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In the movie Apollo 13, an engineer comes into a conference room and dumps a bunch of hardware onto a table. The goal? To fit a square peg into a round hole. The problem? After an explosion crippled the Apollo 13 spacecraft, the three astronauts went into the Lunar Module for much of their flight home. However, the module wasn’t designed for three astronauts together; only two would be descending to the lunar surface. With each breath, the extra astronaut helped overload the CO2 scrubbers in the lunar module. The crew had plenty of scrubbers for the command module, but did not have backups for the lunar module. Why couldn’t they plug the command module scrubbers into the lunar module? They were different shapes and sizes. The lunar module used cylindric scrubbers while the command module used cubic ones. That’s when NASA’s engineers got to work to solve the problem. Using only equipment available to the astronauts, the engineers in Houston were able to fashion a workaround that used the command module scrubbers in the lunar module. When we arrived at Bar Harbor Campground in Maine on July 13, we had to fit a square peg, our 35' fifth-wheel trailer into a narrow, uphill campsite with trees on both sides of the "round hole". In addition, the turning area on the road was downhill and had boulders as a barrier on the driver side of the turn. Karen and I had to "work the problem", with an audience to boot. Fortunately, one of our neighbors helped by trimming some of the problem branches for us. I made three attempts to make the turn up into the campsite, avoiding trees on both sides and the boulders by the truck only to find out the bike rack on the rear of the trailer was hitting the ground. Work the problem. "Dear Lord, we need your help to do this." I pulled back out to the road where Karen and I removed the E-bikes, the rack and placed them out of the way to attempt another try. I also decided to put the truck into a 4-wheel drive mode for this next attempt. Slowly, steadily, with Jesus as my Co-pilot, Karen on the radio and a helpful neighboring camper as an extra eye, I was able to back the monster around and up into our "cozy" campsite location. After getting up before 7AM to fuel-up, breakdown our previous campsite, hook-up and travel 3 hours, this new challenge at the end of our travel day was the hardest day we have both had in a long time. I was totally exhausted after this ordeal and had to take a serious nap. Karen worked on the inside while I decompressed and later finished getting us set up for the next four days. The site is quiet, has a gorgeous view looking out to the coastline and we are surrounded by edible, ripe wild blueberries for our enjoyment. The first morning after arriving was Friday, July 14 and we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather. We loaded up the e-bikes and journeyed to the Hull Cove entrance of Acadia National Park. We wanted to start exploring the park using the unique carriage road features available to us. Forty-five miles of rustic carriage roads, the gift of philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family, weave around the mountains and valleys of Acadia National Park. Rockefeller, a skilled horseman, wanted to travel on motor-free byways via horse and carriage into the heart of Mount Desert Island. His construction efforts from 1913 to 1940 resulted in roads with sweeping vistas and close-up views of the landscape. The roads were built to preserve the lines of hillsides and save trees, align with the contours of the lands, and take advantage of scenic views. Approximately 16 feet wide, the carriage roads are an example of broken-stone roads commonly used at the turn of the 20th century. Gate lodges act as impressive welcomes to the carriage road system, stone-faced bridges span streams, waterfalls, motor roads, and cliff sides. Granite coping stones used as guardrails line the roads, affectionately called "Rockefeller's teeth." Today, carriage roads now have multiple-user groups.. Pedestrians, bicyclists, horse-back riders and horse-drawn carriages share in the beauty, access, and safety of these auto-free roads across the park. We rode a total of 21 miles of the carriage roads by some beautiful lakes, ponds, scenic vistas and historic structures. Lunch was on the observation deck of the Jordan House overlooking the lake of the same name. On our return trip back to Hull Cove we even spotted a Red Fox the size of a Labrador Retriever. We packed up the bikes and headed back to the trailer to enjoy dinner and get a good nights sleep, tired and satisfied with our first adventure in Acadia,

We changed our minds, which we seem to be making a habit of doing as we live this life of travel! After looking at our list of places to see before leaving Robbinston, Maine, we realized we could see almost everything. So we decided to stay with the original timeline of leaving on Thursday, July 13th. First was a return to Saint Stephen and Saint Andrews; both places were high on the list for one more visit. Despite questionable weather for Tuesday, July 11, we took our bikes with us across the border around 2PM in the afternoon. But we forgot that when you cross the river from Calais, Maine (USA) into St. Stephen, New Brunswick (Canada) you lose an hour due to the time zone change. UGH! Our goal was to explore the Ganong Chocolatier and check out the exhibits and hands-on displays, examine vintage chocolate boxes and machines, and peek into the studio where Ganong’s famous hand dippers still craft chocolates the way they have for over one hundred years. But God's grace was with us when we arrived in time for the last tour at 4 PM. Officially dubbed ‘Canada’s Chocolate Town’ in 2000, St. Stephen is home to a sweet history. The Chocolate Museum celebrates historic innovation and tells the story of candy-making in St. Stephen. Ganong introduced many Canadian confectionary firsts: Delecto boxed chocolates, Chocolate Nut Bars, Heart-Shaped Boxes, and Ganong Original Chicken Bones. Unfortunately, the hand dippers had left the factory for the day, so we missed out on that piece of the historical process. However, we did get some samples at the end of the tour and purchased some