IT IS HOT!!

It's pretty warm here in Gold Canyon. Yesterday's high temperature on our deck was 113. As I post this, just before noon, the same thermometer shows 106! Today may be slightly warmer.

To all of you that wait until November - December to return to Gold Canyon: you're missing out on some great wine tastings. Actually, the wine tasting group is very small at only two people, and the wine rack is full.

Donna's birthday will be celebrated at the North Rim - we plan on having a happy hour with Barb around 4pm on Monday. Dinner at 8pm. Will return on Tuesday.

What is this?

This blog is a diary of our 2009 RV trip to PEI and Nova Scotia. We attempt to describe our experiences and to provide access to some of the photos of the trip.

Enjoy

Palm Tree Slaughter

We don't have much shade here in the Park. After today, we have even less - the palm trees have been trimmed. It always looks like they trim too much - only three fronds on each tree have been left. With a little bit of rain, they'll grow back quickly. Now, if we can just get a little bit of rain.

Hot

We're back home and really enjoying the heat - 106 yesterday. At least it's getting cool at night - 78 degrees. Not sure when that 78 is happening, because it's still in the high 80s when we go to bed.

We can get about two hours of outside activity (work) done before we have to get into our metal cocoon. Starting about 10am, the A/C runs non-stop until 8pm-ish. Whew! The next electric bill should be impressive.

Thanks to all who followed our Nova Scotia Blog - it was a great trip, but we're glad to be back home.

Day 43 (8/3/09) - Herkimer to Westfield, NY

This blog is winding down - we're getting closer to Missouri.

Today we're tooling down I90 in New York when the traffic stopped. We could see that the jam was very long, so we took the nearest exit (luckily it was right next to us) to bypass the mess. Along our detour on highway 20, Donna noticed a museum in LeRoy, the town in which Jell-O was created! We stopped. Donna was so excited she agreed to pretend to be the Jell-O girl. To learn about Jell-O history, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jell-O. It's interesting to note the inventor only received $450 for his invention. The neighbor who bought it from him, later made millions of dollars from the brand.

West of LeRoy we returned to I90 to find that traffic was moving freely, but there was a lot of it. It's amazing the amount of traffic on this road. Shortly after Buffalo, we drove for miles surrounded by vineyards. Steve commented that these must be industrial grapes, there were so many. We later discovered that Welch's has a plant in Westfield, NY (also the home of tonight's campground). That's why there are so many grapes around here.

We plan to be in Indianapolis tomorrow evening, and Desloge the next. After spending a few days with Donna's parents, we'll travel to Fort Smith to help Steve's mother move into her new apartment. After that, it's on to Arizona. We want to be home by mid-August.

Thanks for following our adventure. We are a little tired of moving around so much and are really looking forward to some quiet time in Gold Canyon before the "season" starts.

Days 41 & 42 (Aug 1-2) - Cavendish to Herkimer, NY

It has been a long two days, but we're about 860 miles back toward Missouri. We left Cavendish at 7 am, crossed the Confederation bridge into New Bruswick at 7:50. The cost to return over the bridge was $42.50. Breakfast was in Moncton at Jean's Cafe.

In Fredericton, we bought a light bulb for our flashlight, laundry soap, and some fuel, thereby spending all of our Canadian money except 3 cents! I know fuel is much cheaper in the US, but I didn't want to convert funds at another stop.

We got to the border at 12:12 EDT and waited 30 minutes for our turn at the questions. We had already listed our purchases, so all the agent had to do was read the list, make sure the vehicle was ours, and that no one else was setting inside. Our time under questioning was shorter than many of the RVs in front of us. I guess we had less space to hide things than did the 5th wheels.

In the Trailer Life Directory, we found an RV Resort in Bangor that specifically said they catered to adults. We thought that'd be great, so we headed to Bangor. We did not call ahead. In Bangor we found the park, Pumkin Patch RV Resort, to be full. As we were too tired to go on, and the park was extremely quiet, we let them put us in "overflow". This parking was on the perimeter of the park, near the showers and laundry. We had 20 amp power and nothing else. The A/C and tv worked well with 20 amps. Showers were spotless and the laundromat, too. All this cost us $11 and that included $1 for wifi. A really nice park that adults should spend some time in. Not a popup or tent to be seen. We'd give this park the highest of ratings.

Today we drove 460 miles to the Herkimer Diamonds KOA. Donna spent a lot of time researching where we'd stay tonight and couldn't come up with a park in the 350-400 mile range.

There is a tremendous amount of traffic around Boston (we took I495) and on I90 all the way to Herkimer, NY (that's where we got off). Several hours of the drive were in hard rain - didn't slow down anyone. The most amazing amount of traffic was in the opposite direction to us - lot's of people returning to NYC and Boston areas. There are many toll booths on these roads, and in some cases cars were lined up for miles (and I do mean - miles) waiting to either pay or get their tickets. We're used to turnpike service areas as being places that a few cars might stop - on I90 (Mass Turnpike and NY Thruway) these places were full of cars (see SmugMug pictures).

