We hope the year has been good to you and you have enjoyed the Christmas holidays. We are not in an RV anymore, but we have been busy. Many of our activities revolve around our twin granddaughter’s sports schedules. High school wrestling season wrapped up in February and Clarissa and Sierra both finished first in the state in their respective weight class. In April, our daughter, Elisabeth joined us for a trip to Bonaire for two weeks of SCUBA diving. Bonaire is Bob’s favorite SCUBA diving destination as it offers some of the best shore diving in the world. Bob and Elisabeth generally dived twice a day while Pat snorkeled nearby. When we weren’t diving, we were enjoying sunsets, hiking in their national park, and relaxing in our Air B&B.
In the spring, the twins shifted into Track & Field. Sierra competed in running and Clarissa was a thrower in javelin, discus, and shot put.
After we had sold our fifth wheel trailer and truck, we purchased a Winnebago Vista motor home so we could continue our travels. In June, we went with Elisabeth, Sandra and all three granddaughters to camp at Riverside State Park, east of Spokane. We did a lot of hiking, and enjoyed zip lining and a high ropes course with Mica Moon Zip Tours.
From Riverside, the rest of the family headed back to Lakewood and University Place and we continued east to Michigan. With a brief stop in Duluth, MN, we made a quick drive (six days) to join Pat’s family at their cottage on Rifle Lake, near West Branch. There we visited with family and celebrated Independence Day. After our time at Rifle Lake, we drove to Bad Axe and “moochdocked” in Geri and Marcia’s backyard. We spent about a week visiting with family before we drove to the Lansing Cottonwood Campground, our “go to” campground in Lansing. We were able to spend some time with our son, Dave, and see old friends. We did a lot of biking on the Lansing River Trail and just relaxed a bit.
On July 22nd, we began our trip back. We made an overnight stop to see Bob’s sister in Canadian Lakes, near Mecosta. We traveled back through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and across the northern tier of states. Finally, after seven travel days, we were back in Tacoma.
This year we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and we celebrated it by cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage on Norwegian Cruise Lines. This was our second time on the Inside Passage and it was more relaxing with fewer excursions and more sightseeing on our own.
We weren’t done RVing for the year. We took Elisabeth and the twins for a weekend in Westport on the Pacific coast and had an enjoyable time. A few days later, we took Elisabeth with us to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. We spent a week hiking and sightseeing with a side trip on the Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
Back in the Tacoma area, the twins were in Cross-Country season, which meant a lot of traveling to support and cheer for them.
Bob has kept up with his musical performances and has been busy busking at a local Starbucks as well as playing at local senior homes and the Narrows Bridge VFW.
Our big excitement for December was a two-week sailing cruise in the Virgin Islands. This was not your ordinary cruise. We went in with three other couples to rent a sailing catamaran and sail it around the US and British Virgin Islands. We were our own crew and did the sailing, cooking, and organizing ourselves. We had great weather and visited many different sites. We snorkeled in sparkling, clear water and saw all kinds of aquatic life.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy holidays from the Wangens. Not all who wander are lost!
As I mentioned in our last post, the news that we were told that we had a unit was available to us in Stoneridge at the Park caused us to make a drastic change in plans. While we were still in Lansing at the Cottonwood Campground, we said good-bye to some of our friends from the area.
We ordered our ReloCube from U-Pack. Some of our stuff, mostly photographs, was at my sister’s house in Canadian Lakes, neat Stanwood and we drove there to pick them up and spend some time with her. From there we drove to Irons to see some friends from our old church Roger and Darcy, and Stan and Betsy. On September 18th, we drove to Pat’s brother’s house to pack our Cube with the stuff we had stashed in the farmhouse. While there, we took a short trip to Freeland to see our niece, Tara and her family. We were able to watch their son, Grant, in a soccer game. He is only four and it was fun to watch him and his teammates.
On September 22nd, we drove to Grand Rapids, spent the night at Woodchip Campground, another one of our “go to” campgrounds, and spent some time with Kay and Lynn, two friends of Pat’s from her high school days. September 23rd found us at the Wisconsin State Fair RV Park in Milwaukee where we visited with Pat’s sister, MaryLee and her family. We also picked up a cedar chest that we had left with them. It’s not as if we had stuff scattered all over the place, right? Staying at the State Fair RV Park is interesting in that it is a good location, but it is essentially a parking lot. Some of the people staying there are temporary workers in the area and stay in mobile bunkhouses. The electric and water only sites share an RV power post, so one site gets the 50 amp connection, another gets the 30 amp connection the two others get the 15 amp connections. I’ve never seen such a set up anywhere else.
When we left Milwaukee on September 26th, we began a “sprint” across the Midwest.
We made two stops at Walmart parking lots. Our second one was in Mitchell, SD. We actually drove our rig into downtown Mitchell to visit the World’s Only Corn Palace. This “one of a kind” attraction has been around for over 125 years. It is made unique every year with new designs. Over 350,000 ears of corn of various colors are sliced and nailed in place, like a “paint by numbers” mural. Local corn is grown and harvested by Mitchell farmers in 13 different colors. The murals are designed by Dakota Wesleyan University students. The inside of the Corn Palace is used as a performance venue and sports auditorium. If you are driving across South Dakota, it is worth your time to stop in for a visit.
On our way to Rapid City, we took a detour to drive through Badlands National Park. We have stayed in the park on two previous occasions and were content with a drive through to renew our memories. What many people don’t realize is the Badlands was once a large, shallow salt-water sea. There are fossils of sharks, alligators, and other aquatic life that prove this. When the Rocky Mountains were formed by a shift in tectonic plates over 285 million years ago, the sea drained into the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean.
After our drive through the Badlands, we arrived at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, SD. When we stopped at a South Dakota Welcome Center, we learned that we would be in the Rapid City area during the annual Buffalo Round-Up at Custer State Park. We had planned to spend a few days and see some sites we had missed in the past, and this sounded like an excellent opportunity.
Custer State Park is home to one of the largest American bison herds in the world. Herd numbers vary from year to year, but typically, there are 1,350-1,450. The annual roundup keeps the population in balance with the available land and resources. Most of the bison return right back to their home, the grasslands of Custer State Park. The bison herd roams freely throughout the park and is often found along the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road in the southern part of the park. Bison seem docile, but can run very fast and turn on a dime. Weighing as much as 2,000 pounds, these animals are forces to be reckoned with. Visitors should stay inside their vehicles when viewing the bison, and not get too close.
The Buffalo Roundup is part of Custer State Park‘s management plan to maintain a healthy balance between the number of bison and the available rangeland forage. The park can only sustain a certain number of bison, based on the condition of the grassland and how much food is available. The Buffalo Roundup allows for some of the animals to be sorted out of the herd. They are then sold at an auction in November.
The Buffalo Roundup began at 9:30 AM on September 30, with the parking lots opening at 6:15 a.m. We drove to the North Viewing Area and were able to find a place to set up our chairs on the slope with a nice view. We saw part of the herd go past the South Viewing Area and waited anxiously for the rest. After a short wait, we saw the herd of over 1,300 bison, driven by cowboys and cowgirls come into view – what a site! They passed right across our front as they were driven into a large fenced in area to be separated and processed.
We walked to the corrals where the buffalo were processed. The wranglers herded them into chutes, and the buffalo ended in a chute that held them immobile while they were inventoried, tested, treated, and branded. Then they were released back into the herd, or separated for auction.
It was quite an experience and we were glad we had the opportunity.
The South Dakota Air and Space Museum is right outside the main gate to Ellsworth Air Force Base. It was created and is operated by the Ellsworth Heritage Foundation in 1982, as a part of an Air Force program to establish museums at bases around the country. It officially opened for business in 1992.