dark chocolate, sea salt covered caramels too...of course! Continuing on to the town of Saint Andrews, we rode our E-bikes to the lighthouse and we observed the tidal difference during the high tide period. From the blockhouse at one end of town, we rode down the main street to the lighthouse at the other end. The tide was coming into the Passamaquoddy Bay and up the St. Croix River so we had an opportunity to see the full effect. The place I was standing a few days earlier in the week at the channel marker offshore from the Pendlebury Lighthouse, was now literally under 20+ feet of water! Returning to the downtown area, we enjoyed another marvelous dinner of fish (Haddock) and chips and also specially seasoned grilled Scallops. From our outdoor table waterfront dining experience at the Harbour Front Restaurant, we watched the tide drop over a foot in less than an hour. Unfortunately, there was no time to golf St. Andrews this trip. We biked back to our parked truck before the rain and headed back to the USA gaining back the one hour lost earlier in the day. Campobello was on the agenda for our last full day of this leg of our journey, Wednesday, July 12. Campobello Island is in Canada and we remembered to factor in that one hour time change. Roosevelt Campobello International Park preserves the house and surrounding landscape of the summer retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and their family. It is located on the southern tip of Campobello Island in the Canadian province of New Brunswick and is connected to the mainland by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Bridge at Lubec, Maine in the United States. The cottage, built in the Shingle Style and completed in 1897, was designed by Willard T. Sears. It was given as a wedding present to Franklin and Eleanor in 1908, by Franklin's mother Sara Roosevelt. In August 1921, 39-year-old Roosevelt, who would go on to become the 32nd President of the United States, was stricken by a severe paralytic illness, believed to be polio at the time, leaving him permanently paralyzed from the waist down.  FDR was no longer able to stay at the "beloved island", but he sailed there in 1933 and visited briefly in 1936 and 1939. Eleanor Roosevelt loved the cool summer weather and visited many times with her children and friends. Armand Hammer acquired the cottage in 1952. After Eleanor's death in 1962, Hammer deeded the property to the governments of the U.S. and Canada. In 1964, they created the 2,800-acre International Park. After our arrival at the park, we enjoyed the Visitor Center exhibits and a short historical film then walked down for a guided tour of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s magnificent 34-room “summer cottage” which has been preserved and is almost exactly as it was in 1920. Our guide gave us an interesting tour of both floors of the memorabilia-filled cottage. From there we walked over to the neighboring Hubbard Cottage which was built in 1892. Designed by Gorham Hubbard, a successful Boston insurance broker, it was sumptuously appointed. Featuring a magnificent picture window, Hubbard Cottage is a wonderful example of “rusticator” living on Campobello Island. Our visit ended with a 3 PM appointment for “Eleanor’s Tea” at the Wells-Shober Cottage. The afternoon program is served with New Brunswick-made King Cole tea and homemade ginger snap cookies; it was arranged in advance by Mrs. Karen Teague through an online reservation. The three ladies who hosted the event shared a more comprehensive narrated account of Eleanor's life and accomplishments. Our mothers would be proud as we displayed proper high tea manners! Our next stop was the Head Harbour Lightstation on the northeastern most point of the island. Unfortunately, the tide had come in too far for us to walk out to the facility, so we resorted to taking photographs from a distance. However with the tide coming in this rapidly it afforded us another unique opportunity to see the 2nd largest whirlpool in the world. Getting back in the truck we made it in time to catch the ferry from Campobello to Deer Island. We arrived just as the whirlpool effect was starting and had a great vantage from the southwest tip of the point. Old Sow is the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere. It is located off the southwestern shore of Deer Island, New Brunswick, Canada, and off the northeast shore of Moose Island, the principal island of Eastport, When the tide comes in from the Bay of Fundy, located off the Atlantic Coast between the State of Maine and the Province of New Brunswick, a tremendous amount of ocean water, called a current, flows swiftly into a confined area called the Western Passage before emptying upriver into Passamaquoddy Bay. After making a sharp right turn to the north, traversing a deep trench, flowing past an underwater mountain and encountering several countercurrents, a portion of the current "pinches off" to form the huge circular current called Old Sow and often several smaller ones, nicknamed “piglets.” Circular currents of all sizes are commonly known as whirlpools, vortexes, eddies, and gyres. Old Sow varies in size but has been measured at more than 250 feet in diameter, about the length of a soccer field. While the turbulent water can be dangerous to small-craft mariners — some of whom have barely escaped a 12-foot drop into the Sow’s gaping maw — its swirling motion has a positive environmental effect. It causes nutrients and tiny sea creatures normally found in the bay’s colder, deeper waters to rise to the surface. This process, called upwelling, ensures good eating for the resident fish and seabirds. We timed it perfectly and stayed for an hour to observe this unique ocean phenomenon. An hour later we were back on the ferry to Campobello. We finished off the day with our trip back over the FDR Memorial Bridge to Lubec, Maine, USA to enjoy another seafood dinner. This was another very full day of sightseeing in this area that I have fallen in love with. I experienced a truly melancholy feeling about leaving before returning back to the campground to prepare for the next road trip. We will return someday but from here it's on to Bar Harbor, Maine for a five day visit to Acadia National Park.

