# 22  

.  .  .  and beyond  

The Beach

It was the August holiday Monday.  P and R and their 3 boys, were heading off to the beach for the day and invited us to tag along.  Oh yeah, I forgot to bring a swim suit even though our hotel had an indoor pool!  Go figure.   Shorts and a top were fine cuz the ocean was really too cold for me anyway.

We packed up a cooler for lunch, checked out of the hotel and headed off to Sandy Beach.  They weren't kidding.  The sand was red, of course, and hot under foot, and seemed to stretch out for miles.  I'm not much for sun, so I was enthroned on a lawn chair with an umbrella and really enjoyed the day at the beach. The three boys found baby crabs and made a crab nursery out of a hole in the sand.  Buckets in hand, they ran relay trying to put water into the pit, but to no avail.  It dispersed into the sand as soon as they poured it in.

Over the course of the afternoon, the tide went out.  Little sand bar islands appeared as if by magic, and by the time we left for Fredericton, our beach area had increased about 15 fold. It's the first time I can remember seeing that effect work so drastically.  Cool!

# 21

  .  .  .  and beyond  

P.E.I.

Sunday morning we headed off to the bridge to Prince Edward Island.  What a sight!  This bridge is over 13 km long.  It seemed to go on for ever.  It's a free trip on the eastbound side, then you pay when you come back to the mainland.  It was almost $50, but it was quite the trip.

Once on P.E.I. we decided on the furthest coast, heading off to see the Atlantic.  All that we had heard about the red soil was true.  It was incredible!  All I could think of was that silly song about  "Bud the Spud from the Bright Red Mud"


While we stopped at an outlook to check our GPS and see where to head next, local cyclists arrived and told us about an incredible lobster supper held in New Glasgow.  It couldn't get much fresher than on the east coast, so we thanked them and started out to find our dinner destination.

We found the location and got into the lineup.  They opened the doors at 4:30 and we started to file in.  You could choose just appetizers and desserts for $20 or add a lobster for $35.  Either way it was all you could eat clam chowder, mussels and desserts, but only one lobster. (as if you needed more, lol)




     


When we first arrived, there were about 20 people and within a half hour the place was sold out.  They were parking where ever they could find a spot, even on the lawns. The food was really good, but when they ask if you want lobster hot or cold, I suggest cold.  Much easier to eat and much tastier too.

# 20  

  .  .  .  and beyond  


Halifax

Mike's family moved to Canada when he was just 5 years old.  He can remember some of the experience, but not a lot, so we decided to visit Pier 21 in Halifax.  The drive from Moncton to Halifax was just over 2 1/2 hours and getting to the pier went well.  It was Saturday and traffic was a bit heavy at times, but not horrific, and even better, we found parking right in front. Lucky!  Mike was looking forward to seeing some of the sights that he remembered.

The building was the ocean liner terminal and clearing house for over a million immigrants coming here from 1928 to 1971.  It now houses the Canadian Museum of Immigration, part of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design as well as various retail and studio tenants.  This was a MAJOR tourist attraction with interactive areas, helpful staff, period displays and booths full of souvenirs and trinkets to buy.  Yes, we both bought fleece sweaters with Nova Scotia embroidered on the front.

We spent the better part of the day examining the displays, watching a short movie and examining the recreations that had been done.  They had set up a cabin as it would have been for a family of immigrants crossing the Atlantic.  They had period dishes all set up on a dining table for the first class passengers, and then another one for the steerage folk.  They had even set up a train car as it would have been in the early years.



Mike found a wall of photos of the ships that had made all the voyages.  He had come over on the Queen Frederica.  We also found a picture of the Montrose, the ship that had brought over my mother and her family when she was just 6 months old.




The one big disappointment was that everything had changed so much that Mike didn't really recognize much..  He had hoped to see the actual pier, but the Queen Elizabeth II was docked that day and we couldn't even get near that part of the complex.  Oh well, it was still a pretty amazing day.

# 19

   .  .  .  and beyond

Moncton

Because it was late when we arrived at our Moncton hotel, we decided to go next door to McDs for poutine and a burger.  I think it had been about 12 years since I've eaten there, but it made sense rather than having to wait for something to be cooked at the restaurant recommended by the hotel night staff.  It had been a very long day so we were both ready to get to bed right after dinner.

The next morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast.  Scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, coffee, fresh fruit, the works, and it was included in our hotel fee.  We figured if we could fuel the body well, we'd be good for plenty of walking and sight seeing.  We were spending the day in Moncton and there were places to see and shopping to do and plans to make for the rest of our stay.

