America Celebrates, and Mourns

Graphic courtesy http://www.funmunch.com/

Our route from Duluth to here in Iowa

Picturesque city of Galena, Illinois

Lazy Acres RV Park in Iowa nestling in the corn fields

Same park 3 hrs later - beautiful sunsets

Today is the 4th of July here in the USA. Americans all around the world are celebrating their independence from Britain that occured back on the 4th July 1776. It is also their National Day like our Australia Day - families organise BBQ's, picnics or attending a baseball game. Fireworks are a common way for a town or city to celebrate. Often as we are driving along highway routes, we are amazed at the size of stores selling fireworks. Considering many states have banned personal fireworks (apart from sparklers etc), they seem to have a huge buying public. This time of the year is like Valentine's Day to a florist shop - sales, sales, sales. We experienced a 4th July celebration in DC while we were living there in 2003, and it was a huge event. The parade was fabulous and the fireworks seemed to go on forever. I bet this year was just as good.

As well as celebrating independence, many Americans have been mourning while celebrating the contributions made to the nation and to the world by Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon, each one losing their life recently. May they Rest in Peace.

As I mentioned in the last blog, we called into Milwaukee for the Bob Dylan/Willie Nelson concert. I'm not a Bob Dylan fan, so I preferred to stay in the RV while Murray went to the show. We planned to park at a Park & Ride, but their parking lots were isolated and if I screamed for help I daresay no-one would hear me, so we went to a nearby shopping mall and parked in their car park. Fortunately the supermarket was open 24/7 and the lighting was great, so I felt quite safe. Murray was impressed with the Park & Ride bus service. The buses ran between the parking lot and the concert amphitheatre evey 15 mins as the concert coincided with the city's summerfest. When the concert finished and Murray arrived back at the RV, we had a 30 minute drive to our campground.

The next day we drove out of the state of Wisconsin, into Illinois and passed through the quaint city of Galena, home of Ulysses S. Grant. We ended up in Iowa where we

stayed at a campground amongst the corn fields. It seems that everywhere you drive in this state you see lovely, healthy corn fields at this time of the year. After all, it is summer. Did you know that Iowa has produced the largest corn crop of any US state for each of the past 14 years? It grows three times as much corn as a country like Argentina. We had sweet corn on the cob for lunch, but apparently only a very small portion of Iowa's corn is sweet corn for eating. Most is used for animal feed, and is also processed for oil and ethanol. We passed a huge corn processing plant a few miles back. Most of the corn plants in Iowa have been bred to produce just one ear of corn each, rather than a few smaller ones. Harvest is done is September or October, depending on how hot the summer gets. If it is a cool summer, the corn grows more slowly and harvesting won't occur until November. So there you have it - probably more than you wanted to know about Iowa corn!

The owner of this campground has been very welcoming to us as he spent 2.5 memorable years downunder helping Aussie station owners get blue ribbons for their cattle at shows. When we arrived he offered us the use of a car if we wanted to go and see the local sights, and we thanked him for his gesture, but didn't take him up on it. A few hours later he actually came and knocked on the door of our RV and said his wife's car rarely got used and could do with a run, so repeated that it was there to be used. We have found the Americans we have met along our travels to be generous, warm hearted folks who would give us the shirt of their back if we needed it.

Trans Canada Highway 2009

Trans Canada Hwy View of Lake Superior
See the bear climbing the hill?

Right beside my window...

Moose in the wild

Kakabeka Falls, Thunder Bay

Niagara Falls on previous trip

Lupins today

If you are looking to take a scenic and enjoyable drive on a good road, try taking the Trans Canada Hwy 17 from Sault St Marie north around the edge of Lake Superior to Thunder Bay and then onto Duluth (Minnesota) via Hwy 61. Our friend Judy had done the trip about 15 years ago and her memories were of being surprised with pleasant vistas as she rounded each bend. We filled up with gas and thought we would see if that was still the case. We were not disappointed. As we topped a rise, we would see beautiful views of Lake Superior. Beside the scenic lake, there were numerous lakes and streams along the way, usually surrounded by pine & fir trees. We stopped at a little beach on the shores of the lake and had our lunch before hitting the road again. Our eyes were constantly scanning the trees and marshes looking for moose, and we almost drove straight past a black bear foraging on the opposite side of the road. We turned the RV around and came right up alongside the bear. He didn’t seem too concerned with my camera clicking a few feet from his face! A different story though with the moose we encountered on the roadside at 4.30pm. We saw him ahead of us and slowed down, but by the time I got my window open and took the photo, he had retreated to the trees. Fortunately I had learnt from my experience with Kim on the Cabot Trail and took a photo through the windscreen before opening the window and trying to perfect the shot!