The B-1 bomber at the entrance is appropriate, as the 28th Bomb Wing, stationed at Ellsworth, is a B-1 unit. While its official name is the Lancer, it is referred to by its crews as the BONE (B-One). The B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and B-52 Stratofortress are the three strategic bombers in the Air Force fleet.
Unfortunately, the interior was not open when I visited, but the outdoor displays were great. Every aircraft has its own, unique story. For example, the B-25 Medium Bomber on display was used by General Eisenhower as his transport during WWII. Unlike normal B-25 bombers, this one had no weapons and had tables and chairs for “Ike” and his staff to use.
One day we drove into Rapid City to tour the Museum of Geology and the “City of Presidents.” Rapid City commissioned monuments of every president and placed them on street corners in the downtown area. As we navigated from one to another, I found it interesting, and challenging, to recall what I know about each one. For a few of them, it was quite a challenge. After our tour, we had an early dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Company. If you are in Rapid City, check it out!
Just west of Rapid City is the Devil’s Tower National Monument – the nation’s first National Monument, created by President Theodore Roosevelt. We stayed at the Devil’s Tower KOA. The campground is right outside the entrance to the park and we could see the Tower from our campsite. We arrived in the early afternoon, set up our site and headed into the park. Devil’s Tower is a destination for climbers. While we were hiking around the Tower, we could see climbers at various stages of their climb.
The Devil’s Tower area was once 1,300 feet higher covered by sedimentary rock. One theory is that volcanic magna was forced up through a fissure and cooled underground. As rivers eroded the soft, sedimentary rock, the hard, igneous rock of the Tower was left. Now this spectacular tower of volcanic columns looks like it was thrust up through the earth’s crust. In 1906, President Roosevelt proclaimed the Tower and over 1,000 surrounding acres a National Monument. During the Great Depression, members of the Civilian Conservation Corps built camping and picnic facilities, and log buildings for the Administration and Visitor Center.
Over 20 indigenous tribes continue to maintain sacred stories of the Tower. The Kiowa version says, “Eight children were there at play, seven sisters and their brother. Suddenly the boy was struck dumb; he trembled and began to run on his hands and feet. His fingers became claws, and his body was covered with fur as he transformed into a bear. The sisters were terrified; they ran until they came to the stump of a great tree. The tree spoke to them and bade them to climb on it. As they did so, it began to rise into the air. The bear came to kill them, but they were beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark with its claws. The seven sisters were borne into the sky and became the stars of the Pleiades.”
There are several trails at the Monument. We hiked a combination of the Red Beds and Tower Trails. The Tower Trail provided some up close views of the Tower. About 5:00, the park was closing and we headed back to our trailer. When we woke up the next morning, we were happy that we scheduled our visit when we did. We woke to find the Tower completely shrouded in cloud and fog. We would have been very frustrated if we had been a day later.
When we left Devil’s Tower, we had planned for two Walmart stops and a stay at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane. As we were re-evaluating this plan, we decided to push through with an additional Walmart stop and arrive at Camp Murray Beach a day early.
Three straight day of driving quickly got old, but we were happy to make it to our final destination and start making plans to move into our new home.
We had completed our RV caravan to the Canadian Maritime Provinces and were finalizing our plans to travel to Florida for the winter when we got a call from Stoneridge at the Park in Tacoma, WA. Several years ago, we put our names on a waiting list to rent a unit in this 55 plus community. The call was to advise us that a unit was available for us with a move-in date of November 1st. This was the first vacancy they had had in the last ten months for the type of unit we wanted. We would have preferred to go to Florida this winter and move to Washington next spring or summer but there were no guarantees that a unit would be available at that time, so we went for it.
We had originally planned to do the Canadian RV Caravan in 2020 and move into a residence in 2021, but COVID changed all of that. We thought we would have the opportunity for one last trip to Key West this year, but that isn’t going to happen. After eleven years of traveling fulltime in our RV, we will have a stationary home in November.
This news started a flurry of activity. We had to consolidate what household goods we still had and ship them to Washington, plan a route to Washington, and cancel our plans for Florida. I don’t know about Pat, but for me it was an emotional whiplash. I had all these things I planned to do in Central Florida and Key West, as well as people we planned to see. In one phone call, that was changed.
After some research, we determined it would be less expensive to get a “pod” positioned in Bad Axe, MI (where most of our stuff was stored). When I was in the National Guard, assisting units in deploying in Air Force aircraft, I would tape a rectangle on the floor the size of a cargo pallet so the unit personnel could plan their loads to fit on the pallets. Pat remembered me doing this and taped out an area the size of the interior of the container we were getting. A simple system that still works!
As we gathered our stuff, we realized that we had more than we remembered. We called U-Pack and asked if we would be charged if we ordered a second Relo-Cube but didn’t use it? They said “No,” and we ordered the second. As you can see from the picture, we had overreacted and didn’t need the second one.
This container will be shipped to Tacoma, stored until we are ready to move in, and then delivered to our new house.
We are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives, and plan to continue traveling, just not as fulltime RVers. We hope that many of the new friends we have made across the country will come to visit us in the great Pacific Northwest.
When we had our breakdown and had to stay behind as our caravan continued their travels, we hoped that we would be able to catch up to them at some point and finish this journey with them. When it became obvious that we would not be able to do that, we looked at exploring some of the scheduled stops and sights on our own. Unfortunately, our forced stay in St. Anthony went on too long. We did enjoy ourselves, had some great experiences, and met some absolutely wonderful people, but we were ready to get back to the USA.
After we left St. Anthony with a short stop at the dealer in Deer Lake to get our air conditioner recharged, we drove to the Grand Codroy RV/Tent Campground. This was a return to our first stop in Newfoundland and we felt good about staying there until it was time to take the ferry to Nova Scotia. Fantasy RV Tours had reserved a spot on the 11:45 pm departure on August 18th. Boarding the ferry and parking our rig was another claustrophobic experience. The lanes were so narrow it was hard to walk normally between the lanes of vehicles. We found a seating area that was not crowded and settled in for the night. The ferry actually provides blankets on the night ferry – great customer service! I know that made my night more comfortable. I was able to see a beautiful sunrise on the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
We rolled off the ferry at 8:00 in the morning and headed for Moncton, New Brunswick. En-route to Quebec, we opted to stop in Woodstock, NB and were pleasantly surprised to find we were in time for their annual Rib Fest. It was an interesting small town festival. They had two major vendors whom had won many awards for their ribs. Other vendors offered beverages (some alcoholic), and side dishes. There was a stage with a band. The crowd looked like they were having a great time. We treated ourselves to some ribs for dinner.
We left Woodstock, and made a “sprint” to Michigan. We spent two nights in parking lots, one at Canadian Tire and another at Walmart. We stayed at the Milton Heights Campground west of Toronto before we crossed into Michigan at Sarnia.
After three days of solid driving we arrived in Holly, MI to stay at the farm of a former National Guard comrade. This weekend was our annual Ranger Rendezvous. With just shy of 30 attendees, we had a great time sharing war stories and solving all of the world’s problems. Our host offered us a camping spot next to a power pole near his barn. After an afternoon of partying, we were able to sleep in total darkness with almost no noise. Camping in the country is great!
Sunday morning we drove to Lansing, MI. Our “go to” campground in the area is the Cottonwood Campground. It is a short walk or bike ride to the Lansing River Trail, and that gives us access to downtown Lansing and the Michigan State University Campus by bike. We will be here to visit our doctors, dentists, and financial advisor, in addition to seeing family and old friends.