We decided to return to Eastport, Maine with our E-bikes to further explore the surrounding area on Monday, July 10 before the expected rain that evening. The town is only 30 minutes by truck south of where we are staying, so I looked forward to a short driving day. Eastport is located on Moose Island which was first settled in 1772 by James Cochrane of Newburyport, Massachusetts. He would be joined by other fishermen from Newburyport and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On February 24, 1798, Eastport was incorporated as a town and was named for being the easternmost port in the United States. Lubec, on the mainland, was set off and incorporated as a town on June 21, 1811. From 1807 to 1809, the town of Eastport was a center of extensive two-way smuggling during the Embargo Act imposed by President Thomas Jefferson. In 1809, Fort Sullivan was erected atop a village hill, but it was captured by a British fleet under command of Sir Thomas Hardy on July 11, 1814, during the War of 1812 as part of the initiative to establish the colony of New Ireland. England claimed that Moose Island was on the British side of the international border which had been determined in 1783. Nevertheless, the town was returned to United States' control in 1818. The boundary between the U. S. and Canada in that area remained in dispute until settled by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Eastport is the location most recently occupied by a foreign country in the contiguous United States. In 1833 Eastport was the second largest trading port in the country after New York City. Farms produced hay and potatoes. Industries included a grain mill, box factory and carding mill. But the island's economy was primarily directed at the sea. With tides of about 25 feet (7.6 m), Eastport's spacious harbor remained ice-free year round. The first sardine factory was built here about 1875. The population grew with the emergence of the sardine fishery and related canning businesses, which studded the shoreline by the end of the 19th century. By 1886, the town contained 13 sardine factories, which operated day and night during the season, and produced approximately 5,000 cases per week. About 800 men, women and children worked in the plants. Eastport would be incorporated as a city on March 18, 1893. But the fishing industry would decline and many people moved away. In fact, the city went bankrupt in 1937. In 1976, the Groundhog Day Gale destroyed many structures along the waterfront. Today, catching fish remains the principal industry, although tourism has become important as well. We parked the truck in the IGA Market parking lot and unloaded the bikes for our trip into town. After an initial ride down the waterfront and the main street, we cruised around the greater Eastport area and found some beautiful homes on the many peninsula fingers and scenic lookouts. On one side road we found a remote mom and pop campground called Harris Point Shore RV, Cabins & Motel with some incredible visas. We rode back to town and started thinking about a place to eat dinner. We found a wonderful restaurant on the main street called the Waco Diner. It is a delightful and cozy little spot to visit. The friendly staff, delicious food, and welcoming atmosphere made for a truly memorable dining experience. It was time for another lobster roll with onion rings for me and Karen ordered the Seafood Risotto Cakes with a side salad. I ordered dessert this time...fresh baked, warm blueberry pie and a cup of coffee to finish off the evening. We rode back to the truck in a light drizzle and headed back to camp just in time to beat the heavy rain that lasted through the night and into Tuesday morning.

Our journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia continued on Sunday, July 9. The drive from Truro to Halifax took about an hour. We traveled with our E-bikes on the back hitch of our truck to Point Pleasant Park situated in the south end of the Halifax peninsula. It is a historic 75-hectare wooded park crisscrossed with 39 km of easy winding trails and wide paths, many wheelchair-accessible. We parked on the side street outside the western entrance on Tower Road at Point Pleasant Drive. Visitors can experience preserved ruins of early fortifications, coastal ecosystems, as well as cultural resources. From the top of the park we rode our bikes down to the oceanfront then along the bike path to the cruise ship terminal. On Sunday they hold a local farmer's market so we took time to take in the experience. It was more of a craft type venue than a produce market but we walked around and looked at the different booths. Continuing on we traveled to the beautiful waterfront area with restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. The Halifax Waterfront is a bustling hotspot in the city. With one of the world’s longest urban boardwalks spanning the length of the waterfront - 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) from Pier 21 at the Halifax Seaport to Casino Nova Scotia - it is easy to spend a day exploring here. Since our time was limited, we rode it's length then headed uphill to the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. It’s not an exaggeration to say Halifax, a city on the sea, owes its existence to the Citadel. It was the large hill overlooking the easily defended harbor below that led the British military to found the town there in 1749. Among the first buildings constructed was a wooden guardhouse on top of what would eventually be called Citadel Hill, with Halifax’s first settlers building their homes at the base of the hill closer to the water. Over the years as the fort grew so did the town with much of Halifax dedicated to supplying the soldiers with both essential supplies and off-duty entertainment. Today, the Halifax Citadel continues to watch over the city’s downtown core, although now its role is a reminder of Halifax’s past and not as a military fortification. The present Citadel, completed in 1856, is officially called Fort George, named after Britain’s King George II, and is actually the fourth in a series of forts to sit atop what is now known as Citadel Hill. Its distinctive star shape is typical of many 19th century forts built by the British military and gave the garrison sweeping arcs of fire. From its deep defensive ditch, soldiers pointed muskets from every angle of its stout walls and large cannons lined its ramparts. It’s easy to see why no enemy force ever dared to attack the Halifax Citadel. The Halifax Citadel is anything but a simple museum. Every day the Citadel comes to life with the sounds and colors of its military interpreters, the 78th Highlanders and the Royal Artillery. Dressed in the same uniforms that their respective regiments wore in the mid-1800s, the 78th Highlanders guard the Citadel’s entrance and conduct marching and band drills on the parade grounds. From the Citadel we rode back to the truck to put the bikes back on the carrier and start our return trip back to Maine. There are so many more places we wanted to visit, but we would really need at least two more days so we decided it will have to wait for a return trip to Nova Scotia in the future. Stopping for lunch on the return trip, we ordered a Donair. Generally they are available at pizza shops and we found one on the way out of Halifax. What is a Donair? Halifax Donair is a Canadian Treasure and the official food of Halifax. Donairs are a culturally-mixed street food with origins in the Middle East. It generally consists of seasoned beef shaved from a meat cone cooked on a vertical rotisserie, wrapped in a pita and topped with a sweet sauce and condiments. It was a delicious treat we had to try! It took us over 4 hours to backtrack to Maine so we traded the driving responsibilities. We stopped in St. John for dinner at Grannan's restaurant. I had Shrimp Scampi Spaghetti with 10 jumbo shrimp, garlic, fine sliced onion, dry white wine, butter, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, al dente spaghetti, roasted garlic toastie. Karen had the Maple Ginger Soy Salmon made with St. Andrew’s salmon, Québec maple syrup, garlic, ginger, stir-fried rice noodles, seasonal vegetables. Umm, umm good! Honestly. I think we really needed a week to see this area adequately without feeling rushed. There is so much to see in this part of the world and we just scratched the surface, but at least we know how to plan for a future. Karen and I are really enjoying this part of Maine. The coastline is stunning, there is so much history, the locals are very friendly and of course the seafood variety is simply amazing! Our bottom line conclusion: we need to stay in the area longer before moving on to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park on Thursday, July 13. We still want to go to see more of Eastport and Lubec, Maine, the Chocolate factory in St. Stephen across the river, bike riding and golf in St. Andrews (the Canadian version), and a visit to Roosevelt Historical Cottage in Campobello Island, New Brunswick.

