May 1998 Travelogue

by Rebecca Kerewsky

(with index and additional comments by me)

Index

(May 7-16, 1998)

Day 1 (Thursday) - Ohio, Pennsylvania

Day 2 (Friday) - Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire

Day 3 (Saturday) - New Hampshire, Maine

Day 4 (Sunday) - Maine, New Brunswick

Day 5 (Monday) - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia

Day 6 (Tuesday) - Nova Scotia

Day 7 (Wednesday) - Nova Scotia

Day 8 (Thursday) - Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick

Day 9 (Friday) - New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario

Day 10 (Saturday)- Ontario, Michigan, Ohio

Day 1:

Westerville, OH to Erie, PA

Not much to report on the first leg of the trip. We took I-71 north, past the Stuckey's that has been converted to a Stingray shop; through Ashland, "World Headquarters of NICE people," and on to I-90 east. We were trying to eat at the mysterious Arizona Steak House in Macedonia, but it turned out that the restaurant wouldn't open for business for a few more days. Instead, we ate at Applebee's, after a series of turns and circuitous navigation. The rain was relentless, but we knew that we'd soon retire for the evening at the Motel 6 in Erie.

Roughly 20 miles west of the evening's destination, we were instructed to detour due to a hazardous materials spill on I-90. We were routed on to SR-98, which dumped us on to US 20. Initially, I was excited to be off the interstate, but as we drove along in stop-and-start traffic, sandwiched between oil tankers and every other 18-wheeler, I'll admit to longing for I-90.

We finally got on to US 19 and saw our Motel 6 to the left, impossibly situated on the other side of the median, with no easy place to turn, especially because this intersection was the *eastern* detour off of I-90. John did some fancy (and scary) maneuvering, and we successfully entered the parking lot.

The Motel 6 in Erie is quite nice -- it even has a swimming pool.

TOTAL MILES: 239

Day 2:

Erie PA to Fitzwilliam, NH

The majority of the day was spent on I-90, all the way across New York. And it rained the entire time. We had lunch at a Roy Rogers in one of the New York Thruway service areas.

In Troy, NY, all of the traffic gets funneled into town at 35 mph. As we approached Vermont, the surroundings began to look classically New England. Bennington, VT was the picture perfect postcard of it. We got to Fitzwilliam, NH around 6:00 pm and caught up with my family, in town for my sister's graduation from Antioch New England Graduate School.

The sun was almost shining -- this was the best weather John and I had experienced for days...even since before we started vacation.

We had a reservation at the venerable Fitzwilliam Inn, established 1796. It wasn't quite what I expected upon walking into our small room with a big bathroom. Don't get me wrong -- I liked how eclectic the rooms were, all different shapes and sizes, with varying, yet similar decor. I liked the common areas just fine, but I had anticipated something more charming. I was sort of taken aback by staying in a room that didn't lock from the outside. The room was clean, but there were many small details that could have made it much more pleasant. Why not fix (or at least disguise) the water damage? Why not spackle that hole in the wall?

Once I got past all that, I'll admit that I slept well, and I even sort of grew fond of the stenciled blue and yellow flowers on the wall. [Tip: if you're staying at the Fitzwilliam Inn, request Room #5. It has both a decent bedroom AND a good bathroom.]

Dinner at the Fitzwilliam Inn is a different story. $20 gets you an amazing feast: scallops, swordfish, wiener schnitzel, and numerous other entrees, along with soup or "cranberry freeze" (cranberry juice and ice cream), potato, vegetables, bread, and dessert. It was really a tremendous value for the quality and quantity of the food.

TOTAL MILES: 481.5

Day 3:

Fitzwilliam, NH to Bangor, ME

We were up early on Saturday morning to meet Shoshana for breakfast in Keene prior to her graduation festivities. The six of us dined at Bagel Works, then headed to the ceremony. Since Shoshana was receiving a PsyD, she didn't have her moment until the end, so we watched all of the Masters recipients get their diplomas. Finally, Shoshana walked across the stage, and John and I hooted and hollered.

The next part of the day was lunch for the PsyDs and their families at the Keene Country Club. John and I got a little lost en route, but there were no major difficulties. We worried for a few moments when we saw all of the warning signs denying entry to anyone in jeans and/ or without a collared shirt. I guess that doesn't apply to special events, and, hey, this IS Antioch after all.

After a surprisingly good meal, some mingling, and a brief speech from Shoshana to her class, we were on our way -- officially on vacation!

My car's odometer flipped to 50,000 miles in Peterborough, NH and stayed there. Literally...it just hung in between 49999 and 50000. That made the remainder of the day's travel seem less productive -- not being able to gauge distances as accurately.

Entering Maine was monumental. Maine was the last of the contiguous 48 states that I needed to visit. We were greeted with a downpour. Maine has few billboards, but they have plenty of useful signs to help teach you how to drive: "Check Brakes," "Concentrate on Your Driving," "Drive on the Right, Pass on the Left."

