Day 22 - 23 Sep - Quechee, Vt to Lake Placid, N.Y

If you had to order a perfect day…this would be it! There aren’t enough of these kinds of days and we were in the right place, at the right time, and had the time and opportunity to take it all in.
It was a cool night and misty when we got up but before we were on the road 15 minutes, the fog cleared and the sun came out…not a cloud in the sky. We’d already decided we were going to meander over to Lake Placid and stay there for our last night on the road so we headed west on Hwy 4 and through another beautiful blaze of colour in the Green Mtns. The first major town we came to was Woodstock. I WANT TO MOVE HERE! I mean it...I'm selling everything and moving here!!
It’s like something out of a movie, complete with the bubbling brook, but honestly one of the most wonderful towns we’ve seen. It is Vermont at it’s very best—especially on a sunny autumn day. There were big, beautiful, very old homes (one of which is a book store), window boxes on every store and house window filled with pots of mums in bloom, two or three old churches with huge maple trees blazing with red/orange/yellow leaves. Honestly…it was just plain…enchanting! It was a fair sized town with a few big B&Bs and a couple of hotels that ‘fit’ the locale.
Because we were at a higher elevation, the leaves were in full autumn foliage and Gertie (our GPS) took us through back roads, past Norman Rockwell painting of dairy farms with big, red barns and healthy cows. All of the General Stores in the small towns along the way were decorated with corn stalks, pumpkins, and pots of mums in every colour of the rainbow. The drive was a delight for the eyes!
The ski slopes at Killington and Pico were gorgeous and I wish the cable cars had been working as the sight at the top would have been awesome—but only a tad more than what we saw all day. There are still wild asters in purple and mauve mixed with yellow goldenrod all along the side of the road and sometimes in a big patch around the marshy areas..so beautiful.
At Larrabees Point we took the ferry across to NY at Fort Ticonderoga. The ferry was built in 1759 who built his big stone house (still there) with all the stones from the fort when the British abandoned it after battles with the French & Americans. Keeping track of all the battles/wars/skirmishes in US history could be a full-time job…..
We got to Lake Placid early and stopped at the edge of town to look at the lake and find out where the closest KOA was to us. I could see smoke rising just down the road and then the fire engines/ambulances and truckloads of volunteer firefighters arrived and we realized it was just next door to the hotel parking lot where we had stopped…in other words…we were blocked in. What’s the best way to wait out a fire….go shopping!! Bass, IZOD, Geoffrey Bean, and Van Heusen were literally giving stuff away. It was one of those 70% off, additional 10% senior discount, and 5% coupon days and we got a few very good buys. After a couple of hours we got to the KOA and have settled in for the night. The couple next to us (from N.Carolina) are another ‘sleep in the rear of the truck’ type campers but forgot their plug-in adaptor for their TV & heater. We’ve let them plug in to our van as it’s going to be a bit cool tonight. We’ll be heading home tomorrow. It’s been another fabulous trip but I’m ready for my own bed and shower for a bit.

Day 21 - 22 Sep - North Conway, N.H. to Quechee, Vt.

We pulled into North Conway Saturday night and I went to bed early to prepare for a day of shopping. The KOA just outside of North Conway (Chocorua) was very nice...a bit crowded but we remembered it was the weekend. The park was on a large marsh/pond and there were moose (not that I saw any...I only saw moose poop), herons, and lots of ducks & birds. Sunday I hiked the stores for 6 hours and limped back to the van for a quiet ride home and an early night.
We woke up to a beautiful morning and decided to take our time driving home. The leaves are just starting to turn but higher up in the mountains, they are almost in full autumn colour. We drove across the Kancamagus Hwy (112) in the White Mtns National Forest (Note to self: there are wonderful 'boondocking' provincial park sites along this hwy). The 57 kms took us almost 2 hours as we had to keep stopping to see some of the beautiful scenery. The leaves will be at their peak in 7-10 days but the colours seem to be very vibrant along the river. It was a beautiful drive. There are mature trees that make a canopy over the highway but when there was a break, you could see the splashes of red high up on the mountains.
I'm not sure where we'll be tomorrow....perhaps around Stowe or area and then we will head for home on Wednesday.

