And so it ends

Monday, 8:10pm

Feeling nostalgic and trip isn't totally over though all we have ahead of us is 8 plus hours of driving.

We spent most of the day at Carowinds Amusemnt Park; kids had a blast going on all the roller coasters - Sophie even went on some scary-looking drops. She and I fought the crowds at the water park portion of the park and a good time was had by most ( Evan might have something else to say...). Izzy hung in the RV at the park because as big as she is, she didn't make the height requirements.

I'm nostalgic because even though I said this last RV trip, I'm fairly certain there really won't be another one. For one thing, the sleeping arrangements were definitely tougher this time. The bunk beds were narrow and the bottom one was coffin-like. Secondly, other than RVing out West, no ideal destinations come to mind. And lastly and sadly, we only have three years until Mike is off to college so family vacations as we know them are numbered and as fun as the adventures are, we want to do other things as well. (Club Med by way of an airplane would be nice!)

So to close, here are some things we either forgot to mention, or weren't worthy of a full post or just want to include so we can look back, have a laugh and thank Aunt Fanny for a good time:

The man who collected our tickets at the Natural Bridge was named Wilber Lee and we understood every fifth word he said;

Danica Patrick was shorter than what we expected;

Jumbo turkey legs aren't that bad;

At the cavern gift shop Evan joked that Cameron needed a Major helmet for his big noggin, not a Miner one;

The longer we were in the south the more Evan started talking with a drawl;

When we rolled into the last RV park, Izzy spotted a cat and in her utter excitement, honked the horn;

Evan's appreciation for nature exceeds Gail's;

Gail's appreciation for clean clothes exceeds Evan's;

The woman who spoke to us at the beach party at Jellystone had way too many teeth in her mouth and we understood every ninth word;

Gail had two gyros on this trip - not the expected cuisine;

You know you have very accommodating children when they are actually disapointed we didn't stay at a wal-mart;

NASCAR never was and still will never be on Gail's bucket list;



Our family is great and our kids' good health, safety and happiness is really all that matters. If I have to keep them in an RV forever to ensure they remain so, I'll do it. As long as we can locate the nearest Cracker Barrel (who knew?) and jumpy pillow. What more do we need?


Thanks for cruising with us.

NASCAR

Sunday, 8:15 pm


What a day! It started at 5:30 for some of us when our iPhone alarm went off. After moving Sophie to a bunk from the couch (all are finding the bunk beds a bit claustrophobic) we de-hooked and closed the slide-outs and said bye y'all to Yogi and the gang and headed on south on 81 to Charlotte, NC. Mike was lucky enough to sleep the entire 4 hours, Sophie about 2, Cam kept Evan company as co-pilot while I dozed on the couch for a while.

We found our way to the credential building (one of those massive 18-wheelers converted into offices), parked aunt fanny, assured izzy that we'd be back and hit the infield and pit of the Charlotte motor speedway.

I'm not sure what I expected but if you told me I'd be using words like lug nuts and pit row in my sentences I would have thought you were crazy. We also experienced the red neck riviera and had to explain to Sophie what boobs for beer meant.

We got to see Danica Patrick's Go Daddy car. We stood on the track while the drivers were introduced by Tim McGraw.

We watched the National Guard parachute in (mike was almost recruited but told the guy no way). We literally stood in the lanes as the anthem was sung. We all got chills as the stealth bomber flew overhead. Then we made our way to our seats in the family section which gave us a good vantage point to watch the race.

So here's the thing about a speed race, ceretainly a long one. The first lap is definitely exciting, the second is too! You pick a car to follow, get excited as it roars by...

But by the 43rd lap.... Not so exciting. I actually brought the kindle so I could read my book club book but thought I would be heckled from the crowd. Fortunately we were in agreement to leave at the 100th lap.

I'm not even going to get into the people. The fans. It's almost too painful. Maybe tomorrow when there's some distance.

So we've just arrived at Camp Wilderness Resort (doesn't that sound like a Chevy Chase movie?) on the border of North and South Carolina. We actually made it to an RV park before dark! We are right across the street from Carowinds Amusement Park which is tomororw's excursion. The kids are already scootering around to get the lay of the land. Evan and I are exhausted... Looking forward to a shower, beer (boobs optional) and a good sleep but first Evan has to fix the leak under the sink (honestly... What part of vacation does that fall under???)

