Category: 2023 Year 5!

December finds us wintering in Fort Myers, FL at the Blueway RV Village; our fourth year here. No shortages of activities for us to partake in this December (as you can see by the calendar) including a Christmas dinner for the park. And pickleball is in full swing, card games are just getting started. Ty and I have even been playing Ping pong on a table that has been sitting outside all summer long weathering the elements; makes for interesting play with all the bubbles and cracks.

The annual doctor appointments took us back to Colorado for a week BUT more importantly to spend time with Amy, Scotty, Tessa, Ty, Jaden and Dakota. Avery and Olivia are still in Colorado Grand Mesa. With the two gone off to college, the dynamics of the Fouchey/Nichols house has changed. Use to be at least 3 friends per teenager in the house all at the same time – that makes at least 18 kids wandering around the house, eating, taking showers, sleeping over. Now just down to Ty, Tessa and Jaden so the friend numbers are down too…it is almost quiet. And now that Amy is retired from personal training, she had a full schedule of fun activities for us: visiting the Boulder History Museum, cutting down a Christmas tree which turned into buying off a lot instead, getting pedicures, Rio for margaritas and small plates, dinner with extended family and playing cards every night – late into the night!

Chet was in dog heaven playing with Lacie out in the snow and renewing bad habits. It was nice to see the 6″ of snow, but I wasn’t sad to leave it behind.

Back to Blueway and we put up some Christmas lights and Chet is most happy as the park has more small dogs for him to hump and play with. Ahhh the lucky dog.

2023 was an exciting year for Ty and I – going to Nova Scotia (bonus being with my brother Will and Pam) and Newfoundland is beyond words.

We wish you the very merriest of holidays and look forward to a bright New Year 2024!

Higgins Lake – Popular spot for us back in the days when we camped with the kids in tents. Although we mostly frequented National Forest spots, but it is the Upper Lower part of Michigan where we spent good times. We wandered out from this spot to other haunts of ours – Petoskey where I found a Petoskey stone (can you find it?), Lake Michigan and our much stopped places for bakeries and libations.

Then the ZIG ZAG Across Michigan Begins

Zig – Been putting off having to think about getting the water pump and front cap fixed, but Wanda’s cap is patched with duct tape (ever see the Red Green Show? Famous for duct tape usage) and it is not a good look. And the water pump really should be looked at. Make some calls and we can get into Grand Design in Elkhart on October 9 and Rush RV October 13. We start driving the 194 miles to Elkhart. Not too bad of a drive.

Turns out Elkhart is a very lovely, quaint, BIG town with a river running through the heart of it, as well as, the railroad with switching yards. Long ago, Elkhart was a central point for the railroad for points west. Also, lumber was big industry and now it is the RV capital. We took what was suppose to be a 2-3 hour audio car tour around the area visiting Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury, Shipshewana, Bonnyville and other little towns. We aborted after 4 hours and only saw the 5 towns above. Just too much to see and stop and get out and see. Bonnyville had a mill which we could tour watch the grinding of the oats and corn and of course, buy some stone-ground oatmeal. Our stay here was most pleasant. Then the advance flushing toilet was a find.

Amish – I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t the beautifully groomed lawns and crops and neat BIG houses. Yet that is what we encountered while we stayed in Elkhart. A community that live simply, have strict rules to live by, yet interact with the outside world effortlessly. Felt like a voyeur taking these pics.

Leave Rush RV and now head to Washington DC a good 583-mile ride and it was not an easy or uneventful trip! Because it is Friday at noon when we left Rush, it is much too late to find a place for the night, so we opt for Walmart in Wexford PA. Lovely place but I couldn’t help worry that we would pick up a rat like we did at our previous Walmart overnight. But we did have fireworks that night! Must have been a high school football game.

Google Google Google – what is wrong with main roads?

Up early again (no sleeping in at Walmart) and hit the road to continue the journey. We are merrily going on until Google took us off the main drag and now, we were on windy back roads. Shame on me, the navigator, as I forgot to get a map now totally dependent on Google. Not comfortable with this situation at all and to top it off Chet is all whinny to go and relieve himself. We find a relatively wide shoulder and pull over. I let Chet out and and when I return back to the rig OH NO!!! We have a flat tire!!!! Go and get Ty – he unplugs his phone to take a picture and because we are without internet, we lose our position on Google Maps. Now we have absolutely NO idea where in the heck we are and that makes it tough to call AAA.

Cop Angel – As we are debating what to do a West Virginia Police Officer drives by and pulls over. (Quick – hide the stash). “Howdy folks, looks like ya all got a flat tire. Well, ya got a spare and a jack? I can have you up and running in no time” We are dumbfounded. A cop going to fix our tire? No way! Yes way! He goes to his car, pulls out a heavy-duty mat (probably for wrapping up dead stuff), puts on a heavy-duty coat and begins to crawl under Wanda starts to change the tire. Soon after, two other police cars pull up and now there are four of us watching the first guy change our tire. I was so astonished, forgot to get their names. Sure enough – within a half hour we were on our way! Also forgot to get directions and find out where we were so we just headed down the road we were on and eventually came into a town.

There is a reason for Google Earth – one just has to use it!

