Day 38 (September 28, 2009) – “Now Those are Real Lobster Rolls.”

"Now Those are Real Lobster Rolls"
" "Red's Eats"

Kennebec Riveer below Bath

Ocean front vista near Boothbay Harbor.

Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor in the still morning

Yesiree Bob! Donna said it right…”Now those are real Lobster Rolls,” as I set the tray down at the table with 3 of them. I think Guy Fieri had a similar comment on his Food Network Show. These were not contaminated with lettuce, celery, onion, mayo or anything else. Just a plain roll piled so high and deep with nothing but lobster meat that you couldn’t see the roll. So where did we find these delectable jewels? A little red shack right next to US1, on the corner at Water Street in Wiscasset, ME named “Red’s Eats.”

Now picture sitting in the warm sunshine, trying to pick up your roll and you can’t without spilling lobster meat all over the wrapper. Then take the roll and for each bite, dip it in melted butter, and ENJOY! When you are done, use the fork to eat the other half of the lobster that fell out. Alternate bites with fries and onion rings and you have the perfect low cholesterol health food lunch. Reportedly, and we confirm, these are the best lobster rolls on the east coast, Canada or US. We got in line about 20 minutes before opening, 6th in line. The line was around the corner by 11:30. It was still that long at 3PM when we went by on the way home. OK now, that’s about 4 lobsters I consumed in less than 24 hours. Top that Walt. Now there’s this other place in Boothbay Harbor called Lobster Dock featured on “Throwdown” with Bobby Flay…Donna has grounded me! Guess we’ll have to come back some time.

Other than stuff our faces, we did have a good day seeing the area. After a hard rain overnight it was beautiful today, warm too. We did walk around in both Wiscasset and Bath, drove by Bath Iron Works, and down Rt209 along the Kennebec River to Popham Beach and old Fort Popham at the mouth. It must be quite a sight when one of the new destroyers sails down the river to the sea. Oh yes, have no fear, we did find a lighthouse or two.

Day 37 (September 27, 2009) – A Total Wash?

Well it was total wash for the laundry. A rainy morning, good time to sleep late and do the chores. Donna did hers; I did mine, including the most important one. Important? Yes, inviting 5 of our cherished friends for dinner tonight at 6 PM. They will be warmly welcomed with a bowl of melted butter. Our CG offers cooked lobsters at 5 for $30. After lunch we headed downtown to Boothbay Harbor to wander around. The rain had stopped. There are many shops of about every kind, from pricey galleries and boutiques to the plain old tourist traps and everything in between. As in Bar Harbor, many had end of the season sales in progress. All the better for us. We even found a candy store where some fudge snuck into our bag.

After “doing town” we headed north out of town to “Edgecomb Potters.” We had noticed this place on the way in. Walt! Do not bring Cathy here! If you do bring a sleeping bag and food as you will be there for a while. They have some really pretty pottery and glass works. This is well worth the stop. On the way back to town we saw a flock of 5 turkeys (Jakes) right next to the road under a tree.

One more thing on Gray Family Campground. It is not in any of the national campground books. We only found it with the on-line Maine Campgrounds website. The owner says the big books are too expensive for the limited return. I’m guessing reservations well in advance are needed during peak season. Even on a Sunday night the CG is mostly filled. For those who want to camp here without the challenging drive through town, there is another north CG of Boothbay Harbor. There you can park in formation with your neighbors on perfectly level graveled sites.

Addendum

Well, our friends made it for dinner. Boy, were they steaming. But we got them out of their shells and into a soothing bath of melted butter. URRRRP! Two each for Donna and I, one for Katherine. No leftovers! Well, the mess doesn't count.

How 'bout dem 'skins...don't they stink the place out. Sure glad it was not on TV up here, might have been tempted to waste my time. Time for Vinny and Danny to GO!

No pix today, too gray.

Day 36 (September 26, 2009) – Through Boothbay Harbor to Southport Island

The Cuckholds Lighthouse

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

Pemaquid Point Light Reflections

Hotel Pemaquid

Today was bright and sunny, much less wind, and a bit warmer. This was a nice day for a leisurely drive through the country…that it was…mostly. A late start was in order since it was only a 119-mile drive. Our journey down US 1 took us through many famous Maine towns, Ellsworth Bucksport, Belfast, Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Waldoboro, and finally into Boothbay Harbor. Our slow pace gave us ample opportunity to admire the old homes that are in all of the towns. The most interesting of these homes are the old farms, where an enclosed area to the barn connects the house. Of course these barns are now now mostly garages. These farmers were smart and did not want to venture outside to the barn in the dead of winter during a blizzard to milk the cows or feed the livestock. It was a Saturday drive, so there were Flea Markets, Garage Sales, and Farmers Markets all along the way. Driving the RV was a ready-made excuse to pass them by…no place to park. The Fall colors, now very evident in Bar Harbor, are just starting here in Boothbay Harbor.

We drove into Boothbay Harbor, probably one of the most picturesque towns we’ve seen. It was overrun by tourists, who have the right-of-way and like to step out in front of you, and chocked full of cars. Add this combination to the only road through town (RT 27) being extremely narrow with abrupt steep hills, and sharp curves make for an interesting couple of miles driving a 30’ RV towing a car. We went slow and easy, ran over no toes or curbs, and sideswiped no cars, buildings, or walls. Our new home for 3 nights is Gray Homestead Camping. Yes there are spaces for big rigs and there are several here, so I guess you can navigate one through town. The CG is small and prototypical Maine. There are many trees and the sites are nestled in among the rocks. We have full hookups and WIFI.

We wanted to take advantage of the great weather so we parked and took off. We drove to the end of the island where we had a nice view of “The Cuckholds.” Whizzat? You say! Guess…just one…of course it is a Lighthouse. Since the day was getting late, we made the 30-mile drive over to the next peninsula east. Why there? The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is at the end of it. I made the hike to the top, only 32 steps, very steep, very narrow, winding metal staircase to a small platform with a near vertical ladder through a hatch into the top of the lighthouse. Late in the day is a perfect time to visit lighthouses along the coast. The lighting is near perfect. A short distance away is the Hotel Pemaquid, a beautiful Victorian hotel that opened in 1888. I’ll bet their rooms are a tad more expensive today than they were back then. Although we drove through Bottbay Harbor, we did not stop. parking was nearly impossible unless you wanted to pay. Monday should be much less crowded.