Day 19 - 20 Sep - Hubbards, NS to St Johns, NB

We're back on the road again and heading for home via the States. We had a great time in Hubbards, packed and re-packed stuff that was to come to Ottawa, and left about 9 am yesterday.
The girls have done a nice job with the barn and paddock which now holds 5 horses--their two and 3 borders--and it looks very nice. They are fastidious about cleaning up and do it three times a day. It was strange not having any kids around though, nor any big crowds for meals the way it used to be when Nellie was alive. Another of life's natural changes I guess.
Thursday was cold and damp and I just couldn't get warm at all. All through Nfld and NS I commented on how hardy Maritimers are...I'm dressed in layers and they are in short and sleeveless shirts!
The drive to St Johns was uneventful and I enjoyed being reminded about how green and lovely NS and NB are. NS, like Nfld, is rocky with lots of beautiful little lakes where you least expect them. NB is more forest and rolling hills and I remember Mom saying the drives she and Dad used to take from Trenton to see us in Newcastle were some of the most scenic they'd ever done, especially in the fall.
Not sure where we are headed this morning but I expect we will be crossing the border at some point. Our goal is to be home on Tues or Wed after a stop in North Conway to shop a bit. It's starting to get a bit cool at night and our little heater just keeps the dampness away. It's beautiful and sunny this morning but still cool so time to be a home.

Lost Track--Hubbards, NS

We arrived at Hubbards yesterday...I'm told today is Wednesday, but honestly, I have to freaking idea of the day or date! One would think I could just read my own blog and know that info but I'm not sure I had it right in the first place. Those who know me know that this is not just a recent occurrence nor has it anything to do with old age...I've always had a problem showing up for something on the right day/wrong time, right time/wrong day, etc. I hate it but can't seem to rectify that particular deficiency!
We got the official Hubbards welcome...dogs in 'high bark' mode. Kandace was on paddock duty so once she got cleaned up, Charlene came home and we decided to go out for dinner. The cook and both waitresses went to school with Wayne so we had an impromptu reunion right there.
This morning we headed for Peggy's Cove and after taking all the photos that every other tourist has taken 100 times (you just can't help it), we started back towards home and decided we would visit with Wayne's Uncle Noble and once again, a planned short visit turned in to most of the afternoon. Noble is the last of Nellie's family and we were glad to see both he and wife Doris. Noble was a very busy woodworker so he and Wayne had no problem finding something to talk about. The visit was lots of fun and we got caught up on yet another side of the family.
The plan is to stay here for another couple of days and leave for home (via the States) on Saturday. We had a good laugh last night....we went through 10 boxes of stuff Wayne had packed (while here last month) and it was pared down to 4 boxes which will pack in to 2 boxes to go to Ottawa. Charlene thought she'd seen the last of it but I don't think so.

Day 14 - 15 Sep - Louisburg, N.S.