We roll into a small town – and it is getting late and we decided to look for a hotel were we could relax after this harrowing adventure. Doing an online search with several apps finally find one that assured us we could get the RV into the lot, that there was plenty of parking and space for the RV to get in and out. Another lesson learned. Always, always go onto GOOGLE Earth and get an overview of the place. Well, I didn’t and when we go there it was immediately apparent that in no way could we get Wanda OUT of there. No turn around. To make matters worse, when we called you would assume you are talking to the front desk, but actually you are dealing with a 3rd party. What a hassle to get our refund (because we were canceling less than 24 hours before arrival). Well, one thing I am good at is going to the top – so corporate it was. Problem solved – Walmart for the night.

Washington DC – have you ever been? It is museum heaven – and I have died and gone to heaven (I love museums) and the rail system is a puzzle to figure out. We have to go separately because no dogs allowed, which is ok as it gives us time away from each other and then we can see what we want. I will say, though, that museums are exhausting – slow walking, a lot of reading, crowds to contend with, and the visuals. I came home ready for a quick meal and bed.

How Jackson got his name Stonewall

Machicomo State Park, VA, was a great location to get to Washington DC via the rail. The campground was getting ready for the winter Festival of Lights; they were putting up some spectacular lights – kinda wish we were going to be there for that. When not our turn for DC we hike the area and pick ticks off of us. Tick meds for dog works very well!  Should get some for Ty (I didn’t seem to get any). We did go to the Civil War battlefield, Bull Run (keep flopping back and forth with wars) and this is where Jackson got the moniker “Stonewall“. As a commander from the 3rd Brigade lay dying he declared “Form, Form. There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the vigilant”

Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown

America’s historic triangle. Now we are back to the American Revolution days and first settlements. Williamsburg by far is the “tourist” section when visiting. Has many museums dedicated to the American Revolution, 3 blocks to walk and tour the town and if you purchased tickets you can go into many of the homes (Governor Mansion for example) of those who lived in Williamsburg at the time. Since we had Chet with us, we opted to just stroll the town and go into some “shops”. Went into the dress shop and on display was a Gentleman’s garb and a Ladies garb. Price tag said $2000 pounds – not sure if that is current price or price back in the days.

Yorktown is mostly restaurants and a few plaques about important things.

Jamestown has a large area that is now an archeological dig and is in the process of restoring back to the beginnings. Though all this time the one structure that remains intact today is the church arch.

Last Stop – Halloween with Jason, Lisa, Connor and Ethan

Love Halloween, I have been getting dressed up on this day since the girls were born. And there have been some very memorable Halloween nights – warm ones, freezing cold, rain, fog and snow. But no matter, it is by far always the best.

This year we made our way down to Savannah for a quick stop and treats at my nephew Jason and family place. Now Connor and Ethan have decided they are too old to trick-or-treat, they opted to pass out candy. Me? I got all dressed up as a fortune teller, but the boys were not impressed. Probably thought who is this old lady? And the night turned out to be a rainy one. But! It was a very good visit with Jason and Lisa, always good to catch up with what they are doing and the boys who are very smart boys, into fencing, Lego competitions (building pretty complicated things) and Connor was a finalist in the Michelin Design Challenge for a car design. I am impressed.

GATOR: They forgot to tell me about the resident gator: all dressed up in costume and had to take the Chet boy out for a business run. There is a nice pond in the back of Jason’s yard so I decided to wander down there. I get to within inches of the bank and this big ole and I mean BIG alligator leaps from the bank into the water just 10 feet away!! I did the “fright scream” (appropriate for Halloween) and picked up Chet and ran for my life!!!! Forgot the south has alligators.

Pushed on to The End

Nothing else to do, and we are tired of traveling so we opted to just drive straight onto Blueway RV Resort in Fort Myers Florida – we will stay here until April.

So that is it for 2023 season as we don’t plan on going anywhere.

Wanda traveled 8,806 miles – that is only Wanda miles, the truck turned over 100,000 miles while we were in Newfoundland, we bought it new summer of 2019.

Wanda stayed in 63 different places this year: campgrounds, rest stops, hotels, friend’s yards and repair places.

Repairs – not too bad this year

• Two flat tires
• 4 tires replaced – on truck
• Front End Cap repaired
• Water pump replaced
• Left landing leg replaced
• New brakes
• New mattress
• New couch and ottomans

Beth

Has been gone 5 years now – miss her dearly. Her smile, her attitude, her determination, her joy. Love you.

Finally, it is our turn at customs, I am a wreck, we approach and the custom officer says “That is quite the bug reflector you got” We chuckle thinking he is referring to the front of Wanda which is 10 feet high behind us and usually covered with bugs. We hand him our passports and he says “Do you know what I am talking about?” We shake our heads and he says your truck in front. Get out and look. We do. OMG, when we rolled off the trailer our front bumper underneath caught on something and peeled backward (see pic). We were stunned. Custom Officer handed back our passports and told us to have a nice day. Did not even ask us our names, county of origin or anything! I was nervous for nothing.

Tent camping has its ups and downs.

Ups: straining to think of some

1. it is pretty cheap way to go
2. and camp can either be set up or taken down in record time.
3. You learn to improvise – rock for hammer, Swiss army knife can opener.
4. I have learned that you give me an electric coffee pot and a fry pan and it is Julia Childs move over. I even figured out how to make oatmeal in the fry pan!

Downs: there are many many more.

