tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23235294149876950912024-03-20T11:10:15.747-04:00Road Trip 2023"Beyond the Compass"Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13220591597271685565noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-49317734933044225462023-07-23T21:01:00.000-04:002023-07-23T21:01:08.721-04:00Trek through QuébecIt has been years since our last road-trip due to the pandemic and the fact that we had a child in April 2020 (welcome Annabel!), so we dipped our toe in for a quick jaunt into Québec for a tour de animaux. With freshly minted passports in hand we crossed the border and headed to Tim Hortons as our main destination. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdFK2rze5ftmRtQY6ZKa0YZULSmrwnENhRyOhYolBCg-RBdIUjq8kqoX79ImwDGwWSRrvklmqih2uGLsyRgnwd0gBfRdpAj0bzNosi99LlNw5D2Bwpwy1cCEIQSYfdfG3Ztzt44oyTG-GvtaZK3pBwePYijxMAofFFKwQAJlA261zv7m29HwEwZaT8Ju0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdFK2rze5ftmRtQY6ZKa0YZULSmrwnENhRyOhYolBCg-RBdIUjq8kqoX79ImwDGwWSRrvklmqih2uGLsyRgnwd0gBfRdpAj0bzNosi99LlNw5D2Bwpwy1cCEIQSYfdfG3Ztzt44oyTG-GvtaZK3pBwePYijxMAofFFKwQAJlA261zv7m29HwEwZaT8Ju0" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>After lunch, we spent the afternoon at the Granby Zoo. It was Annabel's first in person view of megafauna and she was enraptured. The zoo was larger and more encompassing than expected but we did not take advantage of the attached waterpark (why does everything have a waterpark now? they'll be putting them in grocery stores soon!)<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4sns7C07a1ppEXWl8Jqw1uSxuUSe0ZmCNkcu9rPUYP2mPyFrLMAtyzwu7jb-iNGGYMFQzWtntKkmlw2iuyrZ2pxhaHeVZ6xqTQ47uWE9U44-nf8XLq-TZcfQ3wB1cu1fyd3EfNJ9QnCeao0Lpfw4qMuMfds03T3QIxWToyOeMbxwszVjkmBzGnSFYImE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4sns7C07a1ppEXWl8Jqw1uSxuUSe0ZmCNkcu9rPUYP2mPyFrLMAtyzwu7jb-iNGGYMFQzWtntKkmlw2iuyrZ2pxhaHeVZ6xqTQ47uWE9U44-nf8XLq-TZcfQ3wB1cu1fyd3EfNJ9QnCeao0Lpfw4qMuMfds03T3QIxWToyOeMbxwszVjkmBzGnSFYImE" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>In true road-trip fashion, we didn't plan for our overnight accommodations, so we turned the car towards Montréal and after picking up provisions, we found a lovely site in Rougemont. After dinner, we spent the night floating in the pool (with hair tied up) and snoozed in the tent with Annabel playing tent-pong for the night.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZpL0q0pgRmD67rUk2DlyxEA3D9DcCJFjvSCJEvnyK_d84SGbdHFBkWOOz8zYF0WNI-aR1s9kSmhOZ4zIFTPPnZeiU1pUbE5aqZQfkHA06EQq5fhQIBTS1eHLAf_uQKOguJ8Uxy_MKWBs2JnupCLc9C0dK1ejWj7Qd-jtgU7Rn4S8JkyxswxPvI_PNexA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZpL0q0pgRmD67rUk2DlyxEA3D9DcCJFjvSCJEvnyK_d84SGbdHFBkWOOz8zYF0WNI-aR1s9kSmhOZ4zIFTPPnZeiU1pUbE5aqZQfkHA06EQq5fhQIBTS1eHLAf_uQKOguJ8Uxy_MKWBs2JnupCLc9C0dK1ejWj7Qd-jtgU7Rn4S8JkyxswxPvI_PNexA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Annabel announced that she was awake at 5:00, so we had plenty of time to eat breakfast and pack before heading west to Montréal. We planned to see more animals at the Biodome and despite some tricksy parking signage, we managed to be one of the first groups in. Walking through the different biospheres made us glad that we dressed in layers and Annabel seemed most interested in the underwater creatures (particularly otters and penguins). By the time we headed out, the Biodome was starting to get quite busy with summer camps. We bid Montréal adieu and crossed the Jaques Cartier bridge towards home.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6wlsXg93S4UJdMJDvYM4K32QV0XBkscgaF3xRjrKduGX2hZVbJPDz9FxDXVkOZmHos7omdR0oB7YLAOq1IHaAydTnyS3kv9pVo88-mSKixlZhPa55_XwRJr6uKigsafwiDwlBlbuVUMjW7KJzaswxa-OomB5ovx7lzg7moRi39EIj8Lr1E8pP_r6Djps" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6wlsXg93S4UJdMJDvYM4K32QV0XBkscgaF3xRjrKduGX2hZVbJPDz9FxDXVkOZmHos7omdR0oB7YLAOq1IHaAydTnyS3kv9pVo88-mSKixlZhPa55_XwRJr6uKigsafwiDwlBlbuVUMjW7KJzaswxa-OomB5ovx7lzg7moRi39EIj8Lr1E8pP_r6Djps" width="180" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>I managed to sneak in one more stop for Tim Horton's doughnuts and we made our obligatory stop at the Fritz-Kaiser fromagerie for Annabel's premier visit. She was not disappointed and managed to stay awake for the long drive down the Alburg tongue and through the Champlain Islands. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLv0X0QYd4U9TRXkM5hmjLhLUEhl8ax79qcxf0UNo9r34STCxUZv1F1XTY0wnbI67Egm8IvRCpAi91_YD8cj9vUMxD6SeMwEvQQaRzHk19xFnx6PGl5-OuYLFUX-G0OtNiraVMyQWbVanUHOQ8LMTzHFg09uOE_LAmini8hYADOErx5VUGPHOUVnmw2lU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLv0X0QYd4U9TRXkM5hmjLhLUEhl8ax79qcxf0UNo9r34STCxUZv1F1XTY0wnbI67Egm8IvRCpAi91_YD8cj9vUMxD6SeMwEvQQaRzHk19xFnx6PGl5-OuYLFUX-G0OtNiraVMyQWbVanUHOQ8LMTzHFg09uOE_LAmini8hYADOErx5VUGPHOUVnmw2lU" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>T'was a short trip, but I think we have a great new road-trip buddy!</div></div>MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-91507629965466697132019-07-23T11:26:00.000-04:002019-08-08T12:28:09.484-04:00Home AgainWithout much trouble, we made it home with a stop at the Fritz-Kaiser Fromagerie in Noyan, Quebec to stock up on cheese. Lisa was as happy as could be. Our travels across Ontario surely made us appreciate the landscape of Vermont when we returned.<br />
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Our route for this trip is below. Until the next trip we are half fast, home at last!<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, VT 05445, USA44.3098476 -73.260992844.2189506 -73.4223543 44.400744599999996 -73.0996313tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-35924020885260437932019-07-15T14:40:00.000-04:002019-07-17T22:01:20.007-04:00Voyageurs National Park<div style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">Driving through Saskatchewan is much like driving through eastern Montana and North Dakota, except there are no towns and they are growing yellow flowers instead of wheat and corn. It was a slog of a drive with one stop for the worst taco salad that Lisa has ever had. I had a passable ham sandwich. Just after crossing into Manitoba, we ducked south into North Dakota and continued east. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">At the end of the day, we arrived just inside the Minnesota border and found a great campsite at Bronson Lake State Park. We managed to have our tent set-up and dinner made in ten minutes which means that we are really on our game at this point in the trip!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">The next morning, we drove to the boat launch to see Bronson Lake. It was a fairly uninspiring reservoir so we decided to keep driving east. The landscape through Minnesota was much improved over the previous day since there was a landscape. We saw plenty of deer along the roadside and drove gingerly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">At noon, we had arrived at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center at Voyageurs National Park. Since the park encompasses many lakes and islands, we signed up for the grand tour. The cruise reminded us of the voyage that we took on the St. Lawerence a couple of years back. This landscape was much less developed and not used commercially since the fur trade isn’t what it used to be. We saw many gold mines and plenty of wildlife including deer, bald eaglets, a nesting loon and a squirrel. This is certainly a park worth coming back to with boats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">After disembarking the S.S. Minnow, we grabbed some dinner in International Falls and found a campsite at Hoodoo Point Campground (a private venture) on Vermillion Lake. Other than some drunk fisherman carousing next door, it was an easy night - and they were nothing that ear plugs couldn’t fix.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">On our next morning we continued venturing through the forests of northern Minnesota until we finally saw the seemingly everlasting waters of Lake Superior. We followed the shoreline road to the north until arriving at Grand Portage National Monument. It was the main point of trade for the Voyageurs during the fur trading years in Canada. The site featured a recreated trading post with a kitchen and great hall as well as interpreters in period costume. We particularly enjoyed the “Montrealer” canoe which was thirty feet long and made of birchbark.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">We decided to continue driving along the northern shore of Lake Superior for the day and we spent the evening at Pukawaska National Park. Unfortunately, the mosquitos were terrible and we spent the last few moments left of the evening reading in the tent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">The mosquitos were still out in the morning so we donned our bug nets and headed to the beach to eat our breakfast. This would be a park to explore later in the season…or perhaps in a less rainy season. We continued our venture east along the northern shore of Lake Superior, impressed at how little development and trace of civilization appears in this part of Ontario. The winters must be horrible up here!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-kerning: none;">We stopped for breakfast in WaWa - one of the only businesses left in town apparently and continued driving east through Sault St. Marie where we are currently sipping on some root beer floats at the A&W. Eastward ho!</span></div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Sault Ste. Marie, ON46.497711500000008 -84.347587646.410247500000011 -84.5089491 46.585175500000005 -84.1862261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-3754228039689821602019-07-12T11:53:00.001-04:002019-07-12T11:53:31.024-04:00Banff National Park<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Times; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">Upon our arrival in Banff. we were greeted with steep mountains, breathtaking scenery and rain on a day forecasted to be clear. We found a campsite at Protection Mountain and ventured out to see the classic sights of the park. Unfortunately we found a long line for bus shuttles and the prospect of getting no time to explore the areas that we wanted to see. A new plan was needed as we ducked out of line….</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We spent the rest of the day waiting out the intermittent rain showers at the continental divide (we technically went to British Columbia by 10 meters or so…) and at our campsite. Lisa made a delicious pile of Mexican slop for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The next morning we industriously awoke at 3:30AM to explore the southern lakes so that we could avoid the crowds. We packed up our soaking, soggy, wet tent and headed to Moraine Lake - arriving still before sunrise. There were plenty of parking spots available and we walked the shoreline trail, stopping for a quick breakfast under the eave of the lodge’s porch. The light of the sunrise made for a beautiful effect on the aquamarine water and the glacier carved peaks. We meandered around the lake until 6:00AM or so and when we returned to our car the parking lot had filled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We left to explore Lake Louise. We wandered the shoreline trail, admiring the beautiful scenery and trying to ignore the generic monstrosity of a hotel behind us. By this time, Banff was waking up and we were surrounded by joggers and hikers. The views of the mighty cliffs were stunning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We spent the rest of the morning driving the Icefields Parkway through the northern part of the National Park. At this point, the crowds dispersed and the park became much more endearing to us. In fact, the scenery along the parkway continued to improve as we drove. We stopped at many of the lookouts and did a few short walks to overlooks, admiring the glaciers, crags and stunningly blue lakes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As we began to veer east, leaving Banff National Park, the mountains continued to impress for many miles. The folds in the uplifted rock were evidence of some mixture of geologic forces beyond our fathomability. Eventually, we made our way to the prairie and started driving across the plains of Alberta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We spent the night at a small campground just inside the Saskatchewan border and are continuing to drive east along the Trans-Canada highway today. It is much like driving across North Dakota but with fewer towns and more Tim Hortons.</span></div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Banff, AB, Canada51.1783629 -115.5707694000000251.1385444 -115.65145040000002 51.218181400000006 -115.49008840000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-12503432063886513492019-07-09T22:45:00.000-04:002019-07-09T22:45:51.154-04:00Waterton-Glacier International Peace ParkAfter leaving the bustling metropolis of Townsend, Montana we drove through Helena, one of the least impressive capital cities in the United States and headed north arriving at the eastern entrance to Glacier National Park around mid-day. After stopping at the visitor center for sage hiking advice from one of the rangers, we headed to the Rising Sun Campground where we got the second-to-last available site for the day (the last site had a warning posted that a marmot could chew the wiring on your car so we weren't terribly interested...).<div>
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We set up camp and headed for the shores of St. Mary Lake where we picked up the nearest trailhead. With questionable weather, we thought we would do a short hike and doddle at our campsite for the evening. However, the skies cleared as we walked and we ended up hiking for about seven miles to see Virginia Falls on the opposite side of the lake. It was an impressive waterfall along with St. Mary Falls and Baring Falls that we saw along the way. We had mostly unobstructed views of the surrounding mountains as we hiked through the recently burned forest. We returned to our campsite for the evening and munched on quesadillas for dinner.</div>
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After arising in the morning, we drove the jaw-dropping Going to the Sun Road which was so much more stunning than our <a href="http://halffasthomeatlast.blogspot.com/2010/08/heres-that-rainy-day.html">last trip</a> when we drove through the snow and rain. We enjoyed the lack of traffic and stopped to gawk at many of the scenic overlooks. Naturally Lisa was doing all the driving with two hands on the wheel and all eyes squarely focused on the road ahead.</div>
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After our Logan Pass venture, we parked the car and hiked to Avalanche Lake where we had more quesadillas for breakfast at the trailhead. It was a well maintained trail through large pine and cedar forests. The lake was at the bottom of a giant glacial cirque with six waterfalls cascading the cliffs. We enjoyed the view, but it was evidently a very popular trail based on the busloads of humans on the beach with us.</div>
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Heading back over to the eastern side of the park at mid-day was a bit more busy and we were not able to stop at the Logan Pass visitor center due to lack of parking. Instead, we grabbed a quick lunch at our campsite and headed to Many Glacier, a part of the park accessible from a "road" leading from the town of Babb.</div>
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We followed the "road" along Lake Sherburne and parked the car in a pothole before hiking to Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine. The walk was easy and afforded great views of the peaks surrounding us. On our return trip, we pulled our guitar and mandolin and played tunes at the picnic area. We met a part-time nature photographer that set up his scope to clearly see grizzly bears at a 60x distance. That might still be a little close for Lisa...</div>
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We dined that evening at the Two Dog Flats Grill near our campsite and went to bed early (and still in bright daylight until after 10:00) since we had such a busy day.</div>
