America - Part 5 (Maine - NY)

America – Part 5:

New England: We crossed back into the state of Maine in America coming from Saint John in New Brunswick, Canada. The border crossing was easy enough even though we were asked to step inside to complete some paperwork. Driving along tree lined roads we finally made it to the small town of Millinocket where we stopped for information and groceries. Baxter State Park is known for moose sightings and we were eager to see a few as they’ve eluded us up to that point.

Big Moose Inn (Northern Maine): We were over the moon to see that the clouds had at last cleared after many days of rain. What we didn’t know was that the rain clouds would be replaced by clouds of black flies and mosquitoes – I’m not sure which was worse. We found a nice camping spot at the Big Moose Inn located amidst the trees next to a lake. Before even contemplating setting up our tent we had to douse ourselves with bug repellent to ward off the nasty critters. They also seemed to like driving in our Jeep as every time we opened a door or window there were hordes of them flying in. Very soon our windshield was littered on the inside with the squashed bodies of the fallen ones. For dinner Gillian cooked sausages and mash with onion gravy after which we went on a DIY “moose cruise” to see if we could spot any.

When they are around they are actually difficult to miss being such massive animals. Inadvertently we stopped next to a minivan with an ad on the side saying “Moose Tours”. Bingo! We found the paying guests down a little path snapping away at two moose grazing in the water. With so many bugs around the moose had fled to the safety of the water which made it easy to spot them. Moose are comical looking animals with two big ears, long snouts and very long legs which look out of proportion with the rest of their bodies. Every year the males drop their racks (antlers) which then grow at a phenomenal rate of an inch a day! In the end there was no reason to follow the Moose Tour as we spotted 7 moose by ourselves. I still think that the plural version of moose should be meese.

While camping at the Big Moose Inn we spent a fair bit of our time in the safety of their pub. Not that I needed an excuse but it was nice getting away from the clouds of pesky bugs. They even served a beer on tap which was aptly called Black Fly and another called Loose Moose. The next day we went for a hike part way up Mount Kathadin in Baxter State Park. We decided to take a detour first via a lake which turned out to be a good thing as we saw another two moose grazing in the water. Gillian’s 75-300mm lens came in handy taking photos of them and I lay flat on a rock to steady the lens. The moose are noisy grazers and we could clearly hear the splashing of water every time they dunked their heads underwater and lifted it up again. Our hike up the mountain turned out to be boulder hopping from one rock to another rather than walking and proved to be fairly challenging. The view at the top was worth all the effort as we could see the tip of the mountain reflected in the crystal clear lake (unlike at Lake Louise!). I counted the amount of black flies I killed and it exceeded 100 by the end of our hike!

Back at camp we retired yet again to the safety of the pub to watch the ice hockey final - the Canucks vs the Bruins. It was quite funny as we were two token Canucks supporters sitting in a Bruins bar. We were unfortunately very quiet that evening as the Bruins absolutely thrashed the Canucks. The next day turned out to be beautiful so we decided to go for a paddle on the lake in one of the Inn’s canoes. The canoe glided over the water while we listened to the haunting yet peaceful calls of the loons. We were happy to see yet another moose grazing when we entered a small bay. He had no intention of joining us canoeing and quickly legged it out of the water when we got too close. We were both very impressed with our stay in the Baxter State Park EVEN with all the bugs. Seeing all the moose was great and made for a memorable stay. 

Bar Harbor (Acadia National Park): From Baxter State Park we drove to Bar Harbor and booked into a motel near town. From there we went to explore the town and found a small restaurant for a lobster lunch. We were given plastic bibs with a lobster on the front which was really funny. Our lunch consisted of clam chowder for starters, lobster as main followed by a blueberry pie with ice cream for dessert – nice! I liked the town of Bar Harbor as even though it had many touristy shops it had lots of charm with a beautiful setting next to the ocean. The next day we drove through Acadia National Park along the “Scenic Route” next to the ocean. I could see why it is such a popular route as it had it all: sandy beaches, rugged coastline, tree lined mountains and deep blue oceans. Halfway into the route we stopped for a lunch of fish and chips after which we drove up the mountain for a nice view over the park.

