All the big \240places we plan on visiting plus more

On the road again with LILO and John

Our trip with a lot of gas stops…no a whole lot of gas stops

138 days

8,927 miles not including rest stops.. you know how Julie likes her rest stops. Plus we still need find that giant ball of thread..

52 camping locations including

5 Canadian National Parks

4 Canadian Provincial Parks

1 U.S. National Parks (Acadia)

4 State Parks

3 C.O.E. /National Forest Parks

9 Regional//City Parks

19 Private Parks

3 Boondocking

We hope to see maybe an iceberg or two, a couple of moose but not too close and if we are really lucky a bear, a puffin and a porcupine.

However, \240the last thing Julie said at the beginning of the trip last year was, “I hope we don’t see any bears in our campsite.”

Last year a deer, a bear and a bison all wandered through our campsites..Whatever happened to the friendly chipmonks?

Last year, Julie predicted we would have at least one flat and one breakdown..

0 flats yet but maybe the crash counts?

1- \2407 day breakdown in Charleston already this year

Regardless, in a style worthy of Lucy and Desi, we are off on another grand adventure

Should have gone to the Special Forces Museum.

The CF gardens are nice but don’t go out of your way to attend. The \240paths and walkways are beautiful but there is a lot of road noise .. and not really a whole lot of plantings. We were thinking they were going for the natural look?

Yep it is hot!

Staying at a brand new state park near Connie, Carol and Chenna’s for the next several days. \240It is small but beautiful and very convenient.

No trees yet….

Connie, John’s sister, loves to knit.

A gorgeous day and beautiful sunny smile from Chen

Fields of Wildflowers including pink poppies

The garden had a “Beakitecture” Art exhibit located in the enchanted forest walk. People created their wildest homes for their feathered friends, some on a very grand scale!

Part of the Beakitecture Exhibit

Julie and Chenna in our birdhouse

This birdhouse already had a little nest in it!

Back of Carol’s new home

Big barn doors

Chenna cannot believe it is all gone!

A little windblown

Timberneck House 1793

Visited the Timberneck house which is being restored inside of Machicomoco State Park. The house was built in 1793 by John Catlett. \240Got a bit of a tour that was really interesting. \240 \240

Burn to protect the house from burning down, \240seems to have worked so far.

In the basement, the tour guide pointed out these burn marks on the main beam of the house. \240These marks are called witchedy (sp?) marks and were common at least as far back as medieval times. \240The mark here was to prevent the house from burning down. \240As soon as the first beam of a structure was placed people would set the beam on fire with a candle then slap it out. \240They have found this mark in the Tower of London. \240Other marks in the house around doorways are to ward off evil spirits.

Numbering for tenons to mate with the main beam of the house

A little further down you can see Roman numerals marking where the intersecting beams were to be placed. \240The craftsmen made the marks when they cut the log prior to moving it to the house. Here the number 9 was written as XIIII instead of IX. \240Supposedly the subtractive method for 4 (IV) and 9 (IX) was something that clockmakers came up during the 1500s.

Old way that was used to write IX before clockmakers (supposedly)

I guess builders in the late 1790s were still doing things the old fashioned way. \240(I have my doubts about this as I think I’ve seen Roman numerals in Europe that were REALLY old using the subtractive method)

Burn marks to ward off evil spirits

Then

And now

Toast to the happy couple on their 50th!

Connie throwing her bouquet !

Donny taking a swing at the 50th piñata!

Laura and Katie sharing a special moment!

A post “wedding” boat ride on the Chesapeake with the siblings

Temporary Fittings

John making a mess

Claire glazing the first two windows.

Completing the installation

Windows at night!

Guess who lives in DC by what they are wearing?

Of course, the Goth couple, our great friends Tommye and Jason.

Kale Salad

Indian Fusion restaurant where we enjoyed Duck, Bison and Scallops with an Indian twist

Scallops

Lego Statue of Liberty

View of the African American Building and Washington Monument

Julie thought it was funny they had an exhibit from Disney on Diversification of Main Street called Mirror, Mirror. Looking at \240how the population of America has changed since the 1950’s.

George as a Greek… This marble carving was originally on the Capitol lawn. Kids would climb on it and give George cigars and hats to wear. \240The Capitol decided it needed to go somewhere but didn’t know where …. Give it to the Smithsonian, they take everything!

At the Museum of Natural History

Dum-dum

Still more rain

Julie and John enjoying the C&0 \240bike trail

Part of the falls.. Scott told us in high watermark years the whole island we were standing on is underwater.

Flora and Fauna

Scott and John

Went to a small marina called Columbia Island, directly across from the Pentagon and almost on top of DCA…For a gorgeous afternoon, reasonable beer prices and bar food with a great view, this place can’t be beat.

Had a great dinner at the Royal, a Michelin restaurant followed by frozen drinks at Electric Cool Aid.. an outside bar that is only open in the summer ..

Since it was the summer solstice, all of the Smithsonian museums were open until midnight.. several had bands, drinks and a lot of fun activities. Scott got us timed entry for the Air and Space museum.

we spent the rest of the evening soaking up moon and rocket facts

The x-wing…

The museum hung it right outside the planetarium and IMAX ..

So not technically an exhibit…also have on display Star Trek Enterprise

Jeff Bezos research vessel located this Apollo engine in 2013 right off the coast.

Apollo 11 capsule…also learned there was a town named Allenhurst located near the Haulover canal. The town was completely dismantled and shut down with no compensation to the families when the Kennedy space center started.