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The next morning, we packed quickly and left Glacier National Park to drive north - dodging cattle that was seemingly fenced into the roadways. We entered Canada and immediately went to Waterton National Park, the Canadian portion of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The views of the lakes and mountains were just as stunning as the American side. However, we learned that most of the park was closed for construction including the Redrock Canyon that we hoped to see. Instead we hiked along the shore of Upper Waterton Lake to Bertha Falls. The views were unobstructed due to a large fire that swept the park in 2017 which happened to be the reason for the massive construction within its borders.</div>
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Heading north, we made our next stop at "Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site." Despite the crazy sounding name it was an amazing museum that was set at the site of a cliff that had been used for six thousand years as a place to hunt bison by native people. They would trick the herds into running over the cliff and have enough meat and pelts to sustain themselves through the winter. A cruel trick maybe, but pretty darn clever!</div>
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We finally got sick of driving in Calgary where we are spending the night. Tomorrow morning, we will be off to see Banff - one of the prettiest places known to manff.</div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Glacier National Park, Montana, USA48.7596128 -113.7870225000000323.2375783 -155.09561650000003 74.2816473 -72.478428500000035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-57282221408376797572019-07-07T09:55:00.001-04:002019-07-07T09:55:40.539-04:00Yellowstone National ParkAfter some refreshing showers at the Colter Bay Launderette, we bid the Tetons farewell and headed north towards Yellowstone National Park for the day. As we drove north, the slight smell of sulfur started to emanate through the car and we began to see steam rising from the earth on the shores of Yellowstone Lake. We had last visited this park on our <a href="http://halffasthomeatlast.blogspot.com/2010/06/yellowstone.html">trip in 2010</a> and had spent a few nights at the Norris Geyser Basin. Today - we would just be passing through.<br />
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We enjoyed the scenery along our meander through the eastern side of the park. Our first stop was at the Uncle Tom's Trail and Artist's Point near Canyon Village. There was a solid crowd enjoying the view today evidenced by the busy parking lot and lines for the bathroom. We walked the trail, but the stairs that we fondly remembered leading into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone were under repair. We got some great shots of the Yellowstone River falls from the rim though!<br />
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Heading north - we found a herd of buffalo running back and forth across the road (and naturally tons of cars stopped with cameras at the ready). We joined in and Lisa particularly enjoyed the bounding young bison.<br />
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Our next stop was at Tower Falls - we pushed through the crowds to get a view from the top and enjoyed the lack of humans on the descent into the canyon. All it takes is a little elevation loss or gain and people thin right out! The view from the bottom was gorges and looked like a miniature version of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.<br />
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We then started heading west with a quick stop at the petrified tree. We had seen the ancient redwood tree before and we snapped a quick picture. Our real destination was Lost Lake which was a short hike away. We were happy to lose some of the crowds again as we made our way.<br />
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Our last stop for the afternoon was at Mammoth Hot Springs and the crowds were the thickest of the day. It was in stark contrast to the last time we visited at 6:00AM... We walked the boardwalk and enjoyed the mineral formations that seemed less wet than the last time we were here. Either way, the sulfur smell was quite present.<br />
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We spent the evening in Townsend, Montana where we slept next to a snorting pig-hog.<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Yellowstone National Park, United States44.427963 -110.5884550000000118.905928499999998 -151.897049 69.9499975 -69.279861000000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-12644269858482224602019-07-05T19:57:00.002-04:002019-07-05T19:57:30.507-04:00Grand Teton National ParkSince we didn't feel comfortable climbing bare hills the day before, we started our day by hiking to the Dubois scenic overlook. In hindsight, we could have driven...but that is not what this trip is about. It's actually about eating.<br />
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Once on the top, we ate our breakfast with the panoramic view of the Wind River Range on one side and the Wyoming Badlands on the other. With the soft morning light, we had some delicate shadows and pale orange light to make our view even better. However, we didn't have time to dawdle - we were planning on getting a campsite in Grand Teton National Park and it was the Fourth of July.<br />
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Our approach to the Tetons from the east was stunning as the mountains just seemed to appear from nowhere. We pulled into Colter Bay at 9:30 and had to wait in line for a bit, but we were successful in our mission. We had a place to camp on the Fourth of July!<br />
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After setting up camp, we returned to the Colter Bay Visitor Center and spent the rest of the morning and afternoon wandering around the network of trails on the shore of Jackson Lake. We first hiked the lakeshore loop, which offered fantastic views of the peaks and the lake. On the connecting beach between the two loops we had a picnic and watched the SUPs paddle on by.<br />
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In the afternoon we kept to the Colter Bay area and hiked first to Swan Lake and Heron Pond where we saw both swans and herons as well as a beaver. Lisa's goal was to not see a bear and she was still successful after that venture. We then had a great dinner at the Colter Bay Ranch House and wandered along the lake shore until we saw some goings-on in the amphitheater. After a ranger talk on the importance of fire in the ecosystem, we hit the hay early and slept intermittently due to the fact that the ten percent chance of rain meant that it would rain all night long...<br />
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The morning was cool and the ground was saturated, but we donned our hiking boots and headed to the Leigh Lake trailhead. We then walked along the shore of String Lake to the outlet bridge into Jenny Lake. We then hiked the Lake Perimeter, which was on a bluff overlooking the glacial pond before we started to climb in elevation towards Cascade Canyon. Once we arrived at the bottom of the U-shaped canyon, the trail flattened considerably and the scenery was breathtaking. We had never seen the Tetons from within the mountains and we were surrounded by sheer cliffs, jagged mountain peaks and numerous waterfalls. It rivaled the Yosemite Valley for pure natural scenery!<br />
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We eventually had to tear ourselves away from the canyon since the trip is really about eating...we ended our day at the Colter Bay Cafe where we split a pizza. Luckily it was huge and will double as breakfast. We will be off to Yellowstone in the morning.<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Colter Bay Village, WY 83013, USA43.9046609 -110.6407654000000218.382626400000003 -151.94935940000002 69.4266954 -69.332171400000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-28920262537826869552019-07-03T20:47:00.000-04:002019-07-05T19:59:51.366-04:00DuboisWe learned quickly that Lander was not a place that we wanted to spend a significant amount of time. Its isolation might explain the odd interactions that we kept having with the locals. Or perhaps it was the fact that they would be celebrating the fourth of July by having armed local militia walking the streets and setting off commercial grade fireworks from dusk to midnight...to each their own?<br />
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Our only stop within the city limits was Sink Canyon State Park which had a weird natural feature where a river enters an underground cave through limestone cracks and emerges a quarter of a mile away in "the rise." However it apparently takes more than two hours for the water to make the journey, there is more water and it is warmer than when it sank...more oddities from this odd place. We walked from the cave to the rise, which was filled with gigantic trout, but with clouds overhead we decided not to do any extra hiking for risk of lightning.<br />
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A collective sigh of relief was breathed when we saw Lander in our rear view mirror. We drove through the Wind River and Arapaho Indian Reservation with the Wind River Mountains to our left until we arrived in the town of Dubois. We stopped in the visitor center to find some local hikes and the staff told us to stop at the Bighorn Sheep Museum next-door for free bratwurst. We could tell immediately this was our kind of town!<br />
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We feasted on our lunch and toured the museum which showcased the efforts made in the local area to maintain the bighorn sheep herds in the wind river mountains. Based on the number of taxidermy sheep showcased there is either a large population to draw from or they have mostly been turned into furs...<br />
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Then we found ourselves heading up a dirt road toward the conservation camp where we hiked part of a mountain to see some amazing petroglyphs. There are herd paths that lead around them and a sign reminding hikers that the area is always on camera. These carvings by the ancestors of the Shoshone Tribe were much different than the ones that we had seen in Colorado and Arizona - they were much rounder and more alien looking.<br />
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The rest of the afternoon was spent by the Wind River picking tunes and walking through the town. With menacing clouds moving through the area, we just didn't feel comfortable hiking into higher elevation with little tree cover. That being said, Dubois is certainly a place to explore but we feel the need to move on for now with the Fourth of July weekend coming up.<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Dubois, WY, USA43.533565 -109.6304334999999843.487524 -109.71111449999998 43.579606000000005 -109.54975249999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-11109549630826909362019-07-02T23:07:00.002-04:002019-07-02T23:07:47.976-04:00Dinosaur and Flaming GorgeUpon arrival at Dinosaur National Monument we first snagged a campsite at the Green River Campground that overlooked the river. It seemed like prime real estate and we then headed back to the visitor center to see the quarry exhibit hall. We last visited this park in <a href="http://halffasthomeatlast.blogspot.com/2010/07/im-getting-sediment-all-over-you.html">July 2010</a> but the quarry building was under construction and we didn't get to experience much of the dinosaur part of Dinosaur National Monument.<br />
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Not so this time, the building was ready for exploration and the uplifted fossils were amazing to see. The wall was once a dried river bed that contained many dinosaur corpses and the bones were a jumbled mess. We tried to make sense of which bones belonged to which dinosaur - I particularly enjoyed the tailbones of the diplodocus. Lisa found a kindred spirit in the camarasaurus as she snapped lots of pictures.<br />
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We hiked the short fossil discovery trail back to the visitor center and enjoyed the exhibits in the museum before returning to our campsite. It turned out that the real estate wasn't so prime after all, we were swarmed by mosquitos and black flies when we were in any shade. Luckily we could stay away from the bugs if we stood directly in the sun....in the desert...in 95 degree weather....oy.<br />
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We donned our long sleeves and sun hats and sat in the sun by the river for much of the afternoon until a crayfish crawled across Lisa's foot. We then went to Josie's cabin at the end of the road to explore a settler's cabin and box canyon (where she kept her sheep). Sadly the bugs were still swarming there, so we went back to our site, cooked some supper and hid in the tent for the rest of the evening.<br />
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In the morning, we threw gear in the car and went to Vernal, Utah where we checked surrounding weather and park reservations. We decided to start heading north and our first stop was at Redfleet State Park. We intended to rent kayaks because of Lisa's fond memory of paddling past fossilized dinosaur footprints! Unfortunately there seemed to be no staff at this park at all. We couldn't even find anyone to take our day-use fee.<br />
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Instead we continued north and found kayaks to rent at a marina in Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. The flooded area of the Green River made for some picturesque kayaking as we paddled among the red sandstone cliffs. We stopped for a picnic at a sand beach and explored the dam area and the narrow area to the west. It was great to be on the water - even on a giant self-bailing raft thing...<br />
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We then started driving north through some of the most diverse landscape that we have experienced. Our path took us through Rock Springs, Wyoming where we found a great dinner at Fiesta Guadalajara. We continued north through prairie then the Wyoming Badlands, crossing the continental divide on the Oregon Trail Auto Route. The Wind River Range was prominent to our left for most of the drive and we landed in Lander, Wyoming for the evening. A solid job of work.<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Lander, WY 82520, USA42.833014 -108.7306724999999742.6465995 -109.05339599999996 43.0194285 -108.40794899999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-72624983242088631042019-06-30T20:57:00.001-04:002019-07-02T23:08:06.921-04:00Grand LakeThanks to Susie's wonderful accommodations, we left Niwot feeling refreshed and recharged. We skirted Denver to the west and headed into the mountains on the curviest interstate that I had ever been on: I-70. After dodging semis taking the bends at breakneck speeds we were happy to turn north at Idaho Falls which is still very much in Colorado. The much windier road to the north seemed much more reasonable since the speed limit was lower. We couldn't help but stop for pictures at the top of Berthoud Pass (11,307ft) which took us across the continental divide. There was plenty of snow and almost panoramic views of the rocky mountains.<br />
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Our gas mileage started to tick-up as we headed through Winter Park and onto Granby, where we took a sharp right towards Grand Lake. We snagged one of the only open campsites available at Green Ridge Campground within the Arapaho National Forest. We would be sleeping just below the dam that created Shadow Lake Reservoir and we crossed our fingers that the engineers that designed it were competent.<br />
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We left our tent and headed north into the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. We purchased our "America the Beautiful" annual pass and found a nice picnic spot near a herd of elk. They seemed more interested in eating grass than turkey sandwiches which worked in our favor...<br />