Next up we decided to stretch out legs by visiting the Asticou Gardens which also offered a nice view over the harbor from the top. It was getting a little cloudy so we decided to retire back to our hotel room, which was a good thing as fairly soon it started raining. Fortunately there was a little overhang in front of our motel room which gave Gillian a dry spot for cooking our pasta dinner. The next morning we discovered it was still raining so we decided to have a lazy day just catching up on photos, emails and our blogs. It is funny how quickly all those little jobs can creep up on you in just a few days! We only left the room later that afternoon to drive into town for an ice cream and a beer. After all the seafood we had at during our time on the east coast, I was feeling like steak so decided to buy one for dinner. At least it stopped raining for a while, giving me the opportunity to light up our motel’s BBQ. Our rib-eye steak served with sweet corn was a winner even if I have to say so myself.       

Mount Washington (White Mountains): We drove from Bar Harbor down south towards Mount Washington and as it was a Sunday we counted literally hundreds of motorbikes, mostly Harleys, going on their breakfast runs. We found a camping spot not too far from the Cog Train where we stayed for the night. We had to cancel our idea of chicken stir-fry for dinner as the nearest shop only sold very limited food items. A ham and cheese omelet served with baked beans was a good alternative instead. There are two ways of getting to the top of Mount Washington: the hard way climbing or the lazy way taking the Cog Train. As we’ve done a lot of hiking and the Cog Train came highly recommended we decided on the latter. Taking the train was a great experience as it slowly climbed the mountain – at times as steep as 37 degrees! We were glad we read the book about taking warm clothing along as at the top it was freezing cold with strong winds blasting into our faces. There were clouds blowing over the summit and we only stayed outside for long enough to take a few pictures of the lovely view over the valley below.

Back inside we warmed up with a cup of steaming hot chocolate while visiting their museum and gift shops. It was interesting learning about the weather at the top of the summit as it is classed as tundra with the highest recorded wind there being 231 miles per hour! We were very fortunate to have had a clear day at the top with only a few clouds which came and went with the blowing gales. Back down at the bottom it was a hot day and we had to strip off our layers of thermals and fleeces. They had a small museum there with many interesting artifacts although their black bear exhibit was the best. There were three black bears positioned in various poses with a sign saying: “Don’t feed the bears, they are already stuffed” which was quite amusing! From there we made our way to meet up with family friends in New England. 

  

New England: We were invited to stay with Ruth and George who are old friends of my family. They had a lovely house in the woods and, being avid bird watchers, had many bird feeders hanging from a rope strung between two trees. They knew all the names of the various species we saw and pointed out purple finches, robins, hummingbirds and many more. Apparently they also have a few bears that visit their garden every now and then although we didn't get to see any of them. There was also a woodchuck, aka ground hog, living under their deck which came out to sun itself in the mornings. It was funny watching his head bobbing as it slowly fell asleep in the warm morning sun. Their very furry cat also watched the woodchuck through the window while twitching its tail. I found the cheeky cat one morning all snuggled up inside the dryer on top of our clean washing. He needed lifting out as he was definitely not going anywhere voluntarily.

The next day we went for a short hike up a mountain and Ruth introduced us to Geocaching which is, to put it simple, treasure hunting for grown-ups. There is a website where one can search for GPS coordinates for a specific area. We took her GPS along and searched for the hidden “treasures” while going up the mountain. We could only locate one even after searching high and low. It was great fun though and I can see that kids would especially love to do something like that. After our hike we went for a swim in one of the nearby popular lakes while trying to get a bit of a tan. We returned to a different spot at the same lake later that evening for a pizza dinner. It was the first day of school holidays for the kids so there was a whole horde of them having fun in the water. Ruth was hoping to have a quiet dinner and to see the loons with their new babies although that was definitely not to be with all the noisy kids around! 

Salem: As Salem was on our way to Boston we decided to go witch hunting. Unfortunately it started raining just as we left Ruth and George’s and continued to do so for the whole day. I found it difficult driving in Salem as many streets were one-way and many not clearly marked. We eventually found a parking spot and went to visit the Witch House. It was interesting reading about the Witch Trails which happened back in 1692 and how everything got blown out of proportion by others trying to save their own skin. Apparently many of the victims did have fits, although nobody really knows why it happened. Some speculate that it could have been the stress caused by the Indian attacks at the time or because of a fungi found in the rye bread they ate.