After a night stopover enroute, we reached Thunder Bay. It is a city of 110,000 people situated on the NW edge of Lake Superior and is listed as one of the six wonders of Canada (or the incumbent Sleeping Giant). We sat in the beautiful Marina Park and had our lunch looking over to the Sleeping Giant and if you are interested in it, click on the blue link for this Indian Legend. We were hoping to visit an amethyst mine in the area, but the pamphlet we were given in the tourist office led us not to the mine, but to an amethyst rockhound collection – not quite as interesting for us. We dropped in to see the Kakebeka Falls which were lovely, but after Niagara Falls which we have visited a few times, these were pale by comparison.

This morning we planned to head west out of our campground and drive about 3 hours, pass over the border into USA and stay the night at International Falls, Minnesota. Murray happened to mention that Bob Dylan was doing concerts around USA and there was a 1 July concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that he would love to see. We figure you only get one bite at the cherry, so, instead of heading west, we headed east and followed Lake Superior down to Duluth. We weren’t far along the route when we arrived at the border crossing into the USA – the customs chaps were very pleasant. We handed over our passports and an agent asked a few questions, then another one came aboard to see what we are carrying in the fridge in the way of fruit - we were able to keep the peaches, apricots, nectarines & cherries, but had to hand over a mandarin – citrus fruit is a worry. Too easy. However, that means that our month-long Canada RV trip is now behind us. It was a trip to remember for all the right reasons…great people, lovely countryside and outstanding lobster!

The drive to Duluth was scenic and pretty lupins decorated the roadside. We also saw two deer prance across the road ahead of us, and believe it or not, a bear cub bounded across the road on all fours - he was around the same size as the one we saw on the Trans Canada. We were surprised how fast it could move, but it didn’t have much choice as it was crossing an expressway and there were a few cars doing 65 mph (110 kph) - so it was run fast or not make it to the other side. Lucky bear.

Ontario, Canada

Montreal across the St Lawrence River
Montreal
Ottawa City Architecture

Chipmunk in Back Yard

Enjoying Lake Huron

After we left Quebec City we drove past Montreal and were amazed at how large the city appeared from the opposite bank which was our vantage point across the St Lawrence River. The metropolitan population is around 3.6 mil, which is less than the population of Melbourne, Australia, but for some reason the city skyline seemed larger.

We then spent 5 very enjoyable days with our friend Judy who lives on the outskirts of Ottawa. She has a huge paved driveway beside her home where we park the RV within a few steps of her back door. We connected to water and electricity and just used our RV to sleep in at night. The US Open Golf was on for 4 days of our stay, and while Murray spent many pleasurable hours watching the golf (for those hours it wasn’t washed out with rain in New York), Judy shared her time between watching the golf with Murray, and teaching me some new beading techniques – she is the person who got me started on beading in the first place! She also took me to one of her monthly Beaders Association meetings in Ottawa which was very enjoyable – each member brings along something she has beaded to share with the group. You get some really good ideas that way. One of the members has a bead business and brings along her wares – she has a wonderful selection of tiny seed beads and sold quite a lot that day…say no more! She also took me to a few of her bead haunts – why am I so attracted to those small shiny round beads?? We had beautiful spring weather each day of our stay – there was one day we had a few spits of rain, but nothing to write home about. I had many pleasurable moments watching the birds and chipmunks frolic in her freshly mowed, lush, green back yard .

Westward ho! Time to check out western Ontario and roads we have not travelled before. The roadside was peppered with beautiful wildflowers including colourful lupins, and there were numerous lakes and rivers to keep the drive interesting and our views spectacular. No deer or moose to be seen, but we did see a fox scamper across the road plus a small family of 5 baby brown furry animals clustered on the edge of the road – it looked as though the mother was killed in the other lane, and the babies were hovering about. We couldn’t work out what they were – like a baby wombat, but dark brown. Hmmm?? At the time we came upon them, there was a police car that had been sitting on our tail for miles and was finally overtaking us, so we had taken our eye off the road scenery right at that crucial time and just saw the animals at the last minute.