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After we packed up, we headed north to follow the headwaters of the Colorado River to LuLu City, an abandoned mining town. The waters were really flowing and we slopped through mud in places and through streams in others. However, the sogginess was worth the amount of wildlife that we saw since we encountered a herd of bighorn sheep, three moose and a squirrel. We kept our distance, but one of the moose seemed interested in us...we kept moving on...<br />
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The ruins of LuLu city made a nice foreground meadow for the impressive mountains surrounding us. The surging Colorado River ran through the middle of the site. I can imagine that this would have been a picturesque location for the settlers this time of year and absolutely horrifying in the winter.<br />
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When we arrived back at our campsite, there was a sad looking couple from Missouri in need of a place to stay. Lisa offered that they could park their teardrop on our site since we just had the Prius. They were so happy that they offered that we could use their kayaks in the morning!<br />
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Naturally we started the next day with an early morning paddle on Shadow Mountain Lake. We just had to bring the boats to the dam and launch. Other than a single crazy person waterskiing in a wetsuit at 7:00AM, the lake was deserted. We paddled the length of the reservoir, almost to the village of Grand Lake before we turned around. We figured that if we were gone too long that the nice couple from Missouri would assume that we stole their kayaks and were living a new life on the lam.<br />
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After graciously returning the boats, we headed into town to hike the Adams Falls Trail which continued deep into Rocky Mountain National Park. Adams Falls was impressive, but only a third of a mile into the trail so it was quite crowded. We continued hiking for a few miles and admired the mountain meadows teeming with more moose! At this point we had seen more moose in the past two days than we had ever seen before. We even saw one at the post office in Grand Lake, that was a first class animal right there!<br />
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We were hungry when we returned to town and both managed to demolish some enchiladas at El Pacifico restaurant. The sun was hot overhead and we spent the afternoon reading, playing music and watching dysfunctional marital interactions taking place at the Shadow Mountain Lake boat launch. No better entertainment could be had on any reality TV show.<br />
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Once the sun had started to sink in the sky, we went to the Dairy King in Grand Lake to enjoy the thickest vanilla malts that we had ever experienced. We went for an evening hike on the Continental Divide Trail into Rocky Mountain National Park along the lakeshore that was accessible from our campsite. Off to bed early since we did a lot and ate a lot that day.<br />
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In the morning we departed the Green Ridge Campground and headed west on Route 40. We arrived in Steamboat Springs to find the forest service office closed and not much to guide us other than our Colorado Guidebook. Since the ski trails were mostly devoid of snow, we stuck to the summer activities. We first visited Fish Creek Falls, a short hike that was rewarded with a tall and rushing waterfall. We hiked to the overlook and then down to the refreshing mist at the bottom of the canyon.<br />
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We returned to town and had a quick bite at the Johnny B. Goode Diner on main street - the broccoli slaw was delicious! After lunch, we headed to Strawberry Park Hot Springs for a soak. As Lisa said: when in Rome, go to the baths.<br />
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It was a refreshing and interesting landscape as a series of exterior pools had been built from the hot spring on the hill. The steam was coming from the spring and we could only take the lowest pool. We watched some folks boiling themselves like lobsters in the highest pool. We could only assume that they had been there for years - cooked alive a long time ago...<br />
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With thunderstorms rolling in, we headed back to the Johnny B. Goode Diner since we had noticed an advertisement for "Pie Happy Hour" every afternoon. After scarfing down some pie, we were ready for the next step in our adventure. We are recharging tonight in Craig, Colorado and we will be off to Dinosaur National Monument tomorrow. If we see as many dinosaurs as we saw moose, I'll be very happy!<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Steamboat Springs, CO 80487, USA40.4849769 -106.8317157999999840.3883599 -106.99307729999998 40.5815939 -106.67035429999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-51090860037100291682019-06-27T23:52:00.002-04:002019-06-27T23:52:43.700-04:00EldoradoOn our first morning in Niwot, we ate a quick breakfast and headed to Eldorado Canyon State Park for some morning hiking. With highs forecasted in the 90s, we figured that we should hike before the mercury hit sweltering level. It was a short drive from our posh accommodations and Susie decided to join us.<br />
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We thought that we took a wrong turn as we ended up on a dirt road in a neighborhood, but just as we were about to turn around we spied a sign for the park. Driving into the canyon through the giant rock cuts we immediately saw rock climbers scrambling over the sandstone cliffs. We parked the car and were thrilled to see the Zion-like spires surrounding us.<br />
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To get our bearings, we first hiked the relatively easy Fowler Trail which gave us expansive views of the area. We squinted into the sky trying to see the birds soaring high above us and admired the bravery of the rock climbers. After finding the edge of the park boundary, we made our way back to the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail which was quite a bit steeper. It took us to the ruins of an old hotel on the mountain which had views of the valley and the Continental Divide.<br />
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We spent the afternoon organizing our gear and made a field trip to Susie's barn to meet her horse: "Victoria." We took some videos of the horse trotting on the indoor track. With the heat, we spent the rest of the afternoon reorganizing our gear for the next leg of the trip and doing laundry.<br />
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Once things cooled down a bit, we took bikes to downtown Niwot to see "Soul School" perform in their biweekly concert series. What could be better? Food from a truck, a beautiful mountain view and good tunes.<br />
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Unrelated....but some funny signs that we have seen on the trip thus far:<br />
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"Discount Smokes"<br />
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"Used Forklifts - Cheap!"<br />
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"Gunbarrel Veterinary"MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Niwot, CO 80503, USA40.103874 -105.170819340.055291499999996 -105.2515003 40.1524565 -105.0901383tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-33406315958188035612019-06-26T19:24:00.000-04:002019-06-26T19:24:03.459-04:00Roxborough and Golden Gate After a light breakfast in the parking lot of the Goodland, Kansas Walmart (homemade granola and yogurt) we crossed the deceiving "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign. After seeing that, there is still at least three more hours of "Kansas" ahead before you reach the Rocky Mountains. We cruised on I-70, but finally turned off south of Denver and found suburban sprawl galore. The southern side of Denver looks like completely brand new construction since we were last here in 2013.<br />
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Our destination for the morning would be Roxborough State Park - a day use park at the foothills of the Rockies that was known for fantastic hiking. It did not disappoint as we gleefully parked the car - excited to see some indication of elevation change. The park was set around gigantic sandstone "fins" that uplifted at an eighty degree angle. It makes for some interesting shadows and bizarre landscape as you hike through them.<br />
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We hiked two easy trails in the park when some spotty afternoon thunderstorms started to roll in. We decided that it would be a good time to find a place to stay for the night. It was recommended that we go to Cherry Creek State Park but we arrived to find a full campground. The rangers helped us find an available site at Golden Gate Canyon State Park just west of Denver.<br />
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Heading up the mountains, we began gaining quite a bit of elevation on the switch back road. When we finally arrived at our campground we were at 9,300 feet above sea level. I set-up our tent amid spitting raindrops when I heard Lisa talking to the lone camper at the site next-door. She marched over to me and exclaimed that our neighbor has a cheese platter that she needed help with and that we would be eating our dinner at her picnic table. We brought our bowls over and had quite a spread that was leftover from a Stevie Wonder concert tailgate party the night before. We talked the night away and she came over to fill in some missing harmony parts when we were playing music after dinner. Thanks Francis!<br />
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The night was cool, but we stayed warm with hats and wool blankets. We awoke early and headed to Panorama Point for breakfast where we had a sweeping view of the Rocky Mountains. It was a majestic view and we donned our hiking boots to follow the Raccoon Trail - which is also open to mountain bikes and horses. We enjoyed our meander through the pine and aspen forest even though we were huffing at the high altitude.<br />
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After our hike we decided to head to Niwot (just north of Boulder) to visit our friend Susie who had recently moved to the area. When we arrived at the turn to the Boulder Canyon road, we found a sign saying that the road would be closed for four hours starting at 9:45. Our clock read 9:42 so we pulled in as the last car admitted before the road closure. It was a good thing too since the scenery resembled a national park. With no oncoming traffic due to the imminent blasting, we were able to gawk at the scenery.<br />
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We arrived in Niwot around midday excited to see Susie. She gave us the grand tour of the village and even brought Lisa to see a prairie dog city within walking distance of her house. We now have fifty pictures of prairie dogs...but some comfy accommodations for the night!<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Niwot, CO 80503, USA40.103874 -105.170819340.055291499999996 -105.2515003 40.1524565 -105.0901383tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-13912165005832765592019-06-24T21:35:00.002-04:002019-06-24T21:35:25.811-04:00Kansas CityWe awoke bright and early since our circadian rhythms seem to still be beating in eastern time. After consuming last night's dinner leftovers for breakfast, we headed to Independence, Missouri which we learned is wild about Harry:<br />
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Harry S. Truman that is. With shops closed in the early morning hours we wandered around the downtown area which would make a great setting for a remake of the Andy Griffith Show. At 8:30 we were first in the door at Harry S. Truman National Historic Site. The ranger on duty gave us tickets to tour his house and gave us directions to the house roughly five blocks away. We inquired whether we could walk and he looked at the clock and said we would have to hurry...<br />
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We headed out the door and made it to the house with twenty minutes to spare. Perhaps the ranger pictured us walking on our hands...<br />
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The Truman's house was an interesting mix of grandeur at one side and down-to-Earth living on another. Apparently the Truman's were responsible for the meager look, while Bess's parents were responsible for the more ornate architecture. It was an interesting and informative tour and unlike many historical houses, all the furnishings and items displayed were original to the dwelling.<br />
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After the park ranger gave us some tips on local Barbecue restaurants (they had a preprinted sheet...), we got in the car and headed to the Kansas City Jazz Museum. It was a small museum but had some great displays and artifacts including one of Charlie Parker's saxophones and one of Ella Fitzgerald's gowns. It also had a great section of interactive exhibits geared towards children which we naturally enjoyed toying with.<br />
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With tummies grumbling, we went down the street to Arthur Bryant's Barbecue and ordered two beef brisket sandwiches. After we ate, I declared that we had found my favorite place on the road trip already and refused to leave. I told Lisa that I was content to live the rest of my life cycle at Arthur Bryant's fine establishment but she dragged me out of there kicking and screaming.<br />
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We made one more stop in Topeka to see the Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site. It was in a formally segregated black elementary school within the city. We were both struck by the interesting history of integrating the teachers within the city since we were already familiar with the integration of the students. They also had a kindergarten classroom set-up as it would have been in the 1950s and the tiny wooden chairs were adorable (or adorabubble as Maya would say).<br />
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I spent the rest of the drive slumped in the passenger seat asking for Lisa to turn the car back towards Arthur Bryant's Barbecue...she never did and now we are sitting in Goodland, Kansas for the night - phooey!<br />
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At least my mental anguish and suffering inspired the following song while driving through Kansas today:<br />