We arrived at Hilltop Campground, a small mom & pop park in a rural setting between Calais and Eastport, Maine on Thursday afternoon, July 6th. We checked in and proceeded to our site # C7 which we found was level and ok for our 35' rig. Staff was friendly. Park was clean but a little tired. It needs some TLC but we chose it for the price (3 days at half price with Passport America) and the proximity to the local attractions. On Friday, July 7 we took a quick trip around the area to get our bearings. We drove into Calais for a UPS return and filled up the truck with diesel. Two miles along Ridge Road from the campground is Boyden Lake. We drove the back road to the lake and ended up in Perry, Maine and continued on into Eastport, Maine whose fame is the easternmost city in the continental United States. The native Passamaquoddy Tribe has called this area home for at least 10,000 years. Some archeologists estimate the habitation at 20,000 years. The first known European contact was the St. Croix colony founded by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604. Near present day Calais, the unsuccessful Saint Croix Island Acadia settlement predates the first successful English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia by three years. On June 25, 1604, Champlain and his men spent a long and severe winter on St. Croix Island with no fresh water and diminished supplies. Two-fifths of the men died of scurvy and the colony moved across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal in present day Nova Scotia. From Eastport you can see across to Campobello Island which is the largest and only inhabited island in southwestern New Brunswick, Canada. It is the site of the Roosevelt's former summer home-turned-museum amid an expansive seaside nature park with trails. We wanted to see the Bay of Fundy up close and personal so decided to road trip into Canada again. Saturday morning, July 8 we packed light and headed for the border crossing between Calais, Maine across the St. Croix River bridge into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. We stopped at the first Tourism/Information venue to pick up some maps and ask some questions. While we were there, we walked down from the pier to the river bed. The St. Croix River empties into Passamaquoddy Bay and eventually into the Bay of Fundy so this area is affected by the the dramatic tidal changes. At 9:17 AM I took a screen shot of the tidal graph on my iPhone. The difference between the high tide at 3:13 AM and low tide at 9:41 AM was over 22 feet! This was just a preview of what we might see as we continued on to Saint Andrews, a town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. This town is a national historic site of Canada, bearing many characteristics of a typical 18th century British colonial settlement, including the original grid layout with its market square, and the classical architecture. While there we visited the British blockhouse guarding the harbor and St. Andrews North Point Lighthouse. This active lighthouse in St. Andrews, New Brunswick is on the southern tip of the peninsula in the Passamaquoddy Bay; it is commonly known as Pendlebury Lighthouse from the name of the family who took care of it. Again we witnessed more of the incredible tidal effects caused by its proximity to the Bay of Fundy. Why are Fundy tides so high? Resonance — like a push on a swing. Imagine a parent pushing their child on a swing. A gentle, repetitive push by the parent will sustain a large back-and-forth motion of the swing. The parent must time the pushes to closely match the natural period of the swing, a condition called resonance. If the timing is poor, the swing will not move much. In the case of Fundy tides, the “swing” is the shallow body of water between the edge of the continental shelf east of Boston and the head of the Bay of Fundy. The “parent” is the small Atlantic tide at the edge of the continental shelf. When a rising Atlantic tide crosses the edge of the continental shelf into the shallow Gulf of Maine, it travels as a long wave to the head of the Bay of Fundy, reflects, and returns to the edge of the continental shelf. When the wave reaches the edge of the shelf, the dramatic increase in ocean depth causes most of the wave to reflect again and travel back toward the head of the Bay of Fundy. The time for this cycle is close to the 12.4-hour period of the lunar tide, which means that each Atlantic tide gives the previously reflected wave an almost perfectly timed push. It is that small, repetitive, well-timed push that drives Fundy’s tides near resonance, making them so large! The vertical tidal range is the difference between low and high tide. In the Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy system, the vertical range of the tide is progressively larger toward the head of the Bay of Fundy, and largest in the Minas Basin. The vertical tidal range is about 2 metres in the open Atlantic Ocean. Compare this with an average of 12 metres (40 feet) in the Minas Basin. It can even reach 16.5 metres (54 feet) on a perigean-spring tide! From St. Andrews it was on to St. John into Memramcook, a village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada, which is located in south-eastern New Brunswick. We discovered that the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac derivative of the French language. Karen and I were amazed by the story of this people group. The Acadians are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the descendants of a few Acadians who escaped the Expulsion of the Acadians (aka The Great Upheaval / Le Grand Dérangement) re-settled. During the French and Indian War (known in Canada as The Seven Years War), British colonial officers suspected that Acadians were aligned with France after finding some Acadians fighting alongside French troops at Fort Beauséjour. Though most Acadians remained neutral during the war, the British, together with New England legislators and militia, carried out the Great Expulsion (Le Grand Dérangement) of the Acadians between 