Detroit again

< -- Toronto is big -- >

Well that's the end of the trip. It's a bit of a relief as finding a new place to stay, packing etc can be a pain.


Stayed overnight Guelph. Dropped in on Anna and Stipe, Marie's godmother and father, and got super stuffed one last time.

< -- me, fatty, fat Winston and a seagull

7 lanes in and out for lots of k's, Toronto -->

< -- the crossing into Detroit off Ambassador Bridge

At the booth on the border, the homeland security guy didn't like our story of travelling for a month. Seems like you don't do that kind of thing in the biggest, best etc country in the world. We still had the old visas in which was the problem. Two hours later we were let out of their office, all the while being watched by a smiling photo of George W. and two other probably suspect officials.

At the end of the flight, we were getting picked up. Ollie's car seat did not make it, so he and Marie had to home on the train and bus instead.

Now we're packed up, and crossing our fingers all our junk will be accepted for the long flight home.

Kingston

< -- spending hours behind the wheel. Stuck in Montreal.

Kingston -- >

Travelled near Sherbrooke to see some of the lovely countryside. It's just getting green now.

Then got to Montreal late, and a truck lost its 30 tonne load on the highway, so us and three lanes got diverted off, with no clue, and a big old mess. Stopped to feed Ollie, found a side street and went along strangely quickly given that it sounded all the other routes were not doing well. Got into Kingston late. Found a strange woman runnning a B&B in a nice place.

Kingston has plenty of beautful old stone buildings, and as per usual, the most expensive real estate, next to the river, was stuffed up by some hideous high rise buildings. Some in the process of still going up, so too bad they don't appreciate what would attract people to the town.

< -- Royal Military College -->

Visited the Royal Military College across the causeway, which is luckily protected from the developers.

Sherbrooke

< -- Sherbrooke

trail around the lake, Sherbrooke -- >

Yesterday we made it to Sherbrooke late at night. We stopped at a "Residence", that the GPS got us to, which is an old persons' hospice. The priest there sent us to our current place between HyperSex and SexStudio, near the Salvos. The rest of the town is beautiful and very green. I'm currently updating using the free town wireless - such a great idea and a reality here already.

We came via Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. It seems that our GPS is severely retarded and sent us the long way. I was driving and still have no idea how we got here.

<-- St. Johnsbury

In St. Johnsbury, VT, we did our washing while a four year old entertained Ollie. A nice man told me how he dined for the week, by raiding the supermarket dumpster at the end of the day. "I get salads for free from the macket. I get boi. Been in Vermont all me loif."

making tunes Dixfield -- >

Lunch was at the Front Porch Cafe in Dixfield VT. The owner wanted us to sign her wall. I did a mangled picture of Australia, so her visitors will probably think it's a bad picture of one of the states. It's funny being back in the US where Ollie is always so popular.

Northeast Harbor, Bangor

< -- on the postal service boat out of Northeast Harbor

Maypole dance at someone's 6th birthday -- >

A fellow in Millbidge told us to get on the mail ferry here, and we had a great day on Cranberry Island. 2 people invited us to get out of the cold in their house. Caught Sophia's 6th birthday party in the community hall,and some ribbon/May pole dancing/ piano playing. Dipped my foot in the Altantic ocean. What a great bunch of people. One sticker on a truck said "They call it Tourist Season, so why can't we shoot them?"

Tonight we're in Bangor, the home of Stephen King. A realtor on the ferry told us his address. His home has a black fence with assorted steel creatures welded on it, and a cool spider web style gate. His neighbour's homes were just as grandiose.

< -- Cranberry Island

Stephen King's house, no bull -- >

St. Andrews NB, Lubec ME, Millbridge ME

< -- St. Andrews -->


Another nice resort town / old fishing village.
Lubec is the easternmost point in the US, yay us.
Millbridge is nowhere, but that's the best thing. Lots of trees and a nice river. Ollie entertains some locals for tea, who are up for their sons graduation. The man at the bar with the "Ollie the Otter" cap tells us to take the Northeast Harbor mail boat.

< -- Lubec - most homes are about 100K, so you could buy the town for the price of an SF home

almost crawling, making progress in Millbridge -- >

Mahone Bay, Lunenberg, Digby, St. John

< -- 3 famous churches at Mahone Bay

Lunenberg home of the Bluenose boat -- >

More picturesque postcard towns. We get the ferry from Digby, and a ferry is always fun. Ollie got to try crawling again. St. John has so many heritage buildings in need of a facelift. Reversing falls is very cool, but there's a paper pulp mill right behind it.