We stayed away from any rye bread and had a very average seafood lunch instead at a restaurant called Finz – it was recommended by the book but didn’t impress. From there we visited many of the crazy tourist shops selling all kinds of potions and witchy things. I really don’t know how they all survive as there was so many of them - I hardly noticed anyone buying anything although it might have been because of the rain. Next up we visited the oldest candy store (Ye Olde Pepper Candy Company) in town and after that the House of the Seven Gables. We also took a picture of the old ship called “Friendship of Salem”. Salem was an interesting place although I became quickly bored with all the tacky tourist shops. I was glad however that we did stop there as it was interesting learning more about the Witch Trails.   

Boston: We were invited to stay with Chris and Jess while in Boston. We met them in Iceland way back when I started my around the world trip. They share their house with a lovely dog called Bear who is probably not known for his intellect and who likes to chase his own tail. As we’ve been wearing the same clothing for most of our trip we were pretty bored with what we’ve had and decided to go shopping. Many shops had sales and it was difficult getting Gillian out of them especially the Cup Cake Shop where we stopped for a quick coffee. After our shopping spree we visited the Christian Science Museum although I still can’t see how Christianity and science can go hand in hand. What was interesting though was their very large world map displayed in a glass globe. We walked along a glass bridge to the middle while looking at all the illuminated continents. What was very fascinating was the acoustics created in the globe. While standing on opposite sides Gillian could hear me whisper and standing in the middle created a surround sound effect – very cool!

That night Chris and Jess took us out to experience a Southern Barbeque at a place called Red Bones. Other than many flavors of ribs they also served dishes such as catfingers (breaded deep fried catfish), deep fried pickles, pulled chicken or pork, collard greens, potlikkers (veggie broth), candied yams, corn fritters and much more! We had an absolute meat fest that evening all washed down with a few pints of beer. Red Bones serve a silly number of beers on tap which one could choose from by spinning a wheel with an arrow. There was way too much food for us to eat and we left the restaurant feeling like stuffed sausages and a large doggy bag. It was also nice to see Jay and her partner Jenny who made a quick stop off at the restaurant although they couldn’t hang around as they had a concert to go to.

The next day we went into the city to tick off a few more touristy things. Our first stop was at the holocaust monuments which are big square glass towers that fill up with steam coming through vents from the bottom. The towers were decorated with the numbers of each prisoner while short stories on plaques reminded us of the horrors of that had happened. Next up was a walk along the Freedom Trail clearly marked with red bricks (or a red stripe) along the pavement. Wandering along the trail we saw the city’s oldest buildings as well as many statues and graveyards. It was a really nice walk and I enjoyed reading about the history of the city. From there we went to see the much talked about Chihuly glass exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. We first saw his work while in Las Vegas and were blown away by his ceiling display in the Bellagio. To say the least, his work is stunning and I was left scratching my head wondering just how he had created all the various shapes and colors of their glass ornaments. I can highly recommend his exhibition to anyone visiting Boston!

I’ve always been a “point and shooter” when it came to photography although after using Gillian’s digital SLR I was converted. I manage to get a good deal on Craigslist and bought a Canon Rebel XS with 18-55mm and 75-300mm zoom, UV filter and bag for only $450! I also bought a 50mm lens to try and do some portrait photos in future. As my time with Gillian was coming to an end we decided to spoil ourselves and visited a fancy seafood restaurant in downtown. She was travelling back to London while I have decided to continue travelling. Even though it was very sad, it was the best thing to do as she really missed her family. Dinner that evening was memorable as their food was to die for. Gillian had the sea bass with lobster ravioli while I had wahoo with chorizo, grilled veggies and potatoes. Their melt in the middle chocolate pudding was the highlight of the evening and even though we “shared” it, I only manage to steal three spoonfuls from Gillian who guarded it with her life!   

   

Boston has a lot of history by American standards and I loved the architecture. The city had a nice vibe and there are many things to do and places to see. I really liked our visit there even though it rained every day we were there. Chris and Jess were amazing hosts while Bear provided the entertainment. The poor mutt got stung by a bee while at doggie daycare and he felt very sorry for himself. If I have to choose between my favorite cities in America it would definitely be a difficult decision between San Francisco and Boston. Both cities are lovely in their own way although I just might have to veer towards San Francisco because of better weather in general. I would like to visit Boston again if I ever have the chance in future.  