We are now at a campground on the banks of beautiful Lake Huron. It is the second largest of the five Great Lakes of North America (the largest being Lake Superior) and is bound by Ontario and Michigan. The water is so clear, and cool and not as cold as I expected it to be. If it was a really hot day, I would have been tempted to go for a swim. Although it had been 32C earlier today, by the time we walked along the lake edge at 4.30pm, it was already a pleasant 26 C. Needs to be above 30 C for me to go swimming – well, except for the day Joe Bill, Sandy & I ventured into the surf in Bondi Beach, Sydney!

Quebec City

On Ferry Heading to Quebec City
Funiculaire up to the Top

At the Entrance to Walled Quebec City

Maccas Menu En Francais

Chocolate Museum

Christmas Shop

Aussie Wine bought in Quebec

Chocolate Pots

Venison Filet

Quebec Province has been a real adventure for us. Over here, RVs are known as VRs (Vehicles Recreationale), all of the road signs are in French only, and very few locals in Quebec City speak English. In all of the campgrounds we stayed in, every RV (bar ours & one from British Columbia) was registered in Quebec, unlike in the US where the campers are from all over USA. Apart from the couple from British Columbia, we were the only English speaking people in the campgrounds, but fortunately the managers could speak un peu (a little) English – very little in fact. We got by with a few ‘bonjours’, but it was a little more difficult when we went to a restaurant with Bev & Ross and not only was the menu totally in French, but the only waitress there couldn’t speak English. We got by, and our French improved after a few vin rouges (red wines).

Sunday was a beautiful day. We left our RV on the banks of the St Lawrence River and caught a ferry across to Quebec City. After a delightful morning tea in Du Petite Champlain, we caught the Funiculaire up to the main part of town. It was a stunning spring day and a joy to be out walking in such a quaint and historic area. The main street was blocked off for pedestrian traffic only (perhaps this happens every Sunday?) which made for a very pleasant 10 minute stroll outside the walls to the Chocolate Museum 3 blocks up. Thanks for that tip Alison! We enjoyed the free chocolate squares and the interesting display before buying some dark chocolate with ginger. If I hadn’t already had dark chocolate with chili in the fridge, I would have bought that instead! Next stop lunch in a boulangerie – bakery. Lovely fresh roast beef roll, followed by a superb flan – we shared both! The coffee in Quebec is as close as we have come to our Flat Whites back home (Sandy, come to Quebec for your coffee!). We wandered along and came to the oldest existing cemetery in the whole province of Quebec. I then saw two Christmas Shops and eagerly entered both their portals! The prices were prohibitive, but the displays were so pretty. Before we knew it, 4 hours was up and we took a return ferry back to the other side and on to find our next campground. We stopped in at an IGA to do some grocery shopping – licensed and all in French of course.

At least amongst the 6 TV channels at this campground, 2 are in English. No Wifi at the campsite though, so that has been a disappointment throughout Quebec. Only one of the campgrounds has had free Wifi, although some have a service where you take your laptop up to the office and pay $5 per hour. That doesn’t suit us, as most of our internet access is done of an evening when the office is closed. We aren’t quite that desperate!

It wasn’t until we reached this last campground in Quebec that we had a real two-way conversation with any locals. The Quebec couple camped next to us noticed our aussie flag and were pointing etc, so we went out and said bonjour. They wanted a photo by the flag which we took. This is unusual for the locals, as they usually keep to themselves, but as it happens the wife is a teacher and her class are doing a project on other countries, Australia being one of them. Later they had a campfire and invited us over (lots of hand gestures) but believe it or not, for the next 3 hours, the four of us sat around the fire and with their very limited English and our limited French, plus a few vinos (they had a cask of the same aussie wine we had in a bottle!), we managed to chat and pass the time very pleasantly. It is amazing how many French words emerged from the recesses of my brain which enabled effective communication. Jacque is a retired teacher who now runs his own deer farm just NW of Quebec City and they export venison to USA & Mexico. They gave us a pack of rib eye fillet with their label. We gave her an aussie souvenir school set (ruler, eraser, pencil) for the student who did the best job in the school project on Australia!

