Day... 9?: L.L. Bean

I am such a crappy blogger. The entries are getting choppier as I get tireder and I still don't know how to caption the photos. Whatever.

First thing we did today was go to Stephen King's house. Of course we got lost first, but we did find it. Apparently, he does not like it when you go to the door and ask for coffee, so we did not. But there must be several rubberneckers a day. Check out the bats and spiderwebs on his gate. It's like a cartoon house. There was a vehicle in the driveway with a black cat sitting on top. No shit.

Up the road to Freeport. This town has not only L.L.Bean, but a fancy little village of outlet stores. L.L.Bean was fun to see, but the place is like freaking Disneyland. Nice walking around the town. We were trying to find Ian a pea coat. No luck. Yet another seafood lunch. I had clams.

We got to our motel earlier than planned. Too late to cancel and drive on, so we needed something to do. I did some research and found sunset schooner cruises in Portland. Back in the car, 25 minutes to Portland.

Portland is beautiful. Seems young and vibrant. We went to an organic-type grocery and got a picnic lunch and set sail on "Bagheera". She's 85 years old and has sailed every one of them. There was no wind, so not such an exciting sail and we couldn't go as far, but just lovely. The crew were 3 young personable guys. One guy, 23 years old, actually was born and raised on Martha's Vineyard. Has already sailed to South America. Totally looks like one of the Kennedy's. Even though the wind was calm, it was interesting to watch them set the sails and stuff. Lots of work really.

It was a nice way to end things. From here on in, we're just making our way back to Halifax.

Day 8: Off to Maine

Today began in a scramble because we could not find our camera. You know, the one we just bought? Ian and I retraced our steps from the evening before and asked in the shops in town. We tore apart the van and the cabin. Finally, Ian found it down in the couch cushions. Phew. All this and we were able to make our 9:30am horseback ride.

The place with the cabins offered horseback riding on the beach. Ian and I went. They did not allow cameras, but did give us a photo of us on the beach. Was fun. Our horses were Flash and Emma.

After that, we headed out. It was just a long driving day through the border crossing at Calais and on to Bangor Maine. We have a very cute mom&pop motel in Bangor where they are just so nice. We went out looking for the Target store. Found it. Apparently, Stephen King has a house just minutes from here.

Tomorrow? L.LBean!!

Day 7: The Hopewell Rocks

We got away from PEI early today because we had some miles to travel. First, we dropped Madeline off with her friend just north of Moncton. Then, we carried on to the Hopewell Rocks. Of course, we ended up going the wrong direction for about 10 miles. But we got there.

This is an amazing place. A zillion people there. It's about a 15-minute walk down a nicely groomed trail and then down a steep stairway to get to the ocean floor. When the tide is out, you can walk among these weird rock formations. It's quite dramatic, but very muddy. We didn't stay for high tide because it meant a wait of several hours and we wanted to move along.

About 40 miles on, we drove up a small mountain road to Cape Enrage. It's a working lighthouse station manned by university students. They offer rappelling workshops and rock climbing. We didn't do that, but they have a magnificent view. We also climbed up into the lighthouse.

Then, we got to Alma, which is just at the entrance to Fundy National Park. We stayed in a cabin high on a hill overlooking the town and the ocean. Lobstering is big here. You can buy a cooked lobster for 9 bucks and take it out to the beach and eat it. We opted for a restaurant.

Day 6: Prince Edward Island

Today we drove around PEI a bit. First stop was Future Shop to buy a camera. We headed inland up to the top of the island. We went into PEI National Park. The day was very grey and rained on and of all day. Nonetheless, we found a deserted stretch of ocean to get out and look at the red sand and stuff. Very cold.

Onward out of the park. Got lost once and started to head back the same way. No matter though. The place is small. You've never very lost. We took in the Anne of Green Gables display. I quite enjoyed that, but it is rather hyped. Checked out an Acadian museum. The Acadian influence is huge here. We've really been wondering about all of that, so this gave us a little history. Lunch/supper at a seafood shack. the weather was really grey by this point and the tide was in you we watched the rougher sea from the restaurant's window.

Our motel has a lovely garden and walking trail in the back, but too wet and rainy to take it in. No matter. An early evening is nice.

Day 5: Saint John to PEI

Today was a driving day. We drove across New Brunswick to cross the bridge to PEI.

I liked the countryside of New Brunswick. Nice little farms and towns with tall spires among the hills. The highway was the best yet.

Confederation Bridge was no biggie. Ten minutes or so to cross. It has solid walls on either side and you can never really see the extent of it. You are essentially never aware of what you're doing. It is quite lovely to see PEI from a distance though.