1755 and 1764. They forcefully deported approximately 11,500 Acadians from the maritime region. Approximately one-third perished from disease and drowning. In retrospect, the result has been described as an ethnic cleansing of the Acadians from Maritime Canada. Most Acadians were deported to various British American colonies, where many were put into forced labor or servitude. Some Acadians were deported to England, some to the Caribbean, and some to France. After being expelled to France, many Acadians were eventually recruited by the Spanish government to migrate to Luisiana (present-day Louisiana). These Acadians settled into or alongside the existing Louisiana Creole settlements, sometimes intermarrying with Creoles, and gradually developed what became known as Cajun culture. In time, some Acadians returned to the Maritime provinces of Canada, mainly to New Brunswick. The British prohibited them from resettling their lands and villages in what became Nova Scotia. Before the American Revolutionary War, the Crown settled Protestant European immigrants and New England Planters in former Acadian communities and farmland. After the war, it made land grants in Nova Scotia to Loyalists. British policy was to establish a majority culture of Protestant religions and to assimilate Acadians with the local populations where they resettled. Most Acadians in Canada continue to live in majority French-speaking communities, notably those in New Brunswick where Acadians and Francophones are granted autonomy in areas such as education and health. According to the two young Acadian women we spoke to at the museum we visited, the Province of New Brunswick is the ONLY bi-lingual Province in Canada. From the village of Memramcook we continued traveling east to Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. Known as the “Hub of Nova Scotia”, Truro's size, central location and historic downtown makes it a popular home-base for exploring the province and the world-renowned tidal phenomena of the Bay of Fundy. We found a place for the night and checked in to the local Best Western. Had a wonderful seafood meal at the "Nook and Cranny" restaurant. After a quick dessert run to the local Dairy Queen, we returned to our hotel to retire for the evening. Quite a full day of traveling and exploring New Brunswick, Canada. Tomorrow we are on to Halifax, Nova Scotia!

We returned in pouring rain back to Christie's Campground before dark on Sunday, July 2. As we unpacked the truck, settling back into our normal trailer life. we looked forward to a good nights sleep in our own bed. The three day trip to Quebec City was a whirlwind but a "bucket list" item so I was very happy we got to spend that much time in this very special place. Karen was really impressed. During the visit she kept dreaming (rêver) of coming back to live there for a month! Monday, July 3rd was a day of rest and we recharged our personal batteries with sleeping in, reading, walking and some light errands into town. We wanted to get a feel of the campground culture before leaving on Thursday. This campground has been around since 1929 and many of the campers are seasonal. Meaning, they return every year to spend their summers here. Many of the trailers are here all year round but empty during the winter months. We saw many family groups camping together with all their children and "toys". This is a very "family friendly" campground. The weather started improving and the traffic on the lake picked up with powerboats and PWC (Personal Water Craft) or Jet Skis. Kid on bikes and golf carts started moving around as the activity levels of the campers increased. The temperature in Maine was a bit of a surprise to me. We now had high 80's and even some low 90 degree temperatures with humidity in the 80% range. We ended the evening watching the musical 1776 to start our Independence Day celebration. The 4th of July was another low-key day just relaxing and hanging out. Karen found a notice inviting campers to a potluck at 5 PM before fireworks at 9 PM. She prepared a large salad to share and we attended. Got to meet some of the seasonal families and had a great meal together in the recreation room by the front office. We didn't feel the usual camaraderie of a RV park with full-timers coming and going. This environment was more of a "clique" with the seasonal campers. Not as openly inclusive as other places we've visited. The Independence Day fireworks that evening was a seriously impressive event. You knew the expectations were high just by the number of boats on the lake waiting for the show. They didn't spare any expensive and it had to be the longest I've ever experienced. Karen said it lasted a good 45 minutes. We had a big tree blocking our view from our campsite, so we moved down the road towards the mortar launching area and got a pretty good view of the whole show. I frankly got bored after 15 minutes and headed back to the trailer. What an old fart! We spent Wednesday, July 5 prepping for our departure the next day. Before leaving Christie's we needed to provision up for the next leg of the journey. We went into town for truck fuel, the water refill station at the grocery store and the Salvation Army store to drop off items and look for some more used books. We concluded our evening with a visit to the Angler Restaurant for dinner. Now when you're in Maine. the visit wouldn't be complete without a "Lobstah" dinner. Karen and I shared a meal of two Lobster rolls with two sides to check off a "required" activity in Maine! I also ordered a cup of Clam Chowder to complete the experience and wasn't disappointed. I had forgotten how delicious fresh Maine lobster can truly be. We see a few more 'lobstah' meals in our future while we're in this state.. On Thursday morning, July 6 we slept in again (retirement life is sooo....hard). But eventually had to get up to start packing the trailer for moving day. We are continuing east about 137 miles to Hilltop Campground in Robbinston just south of Calais, Maine and close to the Canadian border with New Brunswick Province.

