Headed to Baddeck-Cape Breton Island

We arrived on Friday afternoon at Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground to find that our site was on a very uneven and steep (for a motorhome) hill. But since we were last minute reservations that was all that was available. The owners were wonderful and they allowed us to move on Sunday when a flat site in the upper area became available. Tim and Caite arrived Friday evening after leaving LL Bean in Freeport, ME very early. Saturday was an overcast day with some showers around so we opted to go hiking in Mabou. It was a fabulous hike! We did a 7 mile hike on some trails that were rated "difficult". It was very wooded and sometimes we had to bushwhack through the vegetation to keep on the trail. We came out on an overlook where we met a family hiking too. When we first got there it was totally fogged in but we still took pictures and within five minutes the fogged cleared out and we took another picture. The weather up there changes so rapidly. After the hike we drove around and found a lighthouse and checked out a small marina that had some lobster boats. Mabou is very pretty in a remote way and I can't imagine what the winters there would be like.

Our last day in Hilden, Nova Scotia

Thursday, August 25: It started out a bit chilly in the morning so we waited until it warmed up before we left on the motorcycles to do the Marine Drive - another scenic loop from Dartmouth to Sheet Harbor. Another beautiful coastal ride! The day was great and it is so nice to ride without traffic. At most times, we were alone on the route. We found a beautiful beach where there were a few wind surfers. Right up the hill from the beach was an old house that had a sign "homemade food". We discovered that there really aren't a lot of restaurants along these routes so we pulled into MacDonald's House Tearoom and Crafts. It was an old three story building that had a surf shop in the bottom, a small tearoom, a gift shop and part of it was a nursery school-quite the combination! We had one of 4 tables with a view of the beach. I had a delicious seafood chowder with a tea biscuit and Rich had a creamy onion chowder. Friday, August 26: We left Scotia Pines Campground and headed up to Baddeck Cabot Trail Campground on Cape Breton Island. On the way, we found a super Walmart and stopped to get groceries. Boy are the grocery prices high up here! It really was an eye opener even with the great exchange rate. The site we got was one of the last ones and unfortunately it was on the side of a hill. Rich had to lift the entire camper off the tires to get it level. We met our neighbors (Mike and Carol) who were very nice - they even had us a over for a campfire. Tim and Caitlynn arrived around 7:30 PM after driving all day from LL Bean.

Nova Scotia

We had a beautiful day to travel to Nova Scotia. As always, we were sad to leave the area but excited to see new territory. We arrived at Scotia Pines Campground early afternoon, unloaded the car and went to Peggy's Cove. It was about an hour and a half drive but worth it. First we stopped at the Swissair 111 Memorial. A beautiful spot just before Peggy's Cove. It's hard to imagine that so many people perished in that crash. The coastline there reminded us of the coast of Maine. We then drove over to Peggy's Cove. There are 28 full time residents there. The roads are narrow and it's hard to imagine that huge buses drive up there. We walked from the Visitor's Center to the lighthouse and out about on the rocks. We had a great dinner at the restaurant overlooking the lighthouse. For the first time, we had sweet potato fries that were served with curry mayo instead of ketchup. It was a great first day in Nova Scotia. Today we went for a motorcycle ride on Glooscap Trail. It is a scenic drive along the Minas Basin-a part of the Bay of Fundy. It was an unbelievable ride! The views were just breathtaking and the riding hilly and twisty with very little traffic. The Bay is known as the "chocolate river". It actually looks like melted chocolate! We read about the tidal bore that can be viewed from a place called "Tidal View Farm". So off we went looking for this place. We couldn't believe it but it was actually someone's backyard that allows people to park and watch it from their hillside. We were the only two people there. It was a sight that we won't forget. We arrived just in time to see the low tide and within 20-30 minutes the whole area filled in with water. If the weather is nice tomorrow, we will go for another motorcycle ride. We head to the Cabot Trail on Friday for a few more days of riding up there.