Somewhere in south of Bangor, the rain finally stopped. We pulled into the Motel 6, then headed out for dinner at Pilot's and Feta's, a two-in-one seafood/American cuisine and brick oven pizza joint. We ate at the former. I had my first official Maine lobster, although it was in salad form.

TOTAL MILEAGE: 44 miles, plus 200-something

Day 4:

Bangor, ME to Penobsquis, NB

We awoke to...what else? More rain. The rain was especially saddening since we were planning to spend the day at Acadia National Park. We started towards Acadia, stopping to get fuel and breakfast at a local general store on Route 1. Even though we were just getting toasted bagels, our food remained "in the queue," and we had to wait 15 minutes while the other diners got their eggs and bacon.

Bagel-equipped, we continued on Route 1. Then an odd thing happened...miraculously, my odometer began to work again. If that weren't enough, the rain stopped. As we approached Acadia, it improved more and more.

Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a nice day, but relatively speaking, it was fabulous. Acadia was very beautiful, especially if you like crashing waves, rugged coast, and panoramic vistas. On a sunny day, it must be breathtaking. We spent a few hours there then started our journey eastward on Route 1, stopping at the Hilltop House in Ellsworth for lunch.

(By the way, beware if you're traveling around Acadia in the off-season on a Sunday. Bring some snacks with you so you don't pass out from hunger looking for a restaurant.)

Don't forget about Ruth & Wimpy's, Home of Wilbur the Lobster. We came across this fellow just outside of Ellsworth on Route 1.

I never thought I'd say this, but driving on Route 1 in this part of the country was a joy...nothing like driving on it through Miami or the DC suburbs. I expected stoplights galore, but it was sweeping expanses of road with very few motorists.

We had originally planned to stay in Calais, ME on the border of Canada, but the day was still young, and we wanted to take advantage of the good weather while we had it. We decided to stay in St. John, New Brunswick, but there never seemed to be a convenient hotel.

We DID stop at the Reversing Falls, which, twice a day, due to the tides, give the illusion of flowing upward. The observation deck was closed, but from where we stood, it was obvious we weren't there at the right time.

Driving in Canada was disorienting at first because of that crazy ol' metric system, unfamiliar signage, and bilingual signs. By the end of the day, we were accustomed to referring to the speed limit as "110."

We drove on through Sussex, and ultimately spent the night at the Pine Cone Motel in Penobsquis. The Pine Cone touts itself as "The Quaintest L'il Motel in the East." I'm not sure if that's true, but it is very clean and pleasant, and it has a good neon sign.

Dinner was at the Blue Bird Restaurant, an exit back up the road. The time shoots an hour ahead when you cross into NB, so we were foraging for dinner at 10:00. Not a bad place for a 24-hour roadside establishment adjacent to a gas station and a motel. John had a scallop burger.

TOTAL MILEAGE: 340, plus however many miles before the odometer started working again.

Day 5:

Penobsquis, NB to Halifax, NS

We looked out the window of the Pine Cone and saw...... SUNSHINE! Yes, glorious sunshine and a blue sky! We stopped at the Timberland Motel to get a quick breakfast for the trip. When John asked if they had bottled water for sale, we were told their water was "better than bottled."

The big attraction for the day was Fundy National Park. If you want tranquility, Fundy is the place to go. The Dickson Falls hike takes you right down to the water. Wolfe Point provides a scenic vista of beach, pines, and seemingly never-ending water. There's even a nice covered bridge for your photographing pleasures.

On the opposite site of the park are the Hopewell Rocks, a.k.a. "The Flowerpots." Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and at low tide, the Flowerpots stand roughly 30-40 feet above the ground. They have this name because the base is rock, but the tops are covered with vegetation.

Unfortunately, we got there at high tide. As pretty as it was, there was nothing especially impressive about it given the time of day. We decided it was time to look for lunch, which didn't appear to be an easy task since very few businesses in the area were open during the off- season.

We decided to drive to Moncton, figuring that it's a big city and therefore must have food. The entire city appeared to be under construction, but we finally found Vito's and had an unintentionally greasy lunch. At that point, we hardly cared. It was food.

From there, we headed to Nova Scotia. Sort of a shame, really, as John was just getting a handle on basic French. I think he'll remember "arrêt," "sortie," "lentement," and "convergez," for a long time to come.

Don't forget the ubiquitous "fermé"!

Nova Scotia seems to require tag lines for many of its towns, such as Oxford - Blueberry Capital of the World and Bedford - A Traditional Stopping Place. We bypassed it anyway. We even bypassed Mastodon Ridge, with its roadside, life-sized mastodon beckoning us to exit.

We got a room in downtown Halifax in the Lord Nelson Hotel on South Park Street (kick ass!). The desk guy was tremendously polite, and we can't figure out why. And it troubles us that we're suspicious.

The hotel, a newly renovated, 300+ room giant is just down the road from the Halifax Citadel, an imposing star fort on a hilltop. We ventured over there, but we were too late for a tour, so we walked around the perimeter, safely outside the 30 foot deep protective ditch.