Day 35 (September 25, 2009) – A Touch of Frost?

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Natural Seawall in Acadia NP

We awoke this am to a much cooler windier day with heavy clouds, but no rain. We drove the quieter side of the island this morning with visits to Bass Harbor, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse and Southwest Harbor. The fall colors are now just beginning to show. We’ll see what tonight’s cold weather (frost and freeze warning) will do to help them along. We then did the obligatory shopping trip in Bar Harbor. Not crowded at all today, no cruise ships in port. The Hostess at the restaurant said one or more a day for the next month starting tomorrow. Lunch? Think of a Salmon Pastrami BLT, maybe a cup of chowder, and definitely an ice cold Bar Harbor Real Ale. Many of the shops have big sales on so it’s a good time to walk about downtown. We have some steamer clams for dinner tonight, and then we’ll try to burn the rest of Paul’s firewood. Tomorrow we wander south/west to Boothbay Harbor, a pleasant drive through many towns.

Oh yes, there is a hard freeze warning for tonight with lows tomorrow morning in the mid to upper 20's. I think I'll disconnect the water hose tonight and use gas heat. With the wind predicted to remain about 10 mph overnight, it could be a rather brisk start to the day. The proximity to water will not help as the wind from the north is coming directly from over the mainland.

Day 34 (September 24, 2009) – Another Boat Ride?

First, I’ll wrap up yesterday. We are staying at Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort on Rt. 3 just after you come onto Mt. Desert Island. We had a farewell campfire last night with Paul, Mary, Harvey, and Yvonne. Paul was very glad to get that wood out of his car. That wood is well traveled! Paul and Mary are heading towards home. Harvey and Yvonne are heading to the southwest Maine coast before turning west into New Hampshire and Vermont to do some sightseeing there and hopefully some autumn colors. This was their first time in the northeast Atlantic coastal areas.

Today we followed their suggestion and signed up for the Lobster Boat Ride on the Lulu. This was really an enjoyable and beautiful way to sightsee. Captain John is quite a showman and at the same time very informative on the Lobsterman’s way of life. The recession has hit the industry hard. They are getting much lower prices at the dock ($3/lb.), even though retail prices remain at all time highs. We didn’t see any whales but we did see both harbor and gray seals as we circled Egg Rock and it’s Lighthouse.

The town of Bar Harbor was very busy today as two large cruise ships were in port. Before our cruise we started our tour of Acadia National Park with a stop at the Visitors Center to see the introductory movie. The movie is well done should be the first stop for Park visitors. From there we headed up to the top of Cadillac Mountain to take advantage of the crystal clear air. There was no fog or haze today and you could see Mt. Katahdin today. After our boat ride we continued our journey south on the Park Loop to visit Sandy Beach, the Thunder Hole (just burping today), and Northeast Harbor. The coastline was very pretty late in the afternoon, although no big waves today for which we were thankful for on our boat ride. A short side road we found took us by some really big estates on the ocean.

Day 33 (September 23, 2009) – Westward Ho the Wagons down Maine

The day started out gloomy with fog, but improved steadily. By the time we left it was bright enough to add West Quoddy Lighthouse into our itinerary for the day. Just a short 30 mile or so and 1 ½ hour detour. It was still hazy at the lighthouse but we got the pictures and a glimpse of Grand Manaan Island through the hazy fog. It was low tide, so no whales to be seen. We drove US 1 to Bar Harbor and our new home for 3 days at Mt. Desert Narrows Camping Resort. As we drove to our site, what to our wondering eyes should appear? No not Santa and 8 tiny reindeer, but Paul and Harvey’s rigs. I guess we caught up with them for a bit. The drive south (149 miles) was uneventful with a nice lunch stop at Blueberry Family Restaurant in Machias, ME.

Day 32 (September 22, 2009) – FDR, Whales, Lighthouses, and Good Eats Too.

We, quite simply, had a great day! We crossed back into Canada through Lubec, ME to Campobello Island. The Roosevelt Campobello Island International Park is not big, but worth the effort to get here. This is where FDR’s father, James, established the family summer home in 1885. FDR spent nearly every summer of his youth and adult life before Polio here hiking, swimming, golf, tennis, and boating. What I never knew was how physically active he was. He even established a golf course on the island. There are numerous easy hiking trails that were family favorites that we did not have time to do.

In 1909, FDR and his wife Eleanor purchased their summer home next door to his childhood home. The FDR Cottage has been fully restored to its appearance in the period 1909-1921. All of the furnishings are original. The wallpaper is a reproduction of the original. This “small cottage” has 17 bedrooms; virtually all are very simply furnished for sleeping and dressing. The exceptions are the master bedroom and two guest rooms for couples. The Cottage is not fancy in today’s terms, but would be considered a very comfortable summer home by any standards. There is even an early annunciator system (battery powered) where guests could request service by simply pushing a button. Not bad for a home with no electricity! The house used ambient light during daytime and kerosene lamps and candles at night. Unfortunately, his parent’s home, much smaller, fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1950’s.

FDR contracted polio here in 1921 and used the house infrequently thereafter, preferring to spend his time in Warm Springs, GA in an attempt to overcome his disabilities. His last visit here was on the Battleship North Dakota as President. The ship got fogged in for 3 extra days. There are several other cottages on the grounds but were not open due to ongoing conferences and meetings. The small gardens around the house are beautiful and will hopefully help us design next summer’s plantings around the house. The Dahlias were stunning! They must thrive in the cool moist summers.

Afterwards we tried to see as much of the island as we could fit into our brief visit. We did find Raccoon Beach and will be dragging home many pounds of “precious” rocks. This end of the island was breezy, almost cold, and foggy. We drove to the other end and East Quoddy Lighthouse to find sun and warmth. The Lighthouse is on a small island not accessible at high tide, which it was while we were there. But we found a point to see it just fine thanks to a local. The whale watching boats were just offshore. While we ate lunch and for the next hour or so we were treated to a free whale show. These were finbacks, about a mile offshore. They were surfacing in pods of 5-6 at a time, with numerous “blows” at any one time. We also saw numerous harbor seals today in several locations, especially in Lubec, ME. We ventured over to West Quoddy Lighthouse in Maine to see it and hear the foghorn in the fog. Perhaps we will revisit it in the morning as we head south if the weather looks better. On our drive back into Eastport a large adult Bald Eagle flew with us for a short time just in front of us overhead, until he saw us behind him as I was trying to slow down.