Aunt Fanny It Is

Saturday, 2:20 pm

Spending the day at Jellystone. Very hot here, so thankfully enjoying the pool, water activities and rec center (where Sophie can enjoy all the crafts she wants). Had a walking taco for lunch - it involves a bag of Fritos, taco meat and fixin's... kind of yummy, kind of gross.

Leaving very early tomorrow and heading to NC. Not sure where we are staying but I really hope it's not the Walmart parking lot...

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Friday, 7:50 pm

Hey ya’ll.

We are back at the park after an excursion-filled day in the Shenandoah Valley. By the way, it is worth noting, the Blue Ridge Mountains are really beautiful. You can see them from Route 81 and they really are a cool vista as you log the hours driving.

After much prodding and poking, we headed over to the Natural Bridge rock formation. I know, I know, how cool can 20 stories of solid rock actually be, right? Well, they are pretty awesome. They are not actually carved from years of running water as those of you still reading probably think. They are the result of an underground cavern collapsing. But wait – it gets cooler. Thomas Jefferson bought the land from King George for $2.50. Not impressed? Well, George Washington climbed one wall and carved his initials into the side of the rock in 1790. Cool, right?

Afterwards we headed to the caverns which are 34 stories/over 300 feet within the earth. They are formed from the slow drip of water through cracks in the rock. We were very happy to be in the 51 degree cool caverns after a long hot hike at the Bridge.

Gail was clearly impressed by her comment, “Seen one rock formation, you’ve seen them all!” And Cameron felt our tour guide could have had a better delivery of her shtick. We are talking about a sub-earth dweller after all. I still am not sure which are stalagmites and which are stalactites…

We also walked thru an Native American Village complex from the Monacan Indians of Virginia.

It was interesting to step back in time to see what life was like in a typical Native American Village, 300 years ago. Wigwams, animal skins, primitive tools. There was this woven protective fense around the villiage called a palasaides that looked like it was straight out of Survivor.

After the Cavern we headed to historic Lexington. Very quaint town but is it me or were people much shorter back in the day? We saw where Stonewall Jackson lived (and was buried at 36 years of age.) Also toured the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University. Beautiful campuses equipped with their own military obstacle courses.

Ok, so in the "What the heck?" category...

Wondering how we got to the English countryside to see a wonder of the world from 3000 BC? Stonehenge? Nope. FOAMhenge. A sculptor's April fools prank turned into a (semi) permanent Styrofoam tribute to the real thing. Only in Virgina.

After some gas and firewood, we are back at Jelly Stone. (can’t get used to saying that). Kids are finding new friends, taking in a movie, picking up chicks with Izzy as the ice breaker… and the fire is raging.

Much more crowded today since the long weekend is officially here. We really like our spot #54. Very shaded, and we’re not surrounded by other RVs. As usual, Izzy is stealing the show. We really should’ve had those t-shirts made up that would answer all the questions people ask us about her: “Yes, she’s our dog; No, a Goldendoodle; Yes, she is really big; Yes, she sheds a little; Sure, you can pet her; No, you can’t ride her.

Smore’s anyone?

Smarter than the average bear

Thursday, 3:50 pm

Who says you can't go (mobile) home again?

We're on the road somewhere in New Jersey with the kids, the dog and our temporary home with wheels - we're calling her Monte or Aunt Fanny* - a 2012 motor home complete with a flat-screen tv, two booth tables, bunk beds, automatic curbside steps and a 3-burner stove that's kind of nicer than the one at home ( but will get equally as little use).

While Evan and the others signed the paperwork with an employee who had obviously fulfilled his potential, and watched a video on RVing (place oxygen mask on yourself first...)Mike and I loaded up on Cap'n Crunch and cheese sticks and assorted other proteins at Target. We then bid adieu to the northeast for the next six days.

It's amazing how quickly we all settled in. Sophie is armed with with plenty of American Girl books, art stuff and Polly pockets; Cam began watching a movie when we hit Mamaroneck and hasn't come up for air since ( though he was the #1 helper when we were loading Monte/Aunt Fanny) and Mike is contemplating a nap, but is now acting as co- pilot to Evsn. Izzy has found her spot in the aisle (she has to back up to move) and at the table.

According to Maggie - our slightly direction-impaired GPS - we are due to arrive in Lexington, Virginia at about 9pm. We are booked for the next 3 nights at Yogi Besr's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Natural Bridge. On its website, Yogi is everywhere - in a canoe, at Bingo, going down the waterside... And somehow that's comforting. What can go wrong with Yogi on hand?