We may not live in Michigan anymore, but we still call it home!
The next week another Fantasy RV caravan came into the park. It appears that our predicament had been communicated to the Wagon Masters and some of the travelers stopped by to express their sympathy. The Wagon Master invited us to join them on a whale-watching cruise and we jumped at the chance. The weather was nice and we saw a couple pods of porpoise in addition to two whales that we watched for quite a while. They would stay near the surface and occasionally would dive deeper, lifting their tails in the process. It was a great time and a good opportunity that we really appreciated. This caravan didn’t have any musicians in their groups and I entertained them with some folk music after their drivers meeting that evening.
Here’s a compilation of some of the video —
As we watched them leave the morning of July 18th, we wondered how many more caravans we would wave goodbye to as they left before we could leave too.
Pat and I walked most mornings for exercise and we discovered the Cape Raven Trail, not too far from the campground. We hiked it one afternoon and enjoyed some great views of the surrounding area. From the peak you could see our campground and our trailer is in the lower right of the picture.
Cory had pointed out other hiking trails to me, and Pat and I hiked some of them. Some were without names and poorly marked, but we were able to do some exploring and enjoy more great views without worrying about getting lost.
Another Fantasy Caravan arrived from July 22 through July 26th. We actually knew the Tail Gunners, Nancy and Danny, from Key West. Unfortunately, Nancy had come down with COVID and we didn’t get to spend much time with them.
While all this was going on, we kept asking about when our new engine was going to arrive. The Parts Manager at Woodward Motors was not able to get any tracking information from his supplier and had even started to see if he could find another one. Meanwhile, we were making, modifying, and canceling ferry reservations to get back into Nova Scotia. Apparently, there are a lot of people traveling back and forth on the ferry and getting a truck/trailer combination that is 13 + feet high and 55 feet long is not easy on short notice. We would make a reservation and then have to modify or cancel it because the truck wasn’t ready yet. On July 20th, it was obvious that we were not going to catch up with our own Fantasy Caravan and called our Wagon Masters, Bill and Ann, to let them know that we would not be able to rejoin them. That was not a milestone we wanted to have, As of July 25th, we have reservations for July 30, August 20 and August 24. If something doesn’t happen on the truck soon, it will start a domino effect on our other plans.
On Tuesday, July 26th, we had waved goodbye to our fourth Fantasy RV caravan when I got a call from the parts manager at Woodward Motors. He said he had bad news and good news. The bad news was that no one had any idea where our replacement engine was and no one had been able to contact the seller. The good news was that he had found a rebuilt engine at a Chevrolet dealer in Toronto and FEDEX could deliver it to us in five trucking days. I told him to go ahead and order it; at this point, I wasn’t worrying about the cost. Later that day he told us he had arranged for us to set up in their parking lot with water and electric hookups. There is a dump station we can use across the street. They had a person with a pickup with a fifth wheel hitch come out to pick us up and sent their shop pickup to carry our bikes and kayaks. Now we are in the dealer’s parking lot and our new engine should be here in five days. Our only other problem is getting on the ferry.
On a happy note, we could now walk to the library, coffee shops, grocery stores, and more. Life was certainly more convenient. The dealer has been very helpful to us, even loaning us the use of their courtesy car through the weekend. Friday was a special treat. The GM Parts Manager, Jordan, plays in a two-person band and they were going to perform at the local Royal Canadian Legion Post on Friday. He said there was going to be a group of U.S. military veterans and invited us to go. The group was a SMART RV caravan. SMART is “Serving Military Active Retired Travelers.” We chatted with them for a while and listened to Jordan and his partner played a number of Newfoundland folk songs. They took a break and invited me to take the stage. I played a number of patriotic songs for our veterans and all who were present enjoyed it. After dinner, many of the SMART group went through the “Schreech In ceremony” to become honorary Newfies.
The RagnaRock Northern Brewing Company is a nice little pub, just down the road from the road from the dealership. After we moved from Viking RV Park, I checked in with them to see if they had any openings for a folk singer. Much to my surprise, they said yes. I played one afternoon during happy hour and they invited me back to play a second time as a “special guest.” It was a lot of fun and the audience seemed to enjoy it as well. It was a nice change of pace from playing in the campground.
On Tuesday, August 9th, we got good news; our engine had been delivered to the trucking terminal in St. Anthony! The trucking company told the General Manager that they could deliver it the next morning. Apparently, he thought that was too long so he drove over himself and picked it up – now THAT is customer service! These people have been great! So now, the work is progressing and we are waiting to get an estimate on when they will have it completed.
Meanwhile Pat and I did a lot of hiking in the area. There were several geocaches nearby and we combined hiking and geocaching. There were the ruins of an old American radar station that was part of the DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line (this section in Canada was called the Pinetree Line), a series of radar stations positioned to detect incoming Soviet Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. There was a geocache there. After several miles of mostly uphill hiking, we reached the site. Unfortunately, after an exhaustive search of the area, we couldn’t find it. That’s the nature of geocaching, sometimes you find the container, sometimes you don’t. We hiked back on a trail that led to the Grenfell House Museum and stopped along the way for a trail mix lunch. Just before we arrived at our stop, we were met by a big moose! We stared at each other for several minutes. I took many pictures and he didn’t seem to care. After a while, he just wandered off into the woods, munching on leaves as he went.
Another day, we hiked out to Lamage Point. It was about a 6.5 mile round trip and we got some wonderful views of St.Anthony and the surrounding waters. With only a little bit of searching, I was able to locate the geocache on Lamage Point, which put me at a grand total of 703 geocaches found!
Friday, I checked on the truck and they had accomplished a lot! They had completely installed the engine and the cab of the truck was back on the chassis where it belongs. They still had many things to complete; I swear there must have been hundreds of connections to put back together. They hoped to have it completed by Monday, August 15th. We had to stop at another Woodward dealer in Deer Lake to recharge the air conditioning system because the machine in St. Anthony was broken and they were waiting for a replacement. That was tentatively scheduled that for Tuesday and should work out fine, as it is right on our route to the ferry terminal.
Monday was a great day! Cold, wet, windy, no sun, but we had our truck back! We were on our way!
Although we left St. Anthony later than we expected, we made it to Deer Lake that evening and the dealer there was able to do the air conditioner recharge as soon as they opened.
A big thank you to Ken Loder and his wonderful team at Woodward Motors. They did everything they could to get us on the road as soon as possible and take care of us while we waited. If you need automotive help in St. Anthony, NL they are the place to go!
We departed Port Aux Choix on July 4th. We were on our way fairly early as we had a long drive ahead of us. I thought the engine had been running a little rough and had some intermittent oil pressure warnings. I had called a GM dealer in St. Anthony, near our next stop to take the truck to them and have it checked out. I had checked locally but couldn’t find any place to have it checked in Port au Choix. We were part of the way there when the engine made a grinding noise. I lost all power and coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the road. I couldn’t restart it. We put out our warning triangles, tried to call, but found we had no cell service. It was every RVers worst nightmare!
It was in this situation that I found out how friendly and helpful Newfoundlanders are. A local guy pulled over and asked if we needed any help. When I told him we didn’t have any cellular service he offered to drive me “up the road a bit” to see if that would help. About one and a half miles later I got service. I called the GMC dealer in St. Anthony and asked if they had a towing service. They did and they said they could have one on the way in fifteen minutes, but it would take over two hours for them to get to me. When I offered to pay the guy that gave me the ride for his trouble, he waved me off and went on his way. Meanwhile, members of our caravan were stopping or calling us on the radio to see if we needed help. One of our fellow travelers was also pulling a fifth wheel and he agreed to take Pat with him to the campground, drop off his trailer and then return to take our trailer to the campground. They went on their way and I waited for the tow truck. While I was waiting everyone in our caravan checked in with me to make sure we were okay. Tom and Lisa, our “Tail Gunner” team pulled in and waited with me until the tow truck had loaded my truck. During this time there had to be at least a dozen Newfoundlanders that stopped to see if we needed help.
