buffalo, Wyoming for four days then Spearfish, South Dakota for seven day stay over Memorial Day weekend. Here are some pics to enjoy:

Off for the summer trip of a lifetime, joining up with our friends Ron and Kathy. Hit the road last Sunday, drove the RV’s thru Vegas to our first stop in Hurricane, Utah. Nice RV Resort and wonderful dinner at the Painted Pony in Saint George. Then drive to Heber City, Utah where we met up with our river friends, Terry and Sue. Fun times including golf at Red Ledges CC where they are members. Two nights of fun then drove to Colter Bay, Wyoming in the Grand Teton National Park for the next four nights. Here are a few pics of the journey so far…….

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