1. I cannot stand up in the tent so I either have to lie down and try and put my pants on or I try to discreetly stand by the car and get dressed. By the 3^rd day it was heck with discreet, I ain’t never seeing these folks again so I just dress or undress where ever. Saw an old guy walk to washroom in his skivvy’s. I said, “You go man”
2. I rarely get up in the middle of night to potty. But while we have been tenting, I have left my midnight mark in all the campsites.
3. Everything must be packed back up just so or else it does not fit back into the truck and there is a lot of stuff! Cooler, tent, tent poles, food box, dishes, shoes, hiking sticks, chairs, water jugs (all water must be boiled), backpacks, pillows and blankets, personal items the list is endless it seems.
4. Rain presents the problem of a) too early to go to bed but no where to go to get out of rain so bed it is b) midnight runs and you are all wet getting back into bed c) anything inside tent touching the sides is now wet d) when it is time to move on, the tent is wet.

Bonavista/Trinity – John Cabot landed here in 1497. Beautiful fishing town nestled in the crooks and crannies of the ocean. Here we saw puffins, whales, and root cellars. Elliston is famous for having over 100 recorded root cellars nestled in the area. Had our first real hike that circled Fox Island. What views!! Saw whales.

Rained like crazy that night – Mila held.

Twillingate is another fishing town, has a museum that use to be was a rectory (these people know how to repurpose stuff) that was representative of the days gone by. Then off to the lighthouse – of course, where there were more Puffins and whales and a few icebergs way off in the distance that you needed binoculars to see them.

Beothok (pronounced B-o-tuk) Interpretive Center

In Twill this is also an archeological dig. The Beothok were indigenous people that migrated from the Bering Straits, thru Labrador settling in Newfoundland most prominently in the Twillingate area (at least that is the only known area) in AD 1200-1850. When the French came into the area to fish the cod, these people kept their distance, not interacting with them. When the French left in the fall to return to Europe (yup they summered (fished) in Newfie), then they would raid the village and take and repurpose materials. Things like nails they refashioned into spear heads, they collected discarded beads and buttons to make jewelry, and other things that the French discarded. Eventually, the French encroached further and further, there was conflicts and then disease, smallpox, tuberculous that completely wiped out the Beothok. They are now extinct.

Snipe do exist!

Ever been on a snipe hunt? That was an annual thing for our kids to do when we were camping. Give the kids a paper bag and tell them to go down just by the edge of sand where there is still grass, not the water, and try and catch one. Then an adult would throw rocks by the kids pretending it was snipe running. Well a quick hike in Gander around a pond to stretch our legs before jumping back into truck to finish off ride to Western Coast (6-hour ride across) and what do we see? Snipes! My apologies to my kids, nieces and nephews for the joke – but it was fun!

Western Coast

One the final leg of this journey and notice that the topography of this side of the island is very much different than the east coast. Mountainous, trees, sheer cliffs. Still have the sweet fishing villages, however, they are much sparser and few and far in between. Intent is to do as much hiking as possible and we do! Noticed that my hiking boots after 4+ years are getting pretty darn thin, I can feel every stone and even the slate spaces on the boardwalks. Oh this is interesting, because so much of the area is bog many of the trails have miles of boardwalk making for easy hiking.

Caribou at last

Port au Choix: Of all the places to see a caribou the visitor center is the most unlikely. As we were departing on our hike, the ranger (he came out to show us where the trail was) and said, “oh look, there is our resident caribou coming now. Just crossing the road” Turns out, this caribou has been coming to the visitor center everyday to graze and hang out on the porch out of the sun.

Nice day for a hike out to the ocean. Trail was interesting as in the beginning it was mostly on gravel land marked by painted rocks. After about a mile of that it descended into a more forested area before opening up on the seashore. It led to a place that was inhabited by indigenous sealers thousands of years ago – coming from the Bering Straits.

Iceberg Alley: Sure enough we saw many flows on this strip of sea (Strait of Belle Isle). One iceberg in the harbor, our good chance to see on up close. Beautiful blue/white colors. The information sign it takes 2 years for the flows to travel down from Greenland.

Was not easy to get started, that is for sure.

• First, the water pump fix did not work, we spent the night using jug water. At least the spigot is right there for us to fill up the jug a million times.
• Next morning it is time to start disconnecting all the hoses and then attach Wanda to the truck – in the pouring rain. Decided not to chance Wanda problems, left her behind in storage; didn’t even look back.
• Finally get on our way to the ferry terminal and google decided to route us to a non-existing spot, then to the walk on terminal, then to the main ferry office (no boats leaving from this spot). I went into the main ferry office to ask directions, turns out it was a simple left then right

Castle Hill-another relic of a fort strategically placed against a British evasion. I tell you the French just do not know how to fight. That fort overtaken, British thanking the French for building them such a nice place, but get out.

Cape Mary ecological bird reserve. a place where a lot of birds gather on the rocks to have their young. 3 separate species in fact.

• Black-legged Kittiwake.
• Northern Gannet.
• Common Murre.

Salmonier Inn (yellow house), built in 1964, as a convent. Nuns moved out in 1996 and the church next door closed in 1998. Then the Archdiocese closed all the churches in this area (there were 5) “to pay for their sins” – that is what the owner of B&B told me. Guess that’s lucky for us, now we have a place to stay.

Ahhh – 5 o’clock time to get cracking on finding lodging. Call all four: left 2 messages, other 2 are booked. Okay, let us start driving to St. John’s which is about a 2-hour drive. Forty minutes out Rhonda from the Red Valley House calls back. She is not around, but yes, we can use her place. She usually rents out entire house, but we can have it for price of 1 room. We drive back to Ferryland. It is such a cute house, relaxing, we stay 2 nights. Good opportunity to hike up to the lighthouse in the fog, see such and revisit the archeological dig.