Exploring the Viking Trail at L’Anse au Meadows
By the end of the day, we had our truck at the dealer being diagnosed; our trailer was in the Viking RV Park. Now we drove into St. Anthony for the Great Viking Feast Celebration.
The feast or “Leifsburdir,” was held at Fishing Point in St. Anthony. The venue was a sod building, large enough to serve as a banquet hall. All of the staff dressed in Norse attire. The feast was a buffet of Jiggs Dinner (a boiled dinner of salt beef, turnip, cabbage, and carrots.), roast beef, and rolls. Coffee, tea, and water came with the meal, but a cash bar was available. We were served a blueberry crumble for desert. Personally, I thought the food was very good. The challenging part of the meal was there were no forks. The Norse people did not use them, only a knife and large spoon. Our host, a Viking chieftain, instructed us on traditional Norse customs and various crimes and punishments that would be adjudicated that evening. Though advertised as a dinner theater, it was more audience participation. Participants of the feast would come forward and accuse others of wrongdoing. The chieftain would hear from witnesses and poll the group as to the appropriate punishment. It was a fun evening, especially after such a stressful day.
The next day, we car pooled to the Norstead Village. This is a non-profit museum about the first Norse settlement in North America. You may have noticed that I have used the terms Norse and Viking. They are not the same. Norse people are people who live in or come from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark). Viking is actually a verb meaning to explore, trade, or raid/pillage. The Vikings were seafarers. Norse people were generally tradesmen, farmers and herders. For example, if you were the oldest son of a blacksmith, you would train to be a blacksmith and inherit your father’s estate. If you weren’t the oldest, you would not inherit and probably go to sea to Viking as a member of a crew.
Leif Eriksson was the son of Erik the Red. He traveled from Greenland to discover North America some 500 years before Christopher Columbus. He established a settlement called Straumfiord – also known as Leif’s Camp – on a grassy terrace near present L’Anse aux Meadows. He used this as a base for exploration and trade in Newfoundland. This history was exciting for me because my great grandfather emigrated from Norway in the 1800s and the Wangen men have always been interested in our Norse heritage. Norstead has recreated that Viking base. It is both a village and port of trade. Norstead consists of a chieftain’s hall, church, and workshop with costumed staff who describe and demonstrate the daily life of this village. The main part of the village is a boat shed that holds the Snorri, a replica of a 54-foot Viking Knarr. In 1998 with a nine-man crew, the Snorri replicated Leif Ericksson’s journey from Greenland to Newfoundland. In addition to learning about life in the village and seeing the living conditions and trades being demonstrated, we were able to try our hand at throwing a hand axe. I had never done this before, but sunk the axe into the target five out of six throws. I must have some Viking blood in me after all!
From Norstead, we made the short walk to the Norseman Gallery Café for lunch. A statue of Leif Erikson was nearby.
After lunch, we drove to the L’Anse au Meadows Historic Site – Land of the Vikings. This is a National Park (Parks Canada). Here we viewed a movie that made the case that humans had migrated from Africa to Asia and Europe. From there further migration took place to the Western Hemisphere. When the Viking, led by Leif Erikson landed in Newfoundland and met the Mi’kmaq tribe, that completed the circle of civilization. We had never heard that theory before and, while I’m not sure we embrace it, it was thought provoking.
While we had seen a re-creation of the Viking base at Norstead, here we observed the actual site of the base and learned how it was discovered by a Norwegian team of Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad. Parks Canada has built their own replica of the base and we learned more about the Vikings and their exploration of maritime Canada.
When we got back to the RV park, I had a call from the GMC dealer and was told they had ruled out some things, but were continuing to diagnose the problem and they should have more news the next day.
On Wednesday, July 6th, Two friends, Kevin and Cathy drove us into St. Anthony. We stopped at the dealer and I was told that they found the crankshaft was either cracked or completely broken and I needed a new engine. They told me they had found a 2015 engine with 111,000 miles on it and it could be there in 7 to 10 days. We discussed this and I asked them to get it ordered and get it done as soon as possible. I offered to pay for any expedited shipping. The four of us checked out a short trail and the lighthouse at Fishing Point. The dealer had a rental car for us and Pat and I picked up some groceries while Kevin and Cathy drove our bikes back to the RV park.
That night we had a nice campfire and I entertained the group. The next day we said good-bye to everyone and watched as the caravan departed the park. We definitely felt a bit lonely at that point.
The next several days were cold and rainy, so we didn’t do much except hibernate in our trailer. One day the weather cleared and we drove to the Parks Canada L’Anse au Meadows Historic Site and hiked the 2.2 km Birchy Nuddick Trail that circled the area and along the coast line. At one point in the trail, we entered an area called “Harry Youden’s Cove,” where we found a number of tiny gnome-like homes. We thought they were interesting and I wondered how hard it would be to build something like this myself.
The trail is very scenic and we stopped to eat lunch in some Adirondack chairs along the trail. It was a nice relaxing spot with great views.
On the way back to the campground we saw our first (and only) moose in Newfoundland.
The woman that owns the campground, Grace, was very nice and allowed us to stay in one spot while regular campers and RV caravans came and went. Another Fantasy RV caravan arrived in the park a week after ours departed. Apparently, they had already heard about our troubles and were sympathetic. The night before they left, I was able to play my guitar for a number of them who were sitting outside together. At least that was a nice break in the routine. Eventually we would wave goodbye to four different Fantasy RV caravans.
Our dealer, Woodward Motors, was expecting the new engine to arrive on Thursday or Friday. On Wednesday, July 13th, they put our truck on a ramp, lifted the cab off the chassis and removed the damaged engine. I contacted them on Friday and they didn’t have the engine yet. The service manager suggested that it might be the end of the following week before they could expect it. Not exactly the best news that I could have received.
On Saturday, Grace’s son, Cory, who was visiting from Alberta, invited me to go cod fishing with him and a couple of his uncles. I quickly agreed. They fixed me up with some boots and a heavy coat and we headed out into the bay. Cod fishing is definitely different. Because cod are bottom feeders they use a triple hook jigger. The hook is dropped over the side until it hits bottom, then raised about a foot off the bottom and you “jigger” the line, pulling it for a couple of feet and then releasing. When you feel a tug on the line you haul it, hand over hand, into the boat. That sounds easy until you factor in that the boat is rolling in four-foot waves and maintaining good footing is a significant challenge. We stayed out about an hour and our two boats caught about a dozen codfish. I offered to help clean the fish, but Cory’s uncles had their system and they cleaned those fish like an assembly line. I went home with enough cod for four servings and a smile on my face. Thanks Cory!
On July 12th, Pat and I drove into St Anthony to visit the Grenfell Museums. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell was sent by the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen to improve the plight of coastal inhabitants and fishermen in Newfoundland in 1892. This was the beginning of a life-long mission for him. He began by recruiting two nurses and two doctors with a hospital ship and ultimately expanded it into a medical enterprise that included multiple “cottage hospitals” along the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador, a small fleet of ships, an orphanage and boarding school, and scholarships for medical training. This evolved into the Labrador-Grenfell Regional Health Authority. The Curtis Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony is an example of his work. He was knighted by the King George V in 1927. The Corner Brook Campus of the Memorial University of Newfoundland was named after him in 1979.
