Ship Hector 1773

We visited a replica of the ship Hector that brought almost 200 people from Scotland to Nova Scotia,  in the port of Pictou in 1773.  The trip took 2 months in rough seas and there was not enough food and water.  The passengers lived below deck most of the time in very tight quarters, sharing beds and dealing with small pox.  Almost 20 died during the trip.  This area of Canada has a lot of folks whose heritage is Scotland.

Below are a few views of the waterfront in Pictou.

Long Drive to Pictou, NS

Yesterday we headed to Pictou, NS, where we are staying 2 nights at a private campground. Our RV GPS was not cooperating for some unknown reason and we had to improvise a bit, but we made it to our campground by mid afternoon. There are not many transients here, mostly long term folks who live not too far away.  They are celebrating Canada Day all weekend, while officially Monday, July 1 is Canada day.  This morning we are enjoying the Elvis Gospel hour on the radio, our "church" time.  I will try to download Pastor's sermon later.  There is no TV here, or if there is we have been unable to access a signal.  It is good to have some time without TV.

View of Alma as we head out of town

Tide is in- boats are floating!

Scenic View in New Brunswick

Heading into Nova Scotia

Hopewell Rocks Park

Gus got his first outing in Canada today, We took him to see the"flower pot" rock formations, about 35 miles east of Alma, Canada.  He managed to climb down 110 steps to the bottom of the rock formations at low tide so we could walk the "ocean floor". It was an unsuccessful challenge to try to keep him out of the mud...no sand!   We all had fun walking in and out of the rock formations, and looking into caves where we could.  When we finally climbed back out, Gus was a mess and a few wet paper towels could not clean it all up.  When we got back to the campground, he got a much needed yet much hated bath before being allowed in the RV.

Jim and I topped off the day with dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant in Alma. We ordered the seafood chowder and lobster rolls...YUM!!!

Fundy National Park

We are now at Fundy National Park, at Headquarters Campground, site 22, with full hookup, 30 amp service.

 It is still rainy, and cool, with temps ranging between 50 and 65 today and for the next several days.  Late afternoon yesterday we caught a break in the rain so we walked into the town of Alma, about 1 mile away. The main part of town is 2 blocks long with restaurants, gift shops, and a bakery where we bought sticky buns for breakfast this morning. 

The tide was just starting to come in, but had a long way to go for the boats to be floating. 

The hike back to our campsite was a challenging one, all uphill and included a staircase with at least 130 steps.

meeting People from Home

Yesterday we ran into a couple from Blacksburg, Virginia. Randy & Val Dymond.  They were at the waterfront in Saint John as were we, with both Randy & Jim wearing VT gear.  Randy is a civil engineering Professor at VT and Val recently retired from working at VT.  We spent a little time with them there and again in the evening when they joined us at the campground. They have been traveling for the past month, including Nova Scotia,  so they had some great tips and suggestions for us. They are headed home soon, but first making a stop at Campobello on their way.

Below are photos we took of the Reversing Falls site in Saint John.

New River Beach area

Today was. a very rainy day here, just a light steady rain most of the morning.  There were a few breaks later in the day, allowing us to get out and explore.  We headed east to Lepreau Falls, just a few miles away.  While we have certainly seen bigger falls, these were still quite beautiful. We then drove through some coastal towns including a fishing village, and got many views of the low tide.  In one town there was a quaint church sitting on the main corner, picture worthy.  

Into Canada

Entering Canada requires answering lots of questions and having our vehicles searched thoroughly! Lucky us! Gus had to hang outside with us and was not sure what was going

on.

This is Gus relaxing after the stressful search at the border.  They didnt even stamp our passports.

Our first views of the Bay of Fundy

This view and the one below of the Bay are from the campground we are staying at for two nights...New River Provincial Park.

Our campsite...site 41

These facilities are across from our site, this one unoccupied. It has a grill on the deck and inside are a set of tables and chairs, and 4 bunk beds.

Continuing our journey north

We left Boston Minuteman Campground this morning, fueled up just outside the campground and headed north on I_495, then I-95 to Bangor, Maine.

Boston Minuteman site

Piscataqua River

my anniversary gift... bag clips

Willie Nelson's Corner of Texas

Roadhouse in Bangor

Headed north

We left home yesterday  morning and got as far as Hazleton, PA as planned. The walmart there hasa large parking lot and easy access in and out. Overnight it was pretty quiet even though there were lots of trucks running generators. After fueling up this morning at Blue Ridge Truck Stop, we are on our way north again.

Leaving Virginia

Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, PA

Walmart " camping" with a few other RVers and lots of trucks. We spent about $3.50 in the store since they dont sell beer in the stores here.

Diving through the hills of northeastern PA with little traffic...nice!

Into NY along I 81, then 84, with plenty of traffic.

Crossing the Hudson River.

We saw these signs everywhere in New York...figures!  I wouldn't be surprised if they are the only state with text stops, except maybe California?

We are staying the night at Boston Minuteman Campground in Littleton, MA. It is just west of 495 in the greater Boston area.  It is hilly driving into the campground but the sites are very level. There are also lots of amenities including a swimming pool, and a dog run, lots of games.  We would definitely stay here again should we come this way.

Tomorrow we will drive to Bangor and stay at a Walmart just east of Bangor, off 395.  We will then be just a few hours from our first stop in New Brunswick, Canada.