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<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Kansas City, MO, USA39.0997265 -94.5785667000000138.310999 -95.8694602 39.888454 -93.287673200000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-33781821375373504522019-06-23T21:04:00.000-04:002019-06-23T21:07:20.127-04:00Cuyahoga Valley to St. Louis<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">After a picnic breakfast of buttered raw toast (ok, just bread..), we headed to Cuyahoga Valley National Park which we have driven by for years. We weren’t expecting much for the area between Cleveland and Akron, and we found out later that we visited on the fiftieth anniversary of the last time the Cuyahoga River was on fire… </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Not knowing where to go - Lisa spotted a van with a National Park Service logo on the side and exclaimed: “follow that van!” We did and parked at Brandywine Falls, a short boardwalk hike that led to an impressive waterfall. We spied it from all possible views before finding a map and going to the Boston Store Visitor Center to see what else we should do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">With map in hand, we went to the village of Peninsula intending to rent bicycles. After standing in a stationary line for a few minutes, we decided that it would be better to go for a walk. We walked the towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal, admiring the locks that still stand along the way. There was a quarry path that we also followed through the woods that seemed to lack a quarry but was full of mysteries!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Cuyahoga Valley National Park was a nice surprise. It was full of trails and beautiful river scenery as well as an interesting human history. We would gladly stop again to stretch our legs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Continuing west, our next stop was in the city of Dayton where we visited the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. It preserved the site of the Wright Brothers’ bicycle shop and print shop where they first experimented with flight. They were truly jacks of all trades that would toy with whatever seemed to interest them at the time. There was also a portion of the museum that celebrated Paul Laurence Dunbar - a celebrated American poet from the late 1800’s.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We spent the night at the Terre-Haute KOA, intending to head toward St. Louis in the morning. I believe that Terre-Haute translates from French as “stupid boring cornfield.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">After eating a salad with polenta for breakfast we disembarked and headed to St. Louis for the morning. We admired the famous arch and went into the subterranean Museum of Westward Expansion. It was a newly updated museum that did a great job giving the history of the St. Louis region as well as the Lewis and Clark expedition and other journeys to the west. There was also an area that gave some interesting engineering and design information about the arch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We grabbed some barbecue sandwiches at Caleco's, which seemed to be the only restaurant open in the downtown area. After lunch we explored the old courthouse, another National Historic Site which was the site of the historic (and most today would say bungled) Dred-Scott case and also home to some epic architecture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Leaving downtown, we first headed to the Scott Joplin House, a state historic site that was unfortunately closed on Sundays. We snapped a picture and moved on. The Cardinals were playing this afternoon, but with rain in the forecast it didn’t seem like a nice afternoon to catch a game. We will save Busch Stadium for next time…</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Our last stop before leaving St. Louis was at the former home of Ulysses S. Grant. It was his house as a younger man and included a horse barn by his own design. The interpreters gave a detailed history of his life as well as a tour of the house. He was certainly a product of the times in which he lived…</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We then spent the afternoon blasting across central Missouri on interstate 70. We are spending the evening in Oak Grove intending to sink our teeth into some Kansas City Barbecue tomorrow. Sounds like we will have some sweet, tangy and spicy dreams tonight!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We have a drive through the plains tomorrow...I don't know what people think is so great about them:</span></div>
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MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Oak Grove, MO, USA39.0050073 -94.12939089999997638.9063013 -94.290752399999974 39.1037133 -93.968029399999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-65579557206735905572019-06-21T19:54:00.004-04:002019-06-21T19:54:37.113-04:00Compass Point: West!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">It has come time for our 2019 road trip which we have been planning on for months, but not really planning at all. Usually we have some parks picked as destinations but this time we are treating the trip as one great improvisation. We are heading west for the summer, but we don’t know how far, where our stops might be or where we may eventually turn around. The car is packed and we are ready to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">As our friend Steve once said: “The hardest part of the trip is getting past your mailbox.” It was a whirlwind getting the house ready and finally hit the road on the evening of our first day. We made it as far as the orchard where we immediately dove into more chores (mowing and some light apiary work) before having a campfire dinner consisting of venison sausage (thanks Pat), baked beans and fried onions. We did dishes in the rain and spent the rest of the evening playing tunes before going to bed early.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We awoke early the next morning and decided that we needed some sage advice. Therefore, we went to the Port Henry Diner for breakfast to talk to our friend Don, one of the most well travelled people that we know about making some plans for the summer. He had some good suggestions for places to visit in Canada - we may hit those on the round trip since we are not currently pointed north. With our belts bursting, we waddled back to the car and started our drive through the Adirondacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">We made slow but steady progress in the pouring rain with a short stop at the Adirondack Experience (formerly the Adirondack Museum) in Blue Mountain Lake to see some of the historical boats and lodgings of the region. We didn’t let the rain dampen our spirits, although some of the items in our car were not drying as quickly as we would like and were giving the vehicle a pungent musty aroma.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">By the time we were sick of driving for the day, we pulled of the New York State Thruway to Cayuga Lake State Park on the northern tip of Cayuga Lake. I spent three summers at the southern tip of the lake many years ago, so it seemed like a nice place to while away an evening. We ate lasagna and played tunes on the porch of the picnic mansion while watching the herons glide over the misty lake. The campground was almost completely empty, se we enjoyed a quiet night of sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">In the morning we headed to Seneca Falls for a picnic on the river - grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast! Yum - clearly we are trying to eat leftovers from home! We then went to the Women’s Rights National Historical Park where we watched an incredibly dated introductory video and found many of the exhibits repetitive and in need of repair. Perhaps it was a symbol of unfinished social change....but seriously, get them some funding! Maybe we saw whats left of women’s rights? They did weave together the history of the suffragette, slavery, civil war and temperance movements nicely however so good work there National Park Service.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The afternoon was spent driving through New York’s wine country and winding through the Finger Lakes region. It was a beautiful drive and the weather was much improved from the previous day. Our afternoon destination would be the Lucille Ball museum in Jamestown. Since we both grew up watching reruns of the "I Love Lucy" show on Nick-at-Nite, we were shocked to see the show's set in color. Did you know that their couch was blue? Me neither!</span></div>
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After a quick homemade taco salad in Jamestown's nearest city park, we made our way west through the tip of Pennsylvania and into Ohio to camp for the evening and Punderson State Park, just east of Cleveland. It seems to be a busy place on a clear Friday evening, although we don't quite fit in without a Winnebago. Dinner was couscous with a jar of salsa and black beans and garlic scapes (from our garden!) to doctor it up. It'll be off to bed soon - and we are planning to see Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the morning - a park that we have driven by for years.</div>
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MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Punderson State Park, 11755 Kinsman Rd, Newbury Township, OH 44065, USA41.4613477 -81.21929215.939313199999997 -122.527886 66.9833822 -39.910698tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-6226565666840411112018-07-25T15:20:00.002-04:002018-07-25T15:20:38.933-04:00La Mauricie National ParkFor a quick summer excursion we ripped the back seats out of our Honda CR-V, strapped a canoe to the roof and headed to the great white north to see the sights of Quebec in La Mauricie National Park. Our first stop was obviously in Noyan where we started at our favorite fromagerie: Fritz-Kaiser. We are always impressed with how busy it is despite the fact that it is seemingly in the middle of farm country. We bought some raclette and some Port-Royal and continued north.<br />
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We found a memorial to Remember Baker (captain of the Green Mountain Boys and the namesake of our bluegrass band) in the same town on the shore of the Richelieu River, near the location of his death. However with the plaque missing it seems that Remember has been forgotten, even at his own monument.<br />
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Our drive through Montreal was a bit tricky due to construction, but we made it across the St. Lawrence River to the island and then to the northern shore. At Trois-Rivieres, we turned north and soon found ourselves entering the park. We got our campsite and made our first paddle on Lake Wapizagonke to survey one of their many motor-free lakes. It was a paddler's paradise for sure. We turned some of our raclette into grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and headed to bed.<br />
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The next morning, we again embarked on Lake Wapizagonke and headed north through a series of two small lakes connected by rivers. The second river required some tricky navigation over beaver dams, but we made it to the northern end of the first basin of the lake. We left our canoe on shore and strapped on hiking boots to make a loop through the forest. Our first view was of the areas that we had just paddled.<br />
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Continuing on, we next stopped at Waber Falls for lunch where we were quite impressed by the beautiful cascade. We snapped many pictures and lingered longer than necessary to soak up the cool spray.<br />
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Our last stop was at an overlook of Lake Anticagamac where we again lingered, enjoying the solitude and the view. We eventually finished our loop and canoed back to our launching point.<br />
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We were about to head to our campground for the evening when the beaches across the lake looked enticing, so we again hopped in the canoe and enjoyed our own beach for a few hours that afternoon after a much needed swim.<br />
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It was early to bed after another raclette sandwich and we headed south in the morning where we paddled the southernmost basin of Lake Wapizagonke before heading out of the park. With no open campsites, we would need to find different accommodations for Saturday night.<br />
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In the afternoon we went to Forges du Saint-Maurice where we learned about the iron mining history of the Trois-Rivieres region. We enjoyed the mixture of ruins and replications of the site as well as the long history of the forge. We were also likely one of few English speaking tourists that came to that site.<br />
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With a lack of destination for the evening, we chose Magog, PQ on the map to see the northern end of Lake Memphremagog, which juts into Vermont. We were quite surprised to find a bustling tourist town and after walking the streets and enjoying the lake we had a nice French meal at 1885. We continued to follow the road south and also took in the view of the lake from Newport, Vermont where the lakefront had been cleaned up considerably.<br />
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With impending storms and lack of quality campgrounds, we headed home. We will be back to La Mauricie in the future to explore more of their wonderful lakes.MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Parc national de la Mauricie, Chemin St François, Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, QC G0X 1N0, Canada46.787644 -72.96589059999996621.2656095 -114.27448459999997 72.3096785 -31.657296599999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-43418652681777773302018-03-06T16:02:00.000-05:002018-03-10T16:03:04.143-05:00New Orleans<br />
<u>Day One: Charlotte, Vermont to Natural Bridge, Virginia</u><br />
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We embarked on our journey to New Orleans on a Friday in late February, an unusual time for us to take a road trip since we usually travel in summer but we had decided that if we were going to visit the deep south that it would need to be in winter.<br />
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Our first day was mainly a driving day as we left the northeast actively watching the thermometer climb as we headed toward the mid-atlantic. We were thrilled to see the temperature nearing sixty degrees as we pulled off the road for dinner in Staunton, Virginia at Kline's Barbecue. Oddly enough we intended to go to Arby's for dinner but found a much more impressive barbecue joint next-door that even had malts! Yum.<br />
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We headed a bit further down the interstate to find a nice campsite in Natural Bridge, Virginia and set up the car for sleeping in the dark. The air seemed mild by comparison to Vermont but we had much warmer weather in store as we headed south.<br />
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<u>Day Two: Natural Bridge, Virginia to Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia</u><br />
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On our second day of travel we continued south on our inland route and decided that we needed another taste of southern barbecue. We pulled into Knoxville, Tennessee and after passing a depressing stretch of pawn shops and payday loan stores we eventually found our way to Buddy's BBQ. Upon entering, we were immediately offered the special of the day which was all-you-can eat ribs for $10.99. Judging by the clientele, we may have been the only ones not coming for the special. Our pulled-pork lunch plates left us holding our sides as we got back in the car but the meal was delicious!<br />
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We continued southwest through Chattanooga, Tennessee where we neglected to find the Chattanooga Choo Choo despite following an interstate sign leading to the destination. We filled our tank and continued on.<br />
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In the afternoon, we needed to stretch our legs which was fortuitous since we had arrived at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia. We snagged a campsite for the evening and followed the hiking trails into the narrowly carved canyon. The series of steps were exactly what we needed after spending two days in the car and the waterfalls were beautiful. The temperature was now in the seventies but the humidity was quite high as we huffed and puffed going up the stairs (it is also possible that we were just out of shape...). We had a small dinner at the campsite since we were still full from the massive lunch that we consumed. We found this would become a trend throughout the trip.<br />
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<u>Day Three: Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana</u><br />
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Despite rain overnight we decided to drive to the park's main overlook of the canyon before leaving. It was a beautiful sight even with the overcast skies looking into the depths of the canyon and into the distance. It reminded us of Letchworth State Park in New York.<br />