Traffic back to the campsite at 11pm..boy we love Brevard roads!

Spent the rest of the day at the 31st annual Barbecue Battle. When we arrived all of the competitors had their booths closed, “what no barbecue?” it was only noon and the event was supposed to run until 7 pm.

We started wandering down Pennsylvania Avenue and found that the whole rest of the festival -4 city blocks of booths were handing out free samples..

It was like Costco on crack…because of Saturdays rain, vendors were unloading literally full plate samples. At one booth we received 7 golden kiwis 🥝, at another salmon with noodles. Yet another booth had Jamaican Jerk chicken a made with Walkers wood.

Mr Peanut showing off!

BMX bikers showing their flare!

Scott with his Giant Hot Dog hat!

View from a lookout

Little fat groundhog checking out our campsite

More rain…Blackwater Falls is a 57’ \240waterfall that begins at the Potomac and eventually meeting up with the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers after traveling North.

Freddie and Jennifer with John

Jennifer’s living room…most of the furniture in the entire house was passed down. The Peacock House was built in 1810 and has been in the possession of the Johnsons since Freddie’s grandfather bought the home in the 1900’s.

Freddie’s fun truck!

Winery

Cheryl with siblings

Sandra’s turtle

Ants at the picnic

Having lunch downtown with Hillary and Sandra

We rode 12 1/2 miles down the Erie Canal!

Ending the evening with a bang!

John driving over a tight narrow bridge

Thousand Islands …gorgeous! Will plan on making this a stop!

Port Authorities @ the border, “You are from Florida?”

John: yes

Border Guard: Do you have a gun?

John: no

Border Guard: Are you sure you don’t have a gun? We just arrested someone from Florida in one of these with a gun.

John: no, we really don’t have a gun. We don’t own a gun.

Border Guard: Have a good trip..

That was the extent of our crossing.

Florida has a bad reputation….

Into the land of huge silos!

This is a dredge that pulls weed off the bottom, since there is no tidal current or any real water movement a vast quantity builds during the summer months

Thousands of men lost their lives mostly due to Malaria while building the canal..John By, the principle engineer and architect, was recalled to England, retired and never received any alcolades for his huge achievements in engineering.

Imagine, building a 123 mile long water road that incorporated 47 locks, 16 lakes, two rivers, and a 360 foot long and 60 foot high dam and never receiving one iota of credit and going back to retire in England in shame.

Looking at Fairmont Chateau Laurier

The eight locks

Parliament

In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa and Barrack hill as the seat of the new Capitol, previous to this the French Capitol of Canada was located in Quebec City. The British burned that Capitol down during the French and Indian War.

Work was completed on the new Capitol in 1866 and the whole building except for the library burned to the ground. Although the gothic building looks old it is only 100 yrs old with the second Parliament building being completed in 1927

Just for fun

Maman, the huge lifelike spider, outside the National Gallery of Canada

Notre-Dame Cathédral of Ottawa is in the background.

Another picture of Parliament

By Ward Market

Reminds us of Charleston or Eastern Market in DC. The By Ward market divided the town \240into two distinct “wards.” Basically, the upper and lower… think of the market as the RR, Street etc used as the dividing line between status. Here people mixed everyday.

Gorgeous flower baskets at the Irish Pub…We did not eat here but had to check whether it served Irish Nacho’s. Haha, of course it did!

Inside the National Gallery looking towards the roof of the main atrium.

Rideau Street Chapel

Okay, how cool is this? The National Gallery of Canada has a full church, I mean the WHOLE chapel in its’ collection. The chapel was designed by Georges Bouillon and it is the only example of its kind in North America from the 1860’s period to include a Tudor style fan vaulted ceiling. The exhibit was dismantled and then reassembled piece by piece in the museum when it was scheduled for demolition. The National Gallery literarily rebuilt the whole church in a four yr project because of its historical significance as art.

This looked like a Star Wars droid to us.

Notre Dame Cathédral of Ottawa

We think every single town in all of Canada has a church named Notre-Dameand Ottawa is no exception. This Cathedral is the largest and oldest church in all of Ottawa. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was baptized here and Pope John Paul mass here.

Wool before processing

Looms that used waterwheels for energy

Cabinet maker bending wood for chairs

One of the intricate embroidered dresses that was being fashioned

The bonnet on the left had removable tops so that a woman could match her dresses by color and occasion.

Making of Cheddar cheese.The women (dressed like men because a woman would be at home) take 900 gallons of milk, add cow stomach enzymes, mix whey and curd for several hours, drain the whey and press the cheese.

The Travelling Tiltons

Annie, Miss T and Mike . They are currently living full time in their 40’ RV and renting their home in Satellite Beach.

All of Ottawa,Montreal and Quebec City come alive with outdoor shows in the evening and summer months.This one called Giant is a light sound show.

In Chinatown

A pâtissier

Still haven’t had a Napoleon…..or any pastry..

Sigh…

Seems like we are either full or looking for lunch…

Charles leMoyne de Longueuil et de Chateauguay was a French Lieutenant and principle founder of Montreal. He was also a direct relation to Annie.

Basilica of Notre Dame

It seems there are one, two or three in every city.

Main area downtown. Loved the black bag.

Jardin Nelson

Montreal is a jazz town and incredibly vibrant. Music can be heard in many venues. We had crepes for lunch in this beautiful restaurant called Jardin Nelson.

Constructed in 1816, the restaurant was originally an inn. The garden where we ate, a stable for horses and animals.

A small sample of the jazz music..

Notre Dame Bon Secours Chapel

Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, the first teacher in the colony built what was the first church in Montreal in 1655. The church burnt \240to the ground in 1754 but was later rebuilt by 1771.

The church later became known as the Sailors church because of its close proximity to the Saint Lawrence seaway and that sailors would come to this church and pray for safe passages.

The waterfront boardwalk of the Old Port

Reminded us of coney-island….

The Place de Âmes

Basilica during the day

The church building is a work of art, over 11 million people visit a year to. Kew it and sometimes attend services. Only Notre Dame Paris has higher attendance.

The Catholics can also really put on a show. Twice nightly the Basilica, which seats around 8,000 people, puts on a Laser-light show to rival Hollywood. Using the prerecorded 7,000 pipe organ as the music, the church’s interior \240is bathed in light and sound that is unrivaled.

(Sorry no photography…..show was called Aura).

The pulpit was created by a Quebec sculptor, when the priest spoke in a normal voice, he could be heard by all 10,000 attendees without any amplification. Acoustics in the church are so good Pavarotti liked to record and perform here.

Really love this picture of Madonna and Child. Notice she is holding a maple leaf.

A smug looking British man is giving a superior stare at the Notre Dame Basilica, a symbol of French power.

On the other side of the building a French woman, in her Chanel suit, snubs her nose at the Bank of Montreal, a symbol of British power.

Meanwhile, the pug and poodle have sniffed each other out and look to become fast friends! Voilà,Montreal!

Victoria Square

And of course there is an ice skating rink in the bus depot..

A multi-media show illustrates the different time periods, this photo was during the fur trade.

Pilings that rotted under the Royal Insurance building causing its collapse

Just for fun, they had Harry Potter pictures in the kid’s area.

At the National Gallery… This painting by David Garneau shows how the thought bubbles in a supposedly very optimistic exchange can be so very wrong. Misconceptions play an important role in all of our communication and Julie thought it was important to include.

Each year the pedestrian street between two of the museum buildings is repainted by a new and different artist.

Frog

Huge exhibition by Dempsey Bob, a Northwest coast woodcarver and sculptor from British Columbia. \240John loved his sometimes humorous, always amazing wood carvings and masks.

The God Receiver

Painting by Kahnidhe Wiley, same artist who painted Barack Obama’s official portrait.

This museum was huge! We could have easily spent 2 days in the three buildings…unfortunately we only made it to a small portion of the exhibits.

Little Italy in Montreal

Just for fun

Jean Talon Market

Largest farmers market in Montreal. Also one of the largest in North America.

Huge Italian Grocery Store

Enjoying an early dinner

Spent the most of the day at the Montreal Botanical Garden. It did NOT RAIN! Yippee!

John liked this, he thought it looked like some kind of natural monster creeping out of the depths of a bog…

A zen moment sitting in a contemplative spot

Norway Maple

Okay, so we learned the above tree, the Norway Maple, the tree on the 🇨🇦 and countless other cups, mugs and insignia is in fact, an invasive species.

The Sugar Maple was not officially recognized as the National tree until 1996 and it was not introduced on the Canadian flag until 1964! Prior to that the Canadian Royal Ensign Flag, similar to 🇬🇧 was flown.

We really couldn’t tell \240much difference between a Sugar Maple and Norway Maple… one leaf doesn’t look as delineated?

Swamp Birch

The Swamp Birch or Yellow Birch is the official tree of Quebec.

Daylillies galore

Onions…the bees loved them.

Montreal Olympic Stadium

Oui! We do love Quebec! It is gorgeous, people are friendly and the old world charm just sucks you in.

A couple of things we did not know before coming here

Quebecers love:

• Their pools and swimming- above ground, built in, blow up. We have seen them all. We guess because the summer is so short they really, really want to enjoy it while it lasts.
• Their glacé- ice cream especially soft serve is everywhere. It far outweighs patisseries as the sweet snack of choice
• Their gin- any bar will have gin recipes, the liquor store -gin in cans with favorite mixers.Move over Hendricks, you have a lot of competition in Quebec!Their travel trailers- Quebecers love to travel in their travel trailers. Contrary to what we thought, many people chose the huge RV rigs. We have seen everything on the road. These people know how to vacation!

\240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240 \240Fleurdelisé

Contrary to what we knew the Quebec Provincial flag has only been around 75 yrs, it replaced the red ensign about the time the National flag became the maple leaf.

Le Château Frontenac

The first grand railway hotel was completed in 1891. It is located in the upper village and has a commanding views of the St Lawrence Seaway. It was designated as a national historic site in 1981. Now owned by Fairmont, the hotel still shines in glory with its majestic copper roof, gleaming mahogany wood lobby and crystal chandeliers.

Getting ready for the influx of Quebecers for the evening music concert which runs 12 nights every summer.

Joan of Arc

The national anthem, “Oh Canada” has a weird history and even odder use. First of all it has two completely different sets of lyrics. The original French lyrics, were written by Sir Routherie and sung at a banquet on this lawn in June 1880.

In 1908, Collier’s Weekly held a competition for an English based version of the song but the winner never really caught on.

In that same year Montreal lawyer made a translation, added some new verses and the English version caught on.

Weird stuff about the anthem:

There are two completely different versions, with two completely different lyrics- French and English

The English anthem by Weir wasn’t adopted as the Official anthem until 1980 with minor changes

There are few mandates to sing the anthem at schools, government functions, ball games etc. People sing it when they want to.

The anthem was made gender neutral in 2018.

For Cheryl

The oldest continually running market in North America.

Chez Boulay

We could have eaten here every day of our vacation! Wow, wow! The meeting of Nordic territory and French Culture..Bam!

Couldn’t take enough picture of Frontenac

Inside the hotel everywhere is Mahogony and marble

Inside the hotel

One of of oldest buildings still standing in the Upper Village built in 1677.

Montmorency Falls

At a height of 273 feet Montmorency Falls is even taller than Niagara Falls. It had been used as a hydroelectric plant since 1885 and only recently removed this plant in favor of expanding its tourism value.

We walked across the bridge, down all the stairs and got just a little bit soaked. What fun! The spray was blowing up around us and made the picture look like we had halos! Not yet! John was nervous on the bridge, it was shaking and I was nervous on the stairs, they were wet. Quebecers routinely work out on the stairs…

Lots of slippery stairs…

Île de Orleans

One of our favorite places so far! Île de Orleans is a large island almost directly across from the East end of Quebec City however, it seemed a world away. Vineyards, farms, and little roadside stands dot the island and the views are spectacular!

Vignoble Ste-Petronille

Started our journey here at a local winery with a wine flight, a duck pizza and an amazing view.

Bought local jams and mixers at this little roadside establishment

Saint-Jean-de-Îles -d’Orleans

Some of the cute houses located in one the six little towns on the island.

John eating glacé at Chocolaterie de Ille Orleans. The chocolate dip was the real thing and it was so thick you could have scooped out the soft serve and eaten the shell last. Like Julie said, Quebecers love their glacé.

On the road starting our journey up the Gaspesie Peninsula. \240Redford Gardens is one of the largest gardens located in the far North Atlantic, because of this the garden is unique its flora. Many of the flowers are unique to this area.

International garden exhibition is held every year. Some of the entries:

Julie and John Cooke

Trees in an art gallery setting…maybe when we don’t have any left?

Middle pic-sunflowers in spheres ( the sunflowers weren’t mature yet)

A raised lawn maze

Elsie Redford created the gardens in 1926 and the estate was owned privately until 1958. Her feat, making a garden out of a spruce forest hundreds of miles from the nearest nursery and even today, pretty much in the middle of nowhere is astounding. This garden, every bit as beautiful as Buchart was a must see. We went late in the afternoon and stayed late. So happy we did, it rained buckets the next day

Cape de la Madeline

Saint Luce Harbor

Notice the beach…black shale..it was in the high sixties and people were still at the beach swimming….not our idea of a beach but still pretty.

Pointe Au Père Lighthouse 1909

This is the third lighthouse built on the point and the second tallest in Eastern Canada.

Centre d’Art Marcel Gagnon

Sculptures are called “The Great Gathering” more than 100 sculptures make their way out of the Saint Lawrence seaway.

More than a little creepy but the guy had a Dali opportunistic/ entrepreneurial streak.. His two sons, wife and daughter all sell their artwork and souvenirs in the attached gallery. He also still sculpts..

Julie having a little fun

Camping Annie

Roadside view

Perfect lunch spot in Cloridorme

The giant wave and the avalanche signs were almost immediately following each other so a person could be swept off the road by a giant wave while simultaneously getting covered by an avalanche of snow… talk about a bad day!

17% Grade

Biggest grade/hill to date with the trailer! John is a champ at towing 9,000+pounds!

This one was quite unusual a 12% that turned into a 16%!

Roadside waterfall

Roadside view

Made it to our first out of five Canadian National Park and it didn’t disappoint. The views, weather and whale watching were spectacular!

Our campsite all set up. John is loving the starlink for work. I love it because I can talk to Ethan!

Didn’t realize this peninsula would be so lush. Ferns grow everywhere and the smell of pine, ocean and new growth is alluring.

At the pier ready for our whale watch

John decked out in his slicker

Blue Whale

Julie cannot figure out how to make live picture a video so to see more of the whale. We only say it spouting and the back third but it was still exciting!

Minke whale and a fiery sunset.

We definitely like Canada’s National Parks. To make Forillon however, the government bought out/evicted a whole town. They did leave the people’s homes and businesses intact to use as a museum but the town never got over the loss. Right or wrong the park s exceptional.

“My father, Valmont, lost everything-his land,his livelihood … He had nothing left.”

Adrian Fortin (Valmont and Emma Fortin) Cap Aux Os

Ghost Pipe

We saw this on our hike and looked it up. One of the few plants that does not contain chlorophyll and is parasitic. It feeds on host fungi. It is waxy to the touch and about 5” in height.

Le Quai Rock

Natural rock formation overlooking Cap-des-Rosiers cove. Over three hundred and seventy five million years old, Forillon’s cliffs are the end of the Appalachian mountain chain. Wow, what a way to go out in style!

Razorbills nesting on the cliff

Look closely and you will see hundreds of birds. They look like this…sorry picture isn’t clearer

Cliffs where birds are nesting… wish we had a telephoto lense.

Beach rock sculpted by weather and waves.

One of the many Lands End found throughout Canada, this one is Cap Gaspé. This area is also called the Cradle of Canada because Jacques-Cartier erected a cross near here in 1534.

End of the trail, unless you circle back to Maine.

Our picnic view

Our picnic view five minutes later… fog rolled in. Exact same picture.