We had originally made a reservation for a river-front site at this KOA. Because it had rained for several hours, the Weather Bureau issued a flood warning. Upon arrival we changed our site to one a little more up the hill AND with a gravel pad. We were told it was a large pull-thru site at a premium price. I think it's the most we've ever paid for a site - $55. But when you average it with the $11 site of last night, the two nights were only just high, not outlandish. It is a very large site.

We'll try to make Ohio tomorrow.

Day 40 (7/31/09) - Cavendish

After an all-night rain, it was a relief to see the sun for our last day of touring in PEI. We left early (7:15 am 66°) because we weren't sure how much time it would take to travel the North Shore. We ate breakfast out again (we must stop this); this time at Chez Yvonne. We both had French Toast that was ok, but we're starting to miss a Cracker Barrel.

Our first stop was Lennox Island, home of the Mi'kmaq indians. Do a search and read all about them. We wanted a Native souvenir for home; we bought a small basket.

Next was Tignish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tignish,_Prince_Edward_Island). Not sure why we stopped, but Steve liked the name and wanted to see the town.

From there, it was a very short drive to North Cape, the windiest area in Canada. Consequently, they have wind farm, the first in Atlantic Canada. Also at the Cape is the North Cape Lighthouse - the northernmost point in PEI.

Continueing down the other coast, we visited West Point Light House - Canada's only lighthouse that has been converted to an inn. The roads on this portion of the island were very enjoyable. Much smoother than elsewhere.

We returnd home to our a site (now much drier) at the KOA in mid afternoon - the day's drive being much shorter than anticipated. Relaxing in the comfort of a shade tree, we waited for the arrival of Gerry and Wendy. They drove up from Harrington to have dinner with us on our last night on the island. Wendy surprised Steve with a homemade RHUBARB PIE! Pretty darn good. He's hoping Wendy will visit us in Arizona and bring some rhubarb with her. Oh, and Gerry can visit, too.

It's time to go to bed - we leave for Bangor, ME in the morning.

Distance: 212 miles (338 km - the last time I get to give you metric stuff)

Time: 5.6 hours

KPG: 39.2

No fuel

Camping: $32.60

Picture Upload Progress

I've resorted to uploading smaller pictures in order to get them on the web. Days 34 - 38 are now in SmugMug. I'm in the process of sorting and labeling them. I'll try to remember to get a higher quality picture uploaded when we have high speed access once again.

Day 39 (7/30/09) - Harrington to Cavendish

We left at 9:10 am (72°) under very muggy conditions and a forecast of rain.

We stopped for breakfast at the PEI Preserve Company in New Glasgow. Another good breakfast, but a little more expensive than yesterday's. The coffee at this place cost $2 and we were not offered a refill.

We got to the KOA about 10:30 as it was a short drive from Harrington. We were too early and were told that check-in time is 2 pm! We needed to do laundry and we found one nearby. Shortly after Donna started loading her washers, many more people found the laundry, too. By the time she had finished, quite a large crowd was waiting for their wash. Evidently, it's a good thing to do on a rainy day.

After the laundry, we toured a little more along the Northern Coast. Not nearly as pretty in the rain. It was at this time we discovered that diesel is not readily available in Cavendish. We had to drive about 40km out of our way to find the stuff. At least we traveled on different roads, and, guess what, more churches.

At about 3 pm we returned to the KOA in a steady downpour. It is so much fun to set up camp in the rain in red mud. As we type this entry, we are noting the possible brightening of the skies. Maybe tomorrow, our last day of touring the Island, will be a little sunny.

Distance: 95 miles (152 km)

Time: 3.1 hours

KPG: 36.7

Fuel: $81.05 (89.75 liters @ 90.3 cents per liter)

Camping: $32.60

Day 38 (7/29/09) - South Central Coast

Because it was sunny, and predicted to be that way all day, we hit the road early (7:15 am & 65°) to take advantage of the bright light. We had breakfast in Cornwall - another good meal with an added feature - eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast, and coffee for only $5.99. That's before tax. The tax in PEI is around 15%, so I don't want to hear anyone complain about the high tax in Arizona.

The next stop was Fort Amherst Historical Site. http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/pe/amherst/index.aspx We were there before 9 am and had the site to ourselves. A pretty location with many informational signs. It's another site of interest to Acadians - the orginal French settlers in the new world.

We proceeded along the scenic coast to Victoria-by-the-Sea where Donna had read, in Frommer's, "a tiny and unusually scenic village that has attracted a number of artists, boutique owners, and craftspeople". It was first settled in 1767 and the entire village consists of four square blocks. We drove all four blocks and found mostly residences. We did see a few shops, but they had not opened at that time. Donna is losing faith in Frommer's descriptions.

