On the Go with Momma Jo & Steve – Page 6 – Living life, one mile at a time!

Father’s Day – It’s All about the “B” Factor

On 16th June 2019

Well, Steve didn’t have any special requests for Father’s Day, but the family had different ideas.

First “B” is Biking. Today we tried the Beryl Gaffney Bike Path; a 13 km path from Barrhaven to Manotick. It is a winding trail that hugs the river through the woods. A beautiful path and the only disappointment is that it was not long enough.

Second “B” Brunch – Lansdowne Farmers Market. Found in the heart of the Ottawa Glebe. Held on Sunday mornings. This Market is filled with Unique Artisans & Venders. Yummy Cookies, Maple Wine, Fresh Veggies, Local Strawberries, Dog treats, Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Indian food, Wild Meat Sausage, Plants, Kombucha, and for another “B” Bibimbap (Korean) and “B” Baked goods. And the List goes On. If you are ever in Ottawa on a Sunday Morning, we would highly recommend that you should really check this out.

Next “B” is Beer – The Craft Beer Market! Home to 100+ different beers. Conveniently located next to the Landsdowne Market! This was Rebekah’s treat and you know us we would never say no to beer! Our favorite here was the Belgium Strawberry Wheat Beer. (Ok, maybe not Steve’s fave). Definitely a fun spot.

“B” BBQ – What’s Father’s Day without a BBQ and this one was full of “B” BEEF!! Baked potatoes, Broccoli and followed by Chocolate Brownies.

All in all a “B” Brilliant Day! (well at least from the family’s point of view and Steve totally agreed!)

I Scream for Ice Cream

On 10th June 2019

In Places We've Been

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!!
KIDS & KIDS AT HEART

Today is the final push home. 6 hours uggh! Well, sometimes these days can be long, tiring and monotonous, so to avoid the boring ride we are always trying to find interesting things to do. Today we entered Kawartha Lakes County. And for the life of us we couldn’t remember why that name sounded so familiar. We knew we had not visited here before, so what was it that kept us wondering why the name sounded so familiar? Then it dawned on us; Kawartha Ice Cream. With that, the Google search was on. However, by the time we searched this up we had passed Owen Sound where their main plant is located. Darn!

Halfway through the drive is Bancroft, ON and there we saw it a sign for “KAWARTHA DAIRY!” STOPPP!!!! – Jo was not missing this one. It was time for a treat and a walk around. This was the perfect spot. The ice cream was decadent! I love the fact that by the end of our trip our freezer is usually empty – so we went home with 5 litres of ice cream. “Death By Chocolate”, “Salty Caramel Truffle” and one that you can only buy at the dairy “Bear Claw” – dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate covered cashews and a ribbon of soft caramel running through it. Yep, scream it DECADENT!!!

Ok, this should help us make it the last 3 hours. Homeward bound again. I am sure with all the treats on board from this trip, the kids will be glad to see us…. Well for a little while, at least until the treats run out. Winnie needs a rest, and we know that we will be on the go again soon.

A fishway you say?

On 9th June 2019

In Places We've Been

Nothing lasts forever but at least we got these memories.
J cole

One wonders if the Lake Huron sunrise would be as spectacular as the sunset but we can’t tell you today, as we slept right through it. No, tractors, no 407-road noise nor any roosters to wake us this morning. The treat of the morning was a basket of local freshly picked Ontario Strawberries – Our first of the season. We purchased them from a small market farm on the side of the road; Joyce Farm Market. Man, o man they were tasty! I have always loved that first basket of local strawberries of the season! Remember we love to support local!

Today’s adventure takes us to our first stop at Sauble Falls – this very lovely area is a provincial park and a very popular tourist spot. So, patience is sometimes required to get the right picture. There is a small coin operated parking meter at the top of the parking lot. We didn’t have enough coins so we took turns going down to see the falls. Oh Well!

Next stop the town of Sauble Beach. This was a lovely spot; the beach seemed endless and oh, so soft sand. The waters were warm and it seemed to be a beautiful spot to spend the day. However, you know us, we aren’t really all day beach type people. So off we go with our end goal today to make it to Collingwood.

On our drive today we saw a huge billboard for Dairy Queen “BOOM”. Not sure what was actually on the sign other than the fact that the “O” letters were Blizzard treats. We never thought anything of it until our next stop, which was Meaford. Here we took a break and actually sat down and watched all the activity in the bay. While we were here, we noticed everyone with these awesome looking ice-cream treats so we asked where they came from and “BOOM” it was a Dairy Queen. Yep, we did – Ice Cream!!