Lodging again is the issue – the “come on” is “rooms starting at $130 night with continental breakfast”. Reality is in season the rooms are starting at $350 a night. Wowsers!! Undaunted, I keep searching and come across Memorial University rooms for $100 a night with breakfast. I call. Yes, indeedy we get a dorm room! How clever is that for the university to get some revenue off rooms that are sitting vacant for weeks. Our dorm (gosh feels just like college days – oh wait I didn’t go away to school) room is a suite – 2 adjoining rooms with single beds, sharing water closet and shower (also separate rooms). Cozy. Breakfast was fair for me as all they had was sugar cereal (Ty’s favorite), bread, and bananas. I will manage as long as they have coffee.

Can’t believe neither Ty nor me took a picture of Jelly Bean Row

Settled, we ventured onward to take in the sights and sounds of St. John’s. The oldest English founded city (1583) in North America actually and has always been a shipping hub and closest port to Europe. Originally the transporting of cod from the Maritime Islands, then exports from the US like cotton the biggest export, even the first transatlantic transmissions came from the St. John’s area. During the wars (both I and II) this is where the “jump off” point was for troops and supplies – both from Canada and from the US. St. John’s is a very large city, mix of old fishing style homes to modern day high rises. It is a city for the young and up and coming. Even the old downtown housing has been transformed into Jelly Bean row, named so after the array of brightly painted (now it is siding) houses.

Because our bucket list on this Great Adventure is to visit all capital, St. John’s is no exception, except it is not referred to as a capital but a Confederation building. The original building has the same story as all the old buildings have. They build them, they burn down, they build them again, they burn, they move them, they burn until they finally figure out that wood and flames are lethal and they build out of stone. And then they outgrow them so they build bigger buildings to house the parliament. This one is vacant during renovation to bring it back to the way it was in the 1850’s, even the Chamber Pot! We were not able to go into the parliament building because they are in session – no visitors.

Cape Spear – now we are at the most northern, eastern, point of North America. And we see whales! At last, a pod of at least 5 all grazing and breeching. Majestic animals.

Traveling on to Dildo and looking for accommodations have us concerned. Because this is the season, rates are high and we have a lot more to see. Being resourceful we head to Walmart and buy the cheapest tent we can find, a nice big blow up mattress, pillows, blankets, cooler and electric coffee pot (brought the electric fry pan with us). Back to our youth years – hope our backs hold out for 14 more days.

Traveling on to Dildo and looking for accommodations have us concerned. Because this is the season, rates are high and we have a lot more to see. Being resourceful we head to Walmart and buy the cheapest tent we can find, a nice big blow up mattress, pillows, blankets, cooler and electric coffee pot (brought the electric fry pan with us). Back to our youth years – hope our backs hold out for 14 more days.

Dildo – let’s talk about the name first. At one time, “dildo” was a term for the oar pegs in a dory, the pivot points where the oars rest while rowing. I know. Jimmy Kimmel made this place famous when he visited and ran for mayor in 2019 – winning by a landslide! Well, he is honorary mayor. Another cutesy fishing village!

Willie’s Way hike, short 3 miles, took us through a ferry land.

If you study the towns in Newfoundland, you will see Placentia, Hearts Content, Conception Harbor, Heart’s Desire, Cupids, and the names go on and on. I asked the lady at the Visitor Center why the names – she only blushed. Just shows you how cold it is here in the winter and where the mind goes for warmth.

We set up tent – took us 2 hours!!!! Ty has a saying when something goes wrong with Wanda “this never happens with my tent” well, I can now say “never takes us this long to set up Wanda!” We slept great, had a cool campsite, no coffee ‘cause coffee pot won’t work off the car battery but that’s ok – all part of the adventure!

Next stop the East Coast region of Newfoundland.

Marconi Trail and Louisbourg Area

Miners Museum: coal was big in Cape Breton in the 1800’s and the veins ran under the ocean. As the story goes, big business gets greedy, and buys up the mines then turns around and build housing for the miners which they rent back, have the only store in town which to buy groceries and clothing and even take a “tithing” from their paychecks for the church. In otherwards, they own the mines and the people who live there. We opted not to go down into the mine – it was the only sunny day we have had out of 12, so we did the museum inside and out.

Ingonish – lucky to get into a Provincial Park at the last minute. The area is pristine beauty with the water, waterfalls, green (should be it has been raining almost everyday!). Toured the Alexander Graham Bell museum which the focus was on aeronautics, very little about the telephone. I was itching for a hike so the group followed me on a 3.5-mile trek around Warren Lake. Nice hike except for the mosquitos loved Pam’s eyes. By end of hike, it was apparent that her eyes would be swollen shut before nightfall.

It is brother Will who has all the RV problems not us!

Pulled into last stop of trip, Inverness and disaster number 1 strikes. The landing legs (front legs of the RV) have failed and won’t come down all the way. Will and Ty take the gear all apart and discover the “worm screw”, whatever that is, is stripped.

We call it a day, have cocktails, and watch the most beautiful sunset of the entire trip!

Sad thing is this IS the last night, as we need to cut it short and head back to Sydney to see if we can get the landing gear fixed.

Guardian Angel

Sometimes things have a bright side and Ken was ours. We can’t unhook Wanda from the truck because of the landing gear won’t extend enough without failing and we need wood blocks to build it up. Ken, who was doing laundry with his wife – that is how I met him, listened to my woes and volunteered to take me to the lumber yard. And boy am I glad he did, not only because we would have had to haul Wanda but mainly Ken speaks lumber yard talked. Ken is a “long haul truck driver” , sweetest man you will ever meet, goes up to these gruff looking men and says “hey, you owe me $5.” These guys now look all confused, and Ken says “naw just messin’ with ya. eh?” Thank you Ken.