Further along the coast, on the way to Summerside, we had an excellent view of the Confederation Bridge, linking PEI to New Brunswick - our route off the island. The bridge is 8 miles long and took less than four years to complete. Our contribution to the structure will be $42.50 on Saturday.

An exiting stop was made at the Bottle Houses (http://www.bottlehouses.com/). Turns out this is a very popular site. At $6 a person, the Arsenault Family has no retirement worries. We did take a few pictures and will upload them when we can (I think we have to return to the US before I can get a fast enough connection).

The scenery along Hiway 2, through the middle of the Island, was some of the best. We should have counted churches - it feels like every road on the Island has a church. And these are not small churches. They are frequently Catholic, and have very tall and impressive steepels. It is very difficult to believe there are enough people to even partially fill these structures.

The last stop of the day was at the Cheese Lady's Gouda where we watched a short video on the making of gouda cheese the traditional Dutch way. Sampled some cheese and, of course, bought some. I don't think it will make it home. Good stuff.

Distance: 160 miles (254 km)

Time: 5 hours

KPG: 37.4

No fuel

Photo Update

We have photos ready to upload, but don't have a fast enough connection. Maybe it'll work at our next campground in Cavendish on Thursday. I'll try tonight, but it hasn't been working well.

Day 37 (7/28/09) - Charlottetown

Today we rode in Gerry and Wendy's truck for a tour of the city. After giving up finding parking in the center of town, we found an almost empty lot by the wharf - a short distance from the center. Even though Charlottetown is PEI's largest city, it is still small enough to walk most of the downtown streets.

Our first stop was Cow's Ice Cream at the wharf - voted the best in Canada (some say "best in the world"). Steve had a scoop of mocha, chocolate something; the rest of the group declined. More on this, later.

We walked by several impressive churches (PEI is big on churches), gift shops, and even tried some beer at Charlottetown's only hand crafted ale purveyor. With the beer, we shared an appetizer of sweet potato fries with a nacho-type topping. Interesting, but quite good.

The girls decided we should walk on to Victoria Park; a pleasant boardwalk hike with another lighthouse view. This "pleasant" walk turned out to be over three miles. Whew! By the time we returned to downtown, the temperature had risen a few more degrees, and a rest was in order. Lunch was at Merchantman Pub. Three of us had salads; one had fish cakes. Again, a nice restaurant with friendly people.

On the drive back to the RV park, we stopped at Cow's Creamery. The mother ship of the Cow's Empire. Very busy serving the same expensive ice cream that Steve had earlier in the day. They advertise a "cowie wowie coffee toffee crunch" that Donna had her taste buds prepared for. Not today - they were out. So, we have to stop at Cow's again. Victoria-by-the-Sea has one and we hope to visit there tomorrow. Maybe Donna can give a positive report on that flavor, then. Anyway, the ice cream is good. Difficult to say that it's the best in the world, but some travel company has said that and it is posted in very large print in the Creamery. It shows the top 10 ice creams in the world with Cow's at #1 and Ben & Jerry's at #10. Go figure.

Back at the park, Gerry and Wendy brought out their Bocce Ball game and the guys proceeded to whip the girls.

A fun day. And, Steve didn't have to drive.

Day 36 (7/27/09) - Eastern PEI, Day 2

Day 2 of our tour of the Eastern part of the island, began with a trip to Home Depot and Canadian Tire. The shower had started leaking again, so we purchased the necessary parts for an attempted fix. We drilled holes in the floor of the shower and sprayed expandable foam into them in hopes that it would provide support for the floor. A fiberglass repair kit was used to fix the crack in the floor and cover the newly drilled holes. The floor looks pretty ugly, but maybe the leak is fixed.

We then traveled to Georgetown to see the MacDonald Memorial Garden. He was Georgetown's Father of the Confederation. Although a pretty place, it was not as expansive as the literature led us to believe. As a side note, most of the towns in PEI are very small, and have very few businesses. So, Georgetown was not unusual, but we had expected more.

Next was Montague. The reverse was true here. We expected a hamlet and found a small city. In fact, they had two car dealers - still in business. We had read about a small restaurant overlooking the bay, so we stopped for lunch. Donna had a small pasta dish - seafood linguine. Steve had the fish cakes. Both were very good, and a strawberry shortcake completed this excellent dining experience.

We stopped at PEI's only winery. I'm sorry I failed to get pictures, but it was a beautiful location overlooking the Northumberland Stait. They're proud of their wine, too.

We returned to the RV park just before a thunderstorm passed through. It served to increase the humidity a tad. However, it wasn't so bad we couldn't set outside and share a bottle of the local wine with the neighbors from Houston.

Distance: 123 miles (197 km)

Time: 3.4 hours

KPG: 37.2

No Fuel

Camping: $30.60