At the campground we went to their restaurant for dinner. We started with steamed clams, an order was 5-6 dozen and delicious. Katherine had a Lobster Roll, PhD version, piled higher and deeper. We both had baked haddock (too tired to deal with lobster) and I had fresh (still warm) blueberry pie for dessert. Quite simply said, this was “Good Eats!” Everyone is sleepily stuffed.

We had a nice chat with the campground owner who explained to us the No LNG signs we see around. There have been 3 separate plans to establish LNG terminals in the area. The one near Calais will likely proceed, as it is only 15 miles from an existing LNG line. An effort to establish a LNG terminal on Passamaquoddy tribal land near here, fell through when at the last moment (!,?) the LNG company found out the local power company had no capacity to supply the electricity needed to power the Terminal. The Tribe walked away with $1.6M!!!! I’ll bet some folks lost a bundle on that stupidity! DUH! Lots of land they bought is for sale, cheap too.

One last point, the TV…yes, I watched one 30 minute program on Food Network – Alton Brown, Good Eats, Waffles; and a short segment on the Weather Channel on flooding in Georgia. No TV so far tonight! I do NOT feel deprived, uninformed, or bored. Donna and Katherine are playing 500 Rummy. She whipped her Mom’s butt last night. Another day here would have been nice to enable us to see things we had to pass by. Reservations ahead beckon us onward.

Day 31 (September 21, 2009) – Back in the Good Ol’ USA in Eastport, Maine

After 30 days in Canada, no longer do we have to put up with Merci, bonjour, Km/hr, etc. We are back in the good old USA and glad to be here. Canada is an interesting and entertaining place to VISIT. Last night I wasn't so sure we were going anywhere today as my rheumatoid arthritis kicked in high gear. Today was better and I was able to get things done after a hot shower and a big jolt of prednisone. We had planned late start due to gaining an hour and a short drive…10 miles or so as the seagull flies. We crossed through the old border crossing between Calais and St. Stephens. No problems with CBP as we went though after only a cursory examination.

We are now at Seaview Campground and Cottages in Eastport, ME with another ocean view site, about 30 yards from the water. Yes we are having a campfire tonight, as it is a beautiful cool evening. We broke the TV hiatus today. There is cable (67 stations) here and Katherine is enjoying watching the “tube.” She has not complained one time the entire trip. The CG has their own restaurant and with very reasonable prices and 20% off, we’ll go there tomorrow night. We went into Eastport to shop hop and spend some time relaxing on the wharf in the warm sunshine. The fishermen were catching Mackerel. We were offered some, but passed. We got an email from Paul and they went directly from St. John, NB to Bar Harbor/Acadia NP, skipping St Andrews and Eastport. Not sure if we will catch up with them again. Tomorrow we get an early start to go back into Canada to see Campobello Island and the FDR compound. It is just a day trip as the island is accesssible by road only from Lubec, ME.

Day 30 (September 20, 2009) – A Lazy Sunday

The day started out brisk with high clouds. The high clouds came and went, the temperature was very comfortable by late morning…even short sleeve shirt warm. We decided today was going to be an easy day, no mad rushing about. There’s been too much rushing lately no enough kick back time. Since it was cool this morning we delayed our walk through Kingsbrae Gardens and drove over to St. Stephens to check out the border and visit Ganong Chocolates. We certainly did not leave empty handed. We did get a recommendation from a local to use the old border crossing in town, so I guess that’s what we’ll do tomorrow. The Car got a bath on the way back…a hand wash for only $7!

We spent the majority of the day wandering around Kingsbrae Gardens. Katherine got to try her hand at hand hooking an ornamental type rug by some local crafts ladies. They were at the entry house as part of the local Art Studio Tour ongoing this weekend, both here and over in Maine. Several hours are needed to amble through the many different parts and theme areas. One of note is the Wollemi Pine, the only in Canada. These trees, native of Australia, are the only living plant from the dinosaur area that has remained essentially unchanged for over 90 million years. Only 100 exist in the wild. Google it if you don’t believe me! You can buy one for your very own! We ended our visit with a late lunch at the Garden’s Café, with outdoor seating. Yeah that warm.

Donna and I went back into town to do some more shop browsing. I had noticed these lamps in one store that you can really take for “granite.” They are made from naturally weathered granite rocks. Yes, one is coming home with us. Ours has an orange-pinkish hue, with the base comprised of 7 stones of decreasing size. Yes it is a bit heavy.

Day 29 (September 19, 2009) – Onwards to St. Andrews

Kiwanis Oceanfront Camping - Our View

St. Andrews - Lots to See and Shop

Covenhoven - Creamery and Barn

Covenhoven - A little Summer Shack

Covenhoven - The Bathhouse and Bay

We left our travel-mates behind this morning as we got an early (9 am-ish) start for our 150-mile drive from Fundy to St. Andrews, NB. I guess nothing of interest to them here…plenty for us though. They were going to St. John, NB for one night then back into the US tomorrow. The winds were sufficiently strong and gusty when we got onto TC-1 that we had to slow to about 55 mph. We made one stop at a Blueberry stand where we were carjacked by a Blueberry Pie. We arrived in St. Andrews shortly after noon and were lucky to get one of the premier sights in the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground with unobstructed front and side views of the ocean (Passamaquoddy Bay). After lunch the clouds with their horizontal rain showers cleared out. We drove through the downtown area with about 4 blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants and took a quick look at the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel. A 5x10 block area of the town is designated as a National Historic District with many homes dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Our beach. afternoon planned adventure was to drive onto and tour Ministers Island, site of the summer home of Sir William Van Horne. His fortune derived from building the Canadian version of the transcontinental railroad. The drive onto the island can only be made at low tide across a stone bar. His little summer shack on the bay (Covenhoven) contains 50 rooms, including 17 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Very few of the original furnishings are present as these were auctioned off by a subsequent owner of the property who also demolished many of the original buildings on the island. He was a developer from Maine who went bust. One room that is in near original state is the billiard room with its 6’x12’ table (too heavy fro the buyer to move) and several stuffed animal heads. One cue stick and bridge are 8’ long! Apparently Sir William was a pool shark and hustled his guests! His head butler was a professional billiards player. Another unique building is the circular bathhouse. I cannot imagine swimming in those cold waters. Both the house and bathhouse we built from red sandstone quarried from the

Our final stop was the barn complex. There is a huge barn that housed his prized Dutch belted cattle and Clydesdale horses. The creamery that produced butter and cheese is still there. The extensive greenhouses are long gone. Being the big boss, he had fresh dairy products and produce shipped to his home in Montreal daily. Speaking of food, after Donna gets back from the laundry, that criminal Blueberry Pie will suffer its final fate! HMMM! We should have picked up some vanilla ice cream when we were in town today.