Next, we stopped in Thornbury; on the foot of the Blue Mountains – you know where blue mountain pottery came from. We went for a walk on the walking/biking trail and checked out the Thornbury Dam and Fish Way. Yep, a fish way. What the heck is a fishway?, you ask. When they built the dam, they built a curved, cement river with rocks etc. to mimic the natural river so when the fish have to swim up river to spawn, they can – AKA a Fish WAY.

Final stop for the day; Collingwood and of course, Collingwood Brewery – on the advice of a stranger! Lovely stop as they had a great selection of beer, a fantastic patio where you can relax and enjoy various games such as Ginat Jenga that you can play and interact with others. While in Collignwoood, we reached out to a couple that we met on a cruise a couple years back, and they were home! We met up with Ron & Pat and on their recommendation we went out to their favorite restaurant; The Alphorn. The decor is quite eclectic and very “Swiss-alpish” (is that even a word?). The place was very busy but apparently for them it was a slower time. The schnitzel was excellent and it was great to catch up with our friends and reminisce about the cruise. Their driveway was too small for Winnie, so we came with plan B – we asked the owner if we could stay in his parking lot for the night. His response was “sure, just don’t pee on the grass”. Given we no longer had Max, that wasn’t going to be an issue!

Advice from a Stranger

On 8th June 2019

In Campgrounds, Places We've Been

Don’t Listen to what they say Go See!
chinese proverb

While having a discussion on the ferry yesterday, about how to avoid Hwy 401 back to Ottawa, a fellow traveler overheard us. He was so excited to share his travels and experiences. So, today we decided to go to Ottawa via Lake Huron, and see some of the places that he told us about.

The Caribbean like blue colored water of Lake Huron, definitely caught our eye. Wow it was stunning! While trying to find a place to stop and check out the lake we stumbled upon the little village of Bayfield. Bayfield was incorporated as a village in 1876 and was the most peaceful and pleasant stop. It still had a lot of that old town charm. Here we enjoyed some ice cream from the Copenhagen’s Ice Cream shop; a pink lemonade from the Pink Flamingo Bakery & Boutique and showed great restraint in their boutique and did not buy the Santa. And if you know Jo, that is GREAT RESTRAINT!! Exhibited even more restraint when she only took a picture in the chocolate shop!

We then walked through the peaceful Pioneer Park which had access to the beach on Lake Huron, and of course we had to put our feet in the water! The “mission and purpose of the Pioneer Park Association is to promote the health and enjoyment of the Bayfield area” and we have to say the park certainly accomplished it’s mission for us. While meandering around Bayfield another couple encouraged us to go to the town of Goderich. Enough said, next stop Goderich!

Apparently, Goderich is “Canada’s Prettiest Town”. They have a beautiful board walk that hugs the lake, with lots of areas for picnics and also some nice sandy beach areas. It is the home of the Goderich Mine “The World’s Largest Underground Salt Mine”. The town has also converted the old train station into a restaurant with great views of Lake Huron. Here we walked around and just people watched and enjoyed the view of the blue waters of Lake Huron.

Our stop for the night was Inverhuron Provincial Park. Apparently, home to some of the best sunsets on Lake Huron. I have to say we sat on the beach for hours watching this beautiful scene develop. And as we always say; “How does it get better than this?!”

The Letter B is Before V & W

On 7th June 2019

In Places We've Been

One’s destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things.
henry miller

Oh, what a beautiful sunrise as we awoke to the sounds of the local rooster. However, what a wonderful sleep listening to the waves off of Lake Erie. Today’s adventure will take us to Pelee Island with the first stop Leamington Ferry for the 10 am ferry. Now, to save us some money and the possible disappointment of not getting Winne on the ferry we took our bikes and walked on to the ferry!! $22.50 each way was great. The island is 28 km to circle the entire island and we only had three hours before the return sailing with a number of places we had to see! Jo strategically planed how to get the whole island explored in one day. So, we were off the ferry by 11:50, and off we go! Jo had Sam, the bike GPS, and had it down to a science as she was not missing the ferry back, lol.

Our first stop was the “The Bakery” Canada’s southernmost Bakery and eatery and voted number one on the island (it was the only one but was also very good!). We felt like food critics ordering 6 different things to try. You know it – Carb load to get the energy to do the whole island. It was a definite 5/5 stop!! 30 minutes off the clock … go go go ….