So we forgot our ez-pass (definitely not as bad as forgetting our passports when we were headed to Canada) and just hit our first toll. We spent three minutes chatting with the toll collector about Izzy, the weather, Evan's um, hair... Aren't we supposed to just hand over our money and not even get a nod in return? My friends, we are definitely not in New York....

But it feels like (mobile) home.

Friday, 8:30 am

I forgot what my favorite part of this RVing is ( no, it's not watching Evan back in to space #54 for what felt like hours in order to properly align our hookup stuff and no, it's not the questionable neighbors who have a fetish for wind chimes). Its when we are all finally in bed (Cam at the helm, Mike and Sophie on the bunk beds and Evan and I in the master suite and we are all gigging away, shushing each other, convincing Sophie that there isnt a Big Foot. Because we arrived after dark (and we're talking Virginia dark - holy cow it was like a scene out of Friday the 13th) we really have no idea where we were. But the stars were out, the kids and dog tucked in for the night and all was good.

* We can't agree on RV name. El Monte is the name of the rental company, hence Monte. But Evan finds the RV very backside heavy when he's driving so he named it Aunt Fanny... What do you guys think?

Home Again, Home Again...

So the classic family vacation has come to an end. Early start from Maine landed us home about 1pm after dropping off The Beast. I had forgotten how big and loud that thing was until we got into Gail's car. The Beast (Forest River SunSeeker 3100) took very good care of all of us. From the 110km/hour Canadian highways to the pothole stricken dirt roads it took everything we threw at it. And we took pretty good care of it, other than the time we almost drove off with the awning out and antenna still up. Not bad. Oh, actually - and that mirror thing...

After getting back 'down state' we realized how urban the area is. We really got a chance to see some beautiful parts of the world we may not get the chance to see again.



















So what started as a request by Michael to see Acadia National Park (He studied it in 5th grade) turned into one of the greatest family vacations ever. The kids were a great age for it, the places we went (for the most part) were very special and the weather even cooperated.

I will always cherish the past two weeks. For the adventure, for the great experience the kids had but most of all, for the special time Gail and I were able to spend together. She really is the best.

Thank you all for following our adventure and for your comments. The blog was really fun for all of us and i hope you enjoyed it too. (And that it wasn't the 2009 version of that slide show folks used to make their friend sit through.)

That said, there is nothing like your own bed. (your own bed.)

-EK

Saco/Old Orchard KOA, Kennebunkport

Great last day!

Beautiful weather (Sophie's hair has never been so easy to manage)!

We journeyed out of the park to Old Orchard Beach area: a beach, boardwalk, arcade, amusement-park and tons of t-shirt shops. Bought the kids skim boards for when we go to the beach back home. (They were very cheap - we expect them to fall apart the first time they try to use them.)

A little cheesey, but the kids loved it. The arcade and carnival-like rides were perfect settings for one of those creepy, suspenseful kind of movies where everyone is having fun, carnival music is playing but lurking in the shadows is some sort of disturbed guy... So like I said, the kids loved it and Evan and I enjoyed (at the time) fried clams (perfect place for them) but can't really talk about them now as it makes me a little sick.

After we had enough of that place (forever) we continued on to Kennebunkport. We looked hard for George and Laura and the gang, but to no avail. Very cute, tony town that had its share of t-shirt shops too, but at least the t-shirt sayings didn't have to be explained to the kids. "Kennebunkport" and "Maine" was pretty self-explanatory.


We made it back to our KOA by 4 and went right to the pool. Most of us swam and just had fun hanging out on our last afternoon. Sophie loves the playground and she and Cameron have played a few games of checkers up at the main house. We ordered pizza and brownie sundaes from the Merry Moose on site and the kids and Evan are now starting... our LAST fire! Evan was trying to back out of making one tonight, but that got shot down pretty quickly. Kids going to an 8:30 movie back at the Merry Moose - hopefully we'll still be awake when they get back!

There is a perky little red-head lurking around camp that keeps biking circles around us asking Michael if he will bike with her, play with her, swim with her, etc. Clearly she has not been taught what a polite brush-off sounds like.

Tonight at dinner we listed our favorite camps according to best view, most amenities, most unique, nicest kids, cleanest pool, hottest showers, etc. Hard to pick an overall winner as they all offered something that made this trip our best family vacation yet...

So Ev, we did it! You did an amazing job of planning this trip, from the RV parks, to the excursions, to driving the Beast to making fire (so manly) and for keeping us all happy, safe and together.