Day 28 (September 18, 2009) – We Finally See Fundy National Park

We decided this morning to spend the entire day visiting Fundy National Park since we are paying for it, and dearly too. Not only is the campground expensive, but you have to have a daily permit too. I don’t remember it being this expensive last time we were here.
Our friends decided to re-visit Hopewell Rocks at high tide.

We did the moderate pathway to Dickson Falls. This is a nice walk through the Red Spruce and Balsam Fir forest to an overlook where you can see the falls. The more difficult trails take you on a loop to the bottom and top of the falls. We drove on to Herring Cove. The path to the beach looked to be beyond Katherine’s capability, so we admired the cove from the overlook. On the way down to Point Wolf we drove through a very picturesque covered bridge. They have an interesting way of protecting their covered bridges from over height vehicles. They install a steel I-beam across the road at the posted height to decapitate any vehicles that are too high. They must have some strange philosophy of people being responsible for their own deeds or misdeeds.

At Point Wolf, the 3 of us did the 0.6 Km trail to Point Wolf Beach. Most of the trail is boardwalk with several long flights of stairs to take you downward. Unfortunately, it was near high tide so we could not walk far once there. It was still worth the effort though. Lunchtime was now upon us, so into Alma we went for something quick…Kelly’s Bake Shop. The blueberry muffins, sticky buns, raspberry jam, and sweets squares followed us home. After lunch (subs from Kelly’s) we headed west to Cape Enrage Lighthouse. The cape was really “enraged” today with the winds howling at least 40 mph with higher gusts. At one point I was leaning into the wind with my feet spread and braced to keep standing. The lighthouse is in a very pretty location high on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Fundy. We tried to track down the elusive bears or moose by visiting Caribou Plain and driving most of the Park’s gravel roads…no luck, but we did come across another covered bridge in the backcountry. By the way, a ranger said no caribou now or in the past, so go figure! Caribou Plain is a very pretty beaver lake.

Oh yeah, Paul’s tire story must be told. He called his road service last night to arrange for service today. They were here by 7:45 am, replaced the tire with a new one and were gone by about 8:15 am. The cages on the boats around the props and rudders are to minimize fouling when maneuvering around fishing and lobster pot lines.

Day 27 (September 17, 2009) – Farewell Nova Scotia and On the Beach at Hopewell Rocks

We had one of our longer drives today, 250 miles, from Glen Margaret, NS to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick. Nothing remarkable happened on the drive except getting through Moncton on city streets, with the inevitable road construction. There was a big back up, going the opposite direction, thankfully. I paid “only” $0.954/liter for gas today, cheapest yet. This will be my last fill-up in Canada. We are now camped at Chignecto Campground in the Park. While Paul was parking I saw the dreaded bubble on the side of his left front tire. I guess there will be more on this tomorrow. There was also this little hill from the park entrance up Rt 114 to Chignecto.

After setting up camp we made the 30 mile drive back to Hopewell Rocks Park and walk the beach, uh, mud and rocks, at low tide. We drove the scenic route (915) back north that is a bit longer but gives great views of the coastline. It is very impressive to walk among the formations (flower pot rocks) that are islands at high tide. The bottom and rocks are comprised of soft sandstone with harder rocks, well worn by water/glacial action, interspersed. The mud is milk chocolate brown and sticky. Donna and I were able to walk south around and under the "islands" from the access point into Big Cove, perhaps 1/2 mile. At that point we ran into the sweep patrol herding us tourists back to the stairs off the “beach.” It wasn’t the tide chasing us, but Park closing time. We can go back tomorrow at no charge to see the formations at high tide.

On the way home we stopped at 2 covered bridges and a waterfowl marsh. We did see several black ducks. Back in Alma the fishing fleet was grounded by low tide. The boats have large cages surrounding the propellers and rudder. I wonder what the protective purpose they serve. Several had braces that they lower over the side to rest on the bottom and support the boat to keep it upright.

The others are probably (?) watching TV tonight. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks without TV for us, no newspapers, either. Well we did watch the last quarter of the Giants-Redskins game (?) last Sunday. I guess I’ll get an earful of the “Skins” from Stan, Joe, Dave, and Alex (the neighborhood crew) when I get home. I don’t miss the political B.S. either. By the way, for those that care, Canada has NOT switched to digital TV. The only digital station (in French) was in Montreal according to Harvey.

Day 26 (September 16, 2009) – Lunenburg Revisited

This morning promised to be a much better day, sun and clouds. I left alone at 7:30 am to go back to Peggy’s Cove to get some early morning photos. Well, dear mudder nature did not cooperate. The clouds to the east simply would not break to let the sun shine though even though it was clear to the west. So I took some pictures anyway.

After breakfast we headed south to Lunenburg, taking the old road. The bright sun and clouds made for beautiful views. We explored many side and loop roads on the way. We wound in one yard and one barnyard, but we found the ends of the roads. We even saw a number of deer in one persons yard. Donna thought they we very realistic yard decorations until they ran. So I guess they were real-istic after all. On the way into Lunenburg we saw the sign for the Fish Factory. Yes this was the same one we toured 39 years ago on a rainy day. As we ventured into Lunenburg it was not quite like we remembered, all tourist stuff today, many, many restaurants too. The buildings are still the same and very brightly colored too. Many in the center of town area date from the late 18th and 19th centuries. The Bluenose II is still berthed there and she was setting sail with a boatload of tour bus folks as we went to lunch. We tried the “Outer Banker” as suggested by the campground owner. Their fish chowder is simply loaded with good seafood. There was certainly way too much to see in the short time we had available. We hightailed it home to meet up with our friends for dinner. Seems like we beat them home.

The short route, NS 103 is about a 50-mile drive (1 hour) at highway speeds. Our drive down took 3 hours and was over 100 miles. Guess which was more enjoyable? Not the fast route, which was BORING!

