03-04 September - Up Island Bound to Pitch a Tent

03: After giving our house sitters a tour, and finishing off some errands around the house, I drove to where my wife works. I ordered a mocha, with oat milk, in a coffee shop and sat down to work on my travel notes.

    Close to 5pm, I got the message. Picking up my wife's mug I procured a tall blonde latte, with oat milk. Soon she was ready to go. Next stop...Parksville!

    It took about two and a half hours to arrive at tonight's accommodations and, after a quick unpacking of essentials, we drove to Tigh-Na-Mara resort to have supper at Cedar's Lounge. Tonight's meal for me was the seafood linguine with jumbo prawns, bay scallops, sockeye salmon, white wine cream, roasted garlic, fire roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes, pickled shallots, and lemon. Delicious! My wife had the cedar plank sockeye salmon with mango salsa, white basmati, and seasonal vegetables. I snuck in a dessert of Peanut Butter Pie. Yum.

    After driving back we got ready for bed, read a bit, then drifted off to slumberland. 11.2km walked and 26 flights climbed.

04: Woke early-ish and drove back to Tigh-Na-Mara for breakfast. On the way, behind the motel, there was an army of bunnies! Dozens and dozens were chewing on the rogue clumps of grass without a care in the world. Nice to see. I wonder if there were wild bunnies or "rewilded" bunnies who were descendants of pets.

    Delicious breakfast consumed, we repacked the car. Before getting some groceries, we stopped at Coyote Coffee Roastery and Loaf Bakery, the latter was new to us. Both were great places to fuel up, and get snacks, for the next leg of our camping trip.

    Shopping done in Parksville, we drove the short distance North to Buckley Bay to take the ferry to Denman Island. While waiting for the ferry to come back from the Denman side, we bought some smoked salmon and smoked scallops at Fanny Bay Oysters Shop. After browsing next door, at Weinberg's Good Food, I saw a scary sight when I left the business...our ferry was here! I called out to Natalie and ran to the car. Fortunately, we got there before our lane got moving, but it was close. Whew! Pulse rates decreasing, I continued to read the Jack Reacher book I was currently on. 

    On the other side, we drove to Gravelly Bay ferry terminal. There were no sailing delays and we got on the next ferry to Hornby Island.

    We were too late to check out the Free Store, at the recycling/garbage place, and we were too early to check into the coop campground. Time to relax and eat, but there was a problem. Our favourite place, Vorizo Café, was not just closed but had fire damage. Reading the sheet of paper on the door there was a fire and they were waiting for the insurance to wheedle its way through bureaucracy. They were also soliciting funds to set themselves back up quicker. We got takeout lunch from the Coop instead. (It has since reopened). Fuelled up, we had fun visiting our favourite stores in the area and checking out the funny ads. We also admired a quilt that was being raffled off.

    Now we were off to our campground. After a conversation with one of the folks who manage the campground, who have done it for the last 25 years, we drove to our camp site. Once the car was unloaded, and driven to its parking spot, we set up camp and enjoyed the view. And what a view.

    The rest of the day was spent relaxing, walking around, having supper, and enjoying the colours of the sunset. That and a cunning game of Crib. 5.3km walked and 2 flights climbed.

25 July to 29 August - Newfoundland and Maritimes Trip Synopsis

This trip to the East coast had myself and my wife spend three weeks in Newfoundland and I spent an extra two in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Total distance walked/hiked was 150.5 km or 4.18km a day. Flights climbed were 474 or 13.66 per day.

    I had an incredible time in Newfoundland. My wife and I were glad we cut back the number of places we wanted to visit. It would have led to a lot of time in a vehicle driving from place to place. We still want to visit more of Newfoundland, but that will require deciding which places to focus on. Three of many places on our list are Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Gros Morne, and L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. K and A are wonderful friends and were super fantastic hosts. Staying with them meant we experienced the places and people that are the beating heart of this province. The big bucket list destinations are incredible to see, but it is the experience of a stranger who lends you their rubber boots and also gives you some delicious cod they recently caught that fills your soul. The basic kindness towards strangers that can easily become friends.