Another busy day for the Atlantic travellers. We packed up the LuvMasheen and headed for the fort at Louisburg. There were very heavy winds and cloudy skies but nothing could deter our quest for history!
I'd sent Carmel an e-mail asking her where in Cape Breton she hailed from as I intended to pay hommage to it in some way....perhaps a wiz in the bushes....and as we drove up the road from the campsite and passed the sign for 'Millville', both Wayne and I looked at one another and said, "Oh yah...this is the place"....which Carmel confirmed in an e-mail. We slowed down and looked for anyone that resembled Carmel but didn't see anyone but definitely going back this morning to enquire about "where that wild Fleming crowd hangs out".
It's picturesque Carm but not a mall in site...the move was a good one, girl!
The fort as Louisburg was very impressive and it's HUGE! Although a lot of the activities have slowed down now that summer is over, there were still a number of people in period costume who are more than willing to provide a historical commentary from a French soldier/settlers point of view. It was originally built in the 1600's and two major (successful) sieges by the British created a lot of havoc. It was the third largest/busiest port in North America...the Frenchies back home loved that salt cod! After it was abandoned by the British it just faded away and in the 1960's, Parks Canada started to rebuild. It was an amazing undertaking...all of the building and fort were painstakingly recreated using extensive original drawings and descriptions as there was very little of the original left, other than some foundations. An interesting footnote...the Sydney mines were closing about the same time so they retrained all the miners as carpenters, masons, etc. and used that workforce to build the Fort.
We had intended to spend a couple of hours but ended up staying the better part of the day and thoroughly enjoyed it. The National Film Board should do a documentary for the schools...a day here is a whole semester of boring stuff in a classroom but an hour documentary would show kids what the place is all about. It's so remote and impossible to imagine how the French found the place and built such a huge port, given the location, terrain, and the awful weather! The British expelled them twice but clearly a few of them escaped capture as there are lots of little towns along the Cabot Trail that are populated by French.
The best part of the day was visiting Wayne's cousin Violet Anderson and her husband Charlie. Her father and Wayne's father were brother's. Uncle Irving had owned and Captained a 4-masted fishing boat on which Donald was first mate at some point in their young lives. Irving later joined the RCMP. We had called Violet to say we would be coming to see her and I have to admit to a bit of apprehension as I didn't remember her at all and Wayne hadn't seen her for 30 years. She's much older (now 82) but sounded anxious to see us.
We knew it would be shortly before suppertime when we got there and I was trying to convince Wayne that this would NOT be the time to visit but another phone call to her resulted in her telling us to come anyway....we'd just order pizza! When we arrived they made us so welcome and the visit I said would only be for an hour or so ended up lasting all evening. Violet had called all her children so that the whole family could come over and see Cousin Wayne. We had so much fun and her daughter Bernice was so struck by how much Wayne looked like her Grampa (Irving) that she cried. Cousin Wade said it was a good thing he hadn't just passed Wayne on the street as he probably would have had a heart attack thinking Grampa had risen from the grave! They have a lovely home in Sydney and while Wayne & Violet exchanged family gossip, Bernice and I talked about kids, grandkids, and a hundred other things. We laughed and promised to keep in touch as well as exchange old photo's as Wade's wife is doing genealogy on the Corkum's.
It was back to our friendly KOA for the third night and we collapsed into bed after a long day. I think our Cape Breton trip is at an end and we will head for Hubbards today...it's about 400 kms so depending what else there is to see along the way, will either get there tonight or tomorrow.
I forgot to mention that the day before we had stopped at the Alexander Graham Bell exhibit in Baddeck. If you ever get the chance...go! It was a real eye-opener as other than the telephone, I really didn't know how creative this guy was...or that he had a beautiful summer home there for many years. He, and his father, were responsible for an alphabet that helped teach deaf children to speak, he built the fastest hydroplane ever, and on and on. Again, Parks Canada have built an amazing interpretive centre and it took us 2 hours to go through it, reading everything and looking at displays.
I need to talk to somebody about the Maritimes being a 'have-not' province????

Day 13 - 14 Sep - Cape Breton Trail

We had a full day! We were up early and on the road and hoping the sun would get through the clouds...which it did. It's about 350 kms around the loop and we wanted to do it, come back to the KOA at N. Sydney, leaving some time for stops along the way. We did it all!
We left the KOA at North Sydney around 9 am and went up the eastern side of the trail around St. Anns Bay and Ingonish. From there it was across the island and then down the western side of the island to Cheticamp and across to Baddeck. It was a great trip.
The first half of the drive was a bit of a disappointment for me--most of the trees covered any view of the huge cliffs and there were even less pull-offs for photos. It was mostly a drive through the bush with a few houses here and there. However, we did manage a stop at a very lovely bakery/restaurant where we hogged down an apple turnover and cinnamon bun that was delicious! Needless to say, this has been another trip where we have eaten our way through N.B. and N.S.!
Once we crossed the top of the island, things opened up and we could really see the rugged coast of Cape Breton. The eastern shore is clearly Scottish...all names are McSomething and there is a college here that teaches Gaelic and Clan/Scottish studies. All the names of the towns are printed on signs with English at the top followed by the Gaelic translantion below. We did stop at a shop that specialized in 'all things Scottish' and of course, had to buy a few McLaughlin (Gilchrist) and McDuff (Skillen) trinkets. The next stop was at the Rusty Anchor Restaurant for the best chowder ever, complete with homemade biscuits!
The westerns shore is French and I've got to talk to Carmel (who comes from Cape Breton) about how this happened! Did we take any of this in Canadian History? I must have been smoking in the washroom during that class.
As we were driving along I saw this BIG brown furry 'thing' and let out a scream...MOOSE! Yep, there she was, right along side of the road, just like all the signs warn you about. We came right along side of her, took a few photos, and she ambled back in to the bush, looking quite irritated at us for disturbing her lunch.
There were some very awesome climbs and views on this drive and we could smell the brakes on a couple of the declines. The LuvMasheen performed well however, and we made it back to the KOA without any problems. The owner is starting to think we are family as we've been here so much and will probably be back here again tomorrow night after the visit to Louisburg.
We are also stopping to visit Wayne's cousin Violet tomorrow...she lives in Sydney and has done some research on the family which he would like to know. Now that Colin has actually walked in the path of his ancestors...in Gorichem, Netherlands...Wayne needs to know more. They haven't seen each other in many years so it should be interesting.
Another great day!