Our third and final day in Canada was Sunday, July 2. The weather was predicted to be wet so we decided to go where getting wet wouldn't be a deterrent. But first, a mandatory stop at Tim Horton's for coffee and some goodies for the road. We drove Highway 73 north past the off ramp to downtown Quebec City and continued north, then turning to the east on Highway 40. We arrived at the Parc de la Chute‑Montmorency in a light rain. After purchasing our tickets we proceeded to the parking area below the Manoir Montmorency and near the upper funitel (gondola cable way) station. This funitel carries passengers between the base and the top of the falls. We looked it over but decided to do some hiking instead.. The Montmorency Falls (French: Chute Montmorency) is a large waterfall on the Montmorency River in Quebec, Canada. It's about 12 km (7.5 mi) from the heart of old Quebec City; the area surrounding the falls is protected within the Montmorency Falls Park (French: Parc de la Chute-Montmorency). The falls are at the mouth of the Montmorency River where it drops over the cliff into the Saint Lawrence River opposite the western end of the Island called Île d'Orleans. The waterfalls are 83 m (272') tall, a full 30 m (99') higher than Niagara Falls. The park includes "THE ZIP LINE"; which they advertise, "don't be intimidated by the mighty cascade! Challenge Montmorency Falls by approaching it like never before. Perched at the top of the cliff and stretching some 300 metres, the zipline enables people to cross Montmorency Falls cove before landing near La Baronne observation deck. With feet dangling in the void, you’ll feel the waterfall as it roars and the drizzle as it caresses your face." Well, we decided.... no thank you! The suspension bridge over the crest of the falls provides access to both sides of the park so we walked across the bridge to the other side and then the staircase all the way to the bottom! These staircases allow visitors to view the falls from several different platforms along the route and provide spectacular perspectives of this natural wonder. Clinging to the flank of the cliff, this impressive staircase features no fewer than 487 steps. From the bottom of the staircase we proceeded along a cement walkway to the lower viewing platform/bridge over the river. We decided to take the cable car back up the hill to the parking lot rather than hike in the rain. We got a little wet but this was an awesome experience. We loved the idea we could literally walk the entire perimeter of the falls; it is very impressive! Next on our self-guided tour was Île d'Orléans (Island of Orleans), located in the Saint Lawrence River about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of downtown Quebec City and across the bridge from the waterfall park. It was one of the first parts of the Quebec province to be colonized by the French and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island. The island has been described as the "microcosm of traditional Quebec and as the birthplace of francophones (having French as the main language) in North America. The island had long been inhabited by Indigenous peoples. The Hurons called it Minigo (meaning "Enchantress") because of its charm. The French explorer Jacques Cartier first set foot on the island in 1535 near the present-day village of Saint-François. He called it Île de Bascuz (from Bacchus) because of the abundance of wild grapes growing on the island. Officials later changed the name to Île d'Orléans in honor of the second son of King Francis I, who became Henri II, Duke of Orléans. Early French settlers, mostly from Normandy and other provinces in northwestern France, were attracted to the island because of its fertile soil. They colonized it according to the seigneurial system of New France, which is still evident in its layout by featuring residences close together with outlying long and narrow fields and a common. In 1661, the first parish of Sainte-Famille was founded, followed by another four parishes in 1679 and 1680. Today the island is a mix of suburban communities and farms and is a popular destination for day trippers and bicyclists. The Island known for tranquil natural scenery as well as regional dining, local eateries, produce stands & art galleries. We drove clockwise around the entire island stopping at one produce stand for some fresh des fraises (strawberries) and eventually stopping for lunch at Cassis Monna & Filles. After trying Poutine in Sherbrooke, QC and not being very impressed, I never thought I would order it again. But this restaurant's menu intrigued me with their description of the version they prepare. So I tried the Duck Confit Poutine with Le Capiteux wine sauce (Poutine au confit de canard* & sauce au vin de cassis Le Capiteux) and it was AMAZING. If you don't want to have this dish as a meal by all yourself, I'm sure other people in your party would be willing to take a few bites; Karen did! She elected to have a lovely mushroom quiche with french fries and a salad. We both enjoyed our meals and the view. We decided we needed to start our return trip back to Maine no later than 2PM to avoid driving in the dark. So we bid a fond "au revoir" to Quebec and journeyed the four hours back to Newport, Maine stopping only for diesel fuel. And unfortunately, no moose sightings on the return trip.

On Canada Day, Saturday July 1, we got an early start. Before leaving Sainte-Marie we stopped at Tim Horton's for a light breakfast and coffee. Our drive into Quebec City was much easier because we took the Boulevard Champlain along the waterfront to avoid the downtown traffic to "our parking lot" near the Museum of Civilization. A short walk to the ticketing venue for the ligne rouge (Red Line) tour bus and we were on our way from the lower old city stop. This has turned out to be the most efficient way to get around and an excellent way to get an overview of the major cities we've visited this year. Letting a local, professional driver navigate the narrow, congested streets is so much more relaxing and certainly more convenient. It also makes better use of our limited time so we consider it money well spent. This particular tour bus line had the added benefit of personal earphones and an audio tour narrated in eight different languages. One of our first stops was just outside the Parliament Building and the Fontaine de Tourny. We walked through the Saint-Louis Gate of the old city wall, which was about forty feet thick, on Rue Saint-Louis and up to the Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine. This park sits up on the perimeter of La Citadelle de Québec overlooking the St. Lawrence River. It was an incredible view of this massive waterway and the location of this strategic fortification. This complex features a long-standing active fort, and a museum of the Royal 22nd Regiment. We were hoping to catch the changing of the guard but were treated to an even better ceremony below us. We discovered the regiment had marched out of the Citadel and down to the Dufferin Terrace just below us for their Canada Day celebration. So we hustled down the hill to take it all in. Following the ceremony we walked into the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac to see inside the lobby. We considered going to the Starbucks but the line was too long. Instead, we continued walking to Rue des Jardins to Brasserie Les Mordus, another outdoor cafe, where we enjoyed brunch. I was hungry so I ordered their classic FISHING BOAT’S RETURN of 2 eggs, 3 meats (bacon, ham and sausage), potatoes, baked beans, greaves spread, country bread, crêpe, raspberry butter, and fruit salad! Karen had a lighter meal of a cup of corn chowder and a salad. After brunch, it was back on the bus to continue our guided tour. Later in the afternoon, we got off the bus on the Avenue Cartier for ice cream at Chocolats Favoris and to walk this colorful shopping area. After this short excursion we picked up our third bus and rode back to our last stop of the day at Fort Street, across from the Château Frontenac. We walked down to the Rue Notre-Dame to see the Quebec City Mural. Inaugurated in 1999, this mural tells the long story of Quebec City in an iconic location. From there it was a short walk to Place Royale, a picturesque cobblestoned square flanked by cafes, shops & a 17th-century stone church. We decided to enjoy a happy hour cocktail at the La Pizz Place Royale. This charming pizzeria with a patio offering refined pizza pies & pasta dishes in a rustic-chic space, so we eventually ordered our dinner here. We shared a delicous Salade Caprèse and Pesto Linguine under a cafe umbrella in a light rain. The restaurant owner was hospitable and friendly; we had delightful conversation and he gave us helpful ideas for the next day of our adventure in Quebec City. A very busy day of sightseeing completed, we walked back to the truck and returned to Sainte-Marie before dark...very satisfied but exhausted.