Finger Lakes: We escaped the rain in Boston by driving to the Finger Lakes in New York state. It was a fairly long drive and I was tired when we finally arrived at our campsite at Taughannock State Park next to Lake Cayuga. We shared our campsite with many birds and small chipmunks which almost seemed to glide over the ground while they ran. They really DO look like they are “beat boxing” while sitting upright and rubbing their mouths – it reminded me of this youtube clip: Chipmunk. Gillian cooked a chicken curry that evening which was very tasty and it wasn’t long before I retired to my camping mat.

Ithaca: Since I was a child my parents have told me about their stay in America when my dad studied at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. When I discovered that we were actually going to drive through their old home town I couldn’t resist going to see where he studied. Ithaca is a beautiful town with nice houses - some very expensive and la-di-dah. Because of all the students there are many trendy coffee shops and other nice bars, restaurants and cafes. Cornell University itself has a few impressive structures and we had a good time just wandering around soaking up the atmosphere. I of course took a fair few photos to see if my dad remembers the place. Unfortunately we couldn’t find their old flat as I didn’t have their full address, but Cornell University made for a nice visit. 

We spent the next day wine and cider tasting at some of the many vineyards in the area. There were many vineyards to choose from so we decided in the end to do tasting at one wine, one cider and one at a goat’s cheese farm. The vineyard was called Americana and it is apparently popular for reasons unknown to me – it surely can’t be because of their wines. It seems to me that many Americans like their wines sweet as their most popular wines were far too sweet for our taste. Next up was the goat’s cheese at the Lively Run Dairy farm where we got to sample around 6 different types of cheese. As the blue cheese was too mild we bought their creamy goats cheese with fresh herbs for our soon to be picnic.

Our waitress at Beltwether was glad to meet two customers who actually showed any interest in their products and were asking questions. It seems like the normal procedure is walk in, slurp-slurp and walk out. We tried 6: Lord Scudamore, Legacy, Heritage Vintage, Heritage New, King Baldwin and No. 4 – our favorite, sods law, was the most expensive one, Lord Scudamore. We bought a bottle for our picnic which we drank while sitting outside in the warm sunshine next to a lake. While in Ithaca we bought a baguette and pâté which went nicely with our goats cheese and Lord Scudamore cider. Also having lunch with us was a pair of mallards and many bright orange koi fish feeding in the shallow reeds. To try and work off our full bellies we went for a hike to the Taughannock Falls which was pretty impressive.

As it was such a nice day we decided to cook our dinner next to Lake Cayuga as there were many picnic tables in the vicinity. It was a nice experience standing chopping vegetables while people around us were having fun either fishing, swimming, sailing or sunbathing. I was tempted to get my fishing rod out but I didn’t have a license and didn’t want to tempt fate especially with an expensive rod. Dinner that evening was a lamb stew with lots of veggies and potatoes which we ate while the sun turned the clouds into various colors – a nice evening indeed! I could easily have camped there for longer although Gillian had her flight booked back to England so we had to leave to get to Toronto. 

Niagara: I really did not like our visit to the Niagara Falls. The falls were surrounded by tacky Las Vegas-style shops which had no charm whatsoever. We were greeted by aggressive and overly competitive parking attendants who swore at each other from across the street which put me on edge. Furthermore, finding a parking spot for our Jeep was a nightmare which didn’t make for a good first impression of the place. Their free souvenir which came with a map for our $5 parking fee was a business card fridge magnet which we gave away at the first opportunity. At least the falls were nice and we took a fair few photos before hotfooting, or shall I say fleeing, out of there as quickly as possible - I couldn’t wait to get out of the tourist trap!  At least the Canadian border was right across the bridge so we made our escape and we didn’t even contemplate visiting the falls from the Canadian side!