PEI is my favourite place in all of Canada. So pretty. So small, simple and unpretentious. Homes so quaint and neatly kept. We stayed at a lovely B&B/inn-type thing in Charlottetown. A real treat after university dorms. The harbourfront was just minutes away with parking aplenty. We strolled around down there and found a restaurant with patio seating. Ian was the first of us to have a lobster.

After dinner, we sample PEI's famous "Cows" ice cream. Very nice. The ocean was three blocks from our place, so I took a stroll along the boardwalk there and we spent the rest of the evening enjoying ambiance of our B&B, sipping tea in the lovely sunroom, etc.

Day 4: Up and around to Digby

We left Pubnico smoothly. Only 20 minutes to Yarmouth, so we elected to head there for breakfast. Pubnico is so tiny. The restaurant at our motel is THE spot in town. Filled with french guys having coffee.

Quick stop for a bite in Yarmouth and then up the coast to Digby.

This was one of my favourite drives so far. We took the coastal highway and the sea was pretty much to our left the whole way. Traffic is pretty light, so we could travel slowly, but not have to crawl. Perfect really.

We stopped at "Smuggler's Cove". It's a Provincial Park. There are steep stairs leading down to a secluded cove which is surrounded by rocky cliffs. Across the cove, is a cave where the rum runners used to hide their booty. Quite picturesque. We were the only ones there until we were heading out. The beach was rocky. Ian and I hiked around and found some shells and a small waterfall trickling down.

Leaving Smuggler's Cove was when I BROKE MY CAMERA!!

We passes St. Mary's church. The oldest wooden church in North America. Went in for a quick tour.

We arrived in Digby a little early. Our ferry wasn't until 4:30. It was "Scallop Days", so there was nowhere to park (as usual). Plus, this van is beastly big so parallel parking is scary. We managed to find ourselves a plate of Digby scallops for lunch, which was overpriced, but absolutely delicious. Heading out of the restaurant, we noticed the town starting to gather along the side of the road in greater and greater numbers. Then we heard murmurings of "parade". Aaaaack!! We had a ferry to catch!! Hustled to the van because we were parked right along the route. We drove off, the only vehicle on the road with everyone staring at us. All the side streets were blocked of. Finally, a guy on a 4-wheeler drove straight at us and yelled at us to turn around, the parade was coming. Jesus. We scooted back along the route feeling like we should smile and wave. We did get out with enough time to spare to shop for a camera a bit. Nothing I wanted though. Maybe we'll find something today. We still have Mum's camera.

Ian has been joking about the McDonalds here having "McLobsters". Sure enough, they do!! For about 7 bucks. We got him one. Grossest thing ever.

We had a 3-hour ferry crossing to Saint John. An older ship. One lane on and off, so quite slow to load. But it was nice. Much more comfortable seating than the BC ferry. That passed quite fast. Coffee, walking outside (very cold), napping, reading, Internet, snack... Very good. Not much to sea though. Just open sea.

It was about 8pm by the time we got to Saint John. We headed straight for the university where we're staying. It's a little more remote. We found it okay, but given the time, it was dicey finding someone to let us in. We did though. Supper was a late drive to Sobeys for sandwich fixings and fruit.

Today? PEI. And a camera store if we find one.

Day 3: Driving the southern shore

Today was a driving day. Getting out of Halifax was easy with Ian, my trusty navigator.

First stop was Peggy's Cove. Unbelievably beautiful. Our first real look at the wide open sea. Nobody was swept out to sea, but it is completely easy to see how people are on a regular basis. There is one old sigh on the lighthouse, otherwise, there are no ropes, no guards, no lifesaving equipment, no disclaimers. Nature has been left as is despite the tourist draw and if you are swept away, you haven't respected the sea. Period.

We did some scenic route, but lots of up down twist and turn. Some bigger highway. The highways are nice, but not well-marked.

Next stop was Lunenberg. Nice enough, but steep. Mainly quaint shops. The harbour was unimpressive really. There was a folk festival on and parking was scarce. But we did find a place and have lunch and walk a bit. The trouble came when we went to leave. We couldn't find the highway. Nothing is marked. No detailed map of Lunenberg. Finally, I asked an old guy sitting on his porch. We managed, but it was sketchy. We headed off on what we thought was the right highway, but no signs!! Turns out it was. Also, there aren't many gas stations.

Stayed at Pubnico. A little spit of land on the south shore. Totally Acadian and french speaking. The only motel in town. Looked a little dumpy, but was very comfortable and clean. Had dinner there. I had the rappie pie, a local dish. Never again.

The woman here invited us to a concert at the local fire hall. Six french women singing. We went. The whole town was there and they all stared at as. But they were so friendly.