I am just in awe of men and women like Dr. Grenfell, Milton Hershey, Clara Barton, and others who started with little and developed so much in service to others. People like them should be role models for all of us.
We rolled off the ferry in Port aux Basques in the late afternoon of June 30th. It had been a long, but easy crossing, about seven hours. Our first stop in Newfoundland was the Grand Codroy RV/Tent Camping Park. The park was located on a small lake that had an amazing sunset. It looked like you could see two suns at the same time.
The next morning we loaded onto a bus for a tour of Port aux Basques and the Codroy Valley. Our tour guide was one of the owners of the campground. She started giving this tour when a guide scheduled for an earlier Fantasy RV Caravan did not show up and she has been doing it ever since. She also publishes a small newspaper, the Codroy Valley Travelers Guide that highlights what to see in the area.
Our first stop on the tour was the Precious Blood R.C. Church. It didn’t look like anything very special from the outside, but looks can be deceiving. The Sanctuary was impressive! The pictures tell the story better than I can.
Next was the “My Dear Minnie Museum of Heritage and Culture.” This is the former home of Minnie White, the “First Lady of the Accordion.” After Minnie passed away, her son, Russell, and his wife created the museum to honor his mother. It also highlights his mother’s music and some of the region’s history. They sectioned off parts of the house as displays of a post office, a one-room schoolhouse, and the lumbering and wood working tools of the period.
Next up was the Railway Heritage Museum. I found this very interesting as they displayed many artifacts of the past, not just those relating to the railroad. There were hardhat diving suits, telephone and telegraph systems, household items, and navigational instruments. Of course, they had a train! The snowplow on the front of the train was impressive. The plow wasn’t powered but pushed by the locomotive and was as tall as any of the rest of the train. We even heard some local entertainment before we left.
After the tour of the museum, we went next door to the Seashore Café for lunch. I think they were somewhat challenged to feed a group our size, but they handled it well and the food was good.
After lunch, we traveled to the Rose Blanche (White Rock) Lighthouse. This is located on the neck of the Port of Rose Blanche, a small fishing village. This lighthouse was built in 1871 from local granite block. A storm severely damaged the lighthouse in 1939, it collapsed in 1957, and in 1999, it was restored. They actually recovered some of the original granite blocks from the surrounding water and reused them in the restoration – very impressive! There are trails to and from the lighthouse that offer scenic views of the area.
That night we gathered at the Fun and Music hut at the campground, where we were sworn in as honorary Newfoundlanders. A band was set up at the front of the room. We had all heard something about this ceremony, but no one really knew what we were getting into. The band played some traditional Newfoundland music and many of us joined in with clapping and foot stomping. It was great fun.
The “Screech In” ceremony began with the campground owners calling groups of us to the front. Pat and I were in the first group and we weren’t sure if that was good or not so good. We were all given rain hats and we began to worry. Our master of ceremonies, dressed in a full rain slicker and hat began by asking us to recite a phrase, “Long may yer big jib draw!” Of course, with his strong Newfoundlander accent, it sounded to us like he was talking with a mouthful of marbles. We did our best to repeat it and he was somewhat satisfied. Next, we had to eat a piece of Newfie Steak (a piece of baloney). That was not too hard. The next item on the agenda is that you are supposed to kiss the head of a codfish. Here they ran into problems. The codfish season wasn’t going to open until the next day and we would be gone. Also COVID protocols suggested that it would not be a good idea for multiple, unrelated people to kiss the same fish. Soooo, they had a large smelt and we touched it with our fingers. Oh well! We tried to hold to the tradition. The final step was to down a shot of Newfoundland Screech Rum and let out a loud screech. At the end of the ceremony, we were presented with a certificate and we were now all honorary Newfies!
On Sunday, July 2nd, we departed for our next stop, Port au Choix. Driving to Port au Choix was a bit of an adventure, the hills were steep and twisting. At one point the exhaust brake on the engine was revved up to 5,000 RPM. As we drove along the coastline to the Oceanside RV Park, it looked like the park was a spot on the shore in the middle of nowhere. Later we discovered the small fishing town of Port au Choix just over the next hill, so not quite the middle of nowhere but close. Port au Choix it is referred to as “The Fishing Capital of Western Newfoundland.” It has a population of 9,000 and has a large fishing fleet with a modern shrimp processing plant.
We were camped right on the beach. You could see the waves crashing on the rocks and feel the salt spray misting in the air. Most of us took some time to wash the bugs off our windshields and front caps of the trailers, as this campground didn’t prohibit washing. That night we gathered around a campfire.
The next day had only two scheduled activities. Our hiking friends, Randy and Kathleen joined us to go to the Parks Canada Visitor Centre and then hike some of the trails. The weather was brisk and the winds were blowing strong, but we took off from the Visitor Centre to hike to Phillip’s Garden (named for an assistant lighthouse keeper). It was an interesting hike that took us across some Limestone Barrens and other varied terrain. There are only a few places along the western coastline – where climatic conditions are most extreme – where the limestone is still bare. There are 29 species of plants that grow nowhere else in Newfoundland, and three species that grow nowhere else in the world. We saw a wide variety of plants. When we got to the shore, we climbed around on the rocks and did some exploring. On the return, we took a side trail on the Crow Head Loop. This was an interesting section of the trail as we descended in to a rain forest environment. Yes, there are rain forests in places other than the Amazon. Someone had taken the time to build some small houses and place them along the trail, apparently for decoration. We finished the trail and went back to prepare for our Independence Day celebration.
We met for an early dinner and traditional Independence Day fare, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and chips. The staff provided soft drinks and water and the Lion’s Club bar was open for business. We all stood and sang while I played the Stars Spangled Banner. I played a variety of patriotic music while we ate. One of our fellow travelers, Sis, was from Cuba and talked to us about the joy and value of living in a free country. She made the event more than special. Afterward, Kevin and Cathy played some patriotic numbers on their bagpipes. That was definitely an unexpected treat!
Next stop, traveling the Viking Trail to L’Anse au Meadows.
After leaving Elm River, we had a pleasant drive to Annapolis Royal. En-route, Pat and I stopped at Grand-Pre’ National Historic Site. The Acadians migrated from western France in the 1630s. The territory they settled became known as Acadia. Due to the extreme tides of the Bay of Fundy, the Acadians used a system of dikes with one-way valves that allowed the seawater to flow out with the tide, but would prevent it from returning. Eventually the land was drained of seawater and the rich soil that remained was able to be cultivated. This rich land allowed the Acadians to grow a variety of crops for consumption and trading.
Unfortunately after all of this work, the French were driven out by the English. Over the many years, the French and British were engaged in one conflict after another. The Acadians remained neutral, but the British did not trust them and, between 1755 and 1762, thousands of Acadians were forcibly removed by the British and deported from the region. Some were returned to France, others relocated along the eastern seaboard of the American colonies. The largest group settled parts of Louisiana, and are now known as Cajins. In 1847, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his poem, “Evangeline: A Tale of Acadia.” Evangeline, more than a fictitious character, became a symbol of the history of the Deportation and an example of the resiliency of the Acadian people.
The Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a 13-acre replica of the agricultural landscape of diking and desalination.
We camped at the Oceanfront Cove Campground, a beautiful, terraced campground overlooking the Bay of Fundy.