On crossing the bridge over the Niagara River we ended our visit to the USA. I will remember the east side of America for its architecture, mountains, lakes, leggy moose, seafood, especially lobsters and clam chowders as well as their rugged coastline with iconic lighthouses and of course trees, trees and even more trees. Another thing that was memorable, for all the wrong reasons though, were the thousands of bugs determined to suck out every last drop of our blood. Compared to the west coast, the weather was not as good and all the rain definitely put a slight damper on our enjoyment levels. Even so we had a great experience while on the east side and met yet again many friendly people who made our trip enjoyable

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Canada - East Coast

Canada – East Coast:

Halifax: We were invited to stay with Roy, his wife Anna and their over-enthusiastic playful mutt Bella while in Halifax. I met Roy and his best friend Peter while paddling down the Nahanni River in the North West Territories. Every morning we had our competitive banter as to who could get the first cup of coffee made from the brown water of the Nahanni River. He has a very nice house next to a lake on the outskirts of Halifax where we stayed for 2 nights. As we took the red eye from Calgary we arrived at his place very tired in, would you believe it, yet another Jeep Grand Cherokee! Even though Roy’s coffee was strong and his conversation both intelligent and enlightening we struggled to stay awake so had to retire to bed for a morning nap. The good news was that Peter was also on a flight to Halifax and was going to spend the weekend with us. Peter was my repetitive harmonica buddy that aided the mental decline of a few on the trip – just joking Pete!

Feeling refreshed we got up from our nap and had some lunch while waiting for Roy to return from the airport with Peter. The challenges and hardships of the Nahanni built a friendship between us and I was over the moon to see both Roy and Peter at the same time. As there was still daylight left I took Gillian for a paddle on the lake in Roy’s canoe. I’ve really missed paddling in the wilderness and it was nice feeling the familiar movement of the canoe sliding over the water, propelled by a J-stroke. Paparazzi Pete was on the shore taking pictures of us and took the time to share a few techniques and tips with me. For dinner Roy had a few surprises in store: fresh lobster washed down with his personal stash of home brewed beer and wine. We were given instruction on how to dismantle a lobster and straight away we got crackin’, creating a lot of mess. Our lobster dinner was delicious and it was made even better with good company and wine. With our bellies full it was time to view a slideshow of our Nahanni canoeing trip as well as make a plan for the next day.

The next day Roy took us hiking along the rugged Nova Scotia coast at a place called Duncan’s Cove. It was a beautiful spot with rugged coastline and crashing waves which at times I could feel vibrating the ground below me. I found Bella, the leggy black poodle, very entertaining as she darted around like a little child. After our hike we felt like we’d earned a pub lunch which we had near the habour in Halifax. The Canadian East Coast is known for its seafood and we were intending to eat as much as possible. Not wanting to spoil Roy’s big dinner of rotisserie chicken we shared a few bacon wrapped scallops, fish bites and cheesy nachos. From there we went for a walk along the waterfront where Gillian got tempted by Cows ice cream - it doesn’t take much anyway. Next up was a visit at the MEC Store to stock up on camping gas and back home via a visit to Anna’s alternative medicine shop.    

           

Back home it was time for Roy to prep his free-range rotisserie chicken which was the size of a young ostrich. Yet again we were issued with a cold home brewed beer or wine while chatting away – Canadian hospitality at its best! The chicken came out a treat and after dinner we sat outside next to a fire sipping on something stronger with their neighbours. All too soon our time with Roy, Peter and Anna came to an end so we had to say our goodbyes. Roy, if you are reading this, thanks for your hospitality and for showing us a good time while we were in Halifax!       

   

Cape Breton - Whycocomagh: : From Halifax we drove north along route – all the way up to Cape Breton. Along the way the skies grew darker and things didn’t look too good for our stay. There were many coves along the rugged coastline as we drove, each with its own name. Most were inhabited by small fishing communities with iconic red roofed houses. There were also many derelict wooden buildings, spired churches and well groomed cemeteries along the way. What we also got to see a lot of were countless amounts of trees, lakes and rocks. We booked into a small B&B with a friendly old lady called Mary and her two fluffy fat cats. Not long after we arrived it started to rain so we retired to the safety of our room. I was fairly tired from driving so that night we didn’t do much other than chilling out and watching TV.

It continued to rain during the night and didn’t stop as we drove to Meat Cove at the very top of Cape Breton. Taking the slightly longer, more scenic route was pointless as not only was it raining, but we couldn’t see a thing with the heavy fog blocking our views. Reaching the small town of Neil’s Harbor we intended to have lunch at a small restaurant called the Chowder House. They were not yet open for the season so we had to find another place which ended up being a good thing as their food were very nice - I had a fish burger while Gillian had seafood chowder. With our batteries recharged we drove the final stretch to Meat Cove.

