Sat., Sept 7. We left for a 12 day bus trip to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island in Canada with Excursions Unlimited of Savannah. Eating lobster became our trip theme, so here is opening picture taken in Kennebunkport, ME.
After being picked up at Exit 8, our neighbor Howard drove us there, we joined the group already in progress from Pooler, GA on to Fredericksburg, VA where we overnighted in the Country Inn - lousy motel, took in dogs, lots of barking. Ate dinner across the street at Golden Coral, the worst restaurant anyone could eat at. Obviously, this was not a good start for a 12 day trip. But, with my ipad I spent my traveling time on the way up reading Baldacci's "The Forgotten" and on the way home Cussler's "The Mayan Secrets". On Sunday we stopped in Waterbury, Ct at the Marriott Courtyard, a more pleasant place. There, Lisa and Nana picked us up and took us to Newtown where we spent a pleasant few hours and had a nice Thai dinner via take out. Nana showed me his brewing operation, as I mentioned earlier on FB, his home brew is quite good. On Monday, we woke up early and showered; no hot water! Boy, did I wake up quickly. Seems like the Marriott's hot water system broke down. After a nice breakfast, we drove to Maine and spent some time in Kennebunkport and saw the Bush compound.
Walking around town, we spied this stand with a long line selling lobster and clam rolls. So, we both got a lobster roll which we really enjoyed even though they cost $18. We hadn't had them since we lived in MA in the 60's.
And here we are, ready for a sleigh ride in Kennebunkport, just need some snow and a horse!
Afterwards, we drove to Bangor and stayed at the Hilton Garden, another nice motel. For dinner, the group went to the Weathervane; Lill and I had their lobster roll. YES! Two lobster rolls in the same day. It just doesn't get any better than that! Especially with draught beer! This is the first time we've been this far into Maine and the desolation simply amazed me. Nothing, I really mean nothing, between for example Kennebunkport and Bar Harbor, just the same boring pine trees mile after mile after mile. Glad I had a good book and newspapers to read.
On the 10th we wondered on to Bar Harbor and a tour of Acadia National Park. The town is impressive with upscale shops, lots of nice restaurants, and a picturesque waterfront.
From the 1530 ft height of Cadillac Mtn in Acadia National Park you can see Bar Harbor. Our tour didn't allow us to see much of the park, but from what little we did see, it is a desolate place with it's one bright spot being near Bar Harbor. You would not get me to travel three days to camp there. As you can see from below, we are all bundled up; it was cool and windy.
Another view of the harbor as we left for St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.
We arrived in St John on the 10th and stayed in the Hilton Hotel, another real nice place located on the water front. The one attraction of St. John is the Reversing Falls where tides rise 28 feet! We stopped here before going to the Hilton and the next morning as we went to Halifax, NS via the ferry across the Bay of Fundy to Nova Scotia.
Did you see that tide? Well, we didn't either. Someone told our guide to come back in the morning to get a more spacticular view. We did, and below is the result.
The fog stayed with us as we took the ferry to NS. Pea soup at it's best. This ferry traveled real fast and it was very windy on deck. Good thing it had a nice lounge with wifi and Starbucks!
We finally arrive at and can see Nova Scotia.
On the way to Halifax we were supposed to stop at Grand Pre, the site where in 1755 the victorious British deported all French Canadians, 6,000 Acadians, who did not swear allegiance to the King and the theme of Longfellow's poem "Evangeline". I particularly wanted to see this site since on a trip to New Orleans a few years ago, we visited
St. Martinville, Louisiana. There one can steep in Cajun culture, hear
French spoken on the street, and visit the town’s several museums,and especially the places associated with
Evangeline. There is an Evangeline state park, the Evangeline Oak,
and, in the town’s graveyard next to the Catholic church, there is
Evangeline’s tomb, topped with a bronze metal statue of her likeness. All this for a fictional character, amazing.
But instead, our guide could not find Grand Pre despite passing a number of Evangeline signs. The site was also supposed to be a "rest" stop. Instead we wound up at this gas station with limited facilities for relief. One of those times it's nice to be a male.
From here on to Halifax and the Radisson Hotel. The hotel was recently renovated and was thoroughly modern, so much that it was a challenge for many to simply open the room door or turn the lights on, for which I needed Lill's help. That night we walked to the water front, a short but pleasant walk from our hotel and ate at Murphy's where I had a super Nova Scotia lobster dinner and a locally brewed draught beer or two.
On the 12th we had a narrated tour of Halifax using the bus we came up on. We visited Citadel Hill and the Public Garden.
Below are views of Halifax from Citadel Hill.
On guard at the Citadel. Actually, a very friendly guy who allowed our group to pose with him as each couple took turns taking pictures. I only wanted a picture of him in his colorful garb.
Halifax Public Garden displayed many of the local shrubs, trees and flowers. Beautifully laid out and well maintained and even colorful.