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We drove to Birmingham, Alabama intending to visit the Civil Rights Institute but found locked doors upon arrival. Being now in the deep south it appeared that anything other than a church was closed until afternoon...oh well. We trudged on and made a plan "B" for our memorable experience in Alabama - and yes it was about eating!<br />
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Our next stop was at Dreamland Barbecue in Tuscaloosa. The slow cooked chicken was mouthwateringly delicious and Lisa had a smokehouse quesadilla that was filled with tasty "wickle pickles" and "Alabama twang sauce." Yum again - we left totally full and swore off eating barbecue for the next few days. (We had actually made that pledge the previous day as well but clearly couldn't hold to it).<br />
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We continued south through Mississippi and finally arrived to sunny skies and eighty degree weather in New Orleans, Louisiana. We met my parents in the French Quarter and unpacked our car at the timeshare before dropping it at the valet parking garage, which felt like giving it away.<br />
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We spent the evening getting our bearings of the French Quarter and being pelted with noise from Bourbon Street. We elected not to go out to dinner since we were still so full from the Alabama barbecue.<br />
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<u>Day Four: New Orleans, Louisiana</u><br />
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Our first full day in New Orleans was spent exploring the Garden District, famous for its buildings and the site of the Mardi Gras parade. Luckily we missed the rowdy parade by two weeks, but the trees certainly showed the evidence with copious amounts of beads hanging from the branches.<br />
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To get from our room to the Garden District, we hopped on one of the rickety trolley cars to head southwest where we first explored an above ground cemetery. With a high water table, the dead in New Orleans must be buried above ground making a kind of outdoor mausoleum. It makes for an eerie walk to see so many names on fairly small marble boxes.<br />
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We then walked around the neighborhoods admiring the stately houses as we strolled. We eventually found lunch at Tracey's and got the red beans and rice special which was a delicious and massive portion of the local specialty. My mom immediately had buyer's remorse when her salad came after seeing our plates.<br />
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Continuing to wander, we walked all the way to the Audubon Park on the Mississippi River. The zoo was closed, but we got some good views of the muddy Mississippi before catching the trolley back to the French Quarter.<br />
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In the evening we headed to Frenchmen Street, the current hotbed for jazz in New Orleans where we heard (but didn't eat) "Chicken and Waffles" at the Maison. My parents caught up with us in time to catch another great band at the Spotted Cat before heading to bed relatively early. We were still not adjusted to central time.<br />
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<u>Day Five: New Orleans, Louisiana</u><br />
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We arose early the next day to walk the streets just after sunrise which appears to be well before this city wakes up. The quiet streets are in stark contrast to Bourbon Street after dark which is a cacophony of sound and smells.<br />
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After everyone was up, we headed to Cafe du Monde to try beignets - a type of French doughnut. They were delicious greasy treats but covered with so much powdered sugar that we were puffing it onto ourselves and each other as we tried to eat. I noticed one store front near the cafe that had a sign on the door saying "no beignets, everything else is fine." It made sense.<br />
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We meandered down to the former U.S. Mint which is now a split museum of Mint activity and Jazz Memorabilia as the home of the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park. We saw Louis Armstrong's first cornet as well as Dr. John's spinet and Fats Domino's baby grand pianos. We were also tipped off to a free concert at the other location up the road and were treated to an hour of Richard Scott's stride piano styles. It was fantastic show and the price couldn't be beat!<br />
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Lunch was at Bamboula's on Frenchmen Street where we consumed po-boys while we listened to live jazz from the stage. Unfortunately the guitarist broke a string and had to take a long break to run down the road get a new one.<br />
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The afternoon was spent at Jean LaFitte National Historic Park which seemed to be a site that celebrated cajun and creole culture in Louisiana as well as some information on the pirate himself. There were many satellite locations around Louisiana as well, but those will have to wait for another trip.<br />
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We got some free snacks at the Mahogany Jazz Bar courtesy of our lodging where we munched on berries and cheese before heading to Preservation Hall for the evening. We snagged the floor seats in the very front row where we may have been in the spit valve splash zone. We didn't care though - the band was so great that we all listened to the show with smiles on our faces the whole time! It was truly a memorable performance and such an intimate setting to see it.<br />
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We were excited to see more music so we headed to Fritzel's on Bourbon Street where we were able to hear Richard Scott playing with his band. Although our view was blocked by the backside of the double bass, we enjoyed the New Orleans jazz stylings that we heard from the clarinet-led ensemble.<br />
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By the end of the day, we where whupped! We headed to bed.<br />
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<u>Day Six: New Orleans, Louisiana</u><br />
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We seemed to now have a tradition of taking an early morning walk, because that is exactly how we started our sixth day of the trip. We explored the northern side of Canal Street and found some oranges and smoothies to start our day. After gathering my parents, we walked to Louis Armstrong Park and Congo Square - the site of historic slave gatherings in the early nineteenth century.<br />
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Our real destination was the boat landing to ride the Natchez on the Mississippi River. My parents decided to partake of the buffet lunch whereas we decided to save our appetites for dinner on Frenchmen Street. The boat gave us a feel for the Port of New Orleans which is heavily industrialized. It certainly made us appreciate the riverwalk in the French Quarter! It was interesting to see the engine room of the steamboat in action as it pushed the paddlewheel along.<br />
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After returning to shore, we headed back to the Old Mint to hear another New Orleans pianist named Jesse McBride. He played in a much more modern style sometimes moving between tunes in a stream-of-consiousness style. He shared some interesting insights into the current New Orleans music scene as well.<br />
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We snagged some oranges and pralines at the French market for a snack and took some time to rest at the Quarter House before heading back to Frenchman Street for supper. Lisa and I ate at the Maison while we listened to a little big band perform jazz standards. My parents caught up as we were finishing (they were still full from lunch) and we went to the Spotted Cat where we heard a group performing more traditional New Orleans jazz. We had been so busy that our eyelids began to dip at 8:00 and we headed back to the Quarter House for an early night of sleep.<br />
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<u>Day Seven: New Orleans, Louisiana</u><br />
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On our last full day in New Orleans we awoke for our earliest morning walk yet, where we learned that there are trucks that drive through the French Quarter soaping off the streets in the morning. It was not surprising after what we had seen on Bourbon street throughout the trip. We grabbed some smoothies as we walked along the river and after everyone had awoken, we headed to Croissant d'Or for French pastries for breakfast. We all got snacks to go too!<br />
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We spent the remainder of the morning at the Aquarium where we watched an IMAX movie about sardine migrations off of the coast of Africa. After typing that I realize how boring it sounds, but it was quite an interesting film. The aquarium was great, we saw many kinds of fish (obviously...), sharks, penguins, stingrays and sea otters. One of the highlights was the Amazonian rainforest room which contained many tropical birds as well as piranhas!<br />
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We timed our departure so that we could hoof it to the U.S. Mint to see another free concert, but it turned out to be canceled, so we listened to some street music in the French Quarter instead, including the "Second Hand Street Band" performing at the Tequila House.<br />
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For supper, we met up at the Acme Oyster house to eat New Orleans classics like gumbo and étouffée. We spent the evening at the Maison on Frenchmen Street where we listened to the Sweet Substitute Jazz Band while wolfing down cheesecake. It was a great way to spend our last evening in New Orleans. Tomorrow would be our next travel day!<br />
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<u>Day Eight: New Orleans Louisiana to Pensacola, Florida</u><br />
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It was our last morning in New Orleans and we still had the taste of the previous day's trip to the patisserie in our mouths, so we headed back to Croissant d'Or to get some croissants for the road. It may be worth another trip to New Orleans someday just to get more of the treats from this place!<br />
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We showered and packed our clothes and were pleasantly surprised to see that the car still had all four hubcaps after spending the week in the city. We bid a fond farewell to my parents and headed east. Unfortunately, we got a call about an hour later that their flight had been cancelled...<br />
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Our first stop of the day was at the Davis Bayou at the Gulf Islands National Seashore. After touring the visitor center we had a nice picnic, which included our morning croissants overlooking the brackish water of the Mississippi Sound. We had a nice hike through the woods and enjoyed watching the baby alligators and turtles lounging in a pond. We watched an adult alligator for a while but he didn't do much other than float...<br />
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The leg-stretching break was nice but our destination for the day was Pensacola, Florida to visit our friends Dan and Gaye who had just emigrated from New Hampshire. It looked like they had completely thawed as well. They gave us a great tour of the city and we had a nice dinner at the Irish Pub where we enjoyed catching up with old friends. They seem to have picked a great location for "pre-retirement" as they call it.<br />
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<u>Day Nine: Pensacola, Florida</u><br />
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When we awoke, we were treated to Dan's buttermilk biscuits for breakfast; he has been working on perfecting the recipe and we were happy to be guinea pigs. After eating our fill, we went for a walk around the neighborhood and then piled in the car to visit the Farmer's Market and Pensacola Beach. It was a very nice beach with many of the touristy restaurants and shops that you might expect for Florida. At the same time, it wasn't overly crowded with high rise building like you would also expect for Florida. It seems to have achieved a nice balance of residential, commercial and protected beachfront as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We dunked our feet in the Gulf of Mexico and started to question why we were planning on heading north the following morning.<br />
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We stopped at Joe Patti's Seafood on our way back where we were floored with the amount of delicious looking fresh fish for sale. We were overwhelmed but Gaye ordered some triggerfish like an old pro and we brought our bounty back to the homestead.<br />
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Dinner was an absolute feast! We munched on triggerfish as an appetizer while Dan made deep dish pizzas with plenty of spice. We spent the evening catching up and trying to sing barbershop tags somewhat successfully before heading to bed early since we were planning on doing a long drive the next day...although it was pretty tempting to stay in Pensacola for the rest of our lives.<br />
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<u>Days Ten and Eleven: Pensacola, Florida to Charlotte, Vermont</u><br />
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Our last two days of the trip were certainly marathon driving days. Our first day was a drive from Pensacola to Natural Bridge, Virginia where we actually stayed on the same site that we occupied on the way down. It was a campground with good showers and we know from previous trips that that can be a rare thing. We were happy to arrive mostly so that we could rest our eyes from the driving.<br />
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The next morning, we made the rest of the drive to Charlotte, which was interrupted by a stop at Dunkin' Donuts to use a gift card and another stop at Cracker Barrel where Lisa fulfilled her hankerin' for fried chicken that she had been holding onto throughout the south. We arrived home to find a mouthy cat...<br />
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It was a fantastic trip and a great way to spend our February break. I'm not sure if we will head quite as far south as Louisiana in future February road-trips but we will certainly be heading south again at that point in the year.<br />
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As a note of accomplishment: as of this trip Lisa has now been to all forty-eight of the lower-contiguous United States. Go Rodedode!<br />
<u><br /></u>MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0New Orleans, LA, USA29.951065799999991 -90.071532329.511172299999991 -90.7169793 30.390959299999992 -89.4260853tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-19844139013203536682017-08-07T17:43:00.003-04:002017-08-07T17:43:28.385-04:00ScotlandIt was only a matter of time before we applied our road-trip mentality to an overseas trip. We found a good deal on plane tickets to Scotland and spent a week packing our backpacks and prepping to explore Scotland with minimal planning. We did make accommodations for the first two nights in Edinburgh since improvising in a city can be difficult and we rented a car ahead of time. Beyond that, we did not make concrete plans regarding where to go and what to do; we simply improvised most of the trip in the way we would have if we had our own car in the USA. This is what happened:<br />
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<u>Day 1: Edinburgh</u><br />
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After an overnight flight from Hartford, Connecticut where we unsuccessfully tried to snooze, but instead spent the middle portion of the trip gawking at the beauty of Greenland at sunrise, we were tired but excited to explore the city of Edinburgh. We took the tram to Princes Street in the city center and armed with a map, set off to find our accommodations for the night. We had made reservations at a dormitory which offered reasonably priced beds near the city center and were delighted to find that Brae House not only existed, but was just as nice as having a hotel room. We were happy to drop our backpacks and set out in search of lunch.<br />
