ON THE ROAD AGAIN. ... TRAVELS NORTH -New England and Canada

During the next month I will be traveling up north by car - through New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Mass., Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I will be posting my travelog and photo links here.

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Day 16, September 15, PEI National Park and Music

Today was the highlight along with Charlottetown. We drove out to Northside of PEI, Anne of Green Gables land to spend the day inside PEI National Park. A narrow piece of magnificent land along the shore. White beaches, red cliffs, green vegetation, flowering yellow flowers and dunes for miles and miles and miles. No traffic, light visitation and all this "eye candy" combined with the fresh smell of the sea and a light breeze and low 70's. On top of that we discovered the historic Dalway By the Sea Inn within the park. Once the summer home of the MacDonlad's it is delight for the eye and imagination along with a fine dining room with a great view. We also visited in the Brackley Beach area the Dunes Shops - great selection of arts and crafts.

Tonight I celebrated a Celidah at the Charlottetown Benevolent Irish Society Hall. A great group of brothers/cousins minus the piano player. Sitting in for the piano player was a young woman who had just come off touring with the Celtic Ladies. Great music and great voices..

Day 15, September 15, Prince Edward Island, Eastern Route

Spent the day exploring along the southeastern coastal route from Charlottetown. Traffic was light, which makes traveling outside the peak period such a pleasure throughout the Maritime Provinces. Just as the aerial photos show PEI is land covered by a rich green patchwork of farms (potatoes, hay etc.) and ranching (cattle, cows). Small villages and harbours dot all along the coast and support the fishing fleets and mussel acquaculure. Everywhere there are locals out walking. Campgrounds, cabins, B&Bs are found everywhere. Folks everywhere are friendly and helpful.

Returned in time to attend a Celidah at the Performing Arts Center in downtown Charlottetown next to the legislative building. It was an excellent evening of music and dancing.

Charlottetown

Charlottetown including legislative bldg and Lt. Gov. residence.













Day 14, September 13, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island























Left Shediac around 11 am after a visit to Howard the Lobster, the largest lobster in the world (bronze). Pleasant drive along the Acadian coast brought us to the dramatic Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. Once on PEI it was a pastoral ride through rolling hills of farmland to the beautiful capital town of Charlottestown.

Charlottetown is a charming, preserved historic town on the water. It central core is an approximately 1 mile square downtown that has been preserved with old townhomes, mansions and buildings dating back more than a 100 years. Reminds me of a very small version of Victoria, BC. With restaurants, pubs, Cows (ice cream), Inns, some hotels, town squares, and the provincial legislative building it quickly captures ones eye, mind and heart.

We have once again found a great 4.5 star B&B, The Snapdragon Inn, on a residential street only blocks from the capital with great host. They are like our host two nights ago, they left the computer industry to become Inn keepers. There B&B is elegant but simple with a beautiful flower garden in the back. Dinner tonight was at least another four star seafood dinner.

LIFE IS ROUGH IN RETIREMENT, but I feel I am up to the challenge. Tomorrow we begin exploring the eastern shore of PEI.





Day 11-14, September 9-13, New Brunswick

Just a quick update. I will write more later. I find often that after a vacation one needs a few days at home to recover before going back to work, or in my case, more vacation. A friend asked what the difference between being retired and on vacation. I answered, "On vacation you leave home". I might add and over due it while enjoying the exploration.

We are in the charming town of Shediac, NB (9/12-13). They bill themselves as the lobster capital of the world and its lobster season. Had an excellent seafood casserole last night at Gabrielle's while overlooking the Bay and watching the sunset and the sky turn pink over the Gaspe Peninsula. This morning had a fantastic breakfast at our B&B, Maison Vienneau. Our host's are quite charming, and this is definetely another four star Canada Select establishment. Marie is also a fanstastic cook. Pancakes with ricotti cheese, mushroom potatoes (slight of knife), home made jams. Her equallly outgoing husband who helps out in the morning retired as the local fire chief and continues his 30 year plus career in audio/video production for the nearby University of Moncton. Our breakfast guest included a couple from Kent, England and their cousins from Montreal. They had just attended her daughters wedding in Halifax, NS. We had such a nice time discussing travel, retirement and laughing and smiling. And what a scrumptuous breakfast of fresh fruits, ricotta pancakes and more.

The first days in central and northern NB were overcast, driving through farmland and forest before reaching the coast at Bathhurst. Then on Tuesdayy, 9/12, it was a drive down along the coast to Shediac. Beautiful churches throughout the region with tall, insipring towers. Farms, fishing dominate the area. II will try to post some photos tonite.

But over and over again our Canadian host at the B&Bs, the guest, and locals have been so nice and interesting and probably would not have voted for our current administration.

This area is different than the Bay of Fundy region of NB, being far less dramatic. But there have some charming villages, beautiful coast, blue skies and great clouds the last two days.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 9/12 (and Monday nite), was spent in Caraquet visiting the Village Historic Acadian. A recreation of 300 years of Acadian life and history, very well done. Living history, plenty of farm aniamls to speak to also. They have brought farm, residential and commerical buildings from around New Brunswick to recreate the historic village. I spent four hours just walking around, talking and learning from the first person role playing staff and taking photographs.

We should reach and enter Prince Edward Island (PEI) this afternoon. It is so nice to travel after the tourist season, trafiic is light.