Meat Cove: Even with it raining and with the limited visibility we had, I could see that Meat Cove was a beautiful spot. Nestled in a valley between tree covered mountains, it had steep rocky cliffs dropping down into the sea. Dotting the surface of the water were seemingly countless buoys attached to iconic half dome shaped lobster pots which we saw many of along the way. Getting wet wasn’t on our agenda ruling out camping for that night. Instead, we found a cute wood hunting cabin with a killer view over the cove where we settled in for the night. The rain did at least stop for a short period allowing us to go for a hike next to the beach. The wooden boardwalk leading down to the beach was in dire need of repairs as the river had washed most of it away. A local lady told us that there had been a flood which washed away the bridge and also a few houses the previous August!

We spent most of our time in the cabin catching up on our photo editing and blogs using their free internet. Funnily enough, the strength of the wi-fi signal was dictated by the levels of fog blocking out reception from the main antenna. The next morning it was still cold and raining so a cup of strong black coffee and hot oats were in order. As it was yet again pretty pointless doing any sightseeing we spent most of the morning chilling out. We had a few short hikes lined up for that day so were hoping that the rain would clear. Our supposed scenic drive through the park was mostly a wash out although there were a few short clearer spells. We took these opportunities to take a few photos and go on a short hike along the way.

Apparently there are lots of moose on the island although the only ones we got to see were those on the “Beware of the moose” signs. With the hiking abandoned we stopped off in Cheticamp to sample local Acadian dishes. Acadians are French colonists who settled in PEI back in the 17th century. For starters we had grilled prawn and scallop skewers and seafood chowder followed by a sampler plate of meat pie, blood pudding, beef stew, baked beans and a fish cake. The food at least was an opposite experience to the weather and we thoroughly enjoyed it.   

Next up was a stop at Glenora Distillery where we learnt about its history. I wasn’t overly impressed with the tour as we only got to sample one whiskey and it felt a little rushed. They have a long way to go to compete with either Irish or Scottish whiskey. At least it was in a nice setting we got to learn a little about distillation techniques in general. As it was getting late it was time for us to move on and find accommodation for the night. Camping was yet again ruled out because of the rain so we drove onwards trying to find a dry spot for the night.      

Port Hastings: All I can say about the town is that it is a God forsaken hole of a place. The whole town was littered with overprized motels and fast food joints – we tried to stay at the cheapest motel but found it was abandoned and derelict. We only stopped in Port Hastings as we needed a place to stay for the night and eventually we found one which suited out budget and we settled in for the night. We slept little as the toilet’s refill valve was broken and the water squirted noisily throughout the night. On an optimistic note though, at least we were dry.  

Prince Edward Island: Our drive from Port Hastings to the ferry was mostly in thick fog. At the time I was getting seriously bored with the rain as it seemed we had a vengeful black cloud following us around. Arriving early for the ferry we stopped off at a Tim Horton’s for a coffee. Now I know Canadians are very proud of Tim Hortons although I have to say that my coffee tasted very bad. All I wanted was a normal cappuccino which they couldn’t do and gave me a flavored concoction instead which didn’t taste of coffee at all. Lesson learnt: always go for their normal coffees as those are at least pretty good. The ferry across took us about an hour and a half after which we went to do some wine tasting at Rossignol Estate Winery. They are known for producing some interesting fruit wines and mead which wasn’t bad although their normal wines tasted terrible – we didn’t buy anything. At least the clouds parted and the sun came out to play, lifting our moods. Our next stop was for lunch at a small restaurant called Brehauts in the small town of Murray Harbor. We decided to try a few samplers and ordered their seafood chowder, fish and chips, lobster burger and local, asking-for-a-heart-attack dish, called “poutine” - chips covered in unhealthy amounts of cheese and gravy. The food tasted great and we were looking forward eating lots more in the days to come.    