On Tuesday June 20th, we took a bus to Port Royal to visit a reconstruction of a 17th century French compound. In 1604, the French sent an expedition to the Port Royal region to establish a trading center. The compound we visited was the second compound created by the 1604 expedition; the first was on Saint Croix Island and was inhabitable during the harsh winters. In 1605, on the advice of Samuel de Champlain, they settled at Port Royal. The settlers traded with the local Mi’Kmaq (pronounced Mic Mah) tribe and developed a strong relationship with them. In the 1607, the expedition lost its financial backing and returned to France. When they returned in 1614, they found their habitat in ruins and returned to France. In 1939, Parks Canada rebuilt the habitat as a historical site.
From Port Royal we drove to Annapolis Royal to visit Fort Anne. Annapolis Royal was originally known to the Mi’kmaq as Nme”juaqhnek, the “place of bountiful fish.” In the 1600s and 1700s it was settled and contested by both the French and British. It was initially settled by the British with Scottish settlers in 1621. The Scots were evicted after a treaty in 1632 and replaced by French colonists from La Havre in 1636. From then on the community traded hands between the French and the British. Annapolis Royal was the capital of Nova Scotia until it moved to Halifax in 1749. After the Revolutionary War, slaves who had fought for the British in exchange for their freedom settled in the region. Today Fort Anne is a National Historic Site.
The highlight of our visit was lunch at the Sachsen Café and Restaurant. Here we were treated to a traditional German meal, we had authentic schnitzel with potato salad and sauerkraut. The food was great and Heidi and Dieter Claussing, the owners, told us all about the history of the place.
The next day, Wednesday, we were on our own and Pat and I decided to hike a trail nearby to the campground. It was an interesting hike with a nice waterfall, rocky beach, and nice views of the ocean. During our hike we came across a memorial to the crew of a fishing boat that sunk with all hands in the nearby waters. It seemed like an appropriate place for such a memorial and showed the high esteem in which the crew was held.
Lunenburg, NS
Our next drive was a short 94 miles to the town of Lunenburg. We took our time leaving the campground and stopped at the Kejimkujik National Park. We were able to park at the Visitor Center and picked up a map of hiking routes. We hiked to a waterfall and explored other parts of the park. While on the trail we ran into Randy and Kathleen, another couple from our caravan who are also avid hikers. After focusing on kayaking in the Bay of Fundy, hiking was a nice break in the routine.
We arrived at Lunenburg and stayed at the Board of Trade campground. We had a brief orientation by the campground staff and they told us about a self-guided walking tour of the town. We picked up a copy and walked to few blocks into town. It was an architectural tour and we enjoyed seeing the variety of homes and other buildings and reading about their history.
The next day, we had the option of visiting Mahone Bay and Blue Rocks. After doing some online research, we decided that kayaking in the Blue Rocks area would be fun. After a quick breakfast we made the short drive to Blue Rocks. Rather than just visit the Blue Rocks, we decided to see them up close and personal. “Pleasant Paddling” allowed us to use their launching ramp. We launched about 9:30. It was a somewhat clear day, but the fog was coming in. The water was calm, a definite change from the Bay of Fundy. There were homes and fishing shacks along the shore we used as landmarks. As we paddled the fog became thicker. We paddled past a lighthouse (that was NOT operational) and headed north through the small rocky reefs. We thought we might see some seals basking in the sun, but the fog put an end to that hope. As we headed back the fog made it difficult to see any landmarks, but we didn’t get lost.
We were able to see many seagulls, some geese, a cormorant drying its wings, and a blue heron. The water was amazingly clear.
After about 2 ½ hours on the water and 6 ½ miles, we arrived back at the small harbor at Blue Rocks.
We returned to the campground, got cleaned up and walked into town to meet our group at the Fisheries Museum of the Pacific. After some presentations from the museum staff, we explored the exhibits. I was familiar with the Atlantic fishing industry, but still learned quite a bit about the fishing of cod, halibut, and swordfish. I finally found out where the Fleming Cap was. The Grand Banks and Fleming Cap was the site where George Clooney and his fishing crew went down in the movie, “The Perfect Storm.”
While exploring the museum, I discovered that many Norwegians were at sea when the Germans invaded Norway in World War II. All Norwegian ships were directed to head to the nearest Allied port. In Lunenburg, they established the Norwegian Army Training Camp to train Norwegians to join the fight against Germany.
Halifax, NS
On Friday, June 24th, we had a very short drive, only 52 miles, to the Woodhaven Campground, north of Halifax. The next morning we boarded a bus with a guide to tour Halifax. She had a running commentary as we drove and we picked up a lot of anecdotal information about life in Nova Scotia’s capital city. Our first stop was the Fairvew Cemetery. This was significant because this is where many of the victim’s of the sinking of the Titanic are buried. One headstone was very interesting. If you remember from the movie, one gentleman dressed as a woman to get on board a lifeboat. That really happened, and apparently, he had such remorse he had a special headstone carved to honor one of the Titanic’s crew that had served him well. Of course, this act was a bit spoiled when he had his name also engraved on the stone so everyone would know he did it. Not exactly what I would call “selfless service!”
From the cemetery we drove to the Halifax Citadel, one of the defenses surrounding Halifax. The site had been well restored and was staffed by docents in period costumes. The docents conduct tours, changing of the guard, and firing of the “Noon Canon.” I enjoyed exploring the installation. It also houses the Army Museum that describes the history of Canadian forces serving their country in times of war and peace. They also had the Regimental Colors of the First Special Service Force, “The Devil’s Brigade,” a joint US and Canadian Army Unit that served in Italy and Southern France during World War II.
After touring the Citadel, we were dropped off at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. We had lunch on our own and Pat and I enjoyed lunch at The BG on the wharf. BG stands for Beer Garden. We had a pleasant meal and then headed back to meet the group at the Museum.
I love maritime history and I skipped the scheduled tour to start exploring on my own. The displays are a mix of military, industrial, and recreational maritime histories. The displays included the evolution of the Canadian Navy, the explosion of the ammunition ship, Mont Blanc, in Halifax Harbor, which killed 2,000 people, the commercial fishing industry, small craft, and others.
The next day, we took a bus into Halifax for lunch at the Prince George Hotel and to attend the Nova Scotia International Royal Tattoo. None of us knew a lot about the Tattoo, but we were all impressed – what a show! It centered around military bands and marching, featuring the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces, Vancouver Police Pipe Band, National Band of the Naval Reserve, 36 Canadian Brigade Group Band, Heeresmusikkorps Neubrandenburg from Germany, the Jordanian Armed Forces Band, and others. It was non-stop action. The people who choreographed and managed the performance were magicians, not a single mix-up in the whole show.
On Monday, June 27th, we had a free day. We joined with Randy and Kathleen to tour Peggy’s Cove and hike a trail in nearby Polly’s Cove. The weather was foggy, very foggy. Peggy’s Cove was just overflowing with tourists. Peggy’s Cove has a permanent population of forty people, but get thousands of visitors every year. It is a small fishing village, and commercial fishing is still on-going, but tourism is their number one industry. Peggy’s Cove lighthouse is a famous landmark for Nova Scotia.
After enjoying a picnic lunch at Peggy’s Cove, we made the short, two-kilometer drive to the trailhead. The trail was a typical trail until we got to the coast. From there we didn’t follow a defined trail as much as we went from one slate rock to another. Scrambling over the rocks like this was fun and a clear break from the norm. What a great hike!
North Sidney, NS
On Tuesday, June 28th, we made the longest drive of the caravan so far. We stayed at the Arm of Gold Campground. This was one of the nicest campgrounds we have been in. There were large, open sites, with full hook ups. The only thing lacking was some trees. There is a nice walking path with the fanciest outhouse I have ever seen. They also have a barn with a large meeting room on the top level and a lounge area, complete with two hot tubs (as you would find in a hot tub room in a hotel).