Lobstered Out

Bev & Ross arrive at our RV for coffee

Moose Alert in French

Murray's Seafood Platter

Yes Folks, another Lobster dinner

The map above shows the routes we have taken around New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and our first day in Quebec. We left New Brunswick province today and crossed into Quebec. That was a bonus, as we got to turn our clocks back one hour and we are now operating on US Eastern Time again. The day was overcast with the odd drops of rain, but it did not diminish the pleasure of driving through this beautiful countryside. Very picturesque. Once over the border, all the signs were only in French (see moose alert), and it is an interesting experience to be immersed in the French language. I can get along pretty well reading French, but when they speak with a rapid dialect, it is difficult to follow.

Tonight we thought we would have one last lash at lobster, and dined at a restaurant owned by a local fisherman and his family. For $25 a head we got a 3 course meal and coffee. We all had the freshly made lobster bisque which was the piece de resistance for me, followed by a whole hot lobster each for Bev, Ross & I. Murray had a superb seafood platter. Dessert was apple pie. I tell you, by the time I had finished my 6th lobster in as many days, I am ready to call it quits, and my cholesterol levels are probably over the top. Plus I am sure you are all heartily sick of seeing photos of us with lobster on our plates! However, I knew it would be most unlikely that I would see lobster at these prices again in my lifetime and I have had a fabulous lobster experience!

Travelling in Canada

Bay of Fundy
Bev, Ross & Trish at Miramichi

Snow Crabs Caraquet

Dining in Caraquet

Lobster Club Sandwich

After we left Kim in Antigonish, we decided to spend a night on the Bay of Fundy. We drove several hours following the coastal road, and decided to call into a beach café for afternoon tea and to check out the bay. To our very pleasant surprise, we found the café was shut, but next to it, and right on the beach, was a 20 site campground. We were in heaven. I knew I had a little angel watching over me, as the campground, despite being out in the middle of nowhere, had free WiFi. As soon as we had hooked up, we went for a walk along the beach and marveled at our location. The tides in the Bay of Fundy have the highest vertical tides in the world. This week the tides went from 3.9 ft (1.2 m) up to 34.8 ft (10.6 m) and comes to within 50 ft of the RVs.

On Tuesday we met our aussie mates Bev & Ross for lunch in the lobster capital of the world – Shediac, right on the Gulf of St Lawrence. In keeping with the area, we tried the lobster rolls and they were delicious. They take a small roll (similar to a hot dog roll), butter and grill both sides of the roll, then split it and fill with freshly cooked lobster meat in a light mayonnaise. Yummo! From there, Bev & Ross followed us in their jeep until we arrived at our campground just outside the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick. Once again, we had a waterfront site, although the weather was not so pleasant. We went to dinner in a quaint Irish Pub (the only one in New Brunswick) that Bev & Ross had been to before, and it was buzzing. We tried a platter of the local mussels (broiled in wine & garlic) as an appetizer, and they didn’t disappoint us. They are smaller and less tough than Aussie mussels. Bev & Ross check into motels along the route and meet us in the RV for a coffee to start the day and plot our route.

On Wednesday Bev rode shotgun in the RV with Murray, and Ross & I followed in their jeep. The countryside and little coastal towns we passed through were so quaint, and Bev & Murray even saw a moose from their elevated advantage! We stopped for lunch in the harbour town of Caraquet. The menu was only in French (those years of French lessons in school came in handy to decipher the options). Apparently the clams were popular in the restaurant, so once again we decided to get a platter to share as an appetizer. This time I was not so enamoured…they were battered and fried so hard to get the real flavour. Murray ordered a lobster club sandwich – now that was the pick of the day. It was superb, although Ross thought his Coquille St Jacques (scallops in a mornay sauce) were outstanding. As we are getting closer to the Quebec border, the area is very French – everything including road signs are in both English & French, and most locals speak French as a first language. I am sure my rusty French would improve quickly with a longer stay in these parts of Canada.

Nova Scotia, Canada

Our Route within Canada in bright green
Lobster ready to cook

It's a hard life

Mother & daughter on the Cabot Trail (see road below us)

The Cabot Trail ahead of us

Beautiful scenery around every bend

A significant highlight of our trip has been to catch up with my daughter Kim who has been living here in Antigonish, Nova Scotia for the past 18 months. On our first night here, she took us to have dinner with good friends she has made here - John, Suzanne, Emily & Katie treated us to a typical lobster meal - 2 freshly cooked lobsters each served au naturel (melted butter on the side) with home made potato and spinach salads. Those who preferred not to have lobster were served a gigantic filet mignon, cooked to perfection! Delicious!