The U.S. part of the Friday afternoon drive to Quebec City took us through Athens and Moscow (Maine of course) along the Kennebec River to Jackman, Maine. We had our eyes open for any possible moose sightings but, alas, no such luck. We had an uneventful crossing at the border into Canada and drove the remainder of the trip on Hwy 173 to Saint-Georges and Hwy 73 to our motel in Sainte-Marie, QC. We found a relatively reasonable place to stay that was only a 30 minute drive from Quebec City. After checking in, we proceeded into the city around 4 PM to do an initial reconnaissance for parking our truck near the "old city" and do some sightseeing until sunset. Driving through Quebec City was similar to Montreal, in that most of the streets and major thoroughfares are under a constant state of repair with traffic detours the norm. Once we reached the fortified city, the streets became even narrower and the traffic was a chore to navigate. I dropped off Karen to visit the local tourism office only to find out it was closed. After driving a circuitous route back to pick up Karen we were successful in finding a parking lot near the marinas that would work for our oversized truck. After parking we walked past the Museum of Civilization to the waterfront to explore the lower section of the old city, including the Royal Battery and the Rue Sous-le-fort. We then hiked up the Escalier Casse-Cou (Breakneck Steps) through the Prescott Gate to Monument Samuel-De Champlain and Place d'Armes, the square opposite the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. The Château Frontenac is an excellent example of the grand hotels developed by railway companies in Canada in the late 1800s. Considered the world's most photographed hotel, it was designated a National Historic Site in 1981. The hotel takes its name from Louis de Buade, Count de Palluau et de Frontenac, a key figure in New France history. Frontenac was the governor of the colony from 1672 to 1682, and again from 1689 to 1698, and is recognized for having defended it against British and Iroquois attacks. The Château Frontenac was built near the Citadel on which Frontenac had begun construction in the late 17th century. Situated on a large cape, the hotel overhangs the Saint Lawrence River and runs alongside the celebrated Plains of Abraham historic site where the battle for the conquest of Québec took place in 1759 during the Seven Years’ War between Great Britain and France. We went to dinner across the Rue Sainte-Anne to Bistro 1640 which overlooks the city and provides a magnificent view of Château Frontenac. The bistro combines a warm ambiance with fresh market cuisine. Karen and I ordered SOUPE À L’OIGNON AU GRATIN DE CANTONNIER (Onion Soup), BOEUF FAÇON CLASSIQUE (Steak Tartare) and a CHARCUTIÈRE pizza. After dinner we continued our evening tour along Rue Port Dauphin down to the fortifications along Montmorency Park National Historic Site. This fortification battery, above the St. Lawrence River, provided an impressive northeast overview and protection for the city from any potential hostile forces advancing up river. Looking back to the upper city from this location I was able to get a lovely image of the illuminated Château Frontenac. We continued our way down from the upper city to locate our truck in the parking lot below. Overall, an impressive first, short day before returning back to our motel room in Sainte-Marie for the night. On Day 2, July 1 (Canada Day) we would plan to get an earlier start. We will return to the same parking lot, buy two tickets for the ON/OFF Red Line Tour bus system and get a more comprehensive view of the city, saving our legs and avoiding the crazy traffic.

Christie's Campground is the ideal place to spend a week. Bordered by woods, our pull-thru site is located on a large grassy patch, just one row from the glistening lake. This campground is secluded yet easily accessible to shopping and excellent dining in the town of Newport, Maine. We are also close to I-95 and U.S. Route #2 for travel. It's a perfect location to use as a serene base from which to plan an extended trip to Quebec City or day trips to the coast, mountains, Moosehead region or to Bangor, which is just a 30 minute drive. We arrived on Thursday afternoon, June 29 after a 3 1/2 hour spectacular drive from New Hampshire. We drove the mostly two lane road through mountain passes with dense forest, rivers and waterfalls. At the half way point, we stopped briefly for lunch in Peru, Maine and provisioned at the local Walmart before continuing on. The weather hasn't been ideal. We've experience predominantly overcast skies with a variety of precipitation ranging from light drizzle to heavy downpours. The air temperature, however, has been remarkably consistent during the wet weather in the mid 70's to low 80's. The forecast for our stay shows more of the same weather plus the possibility of thunderstorms. Ironically, the weather in Canada is looking more favorable over the weekend, so we are planning a three day adventure back into our neighbor to the north starting on Friday, June 30. Our ultimate destination is Quebec City about 4 hours driving time from camp. Our timing couldn't be better with Saturday, July 1 being Canada Day, which celebrates the establishment of the nation of Canada from previous British colonies. Many Americans ask if Canada Day is similar to the Independence Day in the U.S. They are similar in that both are related to gaining independence from the United Kingdom. For Canada, however, Canada Day marks only one (but one very important) milestone on the path to full independence.