Between the trees is a floral display in the shape of a large sea serpent.
Our last stop in Halifax is the site of the burial ground of the Titanic victims
The number below the memoriam indicates the numerical order in which the body was plucked from the sea. The steamship's owners paid for the burial and some of the markers. More elaborate markers were paid for by the member's family.
One thing I noted in our guided tour is that almost all the main sites are related to a tragedy of one sort or another. The Public Gardens was the scene of a ravaging hurricane that took down most of the trees. While nearby the
Halifax Explosion occurred on the morning of Thursday, December 6, 1917, when a French cargo ship fully laden with wartime explosives, collided with a Norwegian vessel
in the upper Halifax Harbor. Approximately twenty minutes later, a fire on board the
French ship ignited her explosive cargo, causing a cataclysmic explosion
that devastated major parts of Halifax. Approximately 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, collapsed buildings, and resulting tsunami. The bottom of the river was briefly visible as the tsunami took place. It is estimated that nearly 9,000 others
were injured in the blast, the largest man made explosion prior to the development of nuclear weapons with an equivalent force of roughly 2.9 kilotons. There is a memorial to the telegraph operator on the Norwegian ship who first communicated the collision and subsequent fire just before the explosion. Along the Atlantic coast, our guide pointed out places where ships sunk and planes crashed into the ocean. No happy themes in this area.
After seeing the main sites of Halifax, we were off to Peggy's Cove, about one hour from the city.
Lill at Peggy's Cove, lots of rocks that provide a safe harbor for the fishing vessels.
It's a very picturesque place, but over run with tourists, including us. It takes about ten minutes to see the town and about two hours to eat a quick lunch. Even in mid-September, there were lots of tourists and busses there.
After our city tour, we walked around the Halifax water front and picked another nice spot to dine.
Nothing like gook local draught beer and a succulent lobster dinner.
In Nova Scotia they give out certificates testifying to the good times one has. The L'Ordre du Bon Temps, founded in 1606, has certified that we are members in good standing having participated in Nova Scotia fellowship and good cheer. And, these certificates are signed by both the premier and lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia.
On Sep 13 with our bags out by 7am, we departed at 8am for Cape Breton Island and Gisele's Inn in Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell's summer retreat and location of his museum. Our first stops before going on the island was this info center
and soon afterwards, Sherbrooke Village which depicted Nova Scotia in earlier times and I suspect better times.
The village blacksmith.
Village post office
Print shop at left, P.O. at right.
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| St. James Church. Lill is partial to St. James, the one on L.I. |
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| Now used for quilting. |
Naturally, all the buildings have been relocated from elsewhere for historic preservation, cultural appreciation and trapping tourists. But, it was a welcomed rest and diversion.
And on to Cape Breton Island via the Canso causeway which links the island of Cape Breton with the Nova Scotia
mainland, across the Canso Strait. The causeway is 1,385 metres long,
and fills the Canso Strait to a depth of 65 meters (213 ft) making it
the deepest causeway in the world. Its crown is 40 m (130 ft) wide and
its base is 244 m (800 ft) wide, and its construction required just over
10 million tons of rock.
The causeway prevents ice from entering the Strait making a large
year-round navigable 16 km (10 mi) long harbor. A navigation lock
allows the passage of sea-going traffic is part of a canal that is 570
metres (1,870 feet) long by 24 meter (80 feet) wide. A 308 ft swing
bridge passes over the canal at the northern end of the causeway,
enabling the largest ships to pass through.
After going over the causeway, we visit the rest stop and then on to Baddeck and the Alexander Graham Bell museum.
Exterior of Bell Museum. His home in Baddeck is on the lake and is still there and owned by the family but is out of bounds for visitors and beyond view for taking pictures.
In Baddeck, Bell experimented with hydrofoils, airplanes, and tetrahedral kites. He worked with and helped fund Glen Curtis's aircraft experiments. Bell also experimented with a solar telephone to transmit voice by sunlight. It worked, but he found it to be impractical. The beginning of fibre optic telephony one hundred years ago. What an interesting man!
Below are some pictures of his hydrofoil boat.
Lake on which Bell lived and tested his hydrofoils.
View of hydrofoils.
Experimental tetrahedral airplane, it never got off the ground. He experiments with the tetrahedral shape included kites which flew quite well. He chose this structure because of its inherent strength for carrying loads.
Below is Bell's "Silver Dart" which made the first controlled, power flight in Canada and the British Empire, Feb 23, 1909.
We arrived at the museum about 4:45 pm and were given an hour to visit. Unfortunately, thanks to the ignorance of our guide, the museum closes at 5pm. He then lied to us that it closes at 6pm but since it's after labor day, its hours changed to 5. Not true, they are always open to 5pm and no longer! But, we were able to return the next day at 4:15pm for a second visit. Lill, myself and one other revisited the museum. I found Bell's life and experiments so interesting that when I got home I ordered a book from Amazon, since I got to the gift shop too late to get one there. I guess I should be thankful for getting the pictures and overview which I did.