Next morning we drove the RV over to Cape Breton Island to spend the next two nights on the 185 mile (298 km) Cabot Trail. Despite warnings of rain and cold, we had the most glorious weather and were able to have campfires both nights. We stopped at local eateries for morning tea and lunch on most days, merely to experience the cuisine. For dinner the first night we called into a lobster shack and purchased a 2lb lobster (still alive) and then had to come up with a way to cook it as I had no pot big enough. Murray quickly found a chap who didn't just settle for lending the pot to us, but actually cooked it for us too! After it was cooked, and almost being an expert at extricating the lobster meat, I added the meat to a pot of seafood chowder. Voila, lobster chowder to go with garlic bread. We had it sitting by the fire overlooking a bay that you can see in the photo of Murray with the lobster, and Murray & Kim by the fire. Black bears were in the area last week, so we made sure we secured our rubbish overnight.

Next day the road wound up into the heights of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Absolutely breathtaking scenery. It seemed that lobster buoys dotted almost the whole length of the coastline - we often pulled into a rest bay and watched the lobstermen working their pots. We had our eyes peeled for wildlife, and finally saw a young moose on the side of the road. However, by the time Murray slowed the RV down, and Kim & I got our cameras focussed, it had darted into the bush. Murray took after it with the camera, but the moose was faster! Oh well, our dismay was shortlived as we soon pulled into the 'Rusty Anchor' for lunch, and we got to see some whales out in the bay. They were in the distance, and they were small, but the binoculars did help to bring them closer.

It seemed no time at all before we were back in Antigonish. We dropped Kim off at her place and returned to our campground. A few hours later, Kim arrived for her last meal with us. She has now said her goodbyes, and we wonder where we will meet again - she starts work at the University of Copenhagen in November...hmmm, that sounds like a great place to see her next!

End of Second Month

We have now seen all 50 US states. Not all in the motorhome - we had flown to Hawaii and cruised to Alaska during previous visits. However, since chatting with a couple who have RV'd Alaska twice recently, we are now planning an RV trip to Alaska for next June. For those who are interested, yes, we have seen all 6 states and 2 main territories of Australia too!

In our first month here we travelled 1400 miles, and our second month we have completed 2036 miles. Check it out on the map. We are currently in Canada as you may have noted from the blog entry below, and enjoying the delightful spring weather and the beautiful countryside.

Atlantic Provinces, Canada

Customs on Canada Border
Lobsters for Dinner

Lobsters on the Table

Federation Bridge to Prince Edward Island (PEI)

Rich Loamy Soil on PEI

Entering Ferry from PEI to Nova Scotia

On a beautiful spring day and after a brief 5 minute transition through Canada border Customs, we drove a few hours to Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick. We met up with Bev & Ross and had lunch in a nearby pub. We parked the RV in their huge driveway and proceeded to check out their two storey rented home overlooking a pond where two muskrats were happily swimming around.

Bev & Ross love to entertain friends for dinner, and we were more than happy to be recipients of their cooking prowess. Deb & George, lovely neighbours the second house over, joined us for dinner, and contributed two lobsters and the dessert to the meal. Bev & Ross had bought an additional 4 lobsters so that we could have one each. Ross swiftly removed the huge claws and severed the body neatly in half. One half was left au naturel and cut lemon or melted butter was on the table depending on our preference. To the remaining half lobster, Bev prepared a mornay sauce which she put over the lobster, then sprinkled it with cheese, and grilled in the oven. As you can see from the photo, we each had a delicious lobster feast, which we accompanied with bread rolls and fresh salad. The meal was superbly finished with Deb’s lemon velvet tart – freshly baked that day. The lemon flavour was very tactful and the texture was similar to a baked cheesecake – in fact it did have cream cheese in it too. Simply delicious!

After one night in Fredericton, we drove towards Nova Scotia. We were headed on a direct route to Antigonish (Kim) with one night stop on the way. Next thing we saw a sign for Prince Edward Island and the Federation Bridge (18 miles of an amazing engineering marvel) and quickly altered our route. We figured we were unlikely to get to this part of the world again, so it was now or never. We are so glad we got to see this area, as the views were beautiful – the red, loamy earth (perfect for potatoes apparently), the green spring growth, along with bright yellow wildflowers and contented cows in the pastures. Very bucolic. (Just for you Gem!). Rather than go back the same way we entered the Island, we elected to take the 5pm, 75 minute ferry ride over to Pictou instead. Now we are only 1 hr away from Kim in Antigonish. Whoo hoo.