From there, we headed downtown for dinner. We didn't get far before deciding on Crawdad's, a cajun place. John had crawfish etoufee, and I had the "combo boil," a big pot filled with lobster, mussels, crab legs, shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, and corn in a garlic and wine sauce. We both finished off the meal with Bananas Foster. Mmmmmmm!

Tomorrow, we'll go back to the Citadel and possibly the public gardens before going up towards Cape Breton.

TOTAL MILEAGE: 281

Day 6:

Halifax, NS to North Sydney, NS

I woke up early and decided to go explore the public gardens and find some bagels near the hotel. The morning was chilly and gray, so the gardens weren't as colorful as they'd be otherwise, but it was a nice walk. I exited that little haven and joined the throngs on Spring Garden Street, giving myself a quick jolt of city.

John was up and active when I got back, so we prepared to go see the Citadel. The morning grayness struck him, though, and we decided not to take the tour and instead begin our journey to Cape Breton.

Once out of Halifax/Dartmouth, we got on Route 7 and took the coastal drive the majority of the way. Having grown up in the country, I don't know if John necessarily understood the term "impossible beauty" that I used to describe the landscape. Most of the scenery looked too nice to be real -- like postcards you see, but the views never measure up in real life. Especially breathtaking was the view we had from our table at the Liscomb Lodge where we ate lunch.

We pulled into North Sydney, where we ate *and* spent the night at the Clansman Hotel. John took a nap while I explored the area. Not much to report back, I'm afraid. I drove down to the waterfront where the ferries to Newfoundland depart, but there was little happening. I couldn't find any restaurants other than fast food, which is why we dined on average, forgettable fare at the hotel. (I will admit, however, that I was drawn to the nearby Lick-A-Chick restaurant.)

I have been abstaining from eating chocolate, which has been possible mostly because I can't find Mint Aero bars*. I am very curious about Coffee Crunch bars, though. I am also curious about what "donairs" are. And what's "poutine"? Is that gravy over fries? And speaking of gravy, you can buy chicken gravy flavored potato chips (as well as ketchup and dill pickle.)

[*NOTE: I did partake in a Mint Aero later in the trip, but its 14 grams of fat scared me off from eating more of them.]

That's all for today. Tomorrow we do Cape Breton, which Alexander Graham Bell once praised highly for its "simple beauty."

TOTAL MILEAGE: 282

Day 7:

North Sydney, NS to New Glasgow, NS

Visiting Cape Breton on such a fabulous day made me feel less sorry about visiting Acadia on an overcast day. Driving around Cape Breton, we saw lush forests, dramatic shorelines, and small lobster-fishing towns. We saw lingering snow, and we saw lighthouses.

It was also here where Rebecca found her "quintessential" Nova Scotia photograph.

There are numerous advantages to traveling in the off-season. We're especially fond of not having to contend with RVs and crowds of tourists. As I've mentioned earlier, finding food and lodging has been an occasional challenge. In Cape Breton Highlands National Park, we were frustrated by being ahead of the season.

Welcome to Canada. Come back some other time.

We weren't charged an entry fee, but many parts of the park were not yet open. It seemed that every time we pulled off to check out a waterfall, beach, or lake, we were greeted by a locked gate. As a result, with the exception of taking numerous photographs, we didn't get out of the car much.

Lunch was in Pleasant Bay at Tin Pan Galley. Their menu had five choices, and we were the only customers, but at least they were open.

ALERT Roadside Enthusiasts: The World's Biggest Lobster Trap stands abandoned and for sale just outside of Chéticamp!

We stopped at the Coastal Inn Tara for the evening, fully expecting to take the ferry to Prince Edward Island the next morning. That was before we found out the fare was $46.00 Canadian and left at 8:30 am, requiring us to be out of our room by about 7:15 to be safe.

We have yet to decide if we'll take that route, or if we'll continue west in Nova Scotia, then take the Confederation Bridge to PEI, have lunch, and come back.

Dinner was at Crofters in New Glasgow. John had scallops, and I had a tasty sautee consisting of scallops, mussels, shrimp, veggies, and rice.

Now I'm going to settle in and watch the series finale of "Ellen."

TOTAL MILEAGE: 312

Day 8:

New Glasgow, NS to Campbellton, NB (by way of Prince Edward Island)

We woke up early enough to take the ferry but opted to take the bridge instead. The proprietress thought the toll was $3.00 or so.

The drive towards the bridge was pleasant. We enjoyed yet more of the beautiful countryside and tried to figure out what we'd do in PEI.

Outside the town of Port Elgin, NB, we stopped in at Andy's Dummy Farm. We had read about this place on the Internet, and it was one of the few non-natural stops slated for the trip.

We were greeted by 81-year-old artist, humorist, and visionary, Andy MacDonald. "You're just in time," he said, "I needed two more dummies!" Andy's yard serves as an environment/trail through hundreds of dummies, some constructed up to 33 years ago.

Andy says it takes about 2 days to make each one, and he gets many of the supplies at Frenchy's, the equivalent of our Salvation Army.

We strolled the grounds on our own, admiring the dummies lining the trail, colored plastic bottles hanging from the trees, and little quips and profundities accompanying just about everything. Here is just a quick sampling: