Day 24 - to Amherst NS

We wanted to ask for a rain cheque when we paid the toll on the Confederation Bridge.  And the weather did not improve much by the time we reached Amherst.   But the Super 8 was good, as usual.  

Haddock and Chips

What is it about pub food that makes you overeat.  Last night was the worst - fish and chips and onion rings - all deep fried.  It was delicious but I now totally regret it.  Note to self - don't wait until after 7 p.m. to go to dinner - don't go to pubs.

Starting today - no more beer, butter, or deep fried anything.  It is back to relatively healthy eating for me.

Another Fish Story

Julie bought four live crab at the Fisherman's Market near our hotel in Halifax and cooked them up as we are in a suite with a kitchenette.

Unfortunately, there are no photos.  We ate them too fast.  They were very good!

The cost, in all for the meal, for the two of us - about $12.00.

Lobster Dinner

We did it!   The dinner we have been waiting for.

The Place:  Fisherman's Wharf Lobster Suppers, N. Rustico, PEI.

The Food:   Fresh Lobster - one pound (can be up to 2 lbs.)
                     Fresh Mussels - a large plate
                     Fish Chowder - with biscuits/rolls
                     Salad Bar - as much as you want
                     Dessert - Pie (for me strawberry and rhubarb)
                     Drink - Coffee (in my case tea)

The Cost:    $42.00 (including taxes and tip).

This was an absolute feast.   Everything was fresh and plentiful.

Confederation Bridge

It took us about ten minutes to drive (at about 80 k/h) over this bridge into PEI and again on the way back. It is an amazing feeling to have so much water all around you in every direction.  It was very windy both times.  We each drove one way so the other could experience the bridge without having to try to keep the car on the road.

The cost (coming and going) was $43.25.   We had to pay when we drove off the island.  There were no tolls on the way over.

Day 23 in PEI

We found a very nice Super 8 in Cornwall just outside of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island.   It has turned cold again and I needed a dip in the hot tub to warm up.  I have been very impressed with the amenities of most of the Super 8's across the country.   This one had a great pool, hot tub and weight room, and excellent breakfast in the morning and a very good restaurant just across the parking lot.

We briefly toured downtown Charlottetown spending some time at the Basilica and decided to head off to Cavendish and Ann of Green Gables.  (The newspaper is full of stories that Will and Catherine plan to spend July 4 and 5th here to tour the Lucy Maud Montgomery sites).  Unfortunately it was too cold and rainy to do any touring of this or any of the beaches so we headed back over the bridge and into Nova Scotia. 

Prince Edward Island is beautiful and pastoral but it looks as if most of the green fields on the farms are devoted to a yellow flower that looks suspiciously  like dandelions.  It is nice to look at fields of green and yellow but I doubt that there could be any monetary value in it.   And it doesn't look like many of the red soil fields have yet been sown with potatoes.  It may be that we are just a bit early as there are daffodils in bloom at the moment  with tulips just starting to open. 

Day 22 - Quebec City to Fredericton

The weather was actually good for a change.   After staying at a Comfort Inn near Ste. Anne de Beaupre, we had a nice drive down mainly four lane roads out of Quebec and into Fredericton.  We booked into a Howard Johnson and had a good meal just down the road and watched the last few minutes of Vancouver's win on Sunday.

It was warm enough that I needed a swim to cool off.

Fredericton has slot machines all over - both pubs and hotels.  Yet, on Victoria Day all the shops in New Brunswick were closed up tight.

So, we headed down to the  Confederation Bridge and into PEI.

Day 21 - Quebec City

I learned many years ago that you had to book early to find a reasonable hotel room on a Saturday night.  But, the fact that this is a long weekend snuck up (is this past tense of "to sneak"?) on me.  We did manage to get the last non-smoking room at a Motel 8 in Ste. Foy but only for Friday.  Looks like we will need to be flexible to find lodging tomorrow night.

We managed to find some parking near the Parliament Buildings in Quebec City and walked down into the old fortified section of town after checking out the Plains of Abraham.  While it is sunny today, there are strong, gusting winds, that one could image could be of biblical proportions coming up the St. Lawrence River.  Julie says that it is a good thing we are heavy or we would be blown away.

Julie took many photos and some video of old buildings, some of which I hope to post here soon, as we walked through the historical area.  The Funicular is still running but there is construction all around the Plaza in front of the Frontenac Hotel.  We took the funicular to the lower town and toured the shops and read menus.  It looks like good French food is even more expensive here (compared to Montreal).  We did however stop for a snack of Beaver Tails - which I associate with French food.

Then we were off to explore another cathedral which has miracles associated with it in Ste. Anne de Beaupre. 

We finished the day with an excellent meal at a St. Hubert - which I associate with Quebec food.  All in all, it was a good way to spend a day which could have been 'the last day on earth' according to some pundits.   

Day 20 - on the Farm

 Berta's front garden

 Flowering crab apple tree

After visiting St. Joseph's Oratory and Mount Royal, we drove up from Montreal to Huntingdon to spend the night with the Mullers on their farm.  Karen, our GPS, who has become the third member of our group, proved very helpful in getting us right to the driveway of the farm.  We thank Karen profusely when she is right, tell her to shut up when she is repetitive, and curse her when she objects to our many stops along the way. 

The farm is lush and green but the wet weather has caused some flooding and has made it impossible to get the seeding done in the fields.   Even the cows had to be put back in the barn because it was too wet for them. Berta's garden is growing well though and I was surprised to see how advanced it was in spite the wet.  It is nice to be in the country and breath fresh air and watch the many birds.  Julie managed to take some video of birds nesting just outside the house. 

After a night of good company, good food and a comfortable bed, we watched the cows being released from the barn and set out for Quebec City.

Day 18 to 19 in Montreal

Stayed at the Holiday Inn on Cote de Liesse.  We have borrowed a GPS, named Karin, from my brother.  She managed to guide us to the West Island and through Dorval Circle with no trouble but then proceeded to put us in a loop around Hickmore Street.   We have discovered that highway construction confuses her.  On the third pass, we decided to use common sense once more and followed the number sequencing on Cote de Liesse to find the hotel.

The Holiday Inn, like a few of the places we have stayed, is under construction/renovation.  Once finished, if prices remain as reasonable as they are now, it will be an excellent place to stay.  It has a slew of amenities including an indoor and outdoor pool, good restaurant/bar, well-equipped workout room with sauna, spa facilities and several other amusements.

In spite of more damp, cold weather, Old Montreal proved interesting as ever.  We took the Metro to Notre Dame Cathedral, toured the church then walked through the narrow streets to Bon Secours market.  After lunch, we walked back west toward McGill College and up to St. Catherine Street to see the sites and visit the Anglican church there.  Then, in spite of sore feet, we managed to get the Metro and bus back to our hotel.  We have been looking for reasonably priced French food but have settled for Bar B Barn on Des Sources and our hotel, which turned out to be surprisingly good.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Day 16 & 17 - in Ottawa

Besides the usual Parliament Buildings and tour of the City by bus and water, we toured the Diefenbunker which was well worth the drive out to Carp as well as the modest fee.   Still have a cloud over our heads!

Day 11 to 15 - in Toronto area

Julie got to see the CN Tower,  Niagara Falls and other Southern Ontario sites while she stayed with her cousin in Brampton.  I stayed out in Alliston and visited with old friends and family most of the time.

We are now ready to get on the road again.


Spring flowers in Jim and Cathe's garden.







Emma, the outdoor cat.

Day 10 - Sault Ste Marie to Alliston Ontario

Good trip - took us about 8 hours to arrive here at Jim and Cathe's.  It was still rainy and cloudy but much warmer and actually quite pleasant to drive.  Both highway 17 and 69 have improved over the years.  Sudbury is no longer unique.  Vegetation has returned to the rocks in Sudbury.

The sun was shining by the time we reached Muskoka.

Day 9 - Duluth to Sault Michigan

Windy and cold and raining.   We actually had snow mixed with rain in Superior WI.   We wanted to take a glass bottom boat tour of wrecks on Lake Superior or go through locks at Sault Ste. Marie but neither were available due to the bad weather.

Our six and a half hour drive took us more than nine hours mostly due to the strong winds and rain.

Waterfront area Duluth

Our nicest weather so far has been in Princeton. 

Day 8 Sunday, Kenora to Duluth

We have been on the road for one week today.  We crossed over the border at Fort Frances in the early afternoon.  There was no line up which was good because they were pulling over every car for a complete search.  In all, it took us about fifteen or twenty minutes to get through.

I can't believe the differences in prices on each side of the border.

Gasoline in Kenora was $1.364/liter this morning 
In Minnesota this afternoon, gasoline is $3.99/gallon. With a conversion factor of 0.26417,
that would make it about $1.054/liter here in the U.S.

Last night, we stayed at a Super 8 for $104.00 Canadian
Tonight we are staying at a Super 8 for $57.00 U.S. (rooms are virtually identical).

We paid $17.75 for the main course in a pub in Canada last night and $9.91 for an almost equivalent meal tonight in the US.  

I can think of very few reasons why things like this are from 25% to 50% cheaper here. 


Gasoline
Meals - $38.00
Hotel - $57.00

Day 7 - Brandon to Kenora Ontario

When we were leaving Brandon yesterday, we were told that the bridge into town was down to one lane due to high water levels in the river.  The flooding is the worst since the 1890's in the area.   This morning the CBC reports that water levels rose 30 cm yesterday on that river.  The residents are madly sandbagging the banks.  We, luckily, missed all of that excitement.  In fact our whole drive to Kenora was uneventful except for one short (about 5 minutes) but fierce thunder/lightning storm just east of Winnipeg while Julie drove.

In Winnipeg, Julie took me out for a nice Mother's Day lunch at Red Lobster. We discovered that the road south (which we were planning on taking) was closed due to flooding and that traffic was diverted to a secondary road.  We decided to stay on highway 1 to Kenora and head into the US from Kenora instead. The road around the northern part of Lake Superior is just too long.

The town of Kenora wraps itself around the Lake of the Woods Lake.  This morning from the window of the hotel I can hear the sound of a loon on the lake.  I have been surprised by the few birds we saw coming over the Prairies.  I am hoping it is just because the ducks and geese have not yet returned from the south and not that they have all disappeared over the years. I am hearing a few different bird calls this morning. 




Gas 0

Hotel  104 plus tax
Food   $90 approx. (includes lunch in Winnipeg and dinner in a pub watching the hockey game last night).

Day 6 - Saskatoon to Moose Jaw to Brandon

Moose Jaw Sask

It feels like winter again - cold and windy this morning - departing from Saskatoon.  Another easy drive to Moose Jaw passing some very large farm equipment moving to fields for seeding.  While some fields are still under water, many higher ones are being planted.  There was still leftover snow  along the sides of the highway through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba.  Spring has been/is playing games with us.

Took in the tour of the tunnels (Al Capone version) and had an amazingly good lunch at Horizon's in Moose Jaw.  

Excitement began for us when we realized our parking meter had run out of money almost an hour earlier and we were able to have an aerobic workout on our way back to the car.  Luckily, no ticket.

Next, we managed the last 40 kilometers into Brandon on 'air and a prayer' when the 'empty' light came on.  At least we now know that we can go at least that far on empty.  Luckily we made it to a PetroCan on the outskirts of town without having to coast.

Then, we found a nice Super 8 Motel and they gave us a double room which was also being occupied by another couple.  Luckily the desk clerk found another room which was unoccupied and gave us another discount.   

Gas and car wash - Saskatoon - $55.46
Food and entertainment   $60 approx.
Hotel  $100.80
Gas in Brandon $54.84
Distance traveled today 644 K

Day 5 - Edmonton to Saskatoon

We changed our route and, with an early start, took Highway 16 East out of Edmonton on Wednesday morning with almost perfect weather for traveling.  

Flowers in Art Gallery/Conservatory on River Walk in Saskatoon

We stopped for the ham sandwich lunch which Shirley had prepared for us in Lloydminster on the Alberta side.  The boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan runs right through the center of town.  (I wonder if anyone lives on a particular side for tax breaks.)

It was an easy drive to Saskatoon.  We arrived shortly afternoon and were lucky to find a Super 8 as the city  was booked with two or three different events happening there.  As the room was made up, we were able to stow our things and explore the town.

The city is just emerging from the final snow melt of winter.  Cars are still muddy and landscape is grey with just hints of green.   The abundance of colour in this conservatory was a treat!

Blue Orchid

Unfortunately, we managed to pick what was probably the worst restaurant in town for dinner. Our lesson from that was to rely on hotel suggestions and the BCAA book to find decent food.

Hotel $125.61
Food $23.00
Gas $36.85






  

Day 4 - In Edmonton

Some views of the North Saskatchewan River near where Shirley lives.

We spent a day of rest, relaxation and a little sightseeing on Wednesday in Edmonton.  It felt like the first day of summer - warm and sunny.  Trees are starting to bud.  We went for a walk to see the sights along the Saskatchewan River. 

After a little exercise, a little car riding, a few beer to celebrate what was feeling like the first day of spring, we had a little siesta.

Benny or Bengie - just after he was groomed

Then another delicious dinner - this time, ham and rice and sweet pototatoes and peas and we were off to visit Victor and Ken.

House that Ken and Victor are renovating

Ken and Victor  have a brand new puppy called Bella but she wouldn't stay still for a photo. 

Day 3 - Clearbrook to Edmonton

We experienced every kind of weather.  We departed in the sunshine and about 15 degrees.  By the time we reached Mount Robson the clouds were so low, we didn’t stop to see the sights.  In Jasper, it was cloudy and cold and we were told there was no point in taking our planned trip up the gondola to see the sights.  Some very large lakes (e.g. Moose Lake) are still completely covered with ice and some rivers are only flowing in a narrow channel with wide swaths of ice on each shore. 

There was some rain, snow, sleet and hail, all in short bursts.   Once we crossed over the Great Divide, the skies started to clear and by the time we reached Edmonton, the skies were blue with a few fluffy white clouds. 

It is cold here in Edmonton.  Spring has not yet sprung.  Not a green leaf showing on any of the trees. 

The scenery that we did see on the drive was spectacular – wonderful folded mountains in all shapes and sizes, still covered in lots of snow which when the sun did shine on them sparkled like glowing white diamonds.  Except for a few horned mountain goats/sheep and elk grazing on dead grass at the side of the road, we saw very few animals in this area.   And many of the animals, including horses, are still wearing their shaggy winter coats. 

We found Shirley’s place fairly easily – we are getting better at not getting lost - and enjoyed another delicious and abundant meal.  

Gasoline – Jasper - PetroCan $38.81 - $128.71/L (28.71 L)                   

Breakfast – Clearwater $12,00

Lunch – Jasper  $13.25 (Chinese)

Phone Card - $5.00

Forest on my deck - April 30, 2010

The twelve trees on my deck have survived the winter.  Time to re-pot this fall.

Day 2 - Princeton BC to Clearwater, BC

Only got 'lost' twice but we were quickly able to get back on track.  I need to write to highways department about the lack of signage.  They seem to keep the highway numbers secret.  Americans are much better than we are making signage clear and visible.

Roads have been good with a lot less 'highway improvement' areas than in the past.  We could have done without the off and on again showers and clouds today.

Good lunch at East Side Mario's in Kamloops ($27.16) and gasoline from PetroCan in Kamloops $36.86 and motel tonight is $72.76 and dinner for $30.00 plus a doggie bag.

Day 1

Our adventure has begun.

We departed Vancouver on May 1st under sunny skies.   My new car runs well.

Our destination - a modest four hours - to Princeton BC to stay overnight with my sister.
First fill-up of gasoline in the new car at Chilliwack ($26.00) and lunch at Tim Horton's ($15.00).

Traffic was good, roads were excellent considering that it is so early in the season,  singing along with good, golden oldies and the exhilaration of  the first day of vacation made for a perfect start. 

The first touristy spot was the Hope Slide.  (In 1965 after a mild earthquake, a slide deposited 70 meters of rock over the old highway).  Back on the road again, we saw a large brown bear on the side of the road in Manning Park and several deer browsing in open areas along the way. 

There are no photos yet but we both want to remember to keep our cameras out today.

Arriving to 18 degrees in Princeton, it smelled and felt like summer.   My sister had my favorite cranberry chicken ready for our dinner and rhubarb crisp and ice cream for dessert.  (back on my diet today!)

We watched birds at the bird feeders and the Similkaming River flowing past the back yard during dinner.  The little humming birds are just now back for the summer.

I am hoping to use this blog to track our meanderings and spending over the next six or so weeks.

Off to Jasper if all goes well today.