Day 25 (September 15, 2009) – A Very Rainy Day

Our streak of not having Mother Nature interfere with our sightseeing ran out today. It rained hard almost all day. Since our friends decided to pass on ape Breton, we adjusted our itinerary for the rest of the trip, adding in 2 new stopovers in Maine, Eastport and Boothbay Harbor. After lunch we saddled up our trusty steeds a sallied forth like Don Quixote against the Citadel of Halifax. After paying our tithe to the King of England, we were admitted to this stalwart bastion. Being in a granite fort in a heavy rain gives one a sense of the life of a British soldier in days long gone. We managed to get in a guided tour of the Fort with the Corporal of the Guard as our Guide. All of us made the long walk through the dark and damp Musketry Gallery of the outer wall. We drove through the wharf area of downtown Halifax, but it was too wet to park and walk around. There were 3 cruise ships in Port today.

Day 24 (September 14, 2009) – Nova Scotia and Peggy’s Cove

We left PEI this morning and our sparkling clean coaches were mucked up as soon as we hit the road. Overnight rain and morning drizzle gave us a fresh coating of PEI red dust…er…mud. We had an easy drive of 220 miles on good roads, mostly 4-lane. Our excitement of the day occurred shortly after we got back to New Brunswick when a Bobcat ran across the road about 25 yards in front of us.

About 4 pm after setting up camp, we drove down the short distance to Peggy’s Cove. By then the weather was beautiful, but windy. We stopped at he Swissair 111 Memorial just as you enter the Peggy’s Cove Protected Area. The Memorial is for those who perished on Swissair 111 on September 2, 1998. This spot, a short walk from the road, gave us an unbelievably spectacular view of Peggy’s Cove, about a mile down the coast. The Atlantic Ocean, the rocks, the large breaking waves, blue skies, and puffy clouds were perfectly illuminated by the sun at our back. We then drove into the town and down to the Lighthouse to take the prerequisite boatload of photos. After that it was off to the gift shops where we did our duty to support the local economy.

If you are wondering why no photos this trip, I’m taking everything in raw image format and for some reason the conversion software will not work on the laptop. Try everything out before you leave home! Of course the software CD is at home! We could have used the proverbial left-handed smoke shifter tonight.

Day 23 (September 13, 2009) – Mother Nature Says Gotcha!

Big mouth kept shooting his mouth off about the weather, so Mother Nature got her revenge today. Our promised continued sunny and warm forecast turned out cloudy, foggy, drizzly, rainy, but still pretty warm. Oh well we planned to sleep in anyway.

We did take a drive down to Victoria on the southern coast. This is a very pretty old little town with an old hotel with tearoom, some bed and breakfasts, jewelry shops, cafes, obligatory waterfront, and a Chocolateir. Guess where we bought stuff. Marvelous hand made chocolates all using real Belgian chocolate. Donna was especially admiring their collection of antique molds which included one really neat tin mold for turkeys from Germany and very old. Best buy is their mistake bags. They taste the same even if they are bumpy, lumpy, etc.

On our arrival home Harvey and Paul were busily debugging the front ends of their coaches. Not to be outdone, I joined the party. This effort degenerated in a motor home washing party. All got washed and completely OK with the campground management! They suggested it! We all tried out Harvey’s secret potion for dissolving bugs and its work amazingly well. A light rubbing with a sponge and they are gone…just rinse off. Paul and I will be selling his amazing secret recipe when we return. Dish soap works really well as a car wash too. Oh boy, sautéed petronacles for dinner tonite! MMMM! Good!

Day 22 (September 12, 2009) – A Day to Tour

Today we traveled separately from our friends. They headed north to Cavendish and Anne of Green Gables country while we headed east to see the eastern tip of PEI. We got an early start since it was going to be along day (~200 miles). Our first stop was Georgetown on the eastern shore. Unfortunately the whole main street was under serious reconstruction and impassible. This part of the island has much less agriculture and more forests of spruce, firs, and white birch. We stopped at many of the “Discovery Points” listed in the tour book from the Information Center. These included beaches with white sand in stark contrast to the reddish sandy soil throughout the island. Most of these required a short drive down a side road to the point of interest.

Near Souris we found Fire and Water Creations, a shop Donna found in reading the materials we picked up at the information center. The woman who runs the shop specializes in beach glass jewelry. She found a necklace with green glass she liked. Of course we bought it! We stopped for lunch at Cable Head West Beach. This is a white sandy beach noted for its singing sands. The sand squeaks when you walk on it. After lunch we headed east to East Point Lighthouse where the Northumberland Straight, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Atlantic Ocean meet. From there we headed west towards home. On interesting stop is North lake Harbor, the tuna capital of the world, so they boast. This is the area where the extremely large Blue fin tuna are caught that bring big bucks in Japan. No, we did not see any.

Our friend’s day took them on a much shorter journey north to see the Anne of Green Gables House and Prince Edward Island National Park. They found a restaurant called Chez Yvonne. Guess where they ate? Apparently they also ran across many other Anne sites, but avoided the temptation to stop. Unfortunately many of the shops up there have closed for the season.

Oh yes, the weather today was nearly perfect! Not only was it sunny with blue skies, the breeze was light and the temperatures soared into the mid-70’s. I had to break out the shorts and t-shirts for the first time since Montreal. Since Harvey managed to procure some abandoned firewood and we convinced Paul to split it we had another fire tonight.

We had the "boys" out on leash today. Patrick enjoys running around chasing flies and bugs. Christopher is much more reserved, not really happy outside. He did chase a bug and pounced on it mightily! Unfortunately it was a bee. He can go in reverse as fast as in forward. Yup! He got stung on the paw. He looked like he had a boxing glove paw, but it is fine this morning!

Day 21 (September 11, 2009) – Charlottetown, PEI

Well, lets see, if its day 21, this must be Friday. See how smart I am, must be that it has been that long since we had the TV on in the rig. OK, I have seen the TV on at Harvey’s and Paul’s. As a matter of fact Donna is watching a movie on 9-11 on the CBC with Mary. Paul and I just put the fire out…that inexpensive firewood we bought down the road is green poplar. It does not burn too well. Luckily we had some good wood left to keep the fire hot and burn most of the junk wood.
We all went downtown to see Charlottetown. There were no cruise ships in port, so it was very quiet. We went through the Basilica and Province House. Province House is the seat of the Provincial government and legislature. The legislature has only one house and 27 members, quite different form the U.S. The historical significance of this building is that in 1864, it hosted the original meeting of representatives from Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island that led to the Canadian Confederation. Afterwards, we found “Cows” and had to find out first hand how good their ice cream is. It was just past noon! It is good. Down the street we found a sidewalk vendor with grilled sausages, so we ate on the cheap, but very good. Our final stop downtown was the tourist trap village of shops at the waterfront. Mary and Yvonne both found Anne of Green Gables dolls very heavily discounted…success.
While they shopped we headed out to the Cows Creamery for a tour…well yeah and another small tasting of ice cream. They also make some very good cheddar cheese too. The weather continued to be nearly perfect.