Wednesday morning we had a bus ride to the Fortress of Louisburg. As with many of the places we visited, Louisburg traded hands between the French and the British several times. The last time the British left, they burned every structure to the ground. Parks Canada has spent several million dollars to rebuild, not refurbish, but rebuild about one-fifth of the original fortress and town. What a trip back in time! Docents in period attire staff the fort and operate the shops, bakeries, and taverns in the town.
After a tour and wandering on our own we were able to enjoy lunch together at the L’Epee Royale. The “owner” greeted us as though we were in the 18th century and served a meal authentic to that period, including eating your entire meal with one large spoon.
The next morning we were up early and traveled in a convoy to the ferry terminal in North Sidney to travel to Newfoundland. It was quite the operation, we had prepped our vehicles to make sure we were in compliance with all regulations, such as no propane turned on, automated generator starters turned off, etc. We made sure our fuel tanks were full as prices were even higher in Newfoundland than in Nova Scotia, as if that was possible (sigh!). The crew did a great job of shoehorning our big rigs and commercial vehicles on board, and we hung out in the passenger lounge during the crossing.
We arrived at Hadley’s Point Campground in Bar Harbor, ME on Monday, June 6th. When we left Key West in mid-March, this was our ultimate destination. We were scheduled to meet the RV Caravan with Fantasy RV Tours here to continue into the Canadian Maritime Provinces on June 9th. On Tuesday we drove to the Acadia National Park Visitor Center and then onto to the trailhead for the North Ridge Cadillac Mountain Trail. This was a neat hike, starting in pine forest and then breaking out into more open, rocky terrain. As we climbed the mountain, the scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean became more vivid. The route was marked by stone cairns and blue paint blazes on the rocks. We made it to the summit and enjoyed a colossal view, just breath taking! I love hiking in places like this! After we had taken enough pictures, we descended back to the trailhead. It was certainly a faster trip going downhill, but I wouldn’t call it easier.
It was a good thing we climbed Cadillac Mountain on Tuesday, because Wednesday was a very rainy day. However, throughout the day we would get breaks in the weather and enjoy clear skies for a short period. I was able to take advantage of this to begin washing the trailer and making sure our tire were at the proper pressure.
We join the Caravan – Bar Harbor, ME
Thursday, June 9th, we left Hadley’s Point and made the short drive to the Narrows Too Campground to join the caravan. We checked in with our Fantasy RV Tours Wagon Masters, Bill and Anne. Bill measured the combined length of our truck and trailer (important information for our two ferry crossings) and they issued us all of our paperwork, nametags and hats.
All of us (There are 25 rigs in the caravan) spent Friday making our final preparations, grocery shopping, finishing washing the trailer, and adjusted our loads.
That evening we gathered for a lobster dinner, courtesy of Fantasy RV Tours. It was a great meal and good camaraderie with our fellow travelers. A good beginning for this adventure.
St. Andrews, NB
On Saturday, June 11th, we began our journey. We crossed the border near the city of Calais, ME. We are always unsure how border crossings will go. A few of our rigs were randomly pulled over for a physical inspection, but we were fortunate to answer a few questions and be sent on our way.
Our first stop was the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground in St. Andrews, New Brunswick (NB). As per our instructions, we called our Wagon Master on our portable radio on our way in and they met us to guide us into our site. It was an easy back in with a great view through our living room window of the Bay of Fundy. After we set up, Pat and I spent some time wandering through St. Andrews admiring the homes and shops.
That night we all gathered at Bill and Anne’s RV for a campfire and pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. Another traveler, Fred, had his guitar and the two of us entertained our fellow travelers. Several asked us how long we had been playing together, and we told them “about twenty minutes, so far!”
The next morning we had a bus tour of St. Andrews that included the gardens. The town has a unique history as a “Loyalist” town. It was largely populated after the Revolutionary War by families that were loyal to King George III and migrated across the bay from Maine to the small town of St. Andrews. This greatly expanded the population and changed the culture of the town. Many of their homes were literally rolled to the shore on logs, rolled onto barges and off-loaded in St. Andrews. Many of these homes still exist today.
The next day, Monday June 13th, we drove to Ministers Island. You can only access Ministers Island over a sand bar at low tide for 5-6 hours. The island is called Ministers Island because one of the first Anglican ministers built his home there and the name stuck. Later Charles Van Horne, the builder of the Canadian Pacific Railroad, established a summer home on the island. This “cottage” is more like a small estate. It has a two-story barn and a 50-room home. The island has been acquired by the Province of New Brunswick and is operated by The Van Horne Estate on Ministers Island Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the nature and history of the island.
St. John, NB
On Tuesday, June 14th, we departed St. Andrews and drove 72 miles to St John, NB. Here we stayed at the Rockwood Campground.
One of our goals was to kayak in the Bay of Fundy. We had kayaked in Kachemak Bay in Homer, AK, which has the second highest tidal change in the world. The Bay of Fundy has the highest and we wanted to paddle there as well. We contacted a local kayaking shop and the owner gave us some great advice as to where we would be able to launch and have a good paddle. After an afternoon of off and on rain, we launched about an hour before low tide from the Irving Nature Area. We rode the tide out, and we had a light tailwind. We explored the area below some cliffs where we compared where we were in relation to the high water marks. They were easily twenty-five feet or more above us. We turned toward the shore and felt little to no tide. I think what incoming tide we had was canceled by the headwinds. We were rained on for about ten minutes but that passed before we made it to the beach.
On Wednesday morning, when we met our bus, we were pleasantly surprised to see our same bus driver, Charles, from the tour in St. Johns. Our guide, Gary, was a native of St. John and gave us a wonderful tour of the area. We visited the Martello Tower, that was built to defend the city during the War of 1812 but it was finished until 1814, after the war. We also spent some time in the St. John City Market (making a post-COVID comeback), and the Container Village (a shopping area made from old shipping containers). Gary did a great job and was very entertaining as well as informative.
One of the interesting sites was the Reversing Falls. At low tide the St. John River flows into the Bay of Fundy and looks like a normal river. However, at high tide, the Bay is higher than the river and the flow reverses itself and runs from the Bay into the river.
That night we gathered for a campfire and “Mountain Pies” made with pie irons on the campfire. While everyone was preparing their pies I entertained them with some folk music. Everyone seemed to enjoy both the food and the music!
Hopewell Cape, NB
On Thursday, June 16th we drove to Ponderosa Pines Campground in Hopewell Cape, NB. The tidal change is even greater in this part of the Bay of Fundy and we wanted to paddle it at high tide. The Fundy National Park and Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park would not let us kayak from their parks unless we were with their guided tours, so we found a site to launch in the town of Alma. We dropped our trailer at Ponderosa Pines and backtracked to Alma. We launched about an hour before high tide. The winds were higher and we had a delightful time fighting the incoming tide and the one to two foot waves created by the headwinds as we paddled out. We paddled through a small harbor that earlier in the day had been bone dry with ships braced on cribs to keep them from rolling on their sides. We found a small channel along the shore and found shelter in the calm water. We decided we were close to the tide change and rode the rest of the high tide back to our launch point. By now the winds had increased and, at times, we were surfing on three foot waves – what a ride! After we pulled our kayaks out and loaded them back on our truck, we treated ourselves to ice cream cones at the Takeout Grill.
We drove a very bumpy road back to Ponderosa Pines (our third trip on that road in one day!) to check back in with our Wagon Masters and finish setting up.
