Canadian Maritimes August 19-26, 2019

Day 70 Monday August 19, 2019 About 10:30AM we took the Island Explorer Shuttle bus to the center of town in Bar Harbor. Our campground and Bar Harbor are located on Mt Desert Island which is connected to the mainland with a short bridge. The shuttle is free and they have a fleet of propane gas powered buses that run 6 routes all over the island. Funding is provide by the L.L. Bean Company. Their flagship store is just a few miles from the island. Bar Harbor is a pretty town and almost totally tourist oriented. The free buses keep a major number of cars from going into an already busy town with limited parking which you have to pay for. The fog was thick this morning all the way up to the edge of the boat harbor but it cleared about noon when the sun came out. We walked the streets checking out the sights until we got hungry and walked into Greedys Restaurant and got the best clam chowder we have had in a long time. We both ordered a bowl and it was a big bowl with lots of clams. Yummy.

Later we stopped at a coffee shop and got a latte before boarding the shuttle for the return trip to the campground.

We had planned to stay in the rest of the day but got a text from one of the couples that was on the tour with us about going to dinner at a steak restaurant name Jack Russell's. We didn't know it but five other couples from the tour were staying in campgrounds nearby so we all got together for one more meal and had a good time reminiscing about our trip.

Day 71 Tuesday August 20, 2019 We drove 236 miles to Wakeda Campground in Hampton New Hampshire and set up in site D14. Finally a site that is level and a little space between our site and the neighbors and plenty of afternoon shade. This is a large family owned and operated campground that has been open for 45 years. Most of the sites are seasonal but they are kept neat, unlike some we have seen at other campgrounds.

It seems to be getting warmer the more we go South. So I expect we are going to really feel the heat the farther we go because we had only 2 or 3 really warm days when we were in the Maritimes. Usually the temperatures ranged from the upper 50's to upper 70's.

We were tired so we didn't do anything much this afternoon other than relax. I did change out both our water filters. One of the guys at dinner last night said he changed his and they were really black from some of the water we got in the Maritimes. We had been told by the tour company to bring extra filters but we had forgot about changing them. We don't normally change them but one time a year since we are not living in the motorhome full time.

Day 72 Wednesday August 21, 2019 We went to a local McDonald's for breakfast this morning and access to their WiFi. There is WiFi at the campground in their Trading Post and our cell phone signal is to weak to support our Hotspot since we are back in the woods about a mile and not near a cell tower. After breakfast we went to WalMart for a few groceries and to run the Jeep through a car wash to wash some of the last 60+ days of grime off it. It looks better but will still need a hand washing to get it clean, the same as the motorhome.

A thunderstorm came through in mid-afternoon so we couldn't sit outside this afternoon and read as we wanted to.

Day 73 Thursday August 22, 2019 We only had 114 miles to drive today and check-in time was not until 2PM so we waited until 10AM to depart. We had a nice drive but began seeing warning signs about a bridge closure ahead and for big truck to take a detour. We weren't sure if we were going to get through so we found a route around the closure just in case as we didn't want to get in a position where we had to unhook the toad and turn around on a two lane road. We did that a few years ago and didn't want to do it again. Our detour got us around and it only delayed us about 20 minutes. We came up on a shopping center so we took a chance and pulled into it to get off the road and get something to eat. There was a nice large parking lot in front of Home Depot so we parked and walked over to the Longhorn Steak House and got a good meal. I got the first sweet iced tea in a restaurant in about 3 months. The waitress said most restaurants in this area didn't serve sweet tea but Longhorn Steak House was created in Georgia therefore they sever it.

We got to Kampfires Campground Inn & Entertainment  just after 2PM and checked into site A2. The second campsite in a row that was level. Wow! We relaxed awhile and later drove into the shopping district of Brattleboro Vermont about 4 miles away to check out a new laptop computer at Staples. We are going back in the morning to see if they can access the files on my dead computer and I probably will buy a new computer from them.

I setup the satellite disk and we watched some TV. Since June 18th we probably have not watched more than 2 hours of TV and it seemed kind of nice to be away from it for awhile. The satellites for Dish Network are so low on the horizon that it is difficult to get the satellite disk to “see” them in Canada.

Day 74 Friday August 23, 2019 We stopped at Dunkin Donuts to tank up on coffee and donuts before going to Staples. The young tech at Staples tried but was not able to access the hard drive on my dead laptop. I was not surprised but it would have been nice. He said he could hear the drive spin up but the part that reads the disk was not functioning. Since he was not able to retrieve the data he didn't charge me anything. I purchased a new laptop and we returned to the campground.

I worked until about 5PM loading software on the new computer and getting our bank account and charge cards all up to date and reconciled. The campground has a small vegetable garden that is open to the campers so Lena walked over and picked a couple of tomatoes and a cucumber.

Day 75 Saturday August 24, 2019 We packed up and departed about 7:45AM for out 320 miles drive to Harleysviille PA., where we will be over nighting in a WalMart parking lot (with permission of the Manager).

We left Vermont and drove through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York back into Connecticut for about 5 minutes, then back into New York, New Jersey and on into Pennsylvania. The traffic in New York over the Governor Mario Cuomo bridge was almost like setting in a 8 lane parking lot it moved so slow. Then when we got into New Jersey we were not sure we would even get to Pennsylvania. The New Jersey drivers are VERY aggressive. They whip in and out of traffic crossing back and forth over lanes just to advance a car position or two and speed up to pass you so they can cut in front of you so they can whip to the right for their exit. UGG!!!

Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge in NY

We got to the Walmart's parking lot about 4PM and was so glad. We parked where the Manager told us to as far from the store as possible where we will not interfere with customer parking. We can't cook here without running the generator which is considered “Bad Etiquette” when using a WalMart parking lot but there was a Pizzaria beside WalMart so we walked over and got a pizza for supper.