What a beautiful city.  The people were helpful and polite.  The architecture was interesting. The streets were clean but . . .  lumpy and bumpy.  I thought that Kingston had pretty bad roads, but it has nothing on Moncton.  Most of the roads were wavy.  Not just a little, but a LOT.  Maybe it had something to do with the type of soil under the roads, or something, but it felt like you were on a rough ocean, not on dry land.

# 18

   .  .  .   and beyond

Driving

With a tank full of gas, two packed suitcases and high hopes, we headed off eastbound on the 401 at about 7 in the morning.  There were a couple of stops for coffee (and the resultant restroom breaks) along the way.  Lunch was a quick snack and back on the road again.  We had to stop for gas as well, but it seems that the Beamer is better on gas than the Pathfinder.  Quite a bit better actually.  The Pathfinder gets about 12 litres to 100 kms on long trips whereas the Beamer was using 9 litres per 100 kms.  We must admit though, that the BMW has to have premium gas, but the ride is worth it!

Years ago I fell down a flight of stairs on my tailbone.  It has never been right since and sitting for any length of time is very painful.  I have researched and found some specialized cushions for when I have to sit for a while.  There's one on my seat on the couch and each car I drive has one.  Doing several hours in the BMW was a breeze.  There was no pain and when it was time to get out, I could do so without any struggle.  What a relief.  Love that car for being very pretty and super comfortable.

                                                  Along our route in New Brunswick.


Late afternoon and we had traveled through Ontario and Quebec and were almost at the bottom of New Brunswick.  Traffic was temperate because it was Thursday.  Good plan on our part.  Mike's cousin  and her family live in Fredericton so we planned a quick stop there to drop off some items that her mom had given us to bring.  It made for a nice break in the last leg of our journey and we finally arrived at our hotel in Moncton around 8:30.  A full day of driving and we were met with a hotel upgrade.   They put us in a whirlpool room.   NICE!

# 17

  .  .  .  and beyond

East

My brother and his wife just recently bought a small travel trailer.  They already have a HUGE fifth wheel trailer with slide out rooms etc, but this little one was for weekend jaunts. I was thinking about asking them if we could borrow it, or rent it, for our trip to the east coast.  Now keep in mind that my idea of "camping"  or "roughing it"  is a 4 star hotel with room service, so to actually stay in a tiny little trailer . . .  for a week  . . . What if ?

Mike soon talked me out of it.  Our Nissan Pathfinder would be able to tow a small light weight item like the trailer, but he wanted to take the BMW.  Okay, the comfort in the BMW is about 200 percent better than any other car we've ever owned, so yes, we would take the beamer to the coast.

This is the beamer.  It's not new, being a 2008,but when we bought it, at 4 years old, it still looked and even smelled like a new car.
This little machine is only on the road from April till October so when we take summer trips, it really should be the one we use. Otherwise, when do we get to enjoy it?





It looks and feels so much better with the roof down.  One big problem
though, if you're buzzing down the highway at 100 kph or so. *grin*
Hair whipping around your face isn't fun.  It actually hurts!  I really
should try to remember to bring a scarf or something in the future.
Highway driving is under the roof or done at 80 kph, (just kidding)

                                                                 

Surprisingly enough, even when the roof was folded into the trunk there was still enough room for two suitcases.  We were only going for a week, and it was summer after all, so shorts and tops, sandles and runners, maybe a jacket.  There was room in the back seat if we needed to use it, and a cooler of iced tea and some snacks for the road was a certainty.  

# 16
 .  .  .   and beyond    

"Denied"

It was almost 4 months before there was a registered letter announcement left on our door.  Our claim was denied.  It was a form letter with a signature stamp.  Gotta love how that works.  They destroy your property and act as if they have done nothing wrong. You are treated like nothing more than a minor annoyance. This has really tainted our view of travelling through the states.  If it can be avoided, it will be from now on.  I mean really ~

This was when we finalized our plans to take a trip down east using Canadian roads, That meant no flights, no delays, no stopover, no airport check points, just driving through our home land.  Mike has been to the east a couple of times with my cousin, a truck driver, so it was nothing new to him.  I had not yet been to the east coast, so for me it was exciting and we have a cousin in Fredericton, so that was another nice incentive.  We decided to stay a few nights in Moncton and, using that as a base camp, we'd do day trips to Nova Scotia, to P.E.I.,   .  .  .  it would be great fun.

Mike moved to Canada when he was just 5 years old, so it meant something to him to make that pilgrimage to where he first entered this country.  Pier 21 at Halifax was on our list of Must Do's along with a couple of other well known points of interest. Cabot Trail, Bay of Fundy, bridge to P.E.I., Pierce Rock.  We would be going at the end of July, first week of August, so hopefully into good weather and fine seafood dining.