Here are some recommendations for anyone visiting:
-A rental car, booking well in advance, is essential! Same with accommodations!
-Don’t have back to back days of driving hundreds of kilometres. Breathe. Take your time. Explore off the main highways.
-Seat cushions can be purchased inexpensively in places like Canadian Tire. There are many potholes on secondary and tertiary roads.
-Time. When going from place to place it takes a while and the highways get boring. Take time to visit somewhere and stretch your legs often.
-Moose. They exist, they are HUGE, and they will kill you and your passengers if you hit them. Be EXTREMELY careful when driving at night and CAREFUL when on secondary and tertiary roads.
-A good paper map, not just the free one at the airport or rental car company (which are good for general planning) but a really good paper map book is important. You WILL lose cell service at awkward times. 
-Reduce expectancies. You cannot see it all so explore wisely, choose central locations and explore satellite places and areas. Take your time. Don’t miss the many little joys. Newfoundland is a multi-trip province. We stayed in St. John’s (5 nights), Saint Jones Within (13 nights), and Upper Twillinggate (2 nights) and still saw all that we did.

    My stay in Bridgewater, Annapolis Royal, Advocate Harbour, Sackville, and Moncton was also a rewarding trip. Being able to see my mom and help her go on one last trip away, with my sister, was a simple act of kindness for a few days that will give her great memories. Seeing other close friends and family always gives myself a replenishment of energy within my inner batteries. To continue not being afraid to be myself, because everyone else is already taken.

    OK, enough of that navel gazing. Here's some data. I only read two physical books this trip, finishing each while flying. However, I read five ebooks on my Kobo. I think I read more ebooks because I read them while flossing and brushing my teeth as well as just before going to bed (because they are backlit). I didn’t get many books this trip. Was given three Phillip K Dick books by Kirk. Picked up four fiction books in various places as well as a booklet at the Rooms museum in St.John’s. Two history books were found too.

    For fun stuff, the G.I.Joe DVD was discovered (mentioned in a previous email), two board games, and two packs of Battletech miniatures. At Blockhouse in NS, at Lanzelot Games, I got some great TTCombat MDF terrain. Now I just have to put it together. They will be great for a few of the miniature games I play.

    As an odd find, in a Bridgewater store, I purchased a pack of playing cards in a Star Wars theme. It has different classic action figures on each card. It was fun seeing which ones I used to have.

    That’s it for this trip. After a few days, I will send out a few emails on the camping trip to Hornby Island that happened over Labour Day weekend then the Lantern Festival close by to where we live. Have a great day and thanks for reading.

29 August: Flapping my Arms

Walking with leisure, the remainder of my items found their way into my luggage. A last check of the bedroom I was staying in was revealing nothing of mine. Walking upstairs for breakfast, we ate and observed the news, offering commentary and criticism. We said our goodbyes until our paths would recross in the future. It was 930am and it was time to go.

    After gassing up, reaching the airport, checking into Air Canada, and dropping off my key to the rental car company there was nothing left except being exposed. Off to security I went.

    Security checked me out and, once I passed their inspection, I chose to sit in the upper area. It was much more sparsely populated and there was no reason why more couldn’t have used it. I write more in my physical travel journal and read a book. The sheer amount of people made staying awake hard as they absorbed the oxygen.

    Shortly after 11am there began the obligatory announcement that my flight had overbooked. It took the first increase of their original offer for someone to take it. It meant we would only be boarding five minutes late.

    After hearing those who needed extra time or assistance to board, I began walking down the stairs to my gate. When we bought our tickets in December we had rare business class seating. My dreams of reexperiencing those rare things of yesteryear were coming true again: more legroom, big seats, metal cutlery, glasses made of glass and not wax paper or styrofoam, boarding early, a warm towlette, and lounge access. Be still my beating heart.

    Should I feel guilty for obtaining better seating cheaper than an economy ticket normally is? No, I shouldn’t and yet I do a little. Luck in getting the tickets diminish the majority of any guilt. Foresight in booking the tickets well in advance reduces most of the rest.

    I also know that many air travel companies are shrinking the space economy passengers receive. They are eliminating one or both of the free undercarriage bags, and charging a fee on what was once free, is another money making measure. Perhaps the federal government can step in to cease the sardine-ification of air travel, especially as airlines purposefully overbook to maximize margins while giving CEOs and shareholders large bonuses. Rant done for now.