We stopped at a few beaches – Sunrise Beach was actually I thought the most beautiful. Ok, a little mishap with directions but we did get to Fish Point Reserve which is the location of Canada’s most southerly inhabited point. Jo didn’t plan for the fact that you had to walk 20 minutes to get there. Ummh, another 20 minutes walk/hike, 5 minutes for pictures and 20 minutes back – yep it will all work out!

Oh yeah, watch out for snakes. Seriously?! Yikes!! Now we headed out on the trail. The first part was amazing, well marked and somewhat groomed but the last part of it was not marked, not groomed, trees down everywhere and no direction signs. Steve’s GPS on the phone kept saying how far we were and he wanted to turn back but Jo had a timer set on the watch and we still had over 2 minutes to find this point and she (I) did not come all this way to turn back now. She was not giving up. We did have to climb over a bunch of trees and debris but she found it with 1 minute to spare!!! Well, we ran out to the point, got our shoes wet, took our Kodak moments, collected a small tigers eye rock off the most southerly point and headed back to the bikes. Yep, we did it!! Got the pictures to prove it.

Ok, time is running out and our next stop was to get the return tickets – now the process for ticket purchase is a story for another day. We passed by the Pelee Island Winery and said we’ll come back after we get the tickets, but oh the Stone House 1891 Brewery – imagine Canada’s most southerly brewery. So, we had a decision to make as we only had time for one stop. B “Beer/Brewery” is before “V’ Vineyard and “W” Wine – so “B” comes first and the brewery wins. Logical, right? But we did have time to go back and have a quick photo op by the Pelee Island vineyard. looked like a lovely place!

An extremely fun day! Definitely a place you should come and visit if you ever have the chance! Should we do it again, we’ll plan ahead and book a campsite!

Welcome to the Tip of Canada

On 6th June 2019

In Campgrounds, Places We've Been

Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times.
Asian proverb

Well, we did not float away last night with all that rain and the sun is shining this morning. Today we are heading out to Point Pelee National Park. This park lies on the shores of Lake Erie and is home to the most southerly tip of mainland Canada. Did you know that this most southerly point of mainland Canada is as far south as Rome and Barcelona? Interesting, eh?

This park was a dream. The bike paths were amazing – some a little wet, but still bike-able. It has something for everyone. Boardwalks, marshes, bird watching, observation towers, historic sites such as “DeLaurier Homestead”, beaches, sand dunes and wildlife. Did you know that this was the home of the Cardinal Brand Apples Company? However, our main reason for coming was of course, the most southerly point of mainland Canada. We definitely got our feet wet here!

Momma Jo will not forget that for some of us (i.e. Jo) it was deer fly central, as she seemed to be a beacon for the deer flies. Hundreds of them swarming her. The deer flies did not like Steve but he did get dive bombed by a mother bird protecting her nest. Got to love nature! We got to explore over 16 km of the park. Our bike & hike took us about 4 hours but you could definitely spend a full day here.

Ok, on to our Harvest Host for the night Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery. Now Lola (our lovely GPS) was not winning any friends tonight as she definitely took us the wrong way. Not to worry though, as we made it by 4:55 pm with 5 minutes before closing time! The staff here were very kind and served us and kept the place open for us to enjoy a few of their wines. They had some very interesting names which made you want to try them and a whole section “for the Sweet tooth” yep right up Jo’s alley! A rosé Sweet Eloise, a white Chillin’ Dylan, a sweet select Riesling – Jo actually like a couple of these. Steve enjoyed the reds Caboom! and Lady in Red and we both enjoyed their Applelicous. This gorgeous winery on the shore of Lake Erie offers a great place to come and enjoy an afternoon on their beach, with a picnic basket or a charcuterie board (which you can buy there). The beach was so relaxing; this was such a beautiful place. If you are ever in Southern Ontario, we would highly recommend this stop and I hope some day we will be back!

Forty Mile Creek

On 5th June 2019

Well, we stayed the night in the Sicard RV Parking Lot and got pleasantly awoken by the sounds of tractors at 6am. At least the night was quiet. So, day 2 of the Warranty Checkup. Now, Jo loved the 6 am start; Steve not so much (lol). Off to the Beamer Memorial Conservation Area for a hike and to find the falls.

The area had 6 km of trails that in some places were not so well marked! The trails traversed along the Niagara Escarpment and the 40 Mile Creek and it was only upon reaching the bottom did we find the trail map and legend for this Bruce Trail. Here we went in search of the Beamer Falls. The 40 Mile creek offered some very nice views but the top falls were spectacular; which we almost missed. But with determination and perseverance we found them!!

