No swimming today....

I think I'm alligaphobic! Last thing I'd do is go swimming in the lake in Florida!

Quick stop in Titusville

Catching up with David and Diana Spahn at their splendid home in the The Great Outdoor where every house has a 13 ft clearance garage! Made a speedy propane hose repair and on our way south after a splendid big green egg smoked pork dinner and a Vermont bacon breakfast!

Oops! 4,200 Hyundai and Kia

The Golden Ray had a little ballast management issue in the St Simeon Sound next to Jekyll Island and rolled 90 degrees to port last September. The salvage plan will take a couple of years and involve removing the ship in pieces. The cargo and ship are a total write off. Adds interest to our daily beach walk!

A few night pix from Jekyll Island

Jekyll Island has gone all out on its illuminated Christmas driving tour. A slow two mile crawl around the village and historic district is quite a sight....

Jekyll Island erosion

Heading south from Virginia we take a break half way down the east coast at Jekylll Island State Park in Georgia. Originally a private member only club, the island was acquired by the state and developed as a high quality resort with old millionaire homes restored and franchised out to top resort hoteliers. The east coast of the island has eroded considerably and trees that were once inland are now offshore and have died but mostly remain standing creating an eerie dead forest...

Quebec photo gallery

Link to our Airstream summer trip to Quebec and the Maritimes....

http://db26.net/nikon/2019-quebec/

Salem

We're adding presidential libraries to our plans whenever we can, so we booked the closest campsite we could find to Boston for a visit to the Kennedy Library. Look what we found! Winter Island Park overlooks a busy harbor with Marblehead on the other side. With a beach, boat launch site, and campsites of all sizes, it's busy during the weekend, but the gates close at night and calm is restored. Just the right final stop on this two- month trip!

Airstream friends in Maine

A very slight deviation on our trip south let us spend a night with David and Diana. Their home, a converted camp on a lake, has every element needed for the quintessential Maine summer: pontoon boat, kayaks and paddle board, room for their Airstream and ours, windows to let in the views and breeze. Diana's sewing projects are created in the English basement and David has converted the garage for wood turning and carving. That big green egg and these talented chefs produced a stunning dinner. So many travel memories to share!

New River Beach Provincial Park NB

Last stop in Canada! We got the last available spot for these two nights, and it reminded us why commercial sites should always be our last option. Nestled in the woods, cliff and beach walks available, neighbors beyond the trees, all made for a peaceful stay and good grilling and exercise. Even the laundry was cheaper and very close.

Welcome Aboard

Welcome Aboard spelled out in semaphore flags to the Theresa E Connor in Lunenberg at the Museum of the Maritimes. The last of the saltbank schooners fishing for cod on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland.

The flight that never made it...

Swissair Flight 111 crashed 5 miles out within sight of land off Halifax and salvage operations were initially handled by local fishermen in Peggy's Cove. All 229 souls on board perished in the crash caused by a cockpit fire in the wiring of the MD-11 Tri-jet.

Peggy’s Cove

Rather iconic and overcrowded Peggy's Cove near Halifax reminds me how mass tourism takes away from your travel experiences. Not to be selfish and want every spectacular view to yourself but it just reminds you that you have to careful when to visit these locations! Suggest crack of dawn before those ten tour buses arrive from the city!

GoT sandcastle competition

This was the best and most creative sandcastle in probably 50 entries on the beach today.... you can see the break in the wall and the White Walkers pouring through the gap and out the other side....

Folk Art House

What fun along a two-lane country road! Home and gallery of Barry Colpitts, Nova Scotia folkartist, located in East Ship Harbor.

Lobster season

Lots of jetties piled high with lobsters cages and market buoys mark the months between lobster seasons. The coast is divided up into districts with staggered dates and lobsters are warehoused for continuous supply. Live lobsters run $10 to $12 lb depending on weight. No supply shortage here!

Hike around Taylor Head - Nova Scotia

A stumbling 3 mile hike through overgrown trails around the Taylor Head peninsula! Hiking was very slow due to a very narrow trail with bushes, ferns and trees branches obstructing the path. The trail was mostly dirt with huge number of tree roots trying to trip you. Some sections took you along the beach and some other big crossings were on flat stones. Took at least a couple of hours to get around the circuit. The west coastline was overgrown forest and the prevailing wind east coast was open moor land with heather.

Nova Scotia island cruise

Brian Murphy who owns our current campground Murphy's-on-the-Ocean also does twice a day two hour cruises around the uninhabited local islands which are under conservation easements. Tent campers who brave the wild get dropped off on islands and kayakers explore the network of channels and bays. A desolate and pristine rocky coast with all the beauty of Maine but without anyone in sight!

Cabot Beach Provincial Park PEI

What a find! This huge hilltop campsite was mostly dry camping, so we tucked up in this corner with clear vistas ahead and created a grilling/seating area in the very private glen behind the Airstream. This long ocean beach was just down the hill. Solar system sustained us in our accustomed style, and we're doing well at gray and black tank management!

Revisiting Dalvay by the Sea

Took a day trip along the north coast of PEI and visited one of our quirky vacation resort destination from about 12 years ago! Dalvay-by-the-Sea is within a Canada National Park and has a pristine 10 mile sea shore, lighthouses and sand dunes. Memories of many wonderful dinners in the restaurant with Em & Kathy - this time we had fish & chips and lobster roll.

Quebec Covered Bridge

Our final lunch time picnic area stop on the way from Quebec to New Brunswick allows us to make a short detour and walk over the Routhierville covered bridge across the Matapedia River.... exceptionally well maintained inna scenic setting!

Sainte-Flavie

Campground on the St Lawrence Seaway with the Airstream as close to the water as we can get! Our bedroom view is awesome! Folks collect driftwood and build bonfires and party all along the beach. It's been a pretty good month in Quebec! Lots of spoken French, lots of interesting meats and seafood, comfortable weather, some superb waterfront camp site locations, costs way under budget with cheap Canadian $, new territory we haven't seen before, new friendships, lots of friendly people, longer stops in fewer places.... all is good!