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We got distracted with the hiking trails at the foot of Arthur's Seat and explored the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel from the 15th century before heading off on the Royal Mile to find lunch. We were delighted to find a delicious meal at The Larder which offered locally sourced food and traditional Scottish recipes. Lisa had a brie and chutney sandwich while Chris scarfed down a sausage roll. We were fading from lack of sleep so we headed back to our dorm for a power-nap.<br />
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After recharging, we walked the Royal Mile to North Bridge and walked Princes Street for some great views of Edinburgh Castle on the hill. The steep cliffs lead right up to the castle walls. We eventually made our way to Sandy Bell's - a pub that is well known for having folk music and we spent an hour listening to a great fiddler and blues guitarist.<br />
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Getting hungry for dinner, we went around the corner to get some spicy chicken for dinner before returning to Sandy Bell's to while away the rest of the evening. Chris sat in on the bass and we made friends with some fun locals who offered to let us stay in their flat for the rest of the trip. With the lack of planning that we had put into the trip, it was tempting...<br />
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We returned to our dorm and slept quite soundly that night.<br />
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<u>Day 2: Edinburgh</u><br />
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We felt MUCH better after getting a full night's sleep and ate Lisa's leftover sandwich and some clif bars for breakfast before embarking on a hike on Arthur's Seat. Located not far from the city center and offering unobstructed views of Edinburgh, it is a popular place to hike! With the lack of trees, we enjoyed views all the way up and down admiring the castle, the queen's palace and the Firth of Forth.<br />
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We stopped back in our dorm to change shoes for the afternoon and headed out on the Royal Mile to find some lunch. We went to the farmers market and got bread pastries and apples to tide us over until dinner while meandering uphill towards the castle.<br />
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The entrance line between the statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace was almost as impressive in scope as the castle itself. It moved quickly though and we were exploring the ramparts before we knew it. It was particularly impressive to see how the castle evolved over hundreds of years and how its function changed over time. We stood in one line for a few minutes before realizing that the line was to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland....we jumped out of line and explored the rest of the castle and the Scottish War Memorial and Museum instead.<br />
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We had reached our museum limit for the day so instead of attending other museums, we went to a French Patisserie for eclairs and gateau! Yum.<br />
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We hiked to Calton Hill, an easy incline from the Royal Mile and again admired the castle from yet another angle. We also enjoyed the view from the Scottish National Monument but we got drenched while walking back to our dorm where we changed into dry socks.<br />
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In the evening we found a pub on the Royal Mile that was serving chicken chorizo Scotch Pies for supper - we both partook. Holding our sides, we made our way back to Sandy Bell's for a second night at the folk-music pub. The same fiddler was there from the night before and Chris sat in on I Got Rhythm. We met a couple from Michigan and Lisa hopped in on the piano and jammed on Tennessee Waltz and some other songs. The fiddler was very trusting as he left his fiddle in Chris' worthy hands when he needed to run to the loo.<br />
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Still jet-lagged, we tried to sleep that night, but it was restless.<br />
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<u>Day 3: Edinburgh to Oban</u><br />
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We awoke early since we had an appointment back at the airport to pick up our rental car. We were walking the Royal Mile before most of Edinburgh had woken up and it was a stark contrast to the busy streets that we had experienced in the previous two days. We rode the tram back to the airport and filled out all the paperwork before the gave us the key to a Ford Fiesta. We headed off with the steering wheel on the right side and the car safely in the left lane. The woman at the rental car company recommended Oban as a nice seaside destination so we went in that direction.<br />
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We managed to find a grocery store in Stirling to stock up on juice, water, breakfast food and other staples (including crumpets) before heading west (the proper romantic direction to go on a road trip). Our first stop was at Loch Lomond, one of two national parks in Scotland. Lisa did a great job navigating through all the "rindabites" so that we could have a picnic on the western shore of the lake. We had rain while we were there, but the loch struck us as being quite similar to Lake George with mountains rising steeply from the shore, but lacking the shoreline development. We walked some of the shoreline trail to stretch our legs and ate brie and turkey sandwiches before getting back in the car to head west again.<br />
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In the late afternoon, we arrived in Oban and we got information on camping from the tourist center. Lisa drove the single track road to our campground and we were amazed at the beautiful view of the water from our "pitch." We overlooked the isle of Kerrere.<br />
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After setting up the tent, we drove back to Oban for dinner at Cuan Mor (Gaelic for large bay...) and had amazingly delicious salmon. We walked up the hill to the colosseum monument knows as McCaig's tower and enjoyed the panoramic view of the village, the bay and the Isle of Mull in the distance. We also walked out of town to Dunollie's Castle along the shore trail. The views of the islands looked gorgeous from every possible vantage point!<br />
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We capped off the evening with ice cream at The Pokey Hat before losing our car for four minutes or so. Luckily, it was just parked two blocks from where we THOUGHT we left it.... Lisa is convinced it was stolen for four minutes and then returned to a different parking spot so WE weren't confused, the thief was just disoriented.<br />
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It rained ALL night but we stayed dry in the tent. We were on a bit of a slope so it wasn't the most restful night of sleep though. We took consolation in the fact that had there been no slope we would have been sleeping in a puddle which would have been worse.<br />
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<u>Day 4: Oban to Glencoe</u><br />
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We packed up our wet tent and ate an early breakfast to make the ferry to Kerrere. We were the only takers for the early ferry and seemingly had the island to ourselves...well us and lots of sheep that is! We felt like we were trespassing on the island as were were walking through cow gates and following roads that seemed like driveways. We meandered through fields and enjoyed the coastline intending to find the monument on the northern side of the island. We were turned around by a highland cow in the middle of the trail since we were intimidated by its impressive horns. We weren't sure if they were as friendly as our Vermont cows...<br />
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We had a rainy ferry ride back to Oban and enjoyed some peanut butter sandwiches for lunch before heading north in the car.<br />
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We headed toward Glencoe with a stop at a nature preserve for a nap since we were tired. Refreshed when we arrived in Glencoe, we chose our "pitch" and walked around the town. There was beautiful highland scenery in panorama with the surrounding mountains and Loch Leven. We got a butterscotch brownie and some tea at the local cafe to warm up after the rain.<br />
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After some more walking, we got an early dinner at the Gathering Inn Restaurant for some delicious paninis. The jet-lag and long days were starting to catch up with us so we went to bed quite early with earplugs and eye pillows and slept for eleven glorious hours!<br />
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<u>Day 5: Glencoe to Shiel Bridge</u><br />
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Finally well rested, we awoke and scarfed down some breakfast before getting on the road again. We figured that we would feel silly leaving Glencoe without exploring the glen that gives the village its name. We headed into the pass even though it was in the opposite direction that we were intending to travel that day but we were not disappointed. We found ourselves surrounded by mountains and waterfalls in every direction. It was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever brushed my teeth! We counted eleven waterfalls within one view.<br />
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We then drove to Fort William and out to Glen Nevis for some more stunning scenery. We explored the Lower Falls trail which followed a rambling river and then hiked the Steall Falls trail for jaw dropping scenery that reminded us of Yosemite. Even when it started raining as we admired the falls, it was stunning.<br />
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We again stocked up on grocery store staples before leaving Fort William and headed north to drive the beautiful highland road toward the Isle of Skye. We found lodging for the evening at Shiel Bridge in the "Wee Bunk House" of the Kintail Lodge where we snagged the last two bunks. We ate "game pie" at the lodge and enjoyed the view (and other lodgers conversations) from the sitting room until bedtime.<br />
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Our bunkmates for the night were three girls from Germany on holiday and one long distance hiker from France. With earplugs, we slept just fine!<br />
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<u>Day 6: Isle of Skye</u><br />
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We finally made it to the Isle of Skye, a place that we had been told was one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland. The scenery did not disappoint and just the diversity of landscapes all within eyesight made for an interesting view in any direction. There were craggy mountains, beaches, rivers with waterfalls and rolling hills covered in sheep.<br />
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Not knowing exactly where to go first, but armed with Aunt Susie's book of country strolls around the Isle of Skye, we headed for the Fairy Pools, since we had heard of them as a nice hike. Unfortunately, everyone else had also heard of the Fairy Pools as well. After we found a parking spot, it didn't seem quite so crowded and we enjoyed the stair-stepping river and views of mountains. Many tourists were cooling off in the pools (is it ever REALLY necessary to cool off in Scotland?) but we elected to hike a few miles in past the hordes before following the same river out.<br />
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We drove to Carbost and got tea across the street from the Talisker Distillery - whisky drinkers on one side of the road and teetotalers on the other! We walked up the hill in search of lunch and found THE BEST smoked salmon from a small seafood shack. It was like having fish candy - we ate at the park overlooking the water.<br />
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Lisa skillfully navigated the single track roads to Dunvegan where we found a campsite at the caravan park and drove down the road to Dunvegan Castle and Gardens.* The castle was the McCleod clan's and was fully furnished with family relics and memorabilia. It was still used by the family for holidays and it was interesting to see how the castle had changed over the centuries! The gardens were extensive and well landscaped with many exotic plants and trees.<br />
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After touring the grounds, we drove to a walk on Claigan Beach which was made of broken seashells. We climbed the hill for an expansive view of the Outer Hebrides, inlets, coves, beach and mountains.<br />
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We walked and drove back to the Dunvegan Hotel for dinner in their restaurant overlooking the water. The food was delicious and we sat watching the water for quite a while after our supper. We eventually made it back to our pitch for bed.<br />
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* A note about the single track roads: We puzzled the entire trip over whether this was a ridiculous system or if it was actually safer and a genius road layout. On one hand it was difficult to anticipate oncoming cars on hills and around corners, particularly with bridges, stone walls and cliffs everywhere. The passing places every few hundred yards worked as long as there were only two or three cars in the area, but jams could come up quickly if too many cars were following too closely. On the other hand, having no shoulder and only one lane meant you were constantly attentive to the road. No room for distractions meant we did not see a single person on their cell phone while they were driving. It necessitated cooperation from all drivers and people came across as friendlier with their quick waves at each passing place. Only one person passed us impatiently as we were waiting at a passing place because there was a bus coming around the corner up a hill from a bridge. Her impatience forced the bus to back up over the bridge and up the hill on the other side and into a passing place. Other than a few tight squeezes, quick breaking, reversing and some white knuckle driving we were pretty pleased with how the single track system worked. It did seem that we were the only people who knew how to back up a car though - it was chaos watching other people try!<br />
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<u>Day 7: Isle of Skye to Pitlochry</u><br />
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We started the day by heading to the trailhead for Hugh's Castle - a 17th century ruin that is supposedly the most haunted castle in Scotland. We followed the sheep roads to the castle, but were unable to spot any ghosts...we decided to make our own path back through the field which turned out to be quite wet. I think we should stick to the roads in the future. (Lisa claimed her mulligan for the day early on with this one!)<br />
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Before getting back to the car we decided to head up the hill for a view of the bay. Every time that we would crest a hill, there would be another hill to climb though. We eventually got the view that we were aiming for and snapped some pictures before making it back to the car for our longest driving day of the trip. It also rained on and off for the rest of the day, making it convenient that we had some distance to cover in the car on questionable weather.<br />
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We had a quick lunch at a restaurant near Eilean Donan Castle and backtracked along many of the roads that we had driven two days prior.<br />