The next day, Sep 14, we toured the Cabot Trail around Cape Breton Island and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Gift shop and another pause for the cause.
A visit to St. Peters,
Cheticamp, Cape Breton Island on Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gTc24OXnww |
Our guide singing Ave Maria in church. Acoustics were great which projected his beautiful voice throughout the church.
Cheticamp on Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park, following the Cabot Trail.
A view of the Cabot Trail in the NP along which we traveled along Atlantic coast of Cape Breton Island.
Sep 15, we leave Cape Breton Island for Prince Edward Island. For a morning break we stop at a McDonalds on Cape Breton Island where I spied this sign on their menu board. McLobster! WOW!
And what a McDonalds, upscale with a beautiful lounge area and a two sided fire place. I got myself a coffee mocha and off we went.
Crossing the 8 mile Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick to PEI over the Northumberland Strait.
As we're going over the bridge.
Gateway Village rest stop at end of bridge on PEI. Lunch, souvenirs, and other essentials before we continue on.
Lots of potato farms on PEI. They looked prosperous, PEI on the whole looked a lot more prosperous that either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Or, even Maine for that matter, neglecting the million dollar mansions of Kennebunkport or Bar Harbor. Almost all the houses on PEI looked well maintained.
View of Confederation Bridge over Northumberland Strait.
Potato picking machine can pick 10 rows at one time.
House where Green Gable author Lucy Maud Montgomery once lived. I snapped this picture quickly as the bus turned, that's why it's a little blurry.
Green Gables Heritage Place depicts a typical PEI farm of the late 1800s.
A walk in Anne's footsteps along Haunted Wood and Lover's Lane through the adjoining Acadian Forrest.
Me too! I just couldn't pass up the chance to walk Lover's Lane with Lill.
PEI's rugged shore line.
Enjoying another lobster dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. Restaurant had a 60 foot salad/desert bar. Oh! My!
This is as good as lobster can get. I also got a souvenir mug with local draught beer. Yes, both beers below are mine!
As the sun sets on Sep 16, we leave Canada for Maine with an overnight stay in Freeport at the Hampton Inn.
Now, Freeport is the home of L.L. Bean which has a complex of stores there open 24/7, every day. But, then, who cares! We found a nice restaurant nearby where we had a lobster dinner with craft beer. What attracted us was the price, a two one pound each lobster dinner for $18. Now, that we could not pass up! And to think, a lobster roll in Kennebunkport was $18, nothing else, no table service, no beer.
Sep 17 we depart Freeport for Hazleton, PA. The following day, we leave for Roanoke, VA, stopping at Hershey and the Gettysburg Visitor's center.
Yes, we did succumb and buy some chocolates.
Walt having a discussion with Old Abe.
Thurs., Sep 19, we leave Roanoke for home, but first another stop at a Farm Stand along I81. This is the first time I saw a white pumpkin.
As we continued on our way home, on the bus we played one last game. That was, to guess the total mileage of the trip from start to finish. So, each of us wrote our estimate on a slip of paper, the one guessing closest wins a prize not yet announced. Many were using maps and calculators or pumping the driver for info. We simply figured the average per day mileage and multiplied it by 12. We guessed between 350 and 400 miles per day and adjusted up or down as we felt necessary. Lill guessed 4500, mine was 4486.2. The actual total mileage, the driver knew this before the trip ended, was 4507. Lill was the winner, the only woman to ever have won their mileage contest. Her prize was a jar of blueberry preserves from PEI, which is one of her very favorites. In addition, she also won an umbrella playing bingo earlier in the trip.
By 3:30 PM we arrived at the BP at Exit 8 where Howard met us and drove us home. Glad to be back to familiar surroundings once again.
On Friday we were to pick up Millie at the Riverwalk Animal Hospital where the woman who boarded her works. When we got there at 10am, the agreed to time, she told us that she forgot to bring Millie and told us she'd call when she could have Millie ready, i.e., washed. Anxiously waiting for the call, I put the home phone to forward calls to my cell. However, I did not do it correctly, and my home phone did not work. So, not being able to get us on the phone, she had to drive to our house to deliver Millie. Serves her right in the first place for forgetting Millie.
This 12 day trip by bus with Excursions Unlimited was a test to see how we'd like it, since we had sold our motor home last May. Unfortunately, our experiences lead us to not going with them again. The guide made too many mistakes, got us too late to our motels and points of interest, lacked knowledge of immigration regulations and the sites along the trip, and said too many prayers for us to cope with. Nothing in their literature mentions anything about daily group prayers. In our view, this should be done individually according to one's beliefs. I noticed on a number of occasions when he said a prayer in a restaurant that the other patrons were annoyed. We simply ignored him. All he did was make us feel not wanted. We ended up giving him an unsatisfactory rating, while the bus driver did an excellent job for which we were thankful.