This hike inspired us to check out the Forty Creek Distillery. You should know us by now – we really should get our livers checked when we go home!!

The distillery allowed us to try 4 samples each for free so together we tried 8 different tastings – 4 different Whiskeys, (some aged in Canadian Oak barrels), 1 whisky cream (look out Bailey’s!), a brandy, a rum (here we come Captain!) and a maple liquor. They were also very generous with their samples. Needless to say, we needed to have a picnic in the yard before we hit the road. This was a fun stop; the bartenders were great and knowledgeable and everyone had to laugh when Jo made her sour puss face – I told you she is a beer girl!! Ok, now onward to Wheatley Provincial Park which is just out side of Point Pelee National Park. Two things we learned here in a really short time; 1) provincial parks in Ontario have become very expensive!!! and 2) this area had a lot of rain this spring! We drove around for a long time after check-in looking for high ground before we found a site dry enough to park Winnie. Rain, Rain, Rain and then some more Rain! I don’t remember the last time I seen this much rain. Man, Wheatley was wet!!!

Rental Car Upgrade

On 4th June 2019

Even though we stayed in this beautiful conservation area we woke up to the sound to the QEW … oh boy, the price of civilization. Today, we decided we would rent a car for the two days that Winnifred is in the shop. Fortunately for us they did not have the car that we reserved, so we got an upgrade!! A fully loaded Ford Expedition – this rig was SWEET!! and almost as big as Winnie!

Since Steve had to take Winnie to the shop, Jo got to Drive!! Look out Niagara! We decided for our day trip today we would head into Niagara- On-The-Lake. Our first stop was Queens Royal Park which had breathtaking views of Lake Ontario. From here we walked into downtown. We played the tourist and made sure we stopped at every store; Niagara Home Bakery, Nina Gelateria & Pastry Shop, Taylors Bakery, the Treadwell Bakery, Old Thyme Candy, Just Christmas, Cows Ice Cream shop and the list goes on. We did treat ourselves to Hot Jamaican patties, Brownies and a scone from the Taylors Bakery and a donair panini from the Old-Thyme candy shop. But no Beer!

We tried hard to avoid the busloads of tourists and tried even harder not to look like one but when it comes to Jo taking pictures – well, she sure blends in with the tourists. The tulips were in full bloom and she just had to get the perfect pictures!! We checked out some of the not so touristy areas that got flooded with all the spring rains. They still had the sand bags to protect the water level. Very unfortunate for those that got flooded out.

Our next stop was the Silversmith Brewing Company on Niagara Stone Road. Here we shared a flight of 6 different beers; Black Lager, Breakfast Wheat, Hill 145, Dam Buster, Minds IPA and the Bandit. Most of them were too heavy for Jo, so Steve got to drink most of them…… Nap Time if you know what I mean (Wink, wink).

Then off to Oast House Brewery and BBQ, as we needed some good food! Well no flights allowed on the Patio (which Is probably a good thing) and because it was Tuesday, the BBQ only had two items; a Korean Pulled Pork Taco and a Beef Brisket Taco so we had to try them both – we have to say that it would be great to come back when they had a full menu!

This area had some beautiful scenery, and the wineries always had the most beautiful spots; just too bad Jo doesn’t like wine!! But she does like taking pictures. Niagara on the Lake is a beautiful place and it is definitely worth the stop, if you are in the area.

Fifty Point

On 3rd June 2019

I don’t have a bucket list but my BIKEIT List is a mile long!
Anonymous

Fifty Point is both a Marina & Conservation Area on Lake Ontario near Grimsby. This overnight stop was close to Sicard RV for an early morning drop off of Winnie for her service. Here, I, (Steve), managed to get our bikes cleaned up and had the chains looking like new!! Yay – 1^st Bike ride of the Spring season! Since Max went home with the kids we went out guilt free!

It was Awesome! Jo just loves her Bike. The views of Lake Ontario were incredible, so today we let the pictures do the talking!

The Smell of Spring!

On 2nd June 2019

Travel is like an endless university. You never stop learning.
Harvey Lloyd

Every morning is a new experience. What might we learn today? Today we head south on the St. Lawrence Seaway waterfront trail. Heading towards Prescott to meet up with the family – Jo needs her kid fix! As we were driving there, we spot a craft brewery! “Steve, turn around!” Lo and behold in the act of turning Winnie around we found a historic site we never even knew existed; The Battle of the Windmill. Apparently in 1838 there was a windmill (now a light house) and in a small rebellion the rebels took control of this windmill. But only a few days later the British came in and retook control – about 60 of the rebels were exiled to Australia. So, this explains the name of the Windmill Brewery which is just around the corner. Their flagship beer is the 1838 Pilsner – which was crisp and clean, very refreshing. We also tried the Barracks Black Lager, the Old Thyme Lemonade Shandy and the Scotch Style Maple Ale. Fun little spot to check out!!

O’ Heaphy’s Irish Pub – Now we asked two different locals where to eat in Prescott and they both said O’Heaphy’s – so how could one go wrong? Awesome time spent with family but don’t necessarily have to go back there. It was so good to spend time with the kids! 😊 Unfortunately for us, we left Max with the kids. They missed him and he just wasn’t traveling as well as he used to. Perhaps still getting used to Winnie.

On the road again and we continued to avoid the 401 by staying on the St Lawrence Parkway. On the way we found some really cheap diesel in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory along ON-49 .

Tonight, we stayed at Lacey Estates Winery and Vineyard, another Harvest Hosts stop. Kimble and Liz Lacey were our hosts and very gracious as we tried a few of their different wines; a couple of Whites, Reds and even Rosé. They were great storytellers and very interesting people. This was one of the more peaceful and beautiful spots we have been at and the views were amazing with the fragrances of the spring lilacs so sweet in the air. The best part of all was that the campsite cost us $51 and we got two free bottles of wine! – How does it get better than this?!

Panoramic Biking Trail – Kamouraska

On 1st June 2019

In Places We've Been

Spontaneity is the best kind of adventure.
Anonymous

Interesting that for 30 years we have driven by this bike path just outside Saint Jean Port Joli, Quebec and I kept telling myself that I have to stop and bike it. Today we stopped at a little tourist area at Kamouraska. The actual tourist centre was closed for construction but the bike/walking path was open. Unfortunately, we found out this morning that the bikes did not winter well plus the fact that Max can’t bike, so we decided to walk the path. This 35 km trail hugs the Lower St Lawrence seaway and much of it has amazing views of the seaway itself. Along the 5 km we walked, the scenery was spectacular; the photo ops endless and the exercise was welcomed too!!!

Our driving goal for today was to get inside the Ontario border. Since we were going southwest, we decided to stay on Highway 2 which is south of the 401 – a quieter drive for sure. On a tip from an iOverlander post we stayed in the Cooper Marsh Conservation Area, as we tucked ourselves in the corner of the parking lot for the night. Dogs were not allowed in the marsh area and also it seemed there was a mosquito convention in town, so we crashed early. Remember, there is always another adventure tomorrow!

Time to Go

On 31st May 2019

We have to get Winnie back to Niagara for her maintenance check up. OK, it is really just another reason to get back on the road. When you have an RV, being in one place for a length of time kind of gives you itchy feet. So, we head west. Our goal today was Edmondston, New Brunswick. They have the Grey Rock Casino at which you can stay in the parking area for free. (Check in with the security person first).

To break up the long day we have a few of our favorite stops that we frequent. One reason is to stretch our legs and get Max out for walk and of course to get a little treat. Thank goodness there is only one Covered Bridge Chips, along the road!

We decided to eat out this evening and found this quaint little restaurant in St. Jacques, New Brunswick. The “Le Patrimoine“. It is nestled in a residential area, so when you are looking for it, be sure to keep going and trust you haven’t gone the wrong way. It was an extremely popular place! The unique décor created a great ambiance – we had our pizza to go but would love to eat in the restaurant next time. They serve “Authentic Pizza” so we decided on the Meat Lovers and a Hawaiian; we both loved the Meat Lovers but the Hawaiian had red onions and was not our favorite (just a bad choice on that one). It definitely was good pizza and the service was extremely friendly and efficient. Just a note; if you do try this place out, just mention that you were at the Best Western and get 10% off!! It’s all about savings!

The best part is that the Parc de la République, a New Brunswick Provincial Park – was right around the corner (we never knew even after driving this route for years!) A great little park. We stopped for the night, Yeah!! Enjoyed our Pizza, Big Axe Beer, Covered Bridge Chips and a game of dice; how does it get better than this?

We had planned to go for a bike ride in the morning, unfortunately when we uncovered the bikes, they were a little rusty as they did not weather the winter well. Something to save for next time, as we will definitely be back!