Day 20 (September 10, 2009) – Onward to PEI and Pay Attention Bozo

Today dawned another spectacular day with crystal clear skies and cool temperatures. We left on our own as the others were not up to more of the “scenic route.” We didn’t get too far when someone didn’t pay attention to the detour sign until he noted the road closed ahead sign…TOO LATE BOZO. Box canyon, disconnect here we come. As luck would have it, just before the barricade a house had a U-shaped driveway large enough to drive the rig through. It looked like I wasn’t the first.

As we headed away from the water down a tree line road, a black figure ahead resolved itself into mom and yearling cub black bears. Just as I stopped about 150 yards away, mom noticed me. Into the woods like greased lightening they went. Shortly afterwards we saw 2 deer. About half our drive was right on the coast with ample views to justify our endeavors. The pretty section was also driven by Harvey and Paul…good move. The second half, east from Shediac, was not so good with rough roads and limited views. We drove the 13 kilometer Confederation Bridge onto PEI with perfect weather.

We are now at Pine Haven Campground, with beautiful grassy sites. They close on Sunday, but we can stay on as long as we want if we pay by Saturday. Free ice cream cones today as they want to use it up. The flavors are a bit exotic, but the price is right.

On arrival Paul noticed his base plate was loose on the driver side of his car. Reason was a stabilizing bar (1.5" wide and 1/2" thick) had snapped in two! We found an unnamed body shop who agreed to weld it for $20 cash and a case of amnesia on our part. It is now fixed...10 minute job. Why did it break? We and the auto-body shop owner think it is because of a height differential between the car and ball. Paul said his tow bar slopes down to the ball. We'll check it when we leave.

What broken base plate? What weld? Not me! Hunh!

As I write this, everyone else headed off for the grocery store and Wal-Mart. We plan on a campfire tonight.

Day 19 (September 9, 2009) – Acadian Village

Today our planned adventure was the Acadian Village, a portrayal of Acadian life using historic house re-located to this “village.” They come from various towns from New Brunswick and show a progression of house types and lifestyles from the 18th and 19th centuries (1700’s & 1800’s). These included complete farms with outbuildings, traditional crops and livestock, tavern, a fisherman’s house with shed for preparing salt cod, woodworking shop, school, a small church, general store, and a covered bridge, all original. After crossing the covered bridge there is a grouping of buildings representing 20th century (1900’s), of which some are reconstructions.

All of the early period buildings were hosted with people in period dress and every kitchen was in the process of cooking the noonday meal. They were "stews" of varying types being cooked in dutch ovens over the fire. Every one smelled scrumptious. The houses represented families of all economic levels. Most consisted of one room downstairs with an upstairs storage area for grain. Almost all housed mom, dad and 10-15 kids! One of the farms grew flax and included a demonstration of making linen and another wool. The flax from this year's harvest was in the field redding or drying. It is pulled up with the roots, not cut. Both were quite interesting processes. The woodwork shop proprietor was making water buckets. A shot of gin (de Kuyper Geneva from Holland) at the tavern was 10 cents, about 4 weeks work for a common person. According to the schoolmistress, teaching in French was prohibited until 1963! Most schools taught in French on the sly, with children memorizing answers to English questions posed by government inspectors. Today the French schools teach entirely in French with English as an elective. Prior to the Expulsion (1755 to 1763), most Acadians were farmers. Those that avoided the Expulsion or returned later were forced to become coastal fisherman dominated by the Jersey Company until the 1940’s when U.S. corporations began buying seafood for cash. In the U.S. we learn of the “French and Indian War,” but not the repercussions for the losing side.

Crossing the covered bridge brought one into the 1900’s. This section included a steam powered sawmill and barrel maker. The sawmill was on lunch break, but the barrel maker was hard at work. Another building was a 1936 Irving Oil Station (it smelled like one too). Interestingly, Irving also sold Fords along with the oil and gas. Next-door was the Hotel Chateau Albert, a 1907 reproduction. Two more interesting shops were the Tin & Stove Shop (1915) and Cobbler Shop (1900), both reproductions of actual buildings, but with period functional equipment. The walk through the village was over 4 Km, so we got our exercise today. It took us about 4 hours to tour the village and most of the buildings.

Afterwards we headed south instead of saying another night in Caraquet, our unplanned adventure. We bit off more than we bargained for, bypassing one very nice campground about an hour south. As we trundled on, our drive on the “scenic route,” Rt 117 was a bit long and reminiscent of roads in Alaska, a tad bumpy to me, but OK (that is what I drove up here for… the scenic roads). Others had somewhat different opinions. Add to that, a wrong turn to get on the road to our campground in Cap Lumiere, led to a long day, but a much shorter day tomorrow. We are in a little RV park just across the road from the Gulf, not quite 10-10-10 in Trailer-Life, oh, not in TL. It is PPA, thus inexpensive. There is no one here to take our money, so it’s the honor system. We can see Prince Edward Island on the horizon and a Lighthouse right across the street. Oh! The wrong turn…we followed our sense of direction instead of the road signs. “They can’t be right we’d be going in the wrong direction!”

Day 18 (September 8, 2009) – On to New Brunswick

We decided to hit the road early…8 am…and did it. Why so early…we are now in the Atlantic time zone. We said our good byes to Walt and Cathy…well only just Cathy as Walt wasn’t up…er…out yet. At least gas is about $0.15/gallon cheaper here. I drove in on fumes. New Brunwick is a change from Quebec…no not the language, this part is principally French speaking, but the countryside. Many more trees are on the roadside with only occasional views of Chaleur Bay. Only past Bathhurst did the scenery become reminiscent of the Gaspe. Of course we could see he Gaspe across the bay (~30 Km). We arrived at Colibri Motel and Campground shortly after noon. This is a very nice campground with full hookups and 50 amp service for the big boys.