Day 6-10, September 5-9, Massachusetts to New Brunswick



Well after a pleasant visit and lunch in Exeter, RI I headed up to Marshfield, MA and the beach town of Ocean Bluff and Fieldston where I enjoyed the small New England towns, good friends and food, talk and laughter, old Inns and Taverns to partake in. The area is going through alot of growth, not for the good, unless you sell gasoline for the creeping trafficThe little villages and architecture are still quite charming, I found a wonderful nature preserve in Duxbury township to explore and photograph and got up to Boston via high speed ferry to have lunch with a group of former NPS colleagues/friends. Weather was mostly in the 70's, some sun, clouds, a little drizzle.

Saturday set off with a friend for New Brunswick. We made it up to Woodstock, New Brunswick, then down along the St. John's River to Fredericton, NB. Fredericton is the provincial capital and a lovely small town/city on the St. John River. We found a five star bed and breakfast with very interesting and friendly hosts and were directed to an outstanding restaurant called Brewbakers.

Saturday was mostly cloudy and not a good photography or viewing day. Temperatures were up in the 70's. But the northern portions of Maine with it rolling miles and miles and miles of forest and the beautiful St. John River were still pleasant. Falls evidence is showing little by little everywhere up here, while in the States most are just recovering from summer, labor day weekend and the kids going back to school.

We are heading north to Bathurst and the French Acadian reqion of New Brunswick where temperatures should only be in the 50's.




Day 3-5, September 2-4, Rhode Island

Though the weather for the first two days was overcast, windy, some drizzle and on the third day a mixture of sun and clouds, light cool breeze and no rain it has been a wonderful time here in Rhode Island. A time to reconnect and talk, play and laugh late into the evening with colleagues/friends (NPS at URI), old friends, new friends, nieces, dogs, chickens, goats and cats and lobster boats, along with great food with fresh locally grown or caught vegetables, goat cheese and fish. We got into one evening naming all the old TV series going back to the 50's - from I Led Three Lives, Highway Patrol, Sky King, Roy Rodgers, Flipper, Barney Miller etc. Some great old programs that need to return to cables TVLAND. And this from a group of basically heavy readers (yes I know it rhyms with breathers).

Labor Day was the annual Stamp Family lobster bake at the Stamp Family Farm in Exeter. The Stamps I think are into the fourth generation farming in Rhode Island. Lots of children or more properly stated "grandchildren", kids friends, adults, great food and just relaxing and gabbing.

Well of to Ocean Bluff, MA south of Boston on Tuesday for a few days before leaving for maritime Canada. Hope you had a nice Labor Day Weekend also.




Day 2, Friday, September 1, Connecticut



Today another overcast, 70s temperatures, pleasant day. Traveled up
Connecticut's Rt. 7 from Danbury to West Cornwell, then over to West Hartford where I am spending the night.

Rt. 7 parallels the Housatanic River and is beautiful green drive with small foothills (eastern term would be Mtns) on the westside, lots of little villages, farms, homes, Inns, parks etc. It's nice to be out of the southern pine region and in the northern hardwoods. A few trees were even begining to change color.
Been to several diners so far and each has been very good, huge menu, freshly and well prepared food and pleasant staff. Matter of fact even the toll takers in NJ, NY and CT have been pleasant and have appreciated being wished a Happy Labor Day weekend.

CT villages fit the typical New England stereotype, village green, town hall, library, Dunkin Donut store, white steepled church, cemetary, antique stores, Inns, little cafes and restaurants and other mixture of stores. Everyone seems to know each other. You know like the town Bob Newhart's Inn was in, just didn't see Larry and my other bother Larry and Larry. But everyone else was present.

Had the pleasure to visit West Cornwell, CT and the parents of a former NPS colleague of mind from URI. We had an enjoyable and vigorous discussion (no argument, since we all had the same viewpoint - the correct one...) on politics, the current administration. Her stepfather is a former professional dancer and manager with the NY City Ballet, and mom a former teacher and children's author - we hit it off immediately. There delightful dog Barney must work for the Dept of Homeland Security because he sniffed all around the undercarriage of my Subaru very thoroughly - I think it whatever scents I picked up alongside Rt. 7 while stopped to photograph a farm.

A CT phenomena are Subaru's everywhere. This morning when I came out of the supermarket with ice for my cooler I saw 3 green Subaru SW, in three parallel rows, plus others throughout the lot. At first I wasn't sure which green one was mine.


Only traveled about 95 miles today in 10 hours. Seems at times I was stopping every 100 yards to take in the view and photograph. My type of pace when on vacation.












Day 1, August 31, Thursday, VA-MD-DE-NJ-NY-CT

CAPE MAY FERRY I-95N New Jersey

Hudson River from Palisades Interstate Park, NJHudson River from Peekskill, NY

Got on the road half pass midnight for rendezvous with the Cape May - Lewes Ferry. It had starting raining yesterday with terrible humidity and pretty much stayed that way through VA, MD., and some of DE. The trip up the Garden State Parkway from Cape May was overcast, but light traffic and pleasant and scenic as always. The trip section on I-95 from Elizabeth to Fort Lee, NJ was the yang for the previous ying - terrible. The Palisades Parkway was moderate traffic, overcast with some sun and wonderful views of Hudson all the way up to Peekskill, NY. Great views of the upper Hudson at the crossing. But then alot of stop and go all the way to Danbury, CT 5 pm. About 490 miles, not to bad, alot farther than I expected. But hopefully I have missed the Labor Day weekend traffic.