    The flight went smoothly, lunch was great, the tomato juice taste was enhanced as it always does at high elevations. The new free wifi allowed me to draft up travel logs. I also read more, here and there, as breaks.

    Upon landing I stretched my legs walking the length of Toronto’s domestic side of the airport. Returning, I went into the Air Canada lounge. Grabbing a seat, a cappuccino, and some food, I read a little and relaxed. Then I started working on travel posting and documentation. Snacking for the next three hours, and having another coffee, I read for an hour to chill out. 

    Packing my things up it was time for another long walk. Reaching my gate as they started advance boarding I thought about my trip. The things I saw, food I ate, people I met, and family I reconnected with. It was a very good trip.

    The second leg flew by, no pun intended, and I arrived in Victoria at 940pm. After collecting my bags, I took a taxi to my place. Once I arrived I tiptoed upstairs, as Natalie was asleep. After flossing and brushing, while reading my Kobo, it was time to wander through dreamland. 3.2 km and 5 flights climbed.

27-28 August: Good with their Hands, Shellfish Tastes, and Relativity.

Over the next two days my aunt V, uncle L, and I would chat and ruminate on life. I also assisted my aunt in learning how to use cloud storage to document share, which is important as an executive for her quilting group.

    My uncle showed me his HO railway layout, including handmade structures. He has expanded what he has done, since I last saw it, and is a very accomplished modeller. Making many of his buildings specifically for family, friends, and nods to historical buildings that no longer exist is a skill of foresight and patience. Just like quilting is for my aunt. In particular, my uncle has made an HO scale quilting shop with elaborate surroundings with my aunt and her friends as tiny figures. I definitely need to work more on my terrain and up my skillset.

    A more recent hobby of his started with LEGO trains and buildings. It was originally done to draw kids into the hobby of trains. It has since expanded to pirate and castle sets for his own amusement. He picks and chooses carefully which ones to build and has even made custom ones based on historical castles and ships. It was nice to see and made me think of my own LEGO sets, from the 90’s, that are sitting in plastic bins…all alone in the dark (cue solo violin music that fades away gracefully).

    Uncle L also showed me the layouts, at the model railroad club he is a member of, near St.George street. There are many scales represented around the basement rooms. The HO layout is HUGE and members can use an app, or connected laptop, to control individual lines. Model train layouts have come a long way since I briefly got involved in my teens.

    On the evening of the 27th, they took me to Cafe Leo in Shediac, a long-standing seafood fry restaurant. I may have been here during my youth, but I don't remember for sure. The bridge and stream nearby look familiar though. What I do know is that the fried seafood here is delicious! I chose a mix of fried clams and scallops with fries. Yum!

    On the 28th, in the morning, I repacked everything for my flight the next day. It was a challenge for some of the items and with enough bubble wrap and large ziplock bags it was achieved in style. My aunt gave me a bonus gift…a HUGE bag of dulse (dried seaweed) from Grand Manan Island. It was premium stuff and was washed very well with no barnacles or other stuff attached to it. I’ve been having it as a snack to quell my hunger at night or mid-afternoon. Brings back memories.

    In the afternoon we went to the building where my uncle C and aunt R, on my father’s side, live. I thought it was mainly for uncle C’s birthday, but I have since been informed it was for me with uncle C’s birthday being a bonus. Regardless it was an opportunity to reacquaint with my father’s side of the family. It was great to see them all and catch up on what everyone was doing. Memories were relived and laughter was had, as well as sadness for those who had passed. Family reunions, in our later years, have more of the sadness. Yet the fun times also crawl up from the depths of memory to balance these feelings. Life, and our brains, are a complicated thing.

    Once back at my aunt and uncle’s place we chatted, relaxed, and watched the Netflix film “The Grey Man”, which had slightly over the top action sequences but was good fun. My aunt might read the books the film was based on. 2.6km and 10 flights over the two days.