After lunch and some minor repairs to our tow vehicle wiring we took off on a drive to the Acadian Islands. Why? There is a lighthouse at the end of the road on Isle Miscou. The scenery was really varied from conifer forests to bog marshes. Peat moss is a big industry in this area and we could see previous and current “harvest” areas. Although this is a renown bird watching area, we did not see very many. Harvey saw several eagles. We found the Miscou Island Lighthouse at the end of the road, a wooden lighthouse built in 1856. From there we could see the headlands at Perce! On the map, they look to be at least 40 miles away…visible at sea level. Yes, the air was extremely clear today.

On the way home we picked up some frozen seafood (scallops and shrimp) and some cooked lobsters ($6.50/lb!) for dinner tonight. Just as we were cleaning up from dinner we were blitzed by Kamikaze mosquitoes…so no campfire. An hour after dark they have disappeared. I must go back and check out the Cheese Shop (Frommagerie) tomorrow morning.

Day 17 (September 7, 2009) – We Complete the Gaspe

We did go out to dinner last night at Biard’s. This was one of the lesser expensive restaurants in Perce. Very nice restaurant, great service outstanding view, but so-so food. Some items were very good, other just plain. Certainly not anywhere near as good as the one in Cap des Rosiers or the other places we have eaten.

This morning Yvonne and Mary were going back to Agate et Caillou, the small shop in Perce that specializes in agates, to pick up some stones they had polished. So I went along with my collection. Mostly pretty rocks, except one which I left to be polished and would be mailed to me. When we arrived at the campground this evening Cathy had my agate, already done! Well, quite proudly, I think it turned out the prettiest of all. The owners thought it was a really good one too with really bright red coloration in it. Donna is happy with it too. All the ladies had stones polished and mouts attached.

We completed the drive around Gaspe today. South, well really west of Perce has many more modern homes of recent construction. The drive still has the great shoreline but no more mountains to climb or descend. We arrived at Pointe-a-la-Croix at our campground, Camping la Maison Verte du Parc Gaspesien for our final night in Quebec Province. We drove back to visit Parc National de Miguasha, a provincial park. The entry fee was steep, about $12/person. We went through their very extensive museum that explains the importance of the fossils in this area. They date from 380 million years ago and trace the evolution from sea to land creatures. We walked the beach and Donna found what we think was a tree leaf type fossil. Was this worth it? Yes if you are interested in this area of science.

We held a farewell campfire tonight, as Cathy and Walt will part ways with us tomorrow to begin the trek home. We continue our journey with about a 2-mile drive to the bridge to New Brunswick and English road signs and language...so we thought! Without exception the people of Quebec we have encountered have been most friendly and helpful, even when they spoke little or no English. The Province is exceptionally clean and tidy. There is NO roadside debris or trash anywhere that I saw! Everything is well maintained with very few “abandoned” houses or buildings.

Day 16 (September 6, 2009) – Rocher Perce or Perce Rock

But first I give you the rest of the story from yesterday. The day started with Walt finding a blown tire (through the tread) on his trailer. This must have happened just before he made camp in Gaspe. Anyway, consultation with the campground owner resulted in his journeying about a mile down the road to a friend’s place who just happens to manufacture utility trailers and had the exact tires, etc he needed in stock. At home those tires must be ordered. He bought a set of 4 including an extra rim and was back in less than a half hour. Maybe the fact the proprietor and his friends were headed out fishing had something to do with the instantaneous service. Back to today….

Today dawned sunny and bright, although cool (60 ish) with some wind (15 –20 mph). We headed to the dock for our journey around Percer Rock and Isle Bonaventure. The rock itself is spectacular from just about any viewpoint. At low tide you can walk out to the rock. From there the boat journeyed about a mile to Isle Bonaventure, home the world’s largest Northern Gannet colony. These are magnificent white seabirds with black tips on the wings, yellow heads, and about 4’ wingspan. The seaward side of the island is home to the nesting colonies with thousands of the birds flying and perched on the rock cliffs. The area is also popular with scuba divers. Just as we left the island a Minke whale made a cameo appearance.

Upon return to land we drove to the top of Mt. St. Mary, about 330 m above se level. This gave a 360 panaoramic view of the entire area. No haze, no clouds, no smog, just crystal clear air enabling one to see at least 50 miles. One car headed to town and the shops, the other toward Coine du Banc and the search for the priceless agates.

Tonight we are all going out to dinner at a local restaurant. Maybe afterwards we’ll try the campfire again. Last night was too windy and damp. For those who care, my Blackberry has had all functions at every stop we’ve made so far. I have Sprint. I do use the computer for this. We are staying at Camping Du Phare, on the south side of town. We have a perfect view of Percer Rock, Percer, and Isle Bonaventure right outside our door. We even have 50 amp service for the first time in several stop. There are many nice campgrounds here in town, but this one is Passpost America. This is a big tourist area so prices are somwhat higher, comparable to Quebec city.

Day 15 (September 5, 2009) – A Very Short Drive and That Hill!

Today we got a lazy start as we only had about a 40 mile drive. We were lolly gagging along when was came across this little shop just before Perce, pronounced “Per Se.” For sale were sailing ships all made of wood, including the sails! We all bought one! Thence onward we trudged with ever mounting fear of the dreaded HILL into Perce. This is just your basic 1 Km. hill with a 17% grade down ending in town. So down shift to first and off you go. No problems, really! Even Mary said it was no big deal…after the fact.

After lunch we drifted off for shopping and such in town. Well, Cathy and I had noticed this lapidary shop about 10 miles back up the road, so we went back there. Afterwards we stopped at Coin du Banc and walked the beach to make our fortune in agates. We all have a nice collection of pretty agates we found…OK maybe just rocks, but still pretty. Then back into town to another agate shop. The owner there explained the processes she uses to make jewelry. There are some very beautiful pieces to buy. Right now it is raining (showers), I am home alone writing this. They are out doing more shopping. Hopefully everything closes at 6 and I get dinner tonight! Ohhh! Some breaks in the clouds off to the west, maybe a campfire tonight. OK, now 6:30, nobody in sight, starvation setting in.............

