So, we are slowly re-adapting to life in the city with sidewalks, street lights, manicured lawns, and civilized clothing ... ugh !!
For those of you who are numbers-crunchers and/or planning your own trip to the Rock, here are the stats for this trip:
Time away - 23 days
Total spent - 2,993.98
Average cost per day - 130.17
Total Misc - 581.23
Total Accommodations (Camping Fees) - 622.26
Total Groceries - 487.35
Total Eating Out (4 meals only) - 152.11
Total Tolls - 21.30
Total Gas - 1,129.73
Litres Gas Used - 990.11
Total Kilometres Driven - 6,628
We ate out very little, always packing sandwiches/picnic lunch before we headed out for the day, and cooking supper when we arrived at a campsite. We estimate that by doing so, we saved about $90 per day, which would have added up to about $2,070 over the course of the trip.
There were about 5 nights where we didn't have to pay camping fees while we were at Arnie or Dieter's places.
A few factors which made this trip a little more pricey than expected were: 1) prices of everything in Newfoundland, and 2) price of gas in Canada compared to our usual trips in the USA. In Newfoundland the price of gas was around $1.29 per litre. At the moment the price in the US is around $2.10 per gallon.
Nevertheless it was totally worth every penny and I heartily recommend this trip to Newfoundland to anyone! Just do it !
Monday, September 5, 2016
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Home Again
The last day of vacation! It always goes so fast, but it has been great!
We woke to brilliant blue skies, a little chilly at 9 C., but we had the promise of 25 C for later.
It was sad to leave Dieter and Heather because we had such a good time yesterday! But Heather