Did manage to secure a water pump which Ty installed. You Tube (gotta love that) shows this guy reaching into compartment, turning a few screws and replacing the pump. Easy peasy. Not so much for my guy. See pic. The pump is way in the back of garage, behind a panel and under a sink trap. Only 1 trip to hardware – that is a good thing.

Yarmouth is the farthest west on NS that we can go and it is on the 10 best cities to visit in Nova Scotia. The town itself is an old typical fishing town, dependent on the tourist not so much; as it appears the town is just happy to be a fishing village. In the hey day of the town fishing was a very lucrative business as evidenced by the numerous big Victorian homes.

Firefighters Museum of Yarmouth has a great collection of very old fire-fighting equipment, photos, and other memorabilia. But they would not let brother Will take one of the trucks out for a spin or slide down the brass fire-pole.

Cape Forchu is one of the more scenic lighthouses we have seen; offered some spectacular views of the harbor entrance. No one wanted to climb the 97 steps to climb to the top.

Buoys everywhere – some people make “art” out of those that have broken free and float aimlessly until they wash up on shore.

Bakeries – there are 2 in town. First one we went to had nothing but crumbs left, much to the bitter disappointment of brother Willy. However, the next day after a lunch in the park/graveyard (there was actually gravestones in the park) we sat out in front and enjoyed afternoon scones and ice coffee.

Ended our stay in Yarmouth thus (this is a quote from brother Wills blog)

The Gateway RV Park Massacre: On the way back, had to stop at a local lobster factory where the girls snagged 2 one-and-a-half pounders for dinner. An hour later, these crustatians were merrily boiling away on their way to lobster heaven. Now eating lobsters is a messy business. Lots of snapping, cracking, and bone-breaking involved as butter and claws fly around the campground. Ty and I opted to avoid this sad sight by eating leftovers in Kittie.

Lunenburg – one of the most photographed cities of Nova Scotia. When you see pics of NS, you are seeing Lunenburg. Famous for its picturesque vibrant painted houses hugging the craggy shore, fishing docks lining the harbor, the Bluenose Schooner, and scallops.

Then off to a real ship building facility that was building a dory, and a sloop of some kind. The building is still the original building of the many fleets build in the 1800’s. They had a project to build a boat of your own so I tried.

Before we leave town on Sunday, we go to church at St. Norbert in Lunenberg. Established in 1840, closed for 40 years due to lack of Catholics in the area then reopened in 1890’s. The building is plain, the worship was good – as visitors they handed us a pin as remembrance.

Peggy’s Cove – legend has it that a ship wrecked in St Margaret’s Bay and she was the only survivor. She could not remember her name, so they called her Peggy. The most photographed lighthouse in NS is here.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic – Halifax was the central point for the Titanic. Many ships were dispatched from Halifax to aid in the search and rescue. This museum had a good depiction of the rescue efforts made and some artifacts that were saved. When you think of the Titanic, you do not think of the tremendous rescue efforts and how it affects a city.

1917 Explosion! The most powerful explosion before the first atomic bomb. Two ships, Mont-Blanc and Imo, were in the “neck” of the harbor when they collided, setting fire to the Mont-Blanc which was carrying 2,500 pounds of explosives, then abandoned by crew. Because it was now a big fire it drew a large crowd to the piers and many people went to their windows to watch unaware of the explosive onboard the Mont-Blanc. Then the whole ship blew up obliterating the entire waterfront and much of the downtown. Sixteen thousands of people died, 9,00 were injured, 199 of the injured went blind from glass blowing into their eyes. The blast was heard as far away as Maine. Parts of the ship and dock were found up to 5 miles away. This exhibit was sobering.

Ride the Tidal Bore Ty talked for months before this epic trip that he had heard you could ride the Tidal Bore wave in zodiacs. He got his wish. The rains held off for four hours while me, Pam, and Ty (Will begged off) donned rain gear (not that it did any good at keeping us dry) and loaded into a zodiac in search of the “big one.” It was different than we expected; we were taken out to a large sandbar a little way from the mouth of the river. There we waited for the tide. When it starts to come in the wave was not as large as in Moncton due to the wideness of the neck of river where we were at. However, as the river rises the swiftness of it causes lots of big waves that our zodiac driver managed to hit everyone of them. We all had fun and can now say we “rode the wave.” Note the pic of all the orphaned shoes that people have abandoned.

Last night in Nova Scotia mainland and it was nice enough to have a fire. Had not had a fire in over 12 days!

July 1 we travel to Cape Breton for the last leg of trip with brother Will and Pam.

Loaded the rigs onto the Northumberland Ferry for a 75 minute ride to Nova Scotia northern coast. Back on the Fundy Bay.

Pictou (pic-toe)  Headed straight for the campground to cook up Freddy and Franky. Problem is there a pot big enough to cook these boys in? My electric fry pan can hold 2 and I can get about 2 inches of water in there and it has a tight fitting lid. Into the electric fry pan F&F went and we watched them wave their claws until done. Reminded me of the poem by Lewis Carroll:

Next is the Hector Heritage Quay Museum. The Hector was a sailing ship that brought the Scottish Highlanders (33 families) to Pictou in 1747. A most extraordinary journey that took 14 weeks to cross the ocean. When they arrived in the fall, they were totally unprepared for the conditions where they landed. When they booked the voyage (of course to escape persecution) they were promised that they would be fully provisioned once they arrived. All they would have to do is “set up shop”. Instead, there were no provisions, the land was densly forested, there was no food or established houses.  These hardy potato farmers, having no skills in house building, had to clear the land, build housing, and start to forage for food in a few short weeks before the arrival of winter. Amazing they survived.