Day 76 Sunday August 25, 2019 We departed about 8AM for our 230 mile trip to Kiptopeke State Park in Cape Charles VA. This campground is about 2 miles from the 18 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel that we will have to cross tomorrow. We came through it in 2014 when we came through here on our way to the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains. I don't particular like driving through it but it sure beats driving up into Maryland and down around D.C., on I95.

Today we finished going through Pennsylvania, before driving through Delaware, the edge of Maryland and on into Virginia. One more state to go tomorrow and we will be home.

We checked in the campground about 2:15PM and setup in site B22 that I reserved last night. We stayed here on the way to the Poconos in 2014.

Day 77 Monday August 26, 2019 We departed about 8AM and drove through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel without incident. The winds were gusting about 20 MPH but were tailwinds so it didn't effect us on the tall bridge like it would if it had been sidewinds. There were lots of whitecaps out in the bay and the water was really rolling.

Here we go

Going down into the tunnel

Coming out of the first tunnel

Coming out of the second tunnel

We got home about 1PM and was thankful to arrive safe and sound after 77 days on the road. We did not have any breakdowns and only the one incident where the construction barrel rolled out and hit the motorhome doing a little minor  damage. We did have one cabinet catch break that I have to fix and a lot of road grime to wash off the motorhome and toad.  We rode the best roads of the entire trip today between Norfolk  VA and home on Hwys. 17, 13, 11, 241 and 41. There was some really nice farmland on this route. Lots of corn, soybeans, peanuts, sweet potatoes and tobacco.

We traveled 6,532 miles in the motorhome through some of the most picturesque places we have ever seen. But the roads in that part of Canada are terrible. We stayed in 35 different campgrounds, 2 WalMarts and 1 Boondockers Site.

Our travel map is filling up

Canadian Maritimes August 17-18, 2019

Day 68 Saturday August 17, 2019 Several in our group departed the campground at 8:40 for a visit to Ministers Island about 4 miles down the road. It is a 490 acre island. There is not a bridge to the island and technically there is not a road either. So how did we get there you may ask. Well the tide was out and there is a natural sandbar of rock and sand, etc. that is built up across the water so that when the tide is out vehicles can driver across the sandbar to the island. We got there at 9AM paid our entry fee to visit the summer home and of Sir William Van Horne and got a numbered island pass that we had to turn in when we returned at 11AM. That way the ticket booth staff knows if everyone has got off the island before the tide comes in. People in the past has waited too long to return and got caught in the rising water and drowned. This happen to a girl just last year. You can drive across the sandbar but don't have to pay the entry fee if you don't go beyond the ticket booth to visit the house so you are on your own to return before the tide comes in.

Sir William was the President of the Canadian Pacific Railroad among other things and was from Illinois originally. He also had a home in Montreal Canada. The summer home was named Covenhoven and after it was expanded it had 50 rooms, 26 of which was the family's main living quarters, plus servants quarters, kitchen, store rooms, etc. It was modern for its time, with running water and bathrooms. He had a windmill that pumped the water and the water was stored in a 10,000 gallon railroad car that was buried underground. He loved to paint and only slept about 4 hours a night so he had a downstairs bedroom on the front of the house so he could get up and leave the house without disturbing anyone and go out to a building overlooking the water and paint.

One of a kind billiard score board

Mrs Horne's bedroom

Ice box in center with food storage on sides

1931 GE Refrigerator - Still works

Kitchen 3,000 pound coal stove

Living room fireplace

After our guide took us through the house we were allowed to browse through on our own before driving over to the barn.  It is one of the largest barns in New Brunswick and cost $20,000 to build in 1898 and over $2,000,000 to restore a few years ago. It took and estimated 50 trail car loads of rough lumber to build it. He raised Clydesdale horses and Dutch Belted Cattle, in addition to pigs, chickens, geese and turkeys plus a large vegetable garden. The estate was basically self-sufficient and shipped food on the overnight train to his Winter home in Montreal. The milk from the barn was piped underground to the Creamery next door.

This was an interesting place but we had only 2 hours to visit before getting off the island before the tide came in. There were orginally 22 building in the estate but only about 10 remain.

Driving off the island across the sandbar

We returned to the campground and relaxed until time for our group to meet at the Algonquin Hotel for our Farewell Dinner. It is a massive building spanning across one of the town streets. The rates start at $312 and go up. We both were disappointed in the meal as was others in the group. It was the second worst meal we have had. We were originally supposed to eat somewhere else but there was a conflict in scheduling so we were scheduled here. For this to be an upscale hotel the food was way below average. But the dessert was good.

After the Wagonmasters and Tailgunners spoke the microphone was passed around to anyone that wanted to talk about what they enjoyed about the trip. Almost everyone stated the people in the group made the trip a very pleasant journey. Everyone in the group got along good and everyone socialized together rather than forming separate little clicks. Many nights a good majority of the group would gather up around someone's campsite with a glass of wine, a beer or coke and just talk and have a good time. Anytime anyone needed help or needed to borrow something, someone was always ready to lend a hand.

Day 69 Sunday August 18, 2019 We got the most rain this morning until it stopped about 10:30AM than we have had in the entire trip. The Wagonmasters and Tailgunners prepared a farewell breakfast for us at 8AM. People hugged, passed out calling cards and said goodbye before packing up and heading out to various places all over the USA.

Tim Hortons Coffee Shop on edge of town

We departed at 10:30AM and headed across the border into the USA for a two night stop in Bar Harbor Maine and the Hadley Point Campground where we arrived at 1PM and setup in site C23 and just chilled for the rest of the day.

This wraps up our Maritimes Adventure so now we work our way back home.