Amenities

On 29th May 2019

In Places We've Been

Like I said yesterday, one of the deciding factors is are we close to amenities? So today we are going to check this out. Along for the drive (and to give their final approval) are Momma Bear (Nan) and Grampy. We drove them to the last four lots that we considered to check out the location and the view. Then we headed around the area. Our first stop today was the Country Bread Basket Bakery and Coffee Shop “You need the bread, We knead the dough”. Beautiful, fresh-baked goods and bread! YUM! Our table had a view of the field that on first glance looked like canola but it was yellow dandelions. It is funny how these in our lawn in Ottawa would drive Steve crazy, but here they just added to a picturesque view. We tried the fish chowder and the lobster roll on a freshly baked bun with chips. Then for a treat to go we got the brownies! This is a quaint little spot that is only open for breakfast and lunch. The service was good and their food was great and they also have a gift shop that supports all the local artisans in the area. Jo showed great restraint on buying anything. Definitely a place to revisit!

Next, we headed back to Tatamoughe. We have blogged about this town a lot recently. So today (and many times before) we checked out the Appleton Chocolates Company. Jo met the original owners when the chocolate shop was a small cottage in the woods in Wentworth Valley. Actually got a few tutorials way back then on how to temper chocolate. The business is still family operated and all the chocolates are still hand made / dipped. They feature traditional flavors of the Maritimes (Nova Scotia in particular) wild blueberries, cherries, cranberries, lavender and maple syrup. Today we were lucky enough to try out their new creation coffee filled milk chocolate. Chocolatier Michael Foote asked us to try this and give our opinion! Who doesn’t want to give their opinion when free tasting is provided? LOL. Now, as for the shopping – Jo had no restraint. Yep, a bunch went home with us but did not make it back to Ottawa. Hey shop local – and support our community.

Last stop today was back at Tatmagouche Brewery where they now know our name!

Happy Anniversary!

On 28th May 2019

Imagine; 30 years ago we got married in Nova Scotia. A lot of things have changed since then but the one thing for sure is that we always said we would head east when we retired…. So here we are…. East! Our goal at this point was to be RVing as much as possible, to downsize the RV which we did and to downsize our house too. Well, we are working on this. Now this has not been an easy decision but has always been the goal to move closer to family, to move home – to Nova Scotia. The house hunting was a bust so we decided to look at land and possibly build. Build a house for Momma Jo and a carport for Winnie!

Lake or Ocean? Well lake implies cottage – but I have Winnie, and a wanderlust. So, ocean seems more logical. Oceanfront or view? Front may mean shore erosion so let’s go with view with beach access. Seems to be a good compromise. Location location location. Accessibility – are you close to the amenities – or are you in a remote location (for remote I have Winnie and the RV on the go). Can people find you when they come to visit because we have invited everyone we know to make sure they come and visit. Can we get actively involved in the community where we end up? Are we close to Jo’s family?

We spent days looking for land and narrowed it down to a few. Next to choose the style of house – how will it suit the land we choose. So now the final four! We had a contractor come with us and walk the lots to see which he thought would work the best for our style of house. With his input on spots to put our house, it definitely made it easier – now down to two! Money talks … cost yep cost – but as Steve and the contractor pointed out you can definitely plant a lot of trees where you might actually want them for the price difference! Welcome to lot #1 Sea Shore Drive, Sand Point, Nova Scotia. Wow we did it!

Family: where life begins and love never ends!

On 27th May 2019

In Places We've Been

We continued the Glooscap Trail from Parrsboro to Glenholme along the Minas Basin. This road winds you through some very small community’s, such as Five Islands, Economy, Five Houses, Spencer Point, Portapique, and Bass River (to name a few). The views are amazing! If you are driving this area, you should check out the Five Islands Provincial Park. (Unfortunately for us it was closed today).

The Glooscap Trail

The drive from the beach in Parrsboro was very short, but we made it to our own private Harvest Host at Momma Bears aka Nan’s and Gramps place – this is where we stayed put for a few nights to give Winnifred and Max a rest. Max was so excited he ran out of the RV and straight into Nan’s place. I know it was because Grampie spoils him. Heck, I love it here, as Nan spoils me too! Fresh fruit, and PIE! (apple pie for me and lemon meringue pie for Steve). Let’s not forget to mention the best Nova Scotia Fish Cakes ever! – How does it get better than this?