Celebration bakery is the last stop for the day.

MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! After a wonderful breakfast made by brother Will of cinnamon buns waffles, eggs and sausage we headed out to 1^st stop Home Depot type store for Willy to get a gasket for leaking toilet 2^nd stop to knife store to get our knives and hair scissors sharpened. That out of the way we head to the Museum of Industry in Stellarton. It was all about the industrialization of Nova Scotia from the early use of water wheels for the variety of mills from grist, lumber, cotton pulling to steam engines. We were lucky to get a private tour of the Samson , the oldest surviving steam engine and another steam engine built in 1866 and was retired from service in 1987! A phrase which the docent said “these metal forgings were built for sustainability. To last a life time or more” this engine certainly did! The Samson, built around the same time was still working in the 1915’s. Coal mining was also a big industry in this area and much of this museum focus was on the industrialization of the coal mines.

Moving day and we head down the road to Annapolis-Royal; and the coastline just gets more and more picturesque. This is a good place to check out the tide effects. Remember we are in an area with the highest tide level changes in the world. Up to 40 feet and where we are is a good example of the tides.

Next morning greeted us with sunshine so we put on hiking boots and take a small hike to cliffs edge. I am sure you have seen memorials along the side of the road for loved ones, well, right at the cliff edge is a memorial for a lobster boat that went down in the cove. It was nice. We continue and spot a large waterfall, turn the corner and there is an eagle up in the tree. Good hike!

Back into Annapolis-Royal for Sunday church Saint Louis which is the oldest church in North America (original). It is a modest building both inside and out, reflecting the area and people; which I have not mentioned. Everyone we have met in NS are so down to earth, lovely gracious people. I see why the natives like it here so much.

Bear River Winery is owned by a young couple (by Ty and I standards) who knew nothing about winery, lived in Toronto and wanted something else. They bought this winery which when first started was a diary farm, then a winery. She being a pharmacist (probably the brains of the operation) and he being a sales guy turned laborer have made a very comfortable living for themselves. Wine is tasty.

Last day in Annapolis-Royal we decide to go to Kejimkujik Provincial Park. Hoping this is the last cool (52 degrees) and cloudy day, perfect for a hike in the woods. First to a rushing waterfall, then thru an old Hemlock Forest. Trees here are anywhere from 250-400 years old. A boardwalk was put down over the moss flooring to protect the hemlock seedlings. Made for a nice walk. Came across 2 kinds of moss that I have not seen before: shingles and lungwort.

Sometimes I am just not observant, mainly because I am focused on something more urgent – like I have to pee. So Pam and I are walking along and I have the urge, so I stop to take advantage of the solitude. As I am relieving I look around and what do I see? Outhouse – 10 feet in front of me!

The ”Rock” We arrive to PEI via a 8-mile long bridge, the longest continuous span in North America, connecting New Brunswick and PEI. Too bad it was so misty and we could not get a good view. Got to our campsite in Cornwall, a lovely spot right on Baer Cove, and located in the middle of the island. Once settled we soon found out that the island is sectioned into 5 parts: North Coastal, Green Gables Shore, Red Sands Shore, Charlottetown, Points East Coastal everything we want to see is either 70 miles West, East or North. Since we have already driven 140 we opt to drive another 30 and tour the town of Victoria; a very tiny town on the Northumberland Straits, a town to lazily spend the summer. Had the best seafood chowder ever

Next day we decide to grunt out 70 miles heading towards the East Coast only to abort 50-miles when we see a bakery and stop for nourishment. Since the weather is not all that great we head for PEI National Park, Greenwich. But it is still rainy and 40 degrees, not a good time to take a dune walk instead we go to the interpretive center which explains all the good things we are missing.

Learned all about how mussel seeds (baby mussel) are shoved into a sock (nylon meshing) and then strung out into mussel “fields” in the sea. Harvested after a year with an abundance of mature mussels.

Lunch at Clam Diggers for excellent fried clams (of course); then ride down to Charlottetown to go to the Cathedral St. Dunstan for Mass. What a church; very ornate and even had a statue of Mary pregnant! The most impressive was the voice of the woman who sang the songs but MORE impressive was the organist who played the organ that had all these enormous pipes. See video of his foot work. Be sure to have volume on.

Prince Edward Island got hit very hard by Fiona, which by the time it hit PEI the storm was now a cyclone. The eye of the cyclone was the whole width or length, however you want to say it, the entire island was engulfed by the storm. Over 10,000 trees just in the Provincial Parks were lost. Many of the places we want to go to are still closed due to the storm.

Enough of that head back to camp. Sun is out and we bask in the sun with some adult beverages, it was wonderful.

North Coastal

Last of the long day drives, we head to the North Coastal region. More beautiful beaches and lobster boats and mussels farms. We stop at the Ship Building Museum which is a misnomer as there was no ship building going on, or even demonstrations. Just a museum about all the ships built in PEI. The heyday of the building was in 1865 where 150 ships where built that year.