25-26 August: Friends, Family, and Masked Clans

On the 25th, during the only full day at M’s place, V drove in from Fredericton. She is M’s daughter and also a good friend. We met WAY back in 7th grade, when the family moved to Riverview N.B. During my parent’s divorce they became a second family for me. We all caught up with each other’s activities and future plans. 

Like last night, there were some nocturnal visitors…racoons! They were quite bold and two clans of them live in this area. They were quite cute with all of their kits.

On the 26th, after a relaxing morning and great conversations, it was time for me to go. Once we said our goodbyes I drove into Sackville to see J&A for lunch. 

After picking them up, and chatting along the way, we pulled into Irving Big Stop in Aulac near the border to NS. While we waited for our orders, we continued to catch up and ruminate on our futures. Soon our orders arrived. I got the fried clams, with a cup of cole slaw, and side salad instead of fries. Yummy for my tummy.

After finishing our meal we took a detour to Fort Beaujejour, a historical site that is open 24/7/365. It is only the museum that’s closed when it's off season or from lack of employees. The site is an earthworks fort, like Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal. We only drove through the lower parking lot. It was nice to see it again even though it was a quick look.

Dropping J&A off, I visited Blind Forest Books. It had moved since I was last in Sackville and their new location has a little more room. Two books purchased. I drove to the suburbs of Moncton, NB and for the next three nights I would be a guest at my aunt V and uncle L, on my mom’s side. This would be the first opportunity where I would be spending quality time with them as an adult. A fifty-six-year-old adult. Cool. 0.7km walked.

24 August: Turning around, Meeting Familiar People, and Furry Organisms.

Woke up, showered, sent a travel email and a FB post, and walked downstairs for breakfast. The first to enter the dining room, as they open at 8am, I was told by the owner to pick a seat. So I chose the one by the window I sat at last night. My breakfast came fast, as I pre-chose the time I would eat. 

    In a mason jar were granola, fried banana, maple syrup, and toasted walnuts. It was tasty, not too sweet, and satisfying. Accompanying it was a mushroom quiche with Swiss cheese and spicy herbed potato cubes. The crust was crispy and inside was ooey gooey goodness. For the potatoes I liked the paprika flavour.

    After packing the car, and checking out, I headed for Amherst. At least I was going there for the first 20 minutes. I had forgotten something…cheese! Yesterday, after checking in, I put my leftover Costco Gouda and unopened Dutchman's soft and blue cheese spread in the B&B guest fridge. I couldn’t leave those behind.

    Backtracking, and getting back on track, I made it to Amherst. There I spent several hours visiting my Aunt and Uncle, on my mom’s side, D and D. We caught up on what was new, since we last met a few years ago, and how my trip has been going. It was good to catch up with them.

    Before leaving Amherst, I drove down Victoria street East and stopped at Amy’s Used Books. The store is still incredibly packed with books, but the owner still knows where all the authors are.

    It made me sad while leaving Amherst. Lots of closed storefronts and roads in need of repair. Many small businesses, in this hub community, have faded away with the loss of larger employers. When you drive down Victoria street you can see that a lot of money was made in the past by business owners from the huge opulence. This wealth and opportunity were increased when the Intercontinental Railway of Canada was built through Amherst, increasing the number of industries here. 1908 was its peak year of prosperity, but during WW1 was the beginning of its decline. There was a temporary reprieve when the Trans-Canada highway was built, but has since resumed its downward trend. Amherst’s faded flower of prosperity now awaits more capable gardeners. When driving through, take a look at the lovely brick and stone buildings of old downtown and the big old houses of Victoria street East.

    A short drive North West, into New Brunswick, took me to the offramp of Middle Sackville. It is where my good friend M lives and a rural community with the Trans Canada Trail passing through it. In M’s back yard you can look South at the edge of Nova Scotia.

    We caught up on how we were doing, how my trip had gone, and what was going wrong and right in the world. We have our fixes for the problems, yet we have not been contacted about those fixes.

    About a year ago, a mama cat checked out M’s house and found it suitable. It then brought over its four kittens and deposited them inside. She comes by, once in a while, for visits and checkups on them who are being kept as indoor cats. Three of the four got used to me over the next two nights. They each have their own personalities and it was fun to see them in their day-to-day activities. I walked 0.8km today.