The Reveal Party – Will it be a Girl or Boy? Are you on Team Buck or Team Doe? Interesting new concept – My nephew and girlfriend are expecting a baby and to announce the gender of the baby they had a Reveal Party where everyone at the party, including the parents to be, find out the sex of the baby at the same time. Looks like a boy – Team Buck wins!

A Night on the Beach

On 26th May 2019

In Places We've Been

We continued on our travel around the Glooscap Trail with no planned overnight rest stop. I guess you could say we were winging it.

We were within a couple of hours of our final destination of Momma Bear’s but with the weather being very summer-like, we weren’t ready to end this little RV experience. We decided to check out iOverlander and found Partridge Island Beach just outside of Parrsboro, NS. Further Googling about Parrsboro found that it also had a brewery and a bakery! Enough said; off we went!

We first checked out the beach and found it a little busy with a number of locals walking the beach so back to Two Islands Brewery for a flight of beers and some brownies from their sister company, Rising Tide Bakery. These establishments only opened in September, 2018 so they are very limited in their selection of beers and baked goods but they were still a nice way to end the day.

Back to the beach we headed; to walk the beach with Max and settle in for the night. We sat and watched the sun go down and chatted with a few locals who indicated staying overnight was no issue but there was at least one bear in the area so not to leave any food outside.

It was a pretty quiet night with an early rise to another gorgeous view from our kitchen window. We arrived at Momma Bear’s by mid-day and Max was very happy to spend the day on a non-vibrating floor!

Steve’s Sidenote : For those that aren’t familiar with iOverlander, it’s a “tool, by and for overlanders, which enables its users to submit, amend and find information and opinions, primarily about places that are essential for the act of overlanding, and secondarily non-essential places that are of interest to a significant group of overlanders“.

Now you may ask, what is overlanding? Well, Overlanding Journal describes it as “self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal. … While expedition is defined as a journey with a purpose, overlanding sees the journey as the purpose“.

Essentially, iOverlander is a source of information for travelers allowing one to browse or search for camping areas (both paid & free), tourist attractions, fuel, food, and many other services. We use it and a few other tools to make life on the road a lot simpler.

Rock, solid, history

On 25th May 2019

In Campgrounds, Places We've Been

Well, our first stop today is the Joggins Fossil Cliffs – UNESCO World Heritage Site. The road into this place was crazy rough – definitely not solid. However, definitely worth the drive. We walked around and checked it out – but didn’t stay long, as we didn’t want to leave Max in the camper too long by himself.

Next up, Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. Now this was a beautiful park – but not an RV campground. We went for a long walk on the beach, checked out the hills, loved the red rocks and the view of the bay were spectacular – we could even see Cape Split across the Bay of Fundy! And here Max could join us too!

Continuing along the Glooscap Trail we came upon Cape d’Or Lighthouse, just outside of Advocate Harbour – this cape marks the north point of entrance into the New Minas Basin. Now getting up this dirt road was a little bit of a challenge for Winnifred but she did make it – there is a spot in the road that Steve thought he was driving an ATV and Jo managed to say a lot of prayers but we made it to the top. The views of the Minas Basin are amazing and the cliffs were stunning. SPECTACULAR!

To keep everyone safe they had a permanent, built-in selfie post and a place for you to put your feet for the perfect picture. How does it get better that this! They also have a restaurant, The Lighthouse on Cape D’Or that wasn’t quite open for the season yet. But as the buoy said, the view is always open! I will definitely be back to see this spot again.

We were going to stay the night up on the cape but it was calling for rain overnight and Jo definitely did not want to do that road back down on wet mud in Winnie, and Winnie was very happy for the decision too.

In order to see spectacular views, one must often take the tougher trail.
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Beer & chips : perfect pairings for summer!

On 24th May 2019

In Places We've Been

New Brunswick; home to the French Fry capital of the world, the longest covered bridge, Hopewell rocks, the World’s biggest Axe and The Covered Bridge Potato chip company and now the Big Axe Craft Brewing Company.

Recently I read on the Food Network, that Beer and Potato Chips were the secrets to a long life. (oh yeah regular exercise too…) Matilda Curcia – who lived to 100 stated “I do my exercises everyday and have my beer, and three potatoes chip every night (sometimes a few more).

Ok, this leads us to our first stop in New Brunswick today. My favorite stop on every trip through New Brunswick is the Covered Bridge Chip Factory located outside of Hartland, NB. This family owned and operated business makes an Old Fashion Kettle Style Chip with a traditional recipe that dates back to 1920’s.