Hopewell Rocks, Hopewell Cape

We found a wonderful campground five minutes away from Hopewell Rocks-Ponderosa Pines. Sunday afternoon we went to Hopewell Rocks to see it at high tide. It was beautiful. We hiked all the beaches and outlooks that day. We then drove back to Alma which is the beginning of Fundy National Park. We walked around the tiny little town and had dinner outside by the water at a little fish and chips place. Monday we were at Hopewell Rocks for 9 AM to see the low tide. It really is amazing! We were able to walk on the ocean floor and all the way around to a beach where we had walked to from above the day before. Rich had found a really distinctive skipping rock and threw it in on Sunday. When we went back there on Monday at low tide we actually found it! We left Hopewell Rocks and headed to Cape Enrage. It was a cloudy day with rain predicted but so far it held off. The drive was unbelievable to get there. It was all back windy roads and we kept wishing we were on the motorcycles but we did have the top down on the Smart car so we really can't complain. Cape Enrage is a beautiful lighthouse that is supported by a non-profit group-no funds from the government. We had a great time looking around and learning about the history. They even had a staircase that went down to the beach. I wasn't thrilled with that part-it was metal and you could see through the stairs but I figured if I went ziplining, I can do this too. We had a fantastic hamburger there overlooking the lighthouse and water. Since it was early afternoon and the weather was still holding out for us, we drove back to Fundy National Park and hiked Dickson Falls. It was a beautiful hike down into a gorge with a beautiful waterfall. It was very wet and mossy and you felt like you were in some movie set. We are headed off to Nova Scotia this morning-don't know what the internet service will be so stay tuned.

Canada - Nova Scotia Trip 2016

We are crossing off another bucket list item: Nova Scotia. We spent the first night at LLBean in Freeport. Who knew LL stands for Leon Leonwood? We ended up at the bike store at 11 PM buying new comfy seats for our bikes. We went through Customs with no problem and landed at our destination-Granite Town Blueberry Farm in St. George, New Brunswick late in the afternoon-beautiful ride but real hilly. We stopped at our first Canadian Visitor Center. They are unbelievable-so helpful there. They even gave us a bag of "chicken bones" which is a Canadian candy that has chocolate in the middle and a cinnamon hard shell coating. They also gave us a bag of edible seaweed. Rich put our new seats on the bikes and right from where we stayed there was a beautiful bike path. It's been awhile since either of us had ridden and it felt great except for the hornet's nest we disturbed on a lookout and one decided to sting me! Since we had a late lunch, neither of us was real hungry so we had a very grown up dinner. We shared a piece of blueberry pie and root beer floats! Tomorrow we head to the Bay of Fundy.

Gettysburg Trip

We left on Saturday and had our first stay with a Harvest Host in Catawissa, PA at Rohrbach's Farm Stand.  It was crazy getting there because of the steep hills but the view was great and really quiet.  We did get homemade soup and lunch meat at the store as well as an ice cream.  It sure was better then Wal-Mart!
We had a great time in Gettysburg!  It was the first time taking the trailer with the smart car in it.  What a difference it made in getting around to sight see.  The weather was fantastic all week and we drove with the top down most of the time.  We thoroughly enjoyed the segway tour so much so that we took a second tour.
There is so much to see and learn there. The visitor museum movie and cyclorama was fantastic as well as the diorama, the spirits of Gettysburg, and the Lincoln Train Museum.  We had lunch out most days. Dobbin's House had a great french onion soup and spinach salad with a warm bacon dressing.  O'roukes was good too as was the Blue and Gray and the Gary Owen Irish pub.  The Artillery Ridge Campground was so close to everything and they had a pond that Rich fished in a couple of times.  We met some very nice people that were camping there and even had a fire with them one night.  We left there and headed to Hershey Park for America's largest RV show. It was huge. We dry camped in a field across the street which was really convenient.  We left there Saturday morning and went to see Bill's Bike Barn and Museum which was cool. We then found ourselves at Hemlock Campground in Tobyhanna, PA where we stayed in 2012 and liked it.  Home tomorrow but we sure love being on the road!

Cozy Hills Campground, Bantam CT

A last minute get away in our own state and it felt like we've been here a week.   We found this place at the Springfield Camp Show.  It has turned out to be a wonderful find.  It has a little restaurant with fantastic homemade food too. 

Rich had a great time fishing in between napping.  There is a nice pool although we didn't use it.  The people here were friendly.  We learned from the new owner, Lelah, some of the history.  The property used to be owned by Igor Sikorsky and then a girl scout camp, and the last owner died here at only 48 of a massive heart attack.   We went on a walk with Lelah and another person who was a seasonal through the property on Sunday morning.  They also have Sunday morning yoga which I will do next time here.

We were told that they have some good bands during the season so we are going to try to come back for one of them.