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What we're doing...
Sunday, 9/3/2023 – Our last post told you all about our itinerary changes as we were about to head off on our scheduled ferry trip back to Nova Scotia. We arrived at the terminal about 1pm, boarded about 4pm, and sailed at 5pm. We were lucky enough to have an outside cabin with beds and a bathroom so we traveled comfortably. After a shower and some dinner, we settled in for the overnight trip. The seas were a bit rough but not as rough as we expected considering the high winds we had been having. We arrived in North Sydney at 9am and were on the road by 9:15, and then, being as early at it was, spent a couple of hours at Walmart before arriving at our campground in Baddeck just after noon. Finally, a sunny day, we relaxed and enjoyed a happy hour outside on our site.
On our first day at the campground, we visited the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site which contains the largest repository of artifacts and documents from Bell's years of experimental work in Baddeck. We finished this lovely day with a nice meal sitting outside on a dock along the banks of Bras d’or Lake followed by ice creams.
On our next day we began a two-day trip by car up and around the Cabot Trail, a scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is a 186-mile loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We began with a nice breakfast overlooking the ocean followed by a stop at the visitor center. We then spent the day taking a couple of hikes including a beautiful 4-mile hike called Middle Head that followed a long, narrow peninsula separating two ocean bays and ending on headland cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. After checking into our hotel, we grabbed a bite to eat but weren’t ready to call it a night yet so we headed back out. We took a drive and stopped at several gorgeous overlooks along the shoreline and took a ride into the fishing village of White Point, located on the northeastern tip of the island. We arrived back at the hotel just as it was getting dark.
The following day we completed the loop around the Cabot trail that consisted of winding and hilly roads. We made many stops for short hikes and great overlooks of the shoreline as well as a stops to view the picturesque Beulach Ban Falls. We arrived back at our campground where the motor home was waiting by dinnertime.
On our next day we hit the road once again and arrived at a campground in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia for a three-night stay. Since our first day was a wash out, we stayed put except to do some laundry and head out for some dinner but our next day turned out to be lovely so we spent the day visiting the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. The Citadel was an active military installation for over two hundred years and displayed how life was for British troops who lived there in the year 1869. Included were historic exhibits displaying the role of the Canadian military from the time British ruled until the present.
On our first day at the campground, we visited the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site which contains the largest repository of artifacts and documents from Bell's years of experimental work in Baddeck. We finished this lovely day with a nice meal sitting outside on a dock along the banks of Bras d’or Lake followed by ice creams.
On our next day we began a two-day trip by car up and around the Cabot Trail, a scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is a 186-mile loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We began with a nice breakfast overlooking the ocean followed by a stop at the visitor center. We then spent the day taking a couple of hikes including a beautiful 4-mile hike called Middle Head that followed a long, narrow peninsula separating two ocean bays and ending on headland cliffs overlooking the Atlantic. After checking into our hotel, we grabbed a bite to eat but weren’t ready to call it a night yet so we headed back out. We took a drive and stopped at several gorgeous overlooks along the shoreline and took a ride into the fishing village of White Point, located on the northeastern tip of the island. We arrived back at the hotel just as it was getting dark.
The following day we completed the loop around the Cabot trail that consisted of winding and hilly roads. We made many stops for short hikes and great overlooks of the shoreline as well as a stops to view the picturesque Beulach Ban Falls. We arrived back at our campground where the motor home was waiting by dinnertime.
On our next day we hit the road once again and arrived at a campground in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia for a three-night stay. Since our first day was a wash out, we stayed put except to do some laundry and head out for some dinner but our next day turned out to be lovely so we spent the day visiting the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. The Citadel was an active military installation for over two hundred years and displayed how life was for British troops who lived there in the year 1869. Included were historic exhibits displaying the role of the Canadian military from the time British ruled until the present.