On Friday, we drove to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park. There we were met by a park ranger, Ada, who gave us a tour of the ocean floor. As we walked on the beach, we were told that at high tide the ocean surface would be about thirty to forty feet above us. Ada described how the seaweed we saw didn’t grow from the sand and mud but directly from the rocks on the floor. The mud flats that were farther out in the bay provide a food source for migratory Sandpipers. Clams and other such crustaceans don’t do well because the tides are so severe. We went to the visitor center where she showed us a time-lapsed video of the tide change. After that Pat and I had some lunch and went back to see the beach and saw the difference and how much faster the tide was changing here, compared to St John and Alma.
Elm River, NS
On Sunday, June 18th, we drove to Elm River to see the Tidal Bore. A tidal bore occurs when a tide rolls into a river at the head of a bay. The ocean floor becomes shallower and the sides of the river funnel the water. This creates a small (sometimes big) tidal wave that rolls upstream. After setting up our campsite, we car pooled to Truro to see the wave. Unfortunately, it was not that big and a bit of a letdown. However, it was interesting to watch one inspired soul as he used the event to surf the wave up the river.
We found a lovely campground near New York City, Croton Point Campground. It is a Westchester County park on a peninsula in the Hudson River. The sites are nice with electric, water, and sewer hookups, it appeared that most were 30 amp and some 50 amp service. They are good-sized sites with level gravel pads. There are walking trails in the park and a bicycle trail that follows the Hudson River. It was a hilly area and challenging for bicyclists, but we had several enjoyable rides while we were there.
There is a train station two miles from the campground and we took advantage of that when we went into New York City to go sightseeing. On Wednesday, May 25th, we hiked to the train station (all of our clothing, etc was in backpacks) and took the train to Grand Central Station where we transferred to the subway to Lower Manhattan. We booked a room at the Holiday Inn – Financial District for two nights. It was centrally located for the sites that we wanted to visit.
Do you remember the Blue Bloods episode when Jamie and Edie had to patrol in the NYPD’s energy efficient patrol car? Well, it must be a real patrol car because we saw it parked right across the street from our hotel!
We were able to check early when we arrived and, after a quick unpacking, we walked to Battery Park to catch the Staten Island Ferry. We had no intention of going to Staten Island, but the ferry ride gave us a viewing of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Brooklyn Bridge, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and the NYC skyline. What a great introduction to New York. On our way back to the hotel, we had our picture taken beside the Wall Street Bull. We chose to be at the head, some others preferred to rub another part of the bull’s anatomy.
We had an early dinner at a pizza place next to the Holiday Inn, changed clothes and took the subway to Broadway to see a performance of Hamilton. What a great show! The cast and producers did a professional job and we enjoyed it all. I thought I knew quite a bit of history about Alexander Hamilton, but this performance inspired me to study our first Secretary of the Treasury in more depth.
On Tuesday, we took the 10:00 tour of the 911 Memorial. As we arrived Marines from the Amphibious Assault Ship “USS Bataan” were completing a unit run to the Memorial What an inspirational sight! Inside, the exhibits did a marvelous job of telling the story, including the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93. They also described the build up to that day with the story of the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. I was struck by how quiet it was throughout the tour. There was a low murmuring as families and groups commented to each other in low tones, but nothing more. Instinctively, everyone recognized the solemnity of the Memorial.
From the 911 Memorial, we walked to Battery Park to board the tour ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The National Park Service is in the process of moving the museum displays from the base of the monument to a separate museum building. Because you need to purchase a separate pass to go to the top of the pedestal, there wasn’t any crowd at all in old museum. It was interesting to see how the statue was developed and constructed and the timeline for it all. From the top of the pedestal, we had great views across the Upper Bay and Lower Manhattan. At one time, it was possible to climb interior stairs to the head of the Statue, but those days are long gone. After we toured the new museum (kind of a letdown after seeing the old one), we re-boarded the ferry to go to Ellis Island. What I liked best about the new museum is that the original torch is on display.
As we approached Ellis Island, I couldn’t help but imagine what it must have been like to be an immigrant arriving from Europe to settle in the United States. My own Great-Grandfather, Ollie John Wangen, migrated from Norway and passed through Ellis Island, before settling in Ludington, MI. We entered the Great Hall where newly arrived immigrants would be interviewed; they were then sorted into groups for further processing. They were given medical examinations, and hospitalized if necessary. Then onto legal examinations to insure they were legally allowed to enter the U.S., if there were questions, they would go before a Special Board of Inquiry. Once they passed these hurdles, they had to show that they had adequate funds, a sponsor, and a destination where they could find employment. If all of this worked in their favor, they were granted admission. If not, they were rejected and returned to their home country. The steamship line that brought them to the U.S. was required to give them return passage.
After returning to Battery Park, we stopped at Suspenders Pub for dinner before going back to our hotel to give our feet a rest.
We realized that we were in New York City during Fleet Week and the USS Bataan was available for tours. In the morning we checked out, left our backpacks with the hotel, and took the subway back to Broadway were we walked to Pier 88 to visit the USS Bataan.
The Bataan is an amphibious assault ship, which means she is like a small aircraft carrier and cargo ship combined. She can carry part of a Marine Corps Battalion Landing Team, discharge landing craft from a ramp on her stern, and fly helicopters and other aircraft from her flight deck. The Marines and aircrews were giving demonstrations of the equipment and explaining how they operate together.
We stopped at Times Square where there was a Fleet Week display. I took the opportunity to play underwater Tic-Tac-Toe with a Navy SEAL – I won! On our way back to the hotel, we ran into some of the Bataan’s Navy crew on the subway.
All good things must end, and we took the subway/train back to Croton-on-the-Hudson, and hiked back to our campsite. What a great trip!
On Sunday, we drove to the United States Military Academy at West Point to attend services at the Cadet Chapel. Our son, Scott, graduated from West Point in 1998, and it seemed fitting to go to church there while we were so close. While we were sitting at the start of the service, the chaplain invited everyone to turn and greet each other. The people in front of us turned around and we all stood there, staring at each other, recognizing and yet, not recognizing each other. Then the light bulb came on and we recognized neighbors, the Kirchen family, from DeWitt, MI, where we used to live. Their daughter, Paula, was also a West Point graduate and they were back for a visit. This world is getting way too small!
After church, we drove to the West Point Cemetery. One of Scott’s classmates from the Lansing area, CPT Steve Frank, was killed in action in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and we visited his grave.
We relaxed and generally enjoyed our time at Croton Point and on June 2nd, we drove to Milford, NH and stayed in the driveway of some friends from Key West, Ray and Harriet. It was an interesting experience to back our 38-foot fifth wheel up Ray’s steep, curving driveway, but we made it and we spent a nice couple of days hanging out with them. Some other Key West friends who live nearby, Ken and Susan, joined us for dinner and good conversation.
On Saturday, June 4th, we made a short drive to Freeport, ME – home to LL Bean Outfitters! If you are coming through southern Maine, this is almost a “must do” activity. After we set up our RV at the Cedar Haven Family Campground, we drove to the LL Bean Flagship Store. The entire area around LL Bean has turned into a retail bonanza. There are now all kinds of stores just waiting to sell you all kinds of neat stuff. We did get a couple of shirts and a pair of pants, but when you live in an RV, you only have so much room. There was a neat looking MacDonald’s where we had lunch, there was nothing different about the food, but the building was special.
On Monday, June 6th, we headed to Bar Harbor, ME to join an RV caravan to tour the Canadian Maritimes Provinces, that was the reason we drove this far in the first place.
Our truck is and has been operational, those worries are over. We will be staying at the Lansing Cottonwood Campground until August 18th. Then we will start working our way south for the winter.
Michigan Traveler 