Montague: We booked into a B&B with a lovely energetic old lady called Zita, and we couldn’t help but laugh at her funny stories. I was impressed with her enthusiasm and love for life as she told us how she climbed a high mountain the year before! We decided to go for a walk next to the river to get some fresh air and quickly discovered that we weren’t along. Sharing the path with us were swarms of hungry mosquitoes. I was wondering why people would actually want to live on the island as tourist season only lasts 2 months which is when the hordes of “skeeters” came out to feast… 

PEI is a very flat island and well known for its cycling routes. Gillian was keen to get on a bike again so we rented two from a guy in town. Covered in bug spray we left Montague and made our way to Georgetown. The bicycle route, the Confederation Trail, is an old railway line – straight and easy to follow and we were lucky to discover that the mosquitoes couldn’t keep up with us, as long as we didn’t stop of course. Along the way we stopped off at a small place called Cardigan and as there was not much going on we continued to Georgetown. The little fishing village is located next to the sea with one of the key features being the harbour. We cycled down to see the fishermen baiting up bags for their lobster pots as well as two guys sorting black mussels through a rotating machine. Everyone there was really friendly and kept asking us where we were from on hearing our accents.

As we cycled the route in record time we were early for lunch at the Clam Diggers restaurant. Luckily they didn’t mind us coming in early and offered us coffee. When they finally did open we enjoyed an early seafood lunch of deep fried clam strips, mussels in a curry sauce and crab cakes. Their food was delicious and prepared us for our cycle back which was a killer. We decided to take the main road as we’ve already done the railway, only to discover a strong headwind and a few steep hills. I was huffing and puffing by the end of our trip and glad to sit in my lazy man’s position behind the steering wheel of our rental car with the bicycles in the back. From Montague we drove to the campsite in St. Peters where we intended to stay for the night only to discover that it was still closed for the season, as annoyingly they only open mid-June.  Luckily Gillian sweet talked the owner and she allowed us to stay for the night.     

    

St. Peters Bay: Greenwich Park was a short hike recommended to us and our first activity while in St. Peters. Maybe we’ve been spoilt by touring for a year as the trail didn’t impress us at all. Apart from a few rabbits, grass and small dunes there was not much to see although it was nice stretching our legs. Back in camp I prepared a smoked salmon and potato salad. The shop we bought the potatoes from only sold them in big bags, so most of them were going to be donated to our travel buddies over the weeks to come. The next morning we prepared hot oats as the weather outside was cold and windy. Not a good day for cycling although we felt we had to go out as we’d paid for them already. 

My mood was pretty much on par with the weather, cycling with a sore bum from the day before in the rain and wind. To add to my unpleasant experience I discovered that I had a flat tire about 4kms from the nearest town. It wasn’t supposed to be a problem as we were given a puncture kit although, we soon discovered, without a pump. I had to walk the 4kms back to town while pushing the damn bike while Gillian in the mean time unsuccessfully tried to borrow a pump by knocking on random people’s doors. I finally arrived in town to inflate the tire at the only garage hoping that it was a slow puncture and that we could at least cycle back to our camping site. The tire lasted another 2.5kms before becoming as flat as a pancake again, so it was Gillian’s turn to walk my bike back to the same garage while I cycled on to get the car – I was NOT impressed…

With all the activity and cold weather that morning we were very hungry by the time we loaded the bicycles into the car. We stopped off at a small restaurant called Ric’s Fish n Chips which brightened our day tremendously. Their seafood was both fresh and tasty and made for another good meal. We had battered fish, small rolls with fresh butter and a clam chowder each. Even if we weren’t going to remember PEI by its nature and activities at least their food was going to be a highlight! What was also amusing was seeing all the McDonalds along the way advertising McLobster meals! We drove back to Montague to drop the bicycles off and from there made our way to Charlottetown.    

Charlottetown: We booked into a cute backpackers in Charlottetown and then went to explore the town. I really liked the place as it was clean and had a nice atmosphere. As the weather was still pretty bad we went to a pub where I tried their beer sampler consisting of 8 different beers in small glasses arranged on a tray. I also liked the way that random people would just start to chat with you as it is not always that common in London. That night the Canucks played ice hockey against the Bruins and the pub was packed. We decided to treat ourselves before the game and booked a table at a recommended restaurant called Lot 30, not knowing that it was going the best meal of the year! Dinner was as perfect as we could have hoped for: friendly service, good wine, good mains and good desserts. We washed down our mains of steak and pork belly with Shiraz and Cab Sav while our desserts of melting chocolate puddings were eaten with dessert wine and port. The food was to die for and we left our waiter with a generous tip when we discovered he didn’t charge us for the puddings or the dessert wines! Lot 30 was definitely one of our food highlights.