Cap Gaspe Lighthouse at 42’ did not need to be tall because it was located on a 700’ cliff

Loved loved this minor excursion to find fresh seafood and groceries. We drove back West about fifteen miles to stock up on supplies and try some fresh seafood. We thought we were just going to go to a normal fish store but ended up with the whole fishing port, Portuaire de Rivière -au-Renard. Best cod we ever had!

Fishing boats

The boats were huge and in great condition

Boo-His Lobster only \240around $8.50lb

John testing the water temp

Better that shale but not much, lots of rock!

Closest Julie ever hopes to get to a moose! They are huge!

One of the many restaurants in Perce…. The seaside town is basically a mini Gatlinburg or Banff. One boardwalk, one street lined with gift shops, restaurants and an ice cream/beer stand. Not our favorite but the food was excellent at La Maison du Pêcheur.

No lobster! Non! Non, Homard!

The beach…. People pay a lot of money to come here and swim.

One last picture of Perce rock.

The back end of the Gaspé peninsula was totally different than the Western side. It was funny. \240Instead of tourist and quaint seaside towns with clapboard houses, the area was composed of hard working fishing villages, an occasional small amusement park and brown brick…very American?British?

We went to the UNESCO Miguasha Fossil Site on the way to Campbellton.

“Miguasha Park is considered the worlds most representative paleontological site of the Devonian period, called the ‘Age of Fishes.’ This site is significant because it contains the greatest number and best preserved fossil specimens of the lobe finned fishes that gave rise to the tetrapods, the first terrestrial vertebrates.”

Best preserved fish with dorsals that eventually became hands from the site.

From this fish and millions of years hands developed and eventually walking animals

Elpistostege Watsoni

Our great Aunt? Uncle?

On the way to New Brunswick for an oil change and tire rotation before Newfoundland!

Even more fishing trawlers

Don’t know why they are not in the water though?

Visited the New Brunswick aquarium today…. It is dedicated solely to marine life from the area. Small but really well done.

Blue lobster 1 in 2,000,000 still couldn’t eat it! :(

The Real Pout-Pout fish

Loquette d’Amerique Ocean Pout is the real thing! A bottom feeder, it feeds on urchins, sea stars etc. There have been attempts to sell the fish commercially but people generally do not like it. Based on looks it’s a no brainer. \240

Not the best campsite at Camping Shippagan…. No room between neighbors. \240

But a gorgeous sunset.

This is a true typical everyday garment worn by an Acadian woman in the 1850’s

Yes, clogs were worn both summer and winter with thick wool socks. Acadian clogs were more rounded than Danish clogs. John and Julie couldn’t figure out how these would work in the deep snows found here.

Working on weaving cane and making straw hats.

These wood tepees are found all over the islands. People stand the wood to dry it out quicker.

Talk about a fancy chicken coop! \240Yes, this is a multi-story chicken coop. \240You can see the chickens looking through the windows. \240

PEI \240is a lot like Minnesota or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan..Generally, flat farmland with some rolling hills. We are staying at Cavendish campground which was hit by two monster hurricanes in the last five years. For what it has been through, Cavendish and PEI have both recovered well and are still working on it.

Confederation Bridge

If you look reeeeaally hard in the picture you can see land on the other side. Confederation Bridge, a 8-mile span, is the longest bridge in the world \240that has a frozen waterway under it during winter. John did great driving over it!

Shore View Trail

Julie made it 18 miles today!

Shore View

Amazing views everywhere.The rocks and sands on many of the beaches on PEI are colored red. This is caused by the Iron content in the rocks and soil. \240 You can drive up and down the beach \240and see white sand, or red sand depending on the iron.

Lobster pots being stored near the quay. The Lobster pots are actually stored inside the barn during the winter to avoid damage. These just haven’t been moved yet.

Look closely in the water to see the oyster beds.

PEI potatoes. The potatoes are one of the best crops to grow on the island. One of PBHS former teachers who visited here regularly , John McGeough, told Julie that \240most potatoes with the Idaho label are grown here, shipped to Idaho and then labeled as Idaho potatoes. (This bag is just locally raised and sold)

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is to Canada what Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingall’s Wilder mean to the US. This book, set in PEI, focuses on Anne Shirley an imaginative and talkative red haired orphan who moves to Green Gables by mistake but in the end stays, makes friends and enemies and grows into adulthood.

They sell straw hats with red braids in the gift shop:)

Busloads of Canadians and tourists (Including Librarians) from all over the world visit the actual farmhouse and barn which inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery to write the novel.

So beloved, the National Park service even placed a couple of red chairs.

Fictional Anne Shirley’s room

Town of French River

One of the most picturesque areas on the island, French River shows the perfect mix between agricultural/farming and fishing that make up a majority of PEI. Unfortunately, like all good things tourism and real estate is taking over.

During the 1930- 40’s French River and Summerside were big breeding areas for fox farmers. Platinum and Silver Fox pelts would fetch $60-100 per pelt with most of the shipments going to Europe.

West End

Lobster boats cost an average of 100000 and the lobster “farm” area passes from generation to generation.

Lobster Barn

Read the sign..

Saw this and couldn’t pass it by. Julie guesses that digging by shovel at midnight is okay?

Cars Oyster House

Waitress was amazed that we knew how to eat an Ipswich clam.