We stopped to talk with one of the boats, nice people Stacey, Brian, and Hunter and I ask how I can get a lobster. Brian jumps into the truck that his haul was in and pulls out 2 one pounders – $12 Canadian for 2! Boys went and had pizza for dinner, Pam and I feasted on the lobsters (I named them Freddy and Franky – good boys, eating that is).

Bid Adieu to Prince Edward Island, boarded the ferry Confederation, rigs and all, and head for Nova Scotia.

You can click on the square box of the video to make it full screen. Video is showing the boat maneuvering between buoys pulling into dock.

June 3-5  New Brunswick, Saint John

Alma: cute little town with a bakery, so screeching halt we pull over for cookies and coffee, but right across the street was Alma Boathouse eats for seafood chowder and lobster roll. Yummy.

Hopewell Rocks – Provincial Park. Is first up, after a 99-stair descent we jumped into a guided tour walk on the ocean floor. Tide was at its lowest point, but it sure was muddy, the rock formations all caused by water made for an interesting 2-mile slog. Then it is 101 steps back up to the top. By the way, when the tide returns it is 14 feet at its highest point, therefore in the pic the arch of the rock is completely underwater except for the trees! Fortunate for us it is somewhat sunny.

Rain is back and we all have RV cabin fever. Once again we piled into the truck and off to see scenery the Fundy Provincial Park. We have been on the road for 2 weeks now and the only animal we have seen have been roadkill. I keep hoping to see a Moose. Unfortunately for Ty, he pulled a hamstring muscle and cannot do any hiking which is too bad since we picked this area specially for him to get some hikes in. Enjoyed the short car tour, the SUN IS OUT and got to see the bay and islands. No bakery today, brewery instead.

Tidal Bore: a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of an incoming tide forms a standing wave of water that travels upstream, against the narrow bay. The Bay of Fundy has one of the highest tides in the world and sure glad we got to see it! As you can see from the video, it is really coming in. Tide will eventually rise 14 feet at this area.

Can’t be squeamish living in an RV. Found this Jumping Spider in our shower this morning. Ty knows by my tone of voice what’s up. I said “Hey Ty, come here want to show you something.” He showed up with the fly swatter!

3 Graduates in one year!

Big event is to witness our grandkids graduate from High School. Tessa and Avery were one of over 500 in the graduating class, and it brought a tear to my eyes watching them receive their diplomas! Where or where has the time gone? Kudos to Amy and Scott for raising such wonderful children, and for taking on Olivia to help her out during what must be a challenging time to also graduate.

And we left Chet with Amy until we are done with Canada.

Just wouldn’t be fair to him to ride around so much in the car, and he can’t go into museums or into restaurants. He wouldn’t have much fun.

Real truth – as a puppy he is just a pain in the rear for such a trip. And besides, he will have a ball at Amy’s playing with Amy and the kids. At least that is what I keep telling myself. See you in August bab!

We Sat Around Too Long

We left the Ouellette’s in Charleston in April, but just could not get the hang of being on the road again. It felt like we have never hooked up or parked Wanda before. To make matters worse, the hitch spring is broke causing a tilt which requires me to hold it up while Ty backs it up. This procedure works but is a little tricky as I must stand on tippy toes to reach inside the hitch while Ty backs up truck…am afraid he is going to run over my feet. But replacement spring is being brought up by brother Will.

Holding Pattern

Before meeting up with brother we stayed at Peaceful Valley Camp Resort, set in the Catskills mountains and it was a very wide valley with a river running alongside. Campground was probably more than a mile long as it stretched down the river. First impression as we were setting up a M80 went off, reverberating down the valley – not so peaceful. But turned out ok as there were lots of families and friends gathered, playing games, setting off firecrackers and just enjoyed the holiday weekend with a parade of 4 wheelers. We liked this place.

Schodack Island State Park

Now we have been in a lot a state parks, and this one lives up to the expectation that they are indeed great places to stay. However, the firepit was like looking down into an endless crevasse. Any fire in there would be lost! Will has the brain fart that lets just put the wood on top of the grate. And that is what we did; turned out to be a wonderful fire.

Not Schodack fault however, there must be a million (not exaggerating) Cottonwood trees and right now they are all blooming. The park is covered in a gazillion tiny fluff balls that get into everything. Looks like snow on the ground.

Don Pedro Island, around the Edgewater area is where Jerry and Michele LeAnderson winter. What I enjoyed most is Ty brings me coffee in bed every morning (I am not a chatty person in the morn) and I had the extreme pleasure to watch the most beautiful sunrises from the comfort of bed with coffee in hand!

A very nice, relaxing 3-day visit: bike riding, reading, walking the beach, and doing a jig saw puzzle. Thanks J&M for letting us stay with you.

Melbourne – now this is not exactly on our way back to Wanda, but Leslie and Tom Welbourne were in from Michigan and invited us over for the Easter weekend. Again, another nice couple of days with this best of friends. Went to Easter Sunday sunrise service on the beach. Must have been over a 1000 people in attendance.

After retrieving Wanda, we then headed to Aiken, South Carolina (one overnight at Cracker Barrel) to see Will and Pam`s new home. It is a beaut! Much what is expected of a southern house, big and white. Chet loved it too – maybe too much.

We were very surprised at what a lovely quaint town Aiken, SC. Lots of hiking for Ty and Chet, horse farms, polo (which were just about to start), old historical sites and beautiful Angel Oak Trees which line the streets. Also, got to see a cousin of mine, Jerry and Ann (wife) Kohls which was a plus– but darn it, forgot to get a picture.