Thanks to all of you for following along... see you around the 'hood and beyond!

Au revoir, Canada

Another great night’s sleep under the stars (well, RV roof, then stars).

Today we left Annapolis Royal, stopping in Digby for a great breakfast. The pancakes were the size of dinner plates oozing with chocolate chips, living up to the name of the shop: A Little Bit of Heaven. We were the only patrons but think we covered their overhead for the next year or so.

We continued on to Yarmouth - a sleepy old town that was made even quieter because it’s Sunday - where we boarded the Cat Ferry back to Portland. A large vessel, mini-cruise, very sleek-looking boat that boasts a casino and 3 or 4 lounges each showing 2 movies. With Izzy safely (but probably not happy)inside the Beast, safely inside the Cat, Evan and I are in the Yarmouth Lounge waiting for 7 Pounds (Will Smith) to start - a movie!! The kids are in the adjacent lounge waiting for Bolt to begin, followed by Monsters Vs. Aliens. They have already asked for money for popcorn, pizza and apparently Cameron is on the hunt for a large party chip bag that he has spotted others enjoying. There are a bunch of different concession spots, so he is checking them all out. We told them one shareable (yeah, right) item per hour. It’s a 5-hour ride.



We decided against a whale-watch tour when we were in Digby as most outfits had said the tours were over 5 hours long because the sightings were few and far between (it's a little early - high season is end of July into August). BUT... about an hour into the Cat trip, the captain announced that there was a humpback within view. It was so cool!

After a really quick drive from the ferry in Portland we are at our final RV park - a fully-loaded (great heated pool, cute log-cabin general store, Wifi, pizza delivery, playground, game room, etc.) very woodsy KOA. We talked about a final hike tomorrow(our last full day) but may just end up at an amusement park/boardwalk/beach area. Don't worry readers, we'll let you know either way...

This Ain't No KOA

We found a really cool campground in Anapolis Royal. Got a great spot right at the waters edge off the Bay of Fundy. And thankfully no one is in front of us because there is some trash at this place. And I'm not talking about the garbage kind. I guess it was bound to happen. I am pretty sure the couple in the site next to us are brother and sister... if you know what i mean...

Anyhow - kids swam in the water and the pool, kayaked a bit and just riding bikes. They are very much looking forward to the raging fire tonight which i have become an expert at (thank you very much)



Gail is keeping us all sane and fed and having fun.

We are hoping to catch a whale watch tour tomorrow if the weather holds.

Touring NS

I write as we’re driving from The Ovens to Anapolis Royal.

We rushed through yesterday’s blog due to limited access but that leg of our journey deserves a bit more. It’s hard to put on paper (or screen) why that place was so special. Upon arrival The Ovens campsite was not impressive except for its natural surroundings. Like I said before, the bathrooms and showers were pretty tired, the pool, even the picnic tables.

But the views and vistas, trails and cliffs, water caves and climbing rocks combined with the friendliest, most down-to-earth, interesting people working there gave it a bit of magic. The cast of characters that we met at the Ol’ Miner Diner both nights could not have been scripted better. (We’re still not sure if the woman wearing reflective crossing-guard gear and a wool hat holding light bulbs was Steve’s wife, an employee or visitor) Leading the group was Steve Chapin and his son Jonathan.



They are up here from Memorial Day to Labor day entertaining folks day and night. When not serving homemade soups, suppers and desserts, as well as wine and beer, Jonathan is accompanying Steve on bass. The tunes are all 30s and 40s show tunes but with the folksy Chapin spin. The kids offered them their gold pans to autograph, our best keepsakes yet.

A day late, but sending happy birthday wishes to Gene.

Nova Scotia

Never fear, readers... we're back in blogging business!

Yesterday we left PEI and headed to Halifax. A city!! Had a little trouble parking The Beast but we ended up backing the thing into a spot (with Gail's expert navigating) right in the main section of the harbor. Halifax was a sight for sore eyes with buildings and coffee houses and crowds and pubs... oh yeah, and a pretty impressive Citadel. It was great. We took a Harbour Hopper (like a Duck Tour) and learned all about Halifax - the Halifax Explosion and lots of other interesting historic facts that are escaping me right now. Lots of colleges in Halifax and seems like a real fun place to spend some time. Sir Paul McCartney was playing an outdoor concert the next night. So we got out of there (kidding... what's with us and the incoming concerts?) We ate at the Economy Shoe Shop - really cool pub, filled our bellies and headed back to The Beast.