< -- Digby, NS

St. John, NB -->

Dartmouth

A short ferry ride over the harbour. Walked around more Victorian homes. Some of the modern buildings look out of place.

Peggy's Cove

< -- all the sheds and homes are lovely

rugging up for the winds off the cove -- >

This is a beautiful fishing village in a preservation area. All the homes are pastel coloured and very cute. 40 odd people live here.

The lighthouse is also the post office in summer. It is built amoung domes of exfoliating granite. It had to be rebuilt once after being smashed by waves.

Swissair 111 went down here 8kms out to sea killing all 229 people.

< -- near the lighthouse

boat parking -- >

Halifax, Nova Scotia

< -- Ollie meets the locals

Halifax town clock -- >

Halifax is a beautiful city around a large harbour with tree lined streets and classic handsome Victorian homes. The Titanic went down around here. We visited the graves of some of the people who were pulled from the water.

Speaking to the waitress during dinner, she told us how different a French accent is in France to Canada. She was told that she speaks like Celine Dion. Each region is different with New Brunswick mangling both English and French into a new Canadian super language.

The youth team of Canada played USA in the ice hockey here. We watched at a pub. Canada scored the winning goal with 2 minutes left. Everyone shouted, making Ollie cry. Awwwww.

Halifax has a nice harbour -- >

Pugwash

< -- you'll know when you've got here

not much doing in Pugwash -- >

We stopped here because of the name. Turns out the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, came here to visit. Aparently, it was pretty famous in its day, gettting some bigwig scientists together for some peace conferences, courtesy of steel magnate Cyrus Eaton, a big opponent of the Vietnam war, who was born here. Captain Pugwash was named after this town. The name is Mi'kmaq for "deep water".

Prince Edward Island

< -- idyllic fishing village, Port Rustico.

look natural boys -- >

This is the place where Anne of Green Gables comes alive! It's all here, the red dirt, farms, cute old homes and about 1000 k's of coastline. Our trivia book states that it is a sand dune in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence that manages to pass itself off as a province. It is one of 10 provinces (and 3 territories) but makes up 1% of Canada.

Had two lobsters for lunch, fresh out of the boat and the boiler. Met a fisherman who talked and sounded very Irish to me like. Asked another if it was ok where we parked, and he replied "C'est bon." What a mixture.

< -- Cavendish Farms, just like in Anne of Green Gables.

A backstreet in Charlottetown, the capital. -- >

Port Elgin

<-- Port Elgin

it snowed the night we arrived -->

Ended up staying here since it was getting late and we wanted to have Ollie in bed by 7pm and asleep. Dinner was cereal, but with yoghurt and canned fruit. It's 1 degree according to the car, and it is snowing. Strangely it feels much warmer than when we were in Detroit since the wind is gentle. A fair few 19th century homes and churches here, and the trans Canada trail.

< -- keeping warm in the cabin

Alma

< -- lakes still icy

Alma is famous for fishing -- >

There were a couple of frozen lakes on the way. The sign said you could swim there. The Canadians must be keen. It was about 2 deg, which is balmy after the winter.

Alma is a cute fishing port. Not much happens until summer, when it seems that it would be buzzing with tourists.

< -- Went to the Hopewell Rocks: the flowerpot.

Sussex

< -- one of many murals in Sussex

On the way, the some exit on the highway descends beneath the floodwaters and is now blocked off.

In Sussex, murals, murals and more murals, and lots of very good ones depicting the history of the area. Picked up a book on Atlantic Canada trivia. Turns out the Fathers of Confederation were rumoured to have been drunk at the time they signed.

It is a balmy 7 degrees today, so several of the locals were wearing t-shirts to celebrate, and one fellow was in a singlet. Hello Jamaica.

Fredericton

< -- when they say no parking they mean it

this was 4 lanes and a car park -->

This is the capital of New Brunswick. We got into a car park, but the lady said to get out as they were expecting a flood. There was a little bit of water, but by 5pm, the whole car park was under, and some of the main road. Everyone gathered on the pedestrian bridge to watch the latest show in town: see who had the guts to cross the water with their car, and who could make it through (all bar one soggy VW, who eventually dried out and kept going). We saw two beavers enjoying it all. The biggest news to hit New Brunswick since the 1973 flood, and made the national news. Ollie was more impressed with the dogs on the bridge.


< -- risking it: the short way home

keeping an eye on the rising water -->