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Taking a quick detour, we spiked north for a few miles to get a view of Loch Ness, we were unable to spot Nessie though...<br />
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The rest of the drive took us through the edge of Cairngorns National Park and we enjoyed the solitude and beautiful views of the craggy treeless mountains. By the time we arrived in Pitlochry we were quite ready to get out of the car. We got a campsite at a caravan park about three miles outside of town and elected to walk to get dinner in order to stretch our legs.<br />
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We found a pub in Pitlochry that had dinner and live music. Chris ordered the haggis and it was pretty good! Lisa bravely ate a few bites of the haggis but was pleased to have fish on her own plate. The music was a multi-instrumentalist creating loops with pedals and jamming with himself.<br />
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We got back to the campsite around sunset and snoozed.<br />
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<u>Day 8: Pitlochry to Perth</u><br />
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On our last full day in Scotland, we started the day in Pitlochry where we walked around the downtown area before most of the stores were open and after getting some milk for breakfast we headed south to Dunkeld.<br />
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The village of Dunkeld was quite charming with its classic architecture and setting on the River Tay. We walked the fiddler's path and saw the Cathedral, the Mother Larch and some amazing groves of trees. We crossed the river on the A9 and followed the other shore where we found Niel Gow's oak. We hummed his famous lament while we ate peanut butter sandwiches, hoping to evoke his spirit.<br />
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<br />When we arrived back in Dunkeld we had some afternoon tea in a small cafe before driving to Perth for the evening. We found a campsite near Scone Palace at the Racecourse Caravan Park. That campsite meant that we never had a struggle to find a tent site in Scotland... perhaps our road trip mentality would work in Europe as well!<br />
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We walked the three miles into town and explored the museum where we learned about Scotland's geologic and ecological history, saw Niel Gow's portrait and saw a huge 3,000 year old log boat. We admired St. Johns Cathedral and many other interesting buildings around the city of Perth.<br />
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We had dinner at "The Tavern." Comfort food again! Haddock with cream sauce for Chris and Steak Pie for Lisa. Yum yum!<br />
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We walked back to the campsite and packed our backpacks as well as we could for the flight and got to bed around nine.<br />
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<u>Day 9: Perth to Edinburgh</u><br />
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We packed up the wet tent in the morning and had clear skies as we drove to Stirling early in the morning. Parking the car near the castle, we walked the town streets in search of the Full Scottish Breakfast. Despite the fact that most of the town was still asleep, we were able to get the immense breakfast at a pub. It is a gastronomic wonder of the world.<br />
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We walked off a tiny portion of the calories while walking beck up the hill towards Stirling Castle where we would spend the rest of the morning. We got a private tour of the Great Hall before joining a free group tour of the whole castle. Much like the other castles that we toured in Scotland, it was most interesting to see the evolution of the buildings over time.<br />
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We had a great view of the William Wallace monument from the ramparts and snapped quite a few pictures of the city from the commanding castle walls. It was obvious why Stirling castle was such an important strategic location throughout Scotland's history.<br />
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Before leaving town, we stopped at the Church of the Holy Rude to see the beautiful architecture and gigantic hand hewn logs of the roof.<br />
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We drove back to Edinburgh and tried to dry the tent as best we could before packing it away in the bag...it turned out that we would bring a little bit of the Scottish precipitation home in our backpack!<br />
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It seemed that our road trip worked! We got to see a beautiful and historic area and never had a problem finding a place to stay. Who knows where our road trip will bring us next?<br />
<br />MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Edinburgh, UK55.953252 -3.188266999999996255.810968 -3.5109904999999961 56.095535999999996 -2.8655434999999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-75077975590670233352017-07-07T14:41:00.002-04:002017-07-07T14:42:40.094-04:00AlgonquinOur first impression of driving through Ontario was the immense scale of the place. What looks like a small drive between towns on the map takes a good hour. Algonquin Provincial Park fits the same massive scale as the rest of the Province. The road is long, the lakes are huge and there is way more to do here than could be done in one trip.<br />
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We snagged a campsite at Kearney Lake and were lucky to get one on the water. We set up our tent lickety-split and headed down the road to while away the afternoon on Cache Lake. Historically, this was the hub of activity in the park, so it made sense that we would start our activity there. We launched amid the water-taxi shuttling people to and from the lodge.<br />
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We embarked following the paddlers map that we had just purchased. Weaving between islands, we managed to accidentally follow a river into Tanamokoon Lake where we found some day sailers and quite a few nice campsites. The motor boat traffic was minimal (yet polite to paddlers…and limited to 20 horsepower…and only 12 of the 2400 lakes allow them) and the camps were small and far-between.<br />
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We meandered back to Cache lake to weave around islands on the southern part of the lake. It gave us a scope of the size of this wilderness since we had spent all afternoon paddling on a tiny blue area on the map….sheesh!<br />
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The next day we scarfed some muffins at our campsite and embarked on the rail-trail heading south. We were afforded some excellent views of Whitefish Lake but had to turn around due to wet conditions on the trail. Chris saw a bear cross the trail, Lisa thankfully did not see it.<br />
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In the afternoon we headed to Opeongo Lake which gave us another feeling of the massive nature of this park. We paddled for ten miles and covered about a third of the lake, not even dipping into the North or East arms. We scouted campsites and soaked up the sunshine in the middle of Jones’ Bay - our northernmost point travelled on this trip (by kayak!). I got to show off a slick maneuver when landing by propelling my kayak onto a submerged dock where I stepped out keeping my shoes relatively dry.<br />
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Hankering for some fried food, we went to the cafeteria at the visitors centre for poutine! After enjoying our grease covered with fat and topped with melted cheese, we whiled away the evening trying to burn green campfire wood at our campsite and playing tunes around the smoke. At least the smudge fire helped keep the bugs down…<br />
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The next morning, we headed on bicycles on the northern section of the rail trail. Despite the fact that we were constantly pursued by swarms of deer flies, we managed to keep ahead of them and had a very nice ride. We just couldn’t stop for long. The scenery changed from lake front to wetland to meadow and ended at the dam on Cache Lake.<br />
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On the return trip, we grabbed a lunch at Lake of Two Rivers before bringing the kayaks to canoe lake - it seemed deliciously sacrilegious to the lakes’ handle. The launch site was busy; it was full of adult campers and members of child camps on the lake. After some entertaining people-watching, we sailed in the wind around some northern islands before turning around to follow rivers into Bonita and Tea lakes. On the return we were pushed by the gusty winds back to the launch, which had become much less congested in the late afternoon.<br />
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With showers forecasted for the evening, we packed the car for sleeping and spent the evening trying to burn the firewood for the second time. It smoldered about as well as a wet sponge. We played some tunes and ate some pea-soup, but not at the same time. Luckily we only had a few sprinkles that night and got to pack up dry bikes in the morning.<br />
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Before we left the park, we finally stopped at the visitor centre to get a feel for the ecological and human history of the area. I inquired to the ranger about acquiring backcountry permits and how the system worked for our next trip.<br />
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Our impression of Algonquin Provincial Park is of a wilderness area that would rival that of Yellowstone. However, with so many lakes it is a paddler’s paradise. It is amazingly massive and so much of it is wild…they have wolves for Pete’s sake! We will be returning someday with pack boats and backpacking gear to get further into the backcountry.<br />
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MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario 60, Ontario K0J 2M0, Canada45.8371591 -78.37912389999996845.8371591 -78.379123899999968 45.8371591 -78.379123899999968tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-17225587152990473602017-07-04T09:55:00.002-04:002017-07-04T09:59:04.524-04:00Bon EchoWe are heading north through quite the wilderness in Ontario. After leaving the thruway, the traffic got sparse and the landscape swampy as we headed north on highway 41. The buildings were few and far between and we knew that we were really in the middle of nowhere due to the fact that we didn't see a single Tim Hortons en route.<br />
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We persevered sans donut and spent the night at Bon Echo Provincial Park. It was jarring as we pulled into the park after driving through wilderness for so many miles that we encountered long lines and traffic. We stood in line (twice...) to get a campsite and finally got a spot to pitch our tent without a level spot in sight. Not wanting to stand in line again, we went to lake with our kayaks and launched across from a giant rocky cliff. It looked like it had the capability of producing a good echo!<br />
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For the rest of the afternoon, we paddled along the cliff face looking for Native American pictographs. They were faded, but still visible which is quite surprising since they are right at water level where they must be quite weathered.<br />
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Dinner was at the beach - chicken chili doctored with olives...yum!<br />
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We spent the night using the side of the tent as a hammock and we are now on the road heading towards Algonquin Provincial Park.MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Bon Echo Provincial Park, 16151 Ontario 41, Cloyne, ON K0H 1K0, Canada44.899859 -77.19547039999997719.3778245 -118.50406439999998 70.4218935 -35.886876399999977tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-62034693336966938022016-07-24T08:40:00.000-04:002016-07-24T08:40:22.270-04:00Grand Manan and CampobelloThe ferry to Grand Manan island turned out to be a nice excursion as we passed many craggy shores and saw a whale playing in the boat's wake as we travelled. Arriving at North Head, we headed south on the main road looking for lunch. We found the Fundy House and without looking at a menu I inquired whether they had chowder. The waitress said that they had seafood, lobster and clam chowders and I knew this was the place for us!<div>
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After lunch we secured a campsite at The Anchorage Provincial Park which was surprisingly empty. We found a campsite with good shade and firewood before walking along the beach. Soon enough, we heard Karen's voice on the walkie-talkie and we headed back to meet them for the evening. We spent the evening sharing stories and having a perfect steak dinner over the fire. Yum!</div>
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The next day, we explored the rest of the island by first heading through Seal Cove to the Southwest Head Light House. The wind was intense and we then drove north to enjoy the picturesque Swallow Tail Lighthouse and Whale Cove. After we had satisfied ourselves with the views (from inside the car mostly as we would blow away if we stepped out...), we boarded the ferry back to the mainland.</div>
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Our drive then took us into the United States for the first time in almost three weeks. It was a brief stint however as we then doglegged back into Canada, across the bridge onto Campbello Island. This was the summer home of the Roosevelt family early in the 20th century and now the home of an International Park. We got a campsite at Herring Cove Provincial Park (like Grand Manan, it was surprisingly empty for a Friday night in July) with Mary-Ellen and Karen where they cooked us up an amazing meal of chili mac n' cheese. We licked our plates clean before going to bed early that night.</div>
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The next day, we got breakfast at the Herring Cove Club House while we waited for the Roosevelt Cottage to open. We then toured the building, admiring the porches and open space. This was certainly an idyllic place to spend summers - the Roosevelts kept it simpler than some of the great camps in the Adirondacks although they still required servants to keep things running. </div>
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We parted ways with Mary-Ellen and Karen, noting that we had never seen each other on the mainland during this trip. Lisa and I biked on the Glensevern Road to a cobblestone beach on the eastern shore of the island. Other than getting wet feet and losing (then finding) the camera, it was a smooth trip.</div>
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Our car is packed and we are now in the United States heading west to Vermont for the rest of the summer. It's time to get the kayaks off the wall and get into the Adirondacks!</div>
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MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Grand Manan Island, Grand Manan, NB E5G, Canada44.7063915 -66.815771344.5258045 -67.138494799999989 44.886978500000005 -66.4930478tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-85554825955616552172016-07-21T09:04:00.001-04:002016-07-21T09:04:23.626-04:00FundyUpon arrival at Fundy National Park in southern New
Brunswick, we grabbed a campsite for two nights and went looking for a place to
hike. The ranger recommended a loop called “Moosehorn” that follows a series of
waterfalls along the Broad River. We put on hiking boots and set off along the
path, descending steeply in the first section. The river had many swimming
holes along the way, which appeared to be quite popular with hikers. We snapped
our last pictures of Laverty Falls before returning on that trail.<br />
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In the evening we went into the town of Alma (the home of
the worlds largest tides – fluctuating from thirty-eight to fifty-three feet!)