Cows Creamery

Okay, one family literally is a marketing genius. They first of all decided to use only milk from PEI cows. In addition, they put extra amounts of all the “ good stuff” in the ice cream..then they changed made up ice cream names to go with ….moo

• Carmel Moochiato
• Messie Bessie
• Chocolate Chip Dairy

You get the idea… then they designed t-shirts and souvenirs…Then franchised…then opened one of the largest Oyster Aquaculture facilities on the island…then expanded again to cheese, and pizza restaurants …crazy..

Furnished almost as it was during its hey-day.

In 2011, Kate and William stayed here on their tour of Canada.

Went deep sea fishing on the Julie Ann and Jamie lobster boat. \240 When not lobstering, this fisherman offers fishing tours to 12-16 people. We loved that we caught our own mackerel to use as bait and the fished for cod!

John reeled in the most fish he has ever caught in his whole life… The mackerel could have been jumping on the hook, that is how easy it was to catch! Cannot wait to do this again!

Cutting bait.notice all of. The seagulls following.

A lobster the size of your pinky fingernail.

Julie’s first Cod fish!

The boats’ hall minus the fish another family caught around 16 in all.

Cleaning the fish. We received about 1 1/2 pounds of Cod from the community pool of filleted fish!

Made it to Nova Scotia!

Wow! Knock your socks off nice campsite in Caribou Monroe Provincial Park site A-16.

Canadians \240love their beaches and pools

Yum homemade scallop and clam pasta with white wine and prosciutto. The seafood doesn’t get any fresher than this!

On September 15, 1773 , approximately 156 Highland Scots including thirty children arrived aboard the Ship Hector. They were promised a town named Pictou. What they received was miles and miles of forested land, not enough time to grow crops before the winter and harsh conditions. Even with the score stacked against them, the new inhabitants went on to build a city. They seized on the lumber trade, fishing and farming and made it profitable. On hearing tales from these first settler’s thousands of Scottish immigrants followed and secured land, farms or fishing areas.

Pictou is making that heritage come alive again by rebuilding a replica of the ship Hector so that it can sail once again in Northumberland Bay.

Rebuilding the Hector

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the town.

A harbor picture

12 lb. Winning lobster in the Fisheries Museum

1200 lb. Bluefin Tuna

It took a lifelong fisherman, Durney \240Nichols, 3 years to learn how to fish tuna before he successfully landed 4 in 3 days. An old fisherman finally divulged the secret depth in which to float the line at. Durney Nichols earned the title “Core fisherman” which meant that he owns his own boat, pays for his own licenses and purchased all of his own gear. A tuna fishing license in 1996 cost approximately $70,000 and tuna could bring in approximately $1,000 to $1800 a fish. In 2019, the highest priced tuna ever sold was for $3.1 million dollars.

Fishing bunkhouse

A fisherman would live in this small bunkhouse \240with his mate for as long as fishing season was \240immediately next to the boat.

The cute little Fishing \240museum we toured.

The Fortress of Louisbourg was a fortified port built approximately 1713. It was a significant location in the France/British struggle for empire control in the 1750-60´s.

The French founded \240Louisbourg around 1713 when the French moved off of Newfoundland after the British invaded. Since the French were Catholic, they ate primarily fish and especially Cod. Salted Cod \240can be used up to two years later and the Fortress started as a fishing village.

Notice the Cod and French Fleur de Lis on the gate entrance

Fortress means fortified town NOT a fort. In the 1700’s Louisbourg was one of the four \240busiest ports in North America. People from Scotland, Ireland, Spain/Basque region and even Africa settled here.

At its peak Louisbourg was the busiest port in French North America. The harbor was large enough to contain all the ships and boats that ever needed to be anchored. There were pilot boats provided for ship navigation, a lighthouse, wharf and wharehouses for storing goods and also a court to settle disputes.

In 1750,the first Canadian/French Observatory was built here to study the stars and try to learn the precise latitude’s and longitudes to allow ships correct passage to Newfoundland and New \240Brunswick

The fortress village and harbor

During the French/Indian (British) battle/sieges of 1758… The French deliberately sunk several of their warships bolocking the harbor entrance. In return, the British burned several French warships each with 64-74 cannons. These warships still lay on the bottom of the harbor. The British took control of Louisbourg.

The parade grounds. The barracks were bombarded twice. Once in 1745, the roof was hit, the bell in the clocktowers smashed, and the chapel abandoned. In 1758 during the height of a cannonade, the building was struck, and set on fire, destroying all, but the governors swing and some of the officers quarters.

The governor’s rooms… several times the governor went bankrupt and had to return to France because the cost of hosting parties, \240taking care of visitors and clothing, food etc were considerably \240more than they were paid. George Washington \240also commented on this problem.

For punishment men would have to sit on the horse with weights tied around their ankles for hours…OUCH!

Enjoying Seafood Chowder and French Onion Soup in the cafe where all meals were created based on a \2401750 menu.

If there was room at the boarding house, the bed roll was hung out of the window to let people know there were rooms to let or still space available.

A women was actually making real lace and she was fast! Each bobbin was used depending on where it was located in the design.

Effects of the last hurricane. All of the National parks, just let the trees lay where they are unless they are a danger to humans.

View of the harbour and lighthouse from the Fortress

All loaded onto the ferry and on our way to Newfoundland!! \240Stanley to Port Aux Basques. \240This is the short overnight ferry trip, only eight hours. \240We got a cabin so we could sleep on the way. \240Julie slept. \240John, not so much.

This is the luxury you get in the ferry cabins.

Heading out from the port of Stanley.