If you have time take the $5 Self Guided tour it is really nice to see and also very informative. At the end of the tour you will get a small bag of freshly made chips right off the line – then you go to the topping tasting area that has a gazillion different toppings for you to sprinkle on your chips. The kids always loved this stop. Now, if you don’t have time for the tour, their store is stocked with over 20 different flavors to choose from; grab a bag or two for the road.

The next Stop is Nackawic, home of the world’s biggest axe. 15 meters tall and weighs 55 tones and 7 meters wide but the real attraction for us was the Big Axe Brewery “Beer & Saloon…. Yee-Haw”! This brewery is a Harvest Hosts member so it was our place of rest for the night as well as a nice watering hole.

The thing I love abut Harvest Host is that we can go to the establishment enjoy what they are promoting, and if it happens to be alcohol, we both can enjoy it because we don’t have to drive any further that day. They had some unique names and styles of beer and of course we both got a flight! Hops & Sickle, Lucky Draw, Sea Berry Sour, Roll in the Hay, Lizzy Bordon Red, and Shakespeare Stout. My favorite was the Lucky Draw – and got an awesome deal on the bottles I bought – because the fill wasn’t perfect! (Didn’t matter to me, as I never finish a full bottle anyway!) Steve, enjoyed the Shakespeare Stout. I don’t know how he didn’t buy any! Cheapest Harvest host stay ever; only $29.83. They even let you bring in our own food and on weekends evenings they have special events and/or entertainment. Simply a great place to stop!

So, remember the perfect pairing for Summer is Beer and Chips – And New Brunswick is the perfect spot to have both and support local.

Now, the one thing about this Harvest Host establishment is that it is located on the St. John River and the morning views of the calm and majestic looking river were spectacular. Just an awesome and motivating way to start another fabulous day. Definitely one of my favorites so far.

Life is short, eat Chocolate!

On 23rd May 2019

In Places We've Been

12:18 PM – Well, today we made a break for it; packed up the RV & took Max and hit the road, a day ahead of our planned schedule! Our goal was to at least make it to Quebec City, we pushed a little harder and made it to Berthier-Sur-Mer. (500 km in 6.5 hours). Max was exhausted!! We stayed overnight in the what iOverlander called a “Municipal Picnic area”. A rather blustery night with the wind coming in from the St. Lawrence River but it was free and a nice spot to spend the night.

9:00 AM – I see blue sky – YEAH!!! – lets get going! We stayed along the coastline of the St Lawrence on Hwy 132. Imagine, after 30 years of driving the Trans Canada we finally took this route. It was lovely and long overdue. Our first stop this morning was in a small community called Montmagny, we found the campground at Pointe-Aux-Oies that we didn’t quite make it to last night! This park had a lovely boardwalk and an observation tower – we didn’t stay long as the wind was chilly & strong!! But the view was incredible. Max was so happy to stand on ground that didn’t move. Next stop Saint- Jean-Port-Joli……in search of the Chocolaterie! Now, this shop was also the Patisserie.

I have to say it … How does it get better than this? Ok, the artistic designs on the pastries made them all so very tempting – but I had my eye on an exquisite looking chocolate treat. I can hear my mother saying “eat your lunch then you can have desert” but my Uncle, who was a pastry chef, would always “say life is too short, eat dessert first.” So, we compromised and the chocolate treat was Lunch! It was heavenly chocolate bliss!!

Chocolate comes from Cocoa, which comes from a tree. That makes it a plant therefore chocolate counts as salad!

Bake Day – Food Is Love

On 20th May 2019

Creativity is intelligence having FUN
Albert einstein

Finally, some time to wind down, time to have some fun / do something not related to moving or packing. Something that brings joy to the creator and hopefully to the ones enjoying them!

I have always believed that baking is one of those things that is multipurpose.

Enjoyment in the fact that you can start a project and see the finished product in a short period of time. (Unlike moving)
That you can get your creativity juices and express yourself with what you bake. Research Google recipes online to find different flavor combinations; be daring, be bold. Break away from your old standards. (Banana Chocolate Chip)
That you can test out new recipe’s ideas for your cookbook (Blueberry Lemon Muffins, Cranberry Orange Muffins, & Lemon Poppy-seed Loaf)
That you can stock up the fridge/freezer for the kids before you take off in your RV for the next adventure……
That the kids enjoy the treats – and maybe remember their mother while she is on the road.

Remember Food is Love!

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