We continued driving to right outside of Lunenburg to a campsite called The Ovens, a natural park and RV/Camp site that is owned by the Chapin Family. Steve Chapin (Harry's brother) runs it: he is the nightly music entertainment, the breakfast maker and overall friendly boss. We arrived just in time for music and wine at the ol' miner diner (the restaurant on the property) and met some of the greatest characters on earth. Even some Brooklyn transplants! After the music and drinks the most amazing orange moon rose over the water. Our camera didn't do it justice so you will have to take our word for it.

The site itself could use a little updating - first time this trip that our RV shower is the better pick. The salt water pool left a little to be desired and we actually had to weed and form our own fire pit. Also had trouble getting the RV level but hey..

Today we ate a hearty breakfast and explored The Ovens. Really cool trail of cliffs and caves that gold diggers used in the 1800's. After the hike (yes another hike) we bought some pans and dug for gold (seriously). The kids were really excited about it and we are not sure how much real gold they found but we did have fun trying.



We then headed to LeHave (via a 3 minute ferry ride) to the artsy LeHave community where we went to a well known bakery and had the best lunch. There was a cool (but a little unfriendly) skateboard shop above it (Home Grown) Had a Half pipe on the third floor of this historic building...

Afterward we got back in the Beast and visited Hirdles Beach (thanks Jonathan Chapin for the great insiders tip). A stretch of sand bridged the ocean and a fresh water pond that the kids (including Izzy)swam in. Absolutely beautiful.


After we (tried to) remove every grain of sand off Izzy, we left and headed to Lunenburg for dinner where we now sit blogging this. On the way, we passed an alpaca farm (llama-type animal)that Evan seems to think his friend's mother owns. Only Evan!


And to the Anonymous posting about the mussels in Mamaroneck... Enjoy those, we hear they are plentiful in the L.I.Sound....( kidding.. Tell us when you want to meet us there...)

So long, PEI

Tonight is our last night in PEI... the kids are begging us to extend it another night but the park is completely booked for a huge country concert this weekend (Reba and Tim are coming...)

I've changed my mind about our neighbors - really nice people from Ontario. 3 families, and our kids have all hit it off. (Everyone ended up watching the movie last night. I couldn't believe they didn't serve popcorn!) It's the people parked a few spots from us that worry me - the guy wears pajama bottoms all day.

The Ceilidh was really fun but when I first entered the Hall I did feel like I was in a made-for-TV-movie or in an episode of Little House. Intermission was held in the basement of the Hall where they were holding a 50-50 raffle of a quilt. (Dad, I didn't win.) Cameron was chatting it up with the keyboardist, telling him that he played the cello. They may have even exchanged emails :)

Kids had new soda today: Raspberry Cordial that all of their friends insisted they try. I guess I should've checked for any alcohol content before I gave it to them. At some point they want to hit a market and buy all of the chocolate bars they can't get at home. Tracey, aeros sound familiar?

Paula, good call on the Cup o Noodles...

Evan is reading Anne of Green Gables to Sophie - a PEI classic.

Big Happy Birthday to Elizabeth! Hope you had a great day!!! Sending you birthday hugs from Canada!!

If it is Wednesday... It's Ceilidh Nite

Great day today in PEI. Sunny and 22 degrees C (that is about 72 F)

After the kids played with their new park friends (i think they love our fast talking New York youts) we went to the beautiful Cavendish Beach. really beautiful scene. soft sandy beach. frigid water. Once again Cam and Sophie braved it for a dip. Michael made an amazing sand castle and Gail and I read, napped and provided sporadic parental beach support.







Afterwards we drove The Beast to Charlottetown. The capital of PEI. I think Canada was founded in Charlottetown with The Confederation but all we found were ice cream shops and t-shirts stores. Actually that's not true, we also found an amazing mussels restaurant. Gail likes mussels and always asks me to try them. I do eat oysters and even steamers now and then but never been a mussels fan. Now i see what she was saying. We had really good mussels (I know because Gail said so) Place was called Flex Mussels and i believe they opened a restaurant in NYC so check it out next time you are in the city if mussels are your thing.

So in the Jay, MyRye.com style, here is photo of our dish. YUM!





So what is a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee)? It is a traditional Gaelic social dance originating in Ireland and Scotland and it is common throughout this area. So we went to this Ceilidh that was held in the local community hall which was built in 1848. the performance was by The Ross family (two brother and two sisters) Consisted of a violin, drums, guitar and keyboard and lots of step dancing River Dance style. The hall was filled with locals and it was a hoot. So if you ever get the chance, check out the neighborhood ceilidh. I hope they didn't mind me parking The Beast on the front lawn of the Hall...