And, here we are in Newfoundland! Ready to roll off.

First impressions, there are a whole lot of rocks. \240We were told they grow rocks here and it’s true!

Dropped off the trailer and went for an explore. \240Saw our first of many lighthouses. This is the Rose Blanche light (rebuild of the original which was basically in ruins). \240Fun fact, the light for this lighthouse was designed by D&T Stevenson of Edinburgh. \240Same family as Robert Louis Stevenson. \240Fun fact #2, there were six lighthouse keepers during the time the lighthouse was in use. \240One of those six was John Cook.

Just to prove Julie was actually here…

Waterfalls by the side of the road are pretty commonplace.

So our first stop was on the Codroy valley and it was beautiful. \240Next time we go back we want to spend more time there. \240On our way to see another lighthouse on the western most point of the island, we find ourselves crossing a single lane wooden bridge. \240Turns out this is a very good stretch of road compared to what we’ll encounter in a couple weeks.

Absolutely stunningly beautiful…

And here we are at the westernmost point of the island.

Just to prove John was actually there…

BUT don’t eat fresh caught cod …they harbor some type of worm. Locals know how to rid the fish of them but we didn’t take any chances.

A two lane winding road winds curves along the granite cliffs to Lark Harbour. Along the way, we had great views.

Cemetery facing the sea

One of the things we noticed about Newfoundland and really almost all of the Maritime provinces except Nova Scotia is that cemetery gravestones and generally cemeteries face the sea.

Not sure whether they put the gravestones closer to the sea because of the fear of erosion and the church further back or that it was a last act of goodwill to the sailors and fishermen buried there but it was an oddity.

Kids fishing from the fishing boat

Boat 1 and boat 2.

The little runabout \240boat is hoisted into the water and is in charge of placing the giant nets.

In this area all fishing boats are painted ochre- orange… we also saw them red and yellow.

From time immemorial, the color ochre was a symbol of harvest and life by the indigenous peoples. The ochre color was achieved originally by mixing sand, water, hematite (iron oxide) and some type of oil: seal, whale, cod or linseed . This mixture helped protect the wood and kept it from rotting. In addition to painting the stages and outbuildings in the red/yellow color sails, ropes and nets were also painted to protect them.

This tradition is followed today with many of the fishing stages and boats still painted red, yellow or orange. We thought it was originally done for safety reasons and it may be done for that reason now but it is a long time tradition.

Homes on the other hand are all done in aluminum siding. We asked whether it was a Provincial program because nearly everyone’s home exterior looked exactly the same and people replied the only thing they could do is pick out the color of the siding they wanted.

Just passing through for right now..

We still haven’t seen a moose.

Arch Rocks

Glaciers,wind and tides helped in creating the gigantic arch formations…one has already crumbled into the sea leaving three.

At Oceanside Campground in Port Aux Choix for the night. Cannot imagine what it would be like if the seas were up…As it was we have had the heat on the last three nights.

Point Riche Lighthouse

The lighthouse keeper’s home burned down in 1990. The lighthouse is now automated and still is working.

Caribou!

So excited to see Caribou… John thinks they are just like deer so ho-hum but Julie sees Christmas and all things shiny and bright! She knows they aren’t reindeer but close enough!

Same wild herd

More red chairs! Julie and her colors…definitely not from around here.

Limestone Barrens

Yes, this is what it looks like for over 124 miles in Northwest NL. Lots and lots of rocks. The rocks are small not boulder sized and have been tumbled and worn for literally ages and still in spite of the incredibly harsh climate beauty is everywhere in the form of summer flowers.

These areas have been repeatedly submerged during Ice Ages and then rise to the surface when the ice retreats.

Even though the area gets a lot of rain, most plants in the area dry out very quickly because there is no soil to hold the moisture. The brutal winds, cold, snow and erosion also play a huge part in survival.

Grave marker

Port Aux Choix was settled by Indigeonous peoples approximately 7,000 years ago. These groups of people and time period is called the “Maritime Archaic” because they moved seasonally up and down the West coast of Newfoundland to Maine.

This burial stone is a part of eight graves that were used for a number of years in a cemetery like series of circles and mounds.

From the 1960’s to the mid 1970’s people from many of the smaller villages were given incentives to move their homes to larger fishing communities such as Port Aux Choix to spur the fishing industry into larger production centers. Over 200 homes were barged or floated on oil drums to Hawke’s Bay, Port Saunders and Port Aux Choix.

Since resources to build new homes were at a premium it was often far cheaper just to float the home to its new location. Imagine the mold! Besides the cash incentives ($300-$1000) and better work, people also had better access to schools and health care.

Houses actually made it through the relocation. This one has been bulldozed but many are still standing in the area. One of the 10 children that lived in this home owns the town’s gas station.

View from the Fresh Catch

A typical 52 degree day.

Cod Tongue

Okay, we didn’t think we would like this one but the Newfies really have a great thing going! Delicious!

More rain and 52. Locals are even complaining it is cold. They were wearing jackets with their shorts and sandals last night.

A typical iceberg is 100 ft high and weighs 204,000 tons. Only about 1/8 appears above the water…. Wish we could have seen some, maybe next time…

Slob Ice- Thick slush mixed with small pieces of ice…. Yep the white is SLOB ICE! Only iceberg we have ever saw.

Path on the way to Bonavista Lighthouse

If you zoom in you can see hundreds of balancing rocks..Julie guesses this is similar to throwing hair bands on Mt Everest ride @Disney or a shoe/sign tree in the Bahamas but oh so Canadian and ecologically sound!