Following Shubenacadie we headed south to Lunenburg for a two day stop. We headed out on our first day there for a walk around the town. That turned out to be a great idea since it was a Sunday and there was a lively crowd as well as some live music. We walked along the docks and even climbed aboard the Bluenose II, a replica of the fishing and racing schooner Bluenose, commissioned and built in 1963 as a promotional yacht for Oland Brewery. We then enjoyed an incredible dinner at a restaurant on a balcony overlooking the harbor as the sun was beginning to set and the music still playing. This will be remembered as one of the best meals of our entire trip. The following day we returned to the village for a visit to the Fisheries Museum where we learned about the fishing heritage of the Atlantic coast of Canada.
At this point it was time to begin our trek back towards home with our first stop in Debert, Nova Scotia near the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy. While there we made a stop at Burntcoat Head Park, site of the world’s highest tide. We visited during low tide however so that we could walk along the floor of the ocean beside some beautiful rock formations that would be underwater during high tide. A few hours later we stopped at the Fundy Discovery Site where we witnessed an impressive tidal bore which is a tumbling wavefront which moves upstream in a river, announcing the arrival of an incoming tide.
At this point it was time to begin our trek back towards home with our first stop in Debert, Nova Scotia near the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy. While there we made a stop at Burntcoat Head Park, site of the world’s highest tide. We visited during low tide however so that we could walk along the floor of the ocean beside some beautiful rock formations that would be underwater during high tide. A few hours later we stopped at the Fundy Discovery Site where we witnessed an impressive tidal bore which is a tumbling wavefront which moves upstream in a river, announcing the arrival of an incoming tide.
Next it was time to revisit the home of our friends Frank and Sandra in Coverdale, New Brunswick. You may remember that we stopped there on our way into New Brunswick at the end of June but missed seeing Frank due to an unexpected medical issue. It was great to finally spend some time with him and great to see Sandra again. They were wonderful hosts and we were treated not only to their company but also to our best lobster dinner of the trip.
After saying goodbye to Frank & Sandra we headed off to our final campground in Canada, located in Hawkshaw, New Brunswick. We only stayed one night but we took a trip on our first day to visit the Hartland Covered Bridge, the world's longest covered bridge, at 1,282 feet long that crosses the Saint John River.
On Sunday, August 27th we were excited to finally return to the United States after crossing in Houlton, Maine. Unfortunately, that excitement turned to disappointment when our right rear inside tire blew out on us after less than an hour. We were in a remote area of Maine when the blow out occurred and we were on the interstate but we were able to get into the breakdown lane where we spent the next eight hours. Several of those hours were spent waiting on Good Sam to find someone to either tow us or make the tire repair. We finally got the help we needed from a State Trooper who gave us a couple of numbers to call. Finally, at about 5pm we were back on the road again with two new tires. Turns out if you blow a rear tire, both tires need to have comparable tread wear and if they are not, both need to be replaced.
Since we were not going to make it to our campground in Old Orchard Beach that night we found a campground near Bangor, Maine. It turned out that this campground was only seven miles from the tire company that repaired our tires the day before so we returned to them on Monday morning and had them replace the other two rear tires so that they would all be the same. After that, we were finally back on our way to Old Orchard Beach.
We only stayed one night at Old Orchard Beach instead of our planned two nights but we enjoyed the day we did have. We had lovely weather, walked from the campsite to the beach, strolled through the town and along the beach and enjoyed a quick lunch of fried clams and scallops. After a brief return to the campground, we walked back to the beach for a dinner out on the pier. This was a short but lovely way to enjoy our return to the states.
On Tuesday we returned to Camp Sawash, the home of my sister and her family where we are today. Here we’ve had a chance to relax and prepare for the final home stretch. Beginning tomorrow we’ll take eleven days and stay at eight campgrounds to cover the 2,300 miles along the route we selected to return to our Texas home. Most of the stops will be one-night overnighters but we will be stopping at a couple of campgrounds for two nights in order to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum near Louisville, Kentucky and do some sightseeing at Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area in western Kentucky. Our scheduled arrival date back in the Rio Grand Valley is September 14th.