Day 14 (September 4, 2009) – Almost a No-Hitter

Our goal today was Forillon National Park on the tip of the Gaspe Peninsula. We planned our visit with a quick stop at the Visitor’s Center to make sure we saw what interested us. Our first stop was Fort Peninsule, a WW II vintage artillery battery. The Gaspe Bay was an important Naval base for anti-submarine warfare. I never heard that U-boats had penetrated the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Our second stop was Grand –Grave, the harbor in the park where whale watching trips originate. The lure of blue whales proved over whelming. So we, Cathy and Walt set sail again as Paul, Mary, Yvonne and Harvey waved us a bon voyage. We almost got skunked. Cathy spotted the first whale when the trip was almost over. We then spotted several more Minke whales right in the Bay. The Blues and Finback were nowhere to be found. This was not the greatest trip for whale watching but it sure worked for sightseeing with great close up views of the coastline and Cap Gaspe.

After our trip, we visited the historic General Store that supplied the fisherman in the area. The store has been re-created to look as it did in days long-gone. Another kilometer up the road is a fisherman’s home that is furnished in a traditional manner. Last occupied in 1956, the house never had electric service. Since it was getting late in the day we hustled over the mountain to the north shore area of the park. At the end of the road, we walked down to a lookout, which gave a marvelous view if the shore line in both directions. Our last stop (so we thought) was the Cap Des Rosiers Lighthouse, the tallest in Canada. This was the prettiest lighthouse we’ve seen so far. Since it was well past 5:00 PM, everything was closed. Since we had no lunch, dinner seemed appropriate. We found a nice looking seafood restaurant in the town of Cap Des Rosiers. Walt and I went in to check the menu, but the smell as soon as we walked in the door sold us. We all had seafood dishes, every one freshly prepared from scratch, including my Bouillabaisse. This is a French style with a cream base. It was loaded with lobster, shrimp, salmon, halibut, cod and who knows what else. The others all had fried seafood dishes and hand battered and prepared for us! Dessert was a pecan cake with a caramel sauce topping, both homemade. We headed for home (40 miles away) thinking our day was done.

Not so pardner! We didn’t go more than up the hill and had the most beautiful view of the Lighthouse. The sides are illuminated and change colors. Put this right next to the ocean with a full moon illuminating the sea was quite simply spectacular! What a surprise to end a great day!

Day 13 (September 3, 2009) – “We’re no longer in Kansas, Toto!”

Last night we grilled the salmon over charcoal on a cedar plank. Oh my, was that salmon good! After dinner, Walt greeted us with the news his car was “dead”, no lights, no power, nothing. Good Sam Road Service was there at 6:30 am as promised, fortunately just a jump sufficed. So all 4 of us hit the road early, around 9 am. After 20-30 miles the lush farms petered out until it was just the river, the mountains, and the road…all in close proximity. Harvey noted “We are no longer in Kansas, Toto.” Oh yeah, we are using walkie-talkies and CBs the chitchat on the road. In most places the mountains were within spitting distance to the right and the river about the same to the left. Spectacular views abounded around every bend and over every hill. The towns are much smaller and further in-between.

We missed the cut-off to the Cap Chat Lighthouse. Oh well! We did stop at the Cap Madeleine Lighthouse. This was a nice stop with a friendly gift shop. Several ladies left with new hand knitted caps. We encountered many steep up-grades (up to 12%) and more even steeper downhill grades, two 12%, one 14%, and one 15%. Definitely slow way down, first gear and roll easy just using the brakes to keep tach at less than 4000 rpm. The next 2 nights we are staying at Camping Gaspe in Haldimand, Quebec. We have a very nice view of the Gulf from our site. I hope the picture is as great as it is in real life with the nearly full moon reflecting on the water!

Day 12 (September 2, 2009) – The Navigator’s Route

Today was a travel day, but it was only 120 miles, a little over 6 hours to drive and gawk! This drive was quite simply extraordinary, the whole way. Good road (mostly) were a blessing, a fear not realized. Tonight we are in Matane, in their municipal park, Camping Parc Sirois la Baleine. The park has full hookup, free WIFI, and is level and grass. The St. Lawrence is right across the road. Weather today was fantastic, warmer as advertised, a bit windy, but extremely pleasant since we made camp.

So why 6 hours? Well the tourists touristed. Our first stop was Le Bic National Park, where the boat launch area is. This gave us a great view of the rocks a rugged coastline. Our second was Pointe-Au-Pere Lighthouse. We didn’t spend too much time since Paul missed the turn off. There is also a submarine on display that can be visited.

We caught up with Paul at our last stop, Redford Gardens in Grand Metis. We spent about an hour and a half visiting the gardens and former mansion. Very pretty and well worth the time and cost ($16 per person). After making camp we drove into Matane to see the Salmon River, a famous Atlantic Salmon fishery. We did see a couple of fisherman, but we don’t know what is running. We picked up some fresh fish for dinner tonight…salmon (no, not Atlantic, but farm raised). We passed on the lobsters. Another campfire is scheduled for tonight.

Day 11 (September 1, 2009) – Shiver me timbers matey! We be settin’ sail!

Today is our day to chase the mighty Moby Dick. We have reservations for the 1:30 PM tour. But first we’ll take a look about Riviere du Loup. Forgot to mention yesterday we are staying in Camping Municipale de La Pointe. This is a very nice place to stay, full hookups, paved sites and roads, but alas no 50 amp…sorry Yvonne. After breakfast, we headed into town for shopping and sightseeing. Post Office was the first stop to mail Katherine’s Post cards. Only $0.98 per card for Canadian first class!

In town we found the Park of the Cross that offers a majestic view of the town and river. Down the hill a bit is the park of the Waterfall with several view points with parking and various views of the falls and gorge. The park has very interesting rock formations that graphically show deformations of the crust due to the tectonic plate movement that formed the Appalachians.

We met the rest at the dock for our Whale Wathcing Cruise. The first hour was windy and a bit rough…about 6 ft. swells with no whales. We headed east towards the Saguenay River outflow where whales were sighted. Finally we saw several minke whales not real close. Further east we ran into some finback whales we cahsed around for about an hour. Closest was maybe 75 yards. Just before we left for home one surfaced and blew about 25 yards off. A minute or 2 later it or another surfaced about 10 feet from the port side of he boat, just below where we were standing. Got some good pictures and video during the excitement. Everyone enjoyed the cruise. Seeing whales helped a lot on that score.

We finished along day with a meatloaf dinner Cathy prepared along with a campfire. Weather has been cool, 50’s and 60’s. It is supposed to warm to the mid 70’s rest of this week. We’ll see!