Coleman State Park, located on Little Diamond Lake, is 10 miles from the nearest town of Colebrook, New Hampshire . This was another no hook up, no cell service or wifi location so we filled the fresh water tank and emptied the gray/black water tanks for the stay. We dealt with the small internet problem by driving into the town's library or golf course to get connected. Our campsite #26 was spacious with a gravel pad, fire pit and picnic table close to the bathroom, shower and laundry facilities. We had plenty of open sky during the day for solar power production with surrounding trees for some privacy. The park is very beautiful and realitively quiet except for the occasional ATV noise. ATV's are popular in Northern New Hampshire and range from the simplest single 4 runner to the more exotic Polaris RZR 4 seaters with roll cages and light bars. We took our RAM truck 4 wheeling on a couple of the back roads into town to get the feel of the area's remoteness while we looked for moose. While we have been in New Hampshire, Canada has been plagued with massive wildfires throughout the country and a couple of our days were smoky with poor visibility. But fortunately the weather has been unseasonably wet with showers and thunderstorms which has helped to keep the air clear and fresh most of the time we've been here camping. On one of the less wet days we ventured north to the town of Errol, New Hampshire to see the L.L. Cote Sporting Goods store and saw a beautiful lakeside resort and also our first moose sighting. Karen spotted a young female that was standing next to the side of the road. Very cool! Later we stopped for a picnic lunch along the way and walked to some waterfalls. Most recently, on Tuesday, June 27 we took another road trip into Canada via Canaan, Vermont across the Connecticut River border between the two states. We drove on some picturesque back roads through the Province of Quebec to the city of Sherbrooke. I was on a mission to try Poutine. Poutine is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain and there are several competing claims regarding its invention. For many years, it was used by some to mock Quebec society. Poutine later became celebrated as a symbol of Québécois culture and the province of Quebec. It has long been associated with Quebec cuisine, and its rise in prominence has led to its growing popularity throughout the rest of Canada. Poutine was consumed in small "greasy spoon" diners (commonly known in Quebec as cantines or casse-croûtes), pubs, at roadside chip wagons (commonly known as cabanes à patates, literally "potato shacks"), and in ice hockey arenas. For decades it remained a country snack food in Quebec's dairy region, due to the narrow freshness window of cheddar cheese curds. We stopped at Louis', a favorite of Sherbrooke locals, for this culinary adventure. I ordered a hot dog, a medium Poutine and a diet Coke. Karen gave it a try, then pulled out the salad she had prepared before we left the campsite. I, of course, consumed the entire meal of Poutine. I can only imagine how bad this particular dish is to my cholesterol level. Honestly, I don't get why it is so popular. Soggy, gravy covered french fries and squeaky cheese curds just didn't do it for me. I however can say I tried it, but it's not a do-over. Today was a "get ready to travel again" day. We provisioned Diesel fuel, DEF and filled the empty trailer propane tank and made one last visit to the library to update incoming and outgoing emails and blog post. Tomorrow we travel to Christies Campground, a small family run camp ground located in the heart of Maine on Lake Sebasticook.

The quiet setting of Lake Carmi, Vermont was a nice place to relax and unwind after a busy week of wedding activities and sightseeing. On our last full day, we finally got on our E-bikes and rode through the park exploring the different camping loops, did some recreational reading and some serious napping (ZZZZ...). Thankfully, our three days here passed by slowly because we didn't have wifi or cellular service. It felt weird but it was good to be disconnected from the world and all of it's "stuff". We packed up early Thursday morning to head to Coleman State Park in New Hampshire with a plan to stop midway for lunch. I had been in contact with a friend from my old Rotary Club in Santa Rosa, CA. During the summer months, Nancy Hill lives in her lovely home in Newport, Vermont next to her adult son and his wife on Lake Memphremagog. Newport was a logical place to stop for a break and a short visit as the halfway point to our next destination so we made arrangements to have lunch together. I was concerned about getting stuck on an unknown route with the trailer so I Googled a satellite view of her home on the lake and found a turnout site to park within walking distance. The parking location was closer than two football fields in length to the Canadian border. I discovered that the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department owns many miles and hundreds of acres of land along rivers and streams throughout Vermont and the neighboring border with Canada. The access to this wildlife land tends to be relatively small and often long narrow parcels along the banks of the many waterbodies. While some locations have small, gravel parking areas, others provide no formal parking or rely on parking just off the road shoulder. These areas provide public access to streambanks for fishing, hunting, trapping, fish and wildlife viewing, photography and other fish and wildlife-based activities. Collectively, these lands are known as Streambank Management Areas (SMAs) and worked for a temporary location to stop, park and visit Nancy. We walked 4/10th of a mile right up to Nancy's front door, enjoyed reconnecting with her and had a lovely lunch together. Nancy's is an amazing lady! She reminds me of the "energizer bunny" because she just keeps on going. Karen and I hope we have that kind of endurance in our future. Lord knows we will need it to continue this RV life.Nancy's home is right on the lake and has a stunning view from her covered porch and deck. She spends time with her extended family visiting throughout the summers and also running her "older" neighbors to doctors and shopping appointments. We visited for a couple of hours and finished with a walk back to our trailer to give Nancy a tour. Before leaving we offered to give her a ride back to her home but she declined the offer so she could walk back. Nancy "thank you" for lunch and your encouragement. You are the very inspiration we need to keep up this lifestyle with energy, grace and generosity.