Every year we look forward to hitting the road and every year we continue to love our life on the road but every year we also look forward to getting back home. It’s no different this year. It’s time to get back and settle in for the winter but while we’re there, we’ll also start planning for next year.
We’ll post an update once we’ve settled in at home. We’ll also be posting a new photo album as soon as possible. I’m hoping that will be in the next few days. Take care everyone & safe travels!!
After saying goodbye to Frank & Sandra we headed off to our final campground in Canada, located in Hawkshaw, New Brunswick. We only stayed one night but we took a trip on our first day to visit the Hartland Covered Bridge, the world's longest covered bridge, at 1,282 feet long that crosses the Saint John River.
On Sunday, August 27th we were excited to finally return to the United States after crossing in Houlton, Maine. Unfortunately, that excitement turned to disappointment when our right rear inside tire blew out on us after less than an hour. We were in a remote area of Maine when the blow out occurred and we were on the interstate but we were able to get into the breakdown lane where we spent the next eight hours. Several of those hours were spent waiting on Good Sam to find someone to either tow us or make the tire repair. We finally got the help we needed from a State Trooper who gave us a couple of numbers to call. Finally, at about 5pm we were back on the road again with two new tires. Turns out if you blow a rear tire, both tires need to have comparable tread wear and if they are not, both need to be replaced.
Since we were not going to make it to our campground in Old Orchard Beach that night we found a campground near Bangor, Maine. It turned out that this campground was only seven miles from the tire company that repaired our tires the day before so we returned to them on Monday morning and had them replace the other two rear tires so that they would all be the same. After that, we were finally back on our way to Old Orchard Beach.
We only stayed one night at Old Orchard Beach instead of our planned two nights but we enjoyed the day we did have. We had lovely weather, walked from the campsite to the beach, strolled through the town and along the beach and enjoyed a quick lunch of fried clams and scallops. After a brief return to the campground, we walked back to the beach for a dinner out on the pier. This was a short but lovely way to enjoy our return to the states.
On Tuesday we returned to Camp Sawash, the home of my sister and her family where we are today. Here we’ve had a chance to relax and prepare for the final home stretch. Beginning tomorrow we’ll take eleven days and stay at eight campgrounds to cover the 2,300 miles along the route we selected to return to our Texas home. Most of the stops will be one-night overnighters but we will be stopping at a couple of campgrounds for two nights in order to visit the Kentucky Derby Museum near Louisville, Kentucky and do some sightseeing at Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area in western Kentucky. Our scheduled arrival date back in the Rio Grand Valley is September 14th.
Every year we look forward to hitting the road and every year we continue to love our life on the road but every year we also look forward to getting back home. It’s no different this year. It’s time to get back and settle in for the winter but while we’re there, we’ll also start planning for next year.
We’ll post an update once we’ve settled in at home. We’ll also be posting a new photo album as soon as possible. I’m hoping that will be in the next few days. Take care everyone & safe travels!!
The Full Itinerary for our 2023 Roadtrip
Weather Forecast for our next week on the road
Next destination...
For the next eleven days we'll be stopping at eight campgrounds, covering 2,300 miles along the following route we selected to return to our home in the Rio Grand Valley.
Recent Updates:
8/18/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since shortly after our arrival on Newfoundland and through the night of our departure back to Nova Scotia. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.. We hope you enjoy them.
7/24/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since our initial arrival in Nova Scotia and through our first few stops in Newfoundland. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.. We hope you enjoy them.7/12/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since leaving Camp Sawash for Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
6/18/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken while visiting family and friends during our month long stay at Camp Sawash.
8/18/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since shortly after our arrival on Newfoundland and through the night of our departure back to Nova Scotia. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.. We hope you enjoy them.
7/24/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since our initial arrival in Nova Scotia and through our first few stops in Newfoundland. We've also added new pictures to our "Just Us" photo album.. We hope you enjoy them.7/12/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken since leaving Camp Sawash for Maine, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
6/18/2023 We've added a new album to our PHOTOS page. This one contains pictures we've taken while visiting family and friends during our month long stay at Camp Sawash.