As it was getting near to the start time of the game we went back to the pub. At that point I was getting somewhat intoxicated and started on the whiskeys. The Canucks won that night which made for even more partying although I regretted that the next morning waking up with a headache and queasy stomach. Things happened a lot slower that day and our drive to Five Islands took a lot longer than intended. I will always remember PEI for its food and friendly people although the weather, bugs and late season spoilt the outdoors for us, with most of the fishing and lobster tours closed. It would have been better if we’d spent our time there in either July or August, the main months for tourism. Something else I will remember PEI by is the ludicrous amounts of sit-on-top lawnmowers we saw in just a few days. We counted 30 action moments of people mowing their lawns and that didn’t include the many hand pushed, tractor or idle ones.

Five Islands: We decided to drive into New Brunswick over the 13 km long bridge instead of taking the ferry again.  Along the way we saw many “Beware of the moose” signs as well as many more people mowing their lawns. From New Brunswick we cut back into Nova Scotia and made our way down to Truro to enquire about the inflatable boat tours running in the river. Roy told us about the trip where the high tides from the ocean meet the down flow of the river creating massive waves. A few tour companies offer adrenaline pumping excursions colliding head-on with big waves in fast inflatable boats. Due to the tides the tours were leaving either late evening or very early morning and as we both felt under the weather from the night before we decided to give it a miss - I couldn’t face getting into freezing water and bumping up and down.

 Instead we drove to Five Islands where we set up tent at a camping site called Sea View Camping. Although expensive it was a nice site next to the beach overlooking the 5 islands. When we arrived it was low tide exposing the whole mud bank in front of us. Apparently it is a good spot for digging soft shell clams as well as catching striped bass. I was too hungover from the night before so I couldn't be bothered to do that either. Rather, I cooked up a chilli con carne with lots of fresh veggies which helped cure my hangover.  The next morning it was time for laundry as our dirty clothes had been piling up during the last few days. It was also handy being able to pick up WiFi from our camping spot. 

Typing was difficult though as we had to use our hands to swat mosquitoes or black flies most of the time. Gillian especially got bitten quite badly and I ended up being an involuntary recipient of verbal irritation. Most of the day we lazed about although we did find some enthusiasm to hike up Partridge Island, hunting for fossils and rocks with the local “rock hounds”. It was interesting seeing all the various rocks although we didn't know exactly what we were looking for. We stopped off at the museum where we saw many fossils and other rocks collected by people who actually knew what they were doing.

We woke the next morning to a persistent downpour – as if we didn’t have enough of that during our stay in Cape Breton and PEI. Breaking camp was done in record time and we had to stuff our wet tent into a black bin liner to keep the car dry. The only dry spot we could find to be was inside the laundry room where we boiled water for our porridge and coffee. I was getting seriously pissed off with the weather although complaining didn’t help - at least our breakfast was hot and our car dry. From Five Islands we drove to Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. The rocks were shaped by the ocean waves and strong winds which created arches and interesting formations. They are best visited during low tide although we didn’t hang around for too long as the rain was still pouring down and with strong winds we only stayed for a quick few photos. We decided to push on hoping for better weather further south.  

Saint John: We never went into the town of Saint John but rather found a motel on the outskirts. The motel definitely competes for the title of worst motel during our stay in Canada although they at least had internet and take away menus for ordering pizza. That was the last night we spent in Eastern Canada and left us with slightly mixed emotions because of the bugs and bad weather we experienced most of the time. On a positive note I found the landscape beautiful with lots of trees, lakes, rivers and rugged coastline – Cape Breton was particularly stunning. The people we met were very friendly while the seafood we sampled was very tasty, especially our memorable meal while in Charlottetown. I also really enjoyed staying with Roy and getting to sample freshly cooked lobster, rotisserie chicken and home brewed wine and beer. If I’d had more time on the east coast I would have loved to take a sea kayaking tour for a week or two as the rugged coastline really impressed me. The only place left to visit in Canada on our trip together was Toronto…