Bonavista Lighthouse

For being a major tourist destination in the area we were really disappointed in its condition. The picture doesn’t show the general disrepair. It’s a shame but most lighthouses if they are not national parks need a lot of maintenance.

John Cabot

We thought it was interesting how Columbus and Cabot sailed A Venetian sailor, John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto sailed from Bristol,England aboard the Matthew with letters of patent from Henry II seeking a route to Asia. He made land on June 24, 1497 somewhere near the Cape of Bonavista. From this landfall, Britain’s conquest and empire began.

Bonavista is one of he oldest established towns In Newfoundland. Its streets are narrow and curve around little manmade canals. We did not have time to visit one of the plantations but the village was charming.

A mock up of the Matthew

The town constructed a replica of the Matthew

It is interesting to note that Cabot’s first and third journeys to the New World failed. Only his second journey, aboard the Matthew succeeded.

Love the rat on the soldier’s shoulder

John being an explorer in 1497

Bonavista Harbor

A local view on our way back to our campsite

Elliston Puffin Colony movie

We took a little walk out to see this amazing Puffin Colony….sure wish we had a better zoom. Tried using the binoculars in tandem with the phone.It worked but was a little clunky.

Julie could have sat all day watching the little guys

Fast facts about Puffins:

*Puffins are known as parrots of the sea because of their colorful beaks during breeding season but in winter when they are out in the ocean it sheds and turns grey.

*They actually nest in burrows in the ground.

*Puffins are actually very light and can beat their wings up to 400 times per minute. They look almost like hummingbirds when they fly.

*Puffins oftentimes wait up to six years to find a mate and keep their mates for life. They will oftentimes return to the same burrow year after year.

*Puffins are unable to glide

*Puffins often live for twenty or more years

*A Puffin can fly often 30 miles or so out to sea to catch fish for its’ chick. A chick is çalled a puffling.

* A Puffin can hold around 10 or so fish in its beak

The 600 million year old \240rocks in Dungeon Park, and almost all of the area, are made up of soft sedimentary sand and mud folded into hard granite. Erosion by the sea and wind washes away the soft sediment leaving just the granite.

This at one time was a sea cave with two entrances. The roof caved in millions of years ago leaving the cave entrance. In time, this area will also fall into the sea leaving sea stacks similar to those in Spillars Cove.

Driving through a common pasture.

What an adventure! Julie loved seeing the sheep and bumping down the dirt road, John loved it not so much… Julie thinks he has had enough of frost heaves, \240pot holes and mud.

Another lovely landscape

Sea Stack at Spillar’s Cove

The stacks are HUGE GIANT pillars of granite Pictures can never do this work of natural art justice.

The rock formations on either side of the cove are actually two different types of stone. A geological plate/fault zone runs under this cove dividing English Harbour and Spillar’s Cove

What a protected fishing port! And now a major tourist destination in St John’s. It was hard finding a parking spot in the rain. I can only imagine what it would be like on a sunny day.

A view of Quidi Vidi

Enjoying yet more fish and chips!

Water’s Street is trying hard to be a downtown Halifax. We think Covid hit them hard and there might also be a drug/crime problem..security guards were posted throughout the area. Made it sort of sketchy but we met new friends,Grace and Terry for dinner at the Bagel Cafe..great food and time

Grace and Terry

From Ontario..they have a little teardrop similar to the Cook’s.

Love it

Funky candy store…I bought entirely too much junk candy for Ethan!

Some of the artwork downtown Waters Street

There are actually two lighthouses located on Cape Spear. The first, a traditional tower structure dating from 1836 and a second, squat keepers’ home and light, dating \240from 1949. The second light worked up to 1957.

The area also was used as a Fort during WW2 where the Canadian forces placed two disappearing canons that fired on German u-boats seeking to disrupt allied supply lines before crossing the Atlantic.

More iconic red chairs

It was a fairly cold, very blustery day. One story we were told was that a soldier was assigned to throw out the trash lost his footing and tumbled to his death over the cliff face. We could see this happening.

Signal flags were used to alert boats to changes in weather and information about entering the harbor.

Furthest place East in Canada

Cape Spear was used extensively during WW2. German U-boats worked to breach the inlet into St John’s and bomb the convoys leaving to resupply the troops in Europe.

There were ar least three full attacks made on Cape Spear during 1940-1944 and several skirmishes. Two of the \240attacks cost the lives of 69 men and four boats.

Although the barracks and \240canteen for the 300 men are no longer present, we toured the bunkers and saw the big guns.

The guns had a shooting distance over 8 miles and fully protected the harbor

A replica poster

The bunkers with lighthouse

Signal Hill National Park

Cabot Tower

On December 12,1901 Guglielmo Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic ,wireless signal on Signal Hill.. the letter S was transmitted from a station in England to a hospital where Marconi had his equipment.

On July 20, 1920 the Marconi company transmitted a human voice across the Atlantic \240from Cabot Tower. \240The wireless station operated until 1949.

View from Signal Hill

Greenland glaciers produce up to 40,000 icebergs every year of those about 375 float by St John’s and Signal Hill.

Waiting to board the Argentia Ferry

Looking forward to the 14 hour crossing!

On we go!

And we are off!

The rooms

Some of the indigenous artwork

Seal Mittens

Yes…I tried them on

Tea Dolls

Yes…I was able to hold and look at.