Interesting fact: Stumphouse arrived at its’ name because this is a town where crossroads would intersect and politicians from the local area would come here to give speeches which was known as Stumpin’ because they would stand on a stump to be above the crowd. Hence Stump Speeches.

Charleston is the next spot and that turned out to be a lot of fun with family –nephew Dennis, his mother Marianne who is also the ex of my brother Dennis, wife Alison. Briefly saw Ian, son of Den and Ali, but just briefly. What we envisioned to be a one-night stand turned out to be a 3 day dinner affair. Lots of catching up to do as we haven’t seen this Ouellette clan in a long time, and know what? It is nice to see them NOT at a funeral. Highly recommend visiting love ones when it is easy to laugh and catch up.

Charleston is an easy town, full of rich history both Revolutionary and Civil War abound. We touristed the Rainbow section (ahead of it’s time as so named for the colorful house paint not sexual orientation), Battery Park, Fort Sumter was originally occupied by the North, captured by the South but bombarded by the Union for the entire war. It was a prime real estate right on the Charleston River and much needed by the South for shipping supplies to Southern Armies. And then there are the plantations.

Took a tour: History of the Enslaved at Magnolia Plantation. Still remains today (restored of course) was a cabin that housed up to 13+ people. The takeaway was how horrible it was for the slaves as the US policy was to have chattel slavery: one person had totaled ownership of another. Life on these plantations which were swampy and not cotton but rice was the main crop, was brutal and short lived: 7 years if you worked in the house, 5 years if you worked in the fields. The plantation owners not only bought slaves, but made it a practice to have as a “crop” as many babies as possible to raise into slavery.

By far the most interesting for us was the Angel Oak tree that is well over 400 years old. It is a variation of a Live Oak (don’t know why it is called Angel) with the branches that reach out forever, touching the ground then reaching skyward again. The branches are hollow, which allows them to be supported by the trunk until the foliage area where it becomes solid again.

Myrtle Beach was the last stop of April. Now we have always heard of Myrtle Beach and it lives up to it’s reputation as a tourist tee shirt – pancake breakfast – drink and eat town. You can tell it is an old town by the outdated style of decorations and main attraction is a Ferris Wheel. We walked the famous boardwalk, had a drink on Pier 14 and enjoyed a windy but warm day. We are here for the week, so will continue to explore MB.

Celebrated St. Patty’s Day is style – started with pot luck lunch, then a RV camp “pub crawl” with ten stops – each with a specialty drink in the Irish fashion. For EVERYONES safety no cars, golf carts or bicycles were allowed for getting from pub to pub. Must walk or take the park provided shuttle (which also makes potty stops at the restrooms). That lasted most of the day, then everyone went home to take naps and we were back at it for music, provided by Kickstart, and lots of dancing late into the night.

Good Deeds: neighbor of ours here at Blueway, is an Ian survivor but lost everything. She managed to secure a salvaged trailer that was in fair shape and Kit has been helping with some repairs to make it more livable. The awning was not salvageable as it was torn to shreds and down here you really need an awning. I called Lippert, which is a manufacturer and supplier for RV parts, and asked if they would donate an awning. Sure enough, 3 weeks later a brand new awning was delivered. All we had to do was install it. Kit and Ty poured over the You Tube videos and decided it was more than they could handle, so calls went out to RV Repair guys in the area. We got 4 estimates ranging from $400-600 for install. Was talking to Moss (Chet’s girlfriend Mystee owner) about the situation and the next day 3 guys from campground came down to install the awning. Took them 1 hour and 2 minutes from start to finish! They call it family here and they are and they look out for and take care of. That’s why we like it here.

Our hearts were saddened by the sudden passing of Ty’s sister’s (Renee) son, Steve. There are just no words to describe how hard it is on the entire family when someone dies.

I have a great memory of Steve holding Chet so tenderly when we went to Canada to bring him into our family.

May you find the peace you are looking for Steve.

Mcguigan’s departed Florida on March 24 but not before a lot of good times together were had. Best of all was introducing Kit to John – both musicians. We were graced by their singing and we non musicians played along with bells, triangles, tambourines and some kind of washboard instrument that Cheryl mastered. We all sang off key except for Kit (of course). And we also said good-byes to Bill and Cheryl – we will all meet up again next January 2024!

Be sure to turn on your sound for the video

Chet was neutered the day Tyrus arrived and the next day we tried to keep Chet down but he was so excited to see Tyrus that he followed him everywhere. Finally, had to send the boys canoeing so Chet could rest.

Last night of March was a farewell party for what people are still left hanging around. Most RVers leave on April 1 for the Great Migration North. We leave April 4^th.

Blueway RV has a lot of activities that we took part in: Valentines Dinner and Dance, Talent contest (we only watched), and a themed pool party on Wednesdays. Also had a craft sale where I finally sold most of my jewelry.

A first for me, I groomed Chet – only took me 2 days! Clippers and scissors and Ty holding him!

We are trying to let him be by himself for short periods of time, but that isn’t going so well – he is a barker. Have tried everything; make it dark and quiet, dark with TV on, light with TV on or off. Treats hid everywhere. Got a camera to watch him while he was in cage and he went nuts. Now no cage so instead he just barks by the dog constantly. Left him alone for 2 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, 20 seconds – does not matter. Frustrating for us. He is in puppy school and is very smart and has learned to sit and stay, shake, a little retrieve and no barking when people walk by and we are around – progress.