to inquire about kayaking and get dinner. We made our reservation for a guided
morning paddle and grabbed some chowder at the local diner. Returning to our
campsite, we spent the evening playing music in the kitchen shelter before
hitting the hay.</div>
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We awoke early the next morning and got ready for a big
paddle. When we arrived, it was clear that we were the only experienced
kayakers in the group. We rolled our eyes when the guides showed us how to hold
the paddle right side up and what to do if you fall out of your boat. When we
finally launched and looked back at the group, half of them had fallen out of
their boat like a bunch of floppy tuna. I would imagine that leading this tour
is similar to teaching kindergarten.</div>
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We tried to stay ahead of the group since they were out of
control in the rolling ocean waves. We would still get cut off occasionally and
Lisa had one great save when she got t-boned in a kayak (who knew that you
could get t-boned in a kayak?). I had a baby seal playing and splashing around
my boat before sniffing and snorting on my port side. I gave him a little
scooch on the head and he swam off. The guides were quite jealous since seals
are apparently rare in this part of the Bay of Fundy.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLz5tSC_VrHOjjIw5Qsm5Y6VINuJAMUwB1VHSd4GVO9obru8SscCqhzwxO9qB6youu6eGDsXECWPftWOoRaoViyHJff3OleiUvBp8KRQh7oWqeUXhTErO1b0NMqnM-6clOCwP22UB9wQ/s1600/Paddle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLz5tSC_VrHOjjIw5Qsm5Y6VINuJAMUwB1VHSd4GVO9obru8SscCqhzwxO9qB6youu6eGDsXECWPftWOoRaoViyHJff3OleiUvBp8KRQh7oWqeUXhTErO1b0NMqnM-6clOCwP22UB9wQ/s320/Paddle1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So peaceful....</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AHHHHH!!! Under attack!</td></tr>
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We stopped for a snack in Herring Cove where all the floppy
armed tourists got to rest and eat sticky buns, something with which they
clearly had much more experience. After enjoying the scenery and watching the
tide come quickly in, we journeyed back to Alma where we grabbed some lunch at
the local bakery.</div>
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The afternoon was spent hiking, first on the Coppermine
trail, which based on the tiny amount of tailings was probably the site of an
unsuccessful mine. It offered some nice views of the ocean though, and we found
some comfortable Adirondack chairs in which to while away the afternoon. We
also made a short hike to Dickson falls for some nice cool mist and mossy views.</div>
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With a hankering for pizza, we headed into town for the last
time and demolished a pizza before spending the evening playing music again in
the acoustically perfect kitchen shelter. We are currently on our way to Grand
Manan Island for a night. Hopefully there is room on the ferry!</div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Fundy National Park, Alma, NB E4H, Canada45.6137768 -65.03163120.091742299999996 -106.340225 71.1358113 -23.723037000000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-87577060567400026252016-07-19T10:20:00.001-04:002016-07-19T10:20:33.754-04:00Nova ScotiaAfter leaving Cape Breton Highlands National Park, we headed
south along the Cabot Trail to Baddeck. We found the Alexander Graham Bell
National Historic Site and used our Parks Canada pass to cover admission. The
exhibits showed the life of a man curious about a myriad of subjects. More of
the museum was dedicated to flying machines and hydrofoils than the invention
of the telephone.<br />
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We had to backtrack a bit as we headed north to Sydney, Cape
Breton’s only real city. We found a grocery store and stocked up, since we had
been in smaller towns for most of the past week. The town itself appears to be
a slightly depressed former industrial area. Apparently, the coal mines closed
in the nineties…</div>
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Looking on the Internet, Lisa found a Ceilidh in Louisbourg
that night – only a half hour east of Sydney. Since we were planning on heading
to the fortress in the morning anyway, we headed over to get tickets and find a
place to camp. The RV park turned out to be more than adequate. In fact – the
tent sites had a small covered pavilion for the picnic table. Since rain was
forecast, we moved the table and set up our tent under the roof – in the
morning we would have a nice dry tent to pack.</div>
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The fiddling was fantastic yet again. The show took place at
the Louisbourg Theatre which was a recreation of the Globe Theatre in London.
Apparently, Disney built the theatre for a movie in the nineties and donated it
to the town afterward. The show featured traditional Cape Breton fiddling by
Jennifer Roland with interludes of country and jazz vocals from the piano
player. We even got tea and Scottish oatcakes at intermission!</div>
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The next morning we headed to the Fortress of Lousbourg
National Historic Site. It was a recreation of a French fortress on the site
from the early to mid eighteenth century. Upon arriving at the sod-roofed
houses outside the wall, the tenants joked about being able to harvest their
carrots from the ceiling.</div>
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We enjoyed the open houses with period actors and found
ourselves fawning over the boat-builder’s shop. We opted to eat lunch at the
“commoners” restaurant where we were only given a spoon for the three-course
meal. We ate our fill and decided to head out as we were both feeling the
“museum lower-back.”</div>
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We decided that we had seen the best of Cape Breton and that
we would start heading towards New Brunswick again. We decided to skip
Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia since our guidebook described:
“hummingbird sized mosquitoes” and “eel sized leeches,” thanks Susie Mick! We
are now on our way to Fundy National Park on the southern shore of New
Brunswick for some hiking.</div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Louisbourg, NS B1C, Canada45.9221352 -59.97131189999998945.8337972 -60.132673399999987 46.0104732 -59.809950399999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-75101572846956904822016-07-17T11:00:00.001-04:002016-07-17T11:00:23.835-04:00Cape Breton HighlandsThe ferry from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia was an
interesting and claustrophobic experience. The boat was running about an hour
behind schedule and we sweated it out in the car. When we boarded – we were one
of the last cars to be put below deck. The ramp was steep enough that you
couldn’t actually see it while driving but we made it in and stopped the car
before making our way up to the top deck for the ride. I bought some shortbread
from a stand and we enjoyed a game of pinochle while making the crossing.<br />
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When we disembarked on the Nova Scotia side, it was getting
close to evening so we made a grocery store stop for dinner and started heading
east. There didn’t seem to be much listed for camping on the map but we did see
a tent sign on the road leading us to downtown Antigonish. We set up camp and
had a small dinner (since we had eaten most of a pack of shortbread on the
ferry) before heading to bed.</div>
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We awoke the next morning to the sound of rain on the tent.
We had not put on the rain fly the night before, so we quickly packed up the
tent in four minutes and got in the car. When we looked at the clock, it was
only 5:30…we shrugged and started driving.</div>
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The cloudy weather and rain persisted throughout the morning
and we arrived at the Cheticamp entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park
around 8:30. We took showers at the campground and then followed the road to
Corney Brook, to see if there were any tent sites available. When we arrived,
we were pelted with rain and gale force winds. We hid in the shelter and waited
for it to blow over….it didn’t.</div>
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We got back in the car and headed back to the Cheticamp
campground and inquired about tent shelters. They had one available and we
snatched it before going back into town for hot turkey sandwiches and hot
chocolate. We also bought a loaf of French bread at the boulangerie!</div>
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It was still raining when we came back to the campground so
we took a quick nap and played some music on the porch. After a few tunes, we
looked up and saw blue sky!</div>
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Donning our hiking boots, we headed back to Corney Brook for
a hike into the waterfall. The trail was perfectly maintained with a slight
uphill grade and we arrived in half the time that we calculated. We tend to
think of hikes in terms of the “Adirondack Mile,” which is one mile per hour.
We enjoyed the view and then made the hike out.</div>
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Arriving back at the campground meant dinner and we had big
plans. I started a fire in our pit, which took quite a while with the soaking
wet wood that we had. We had some baked potatoes with grilled brussels sprouts
and pork chops with french bread and goat cheese for appetizer. Quite a feast
indeed!</div>
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After dinner we watched the sunset from “Le Bloc.”</div>
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The next morning we were pleased to find the weather still
cooperating and we went to the Skyline trailhead. This trail was listed in our
guidebook as the one “must-do” trail in Cape Breton Highlands National Park. We
started our hike into a cloud, but as it got closer to noon, the clouds started
to burn off and we were given a nearly panoramic view of the ocean and
mountains. We saw Mary-Ellen and Karen’s car drive by on the road, but they
didn’t stop to say hello…</div>
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We grabbed some lunch at the Rusty Anchor in Pleasant Bay,
before venturing back into the park for a short walk into MacIntosh Brook for
another waterfall. Lisa was determined to see a moose and kept calling for
them. Personally, I think she needs to work on her moose call.</div>
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We followed the Cabot Trail to the eastern side of the park
and got a campsite at the Broad Cove Campground before heading into Ingonish
for ice cream. We found a poster at the ice cream shop for a Ceilidh that
evening at the Anglican Parish Hall in Ingonish. We made plans to attend and
headed to Ingonish Beach for a short hike on the Middle Head peninsula. We
enjoyed the views from both sides of this trail. Lisa called for whales at the
end but had no luck. Personally, I think she needs to work on her whale call.</div>
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After a picnic at the beach we headed to the parish hall
which filled with seemingly equal parts tourists and locals. The music featured
three fiddlers and a pianist for a night of high quality music. The crowd was
tapping their feet along with the music and the fiddlers kept changing from
marches to strathspeys to reels without losing the beat. We didn’t want it to
end, but eventually we had to crawl back to our tent.</div>
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The next morning we drove to our third waterfall: Mary-Ann
Falls for some pictures. We considered doing a bike ride from here, but the
deer flies looked a bit too thick for our liking. We headed back to Ingonish
Beach and walked along the shore of the freshwater lake. Lisa tried to call the
loon for a picture, but she needs some work there as well…</div>
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We are heading south on the Cabot Trail to see the Alexander
Graham Bell National Historic Site before snaking back up to Sydney, Cape
Breton’s only city. After that…who knows?</div>
MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Chéticamp, NS, Canada46.624959399999987 -61.01481509999996446.581338899999984 -61.095496099999963 46.66857989999999 -60.934134099999966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2323529414987695091.post-57797713637614582432016-07-14T14:27:00.001-04:002016-07-14T14:42:14.430-04:00Prince Edward IslandDriving the eight-mile bridge connecting New Brunswick to
Prince Edward Island gave us an expansive perspective on the island. We noted
that there is no toll to cross the bridge onto the island, but quite a hefty
toll to leave…odd.<br />
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When we arrived on PEI, we were amazed at how different the
landscape was compared to New Brunswick. The roads were suddenly quite straight
and flat and we were surrounded by bright red sandy soil much of it with potato
plants flowering or dairy cattle. There were many signs along the way for rural
town centers and it reminded us much of Grand Isle in Vermont…if it was
surrounded by the ocean and much larger in land area.</div>
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We chose Linkletter Provincial Park for our first evening of
camping, just outside the community of Summerside – one of the two “urban”
centers of PEI. We set up camp overlooking Northumberland Strait and headed
back into town to bike along the Summerside boardwalk. It followed shops and
restaurants at ocean’s edge and transitioned into a separate bike path with
views of the farmland across the bay.</div>
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Returning to our campsite, we were SWARMED by mosquitoes,
thicker than we have ever experienced (yes – even thicker than Pharaoh Lake,
Tom…). We must have been camping next to a salt marsh just after these
bloodsuckers had hatched. In long sleeves, we ate chocolate fondue from a can
with strawberries as quickly as possible and ran for the car where we would
spend the rest of the evening. Suddenly, the fact that they only charge to
leave PEI via the bridge made complete sense as we imagined a bidding war at
the tollbooth after each visitor experiences these bugs!</div>
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Luckily, we had entertainment as the neighbors that just
pulled in started wrestling with their overly complicated tent. The husband
refused to help, electing rather to smoke cigarettes at the picnic table while
the wife struggled. It wasn’t until an hour and forty minutes later that the
tent took shape…we would have been willing to help had the husband been willing
to help…sheesh!</div>
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The next morning, with mosquitoes still plastering the car,
we drove to the showers and got out of the park with tires squealing. We
followed the coast to West Point, where we walked along the red sandy beach,
finding a striped lighthouse along the way.</div>
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We then drove to Tignish – a town on the northwestern side
of the island, which happens to be the start of the Confederation Trail, a long
distance rail trail that circles the entire province. We made lunch in the park
(couscous, herring and corn wraps) before setting out. The trail was very flat
and well maintained and we biked through forests and past many potato fields
before making a quick u-turn. </div>
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Our next stop – after some dessert at the dairy bar was
Cavendish, where we surprised Mary-Ellen and Karen for the evening. We spent the
night sharing stories from our trips and playing music (and eating excellent
second dessert), before hitting the hay.</div>
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We said our goodbyes that morning, before finding each other
again at Prince Edward Island National Park. Lisa and I took our bikes on the
bike path in the Cavendish section, which followed the shoreline overlooking
many reddish bluffs along the way. It was the most scenic biking that we had
seen to date on PEI, and the stiff wind offered some great exercise on the
return trip.</div>
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We drove to the next portion of the National Park, for some
views of interesting sand dunes and much more “normal” sandy beaches – rather
than the reddish hue that we had become accustomed to on the trip. There seems
to be no shortage of public beach frontage on PEI.</div>
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We found lunch at “Rick’s Fish n’ Chips” in St. Peter’s
before following the road south towards Wood Island, to catch the ferry to Nova
Scotia. They aren’t going to get that return toll from us after all – HA!</div>
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MrXtrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17423972694971493122noreply@blogger.com0Cavendish, PE C0A, Canada46.491260999999987 -63.3786739999999920.969226499999987 -104.68726799999999 72.013295499999984 -22.07007999999999