So one more thing before I sign off for the night... Evan and I decided to take Iz to the dog walk one more time for the night and were gone for maybe 12 minutes. Upon our return, there were a gaggle of kids in front of our RV watching Cam and Mike play swing ball (aahhh, Avalon). It's like Teen Night at the YMCA, only there's no texting going on.

And this is probably to our neighbor's dismay as they have just started their feature film for the night on a FULL SCREEN that those miles away can see and hear! What are they watching, you ask? RV, of course!

You all know this is what you were waiting to hear...

G'night!

That darn fire... again

Ate lunch at an outdoor eatery called the Sandbox. Swings at the bar, sandbox inside for kids to entertain themselves. No dogs allowed on the deck, so Izzy waited patiently for
us.





Took the kids to a very small amusement park down the road today. It was a throwback to I don't know when, but it was all very civilized and sweet and the main attraction, the "Cyclone" only sounded like tin cans once in a while. They had a blast. I couldn't watch them on the Go-Karts, as Cameron was in the lead and was not about to give it up.



On the way back, stopped at the petting farm where Sophie pet the kittens and goat, cow and pigs. As quaint as it sounds, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Tracey, remember that instant bbq you gave me - almost made chicken kebobs on them tonight. Had to finish them off in the microwave, but still had that good charcoal taste (tho the kids hated that charcoal taste so it was pasta with butter and chips and salsa for them).

Not loving our KOA neighbors, tho can't really put a finger on why. Maybe it's the music blasting from their truck, or maybe I'm just jealous that they made scallops and mussels in their fish fry. It's almost like they have a circus RV - 2 people go in, 7 come out.

Kids just left to participate in a scavenger hunt. Beforehand, Cameron took a hayride through the woods where he said stuffed animals were placed all around and they had to count them. Apparently he made friends, because when we were eating dinner, 3 16-year-old girls walked by and greeted, "Hi Caaaaaameron!"

And as usual.... the fire is now a full blaze. S'mores anyone?

KOA, PEI

As Evan said it was a long day. A very long day of passing through towns that hosted a post office, a strawberry stand and a fish cake and bean supper on Sundays. The landscape and terrain were beautiful indeed but give me something to look at other than cows and grass - a strip mall, a factory... anything!

The drive was hopefully our longest one we'll make which is a good thing because we all were a little cranky especially when we were driving through construction and on v. bumpy roads (I really thought the TV was going to come crashing off the wall) and couldn't find a gas station for a good bit. Probably not one of our finer moments.

Hopewell Rocks was a cool stop-over tho I think the kids liked the golf cart ride down to the rocks better than the actual rocks.

This KOA in PEI is bigger than the last, with lots of things for the kids (jumpy pillow, huge playground, petting zoo, hayrides, pool, etc) We are not directly on the beach but it is a close walk as is Adventure Land (boardwalk, shops, restaurants, games, rides, water park). We are setting out soon to explore - took the morning off and relaxed at camp. It will be nice to leave the Beast parked for a couple of days.

Congratulations to the Fogartys - can't wait to meet Lex!

The Jump

Long day of driving yesterday. About 450 miles. Some of it along a very bumpy route 1 along the coast of Maine. (Yes David - there was some shouting)

We stopped to feed The Beast and Gail asked the woman behind the counter if there was a Dunkin Dounuts near by (makes you proud, right susan?) The lady laughed and said "Dear, you are at the end of the earth, there ain't nothin like that out here." She should have asked for a Starbucks...

So the glutton i am, I made the trip even longer by taking detour to the Hopewell Rocks. It is very cool rock formation left by the eroding sandstone along the Bay of Fundy. The highest tides in the world are in the Bay of Fundy (about 40-50feet!) Fortunately we were there at low tide so we got to walk the ocean floor around the rocks. Looked a little like Easter island heads...



Izzy was afraid of the step going down so i had to carry her...

Then on to Prince Edward Island. Crossed a very long bride (Confederation Bridge- about 7 miles long. Saw some amazing rainbows along the drive.

Then we crossed the island a bit to get to Cavendish Beach just before dark. (it is an hour ahead up here)




Park looks like a ton of fun for the kids. Jumping pillow etc. Not as scenic as the last park but we are across the street from the National Park and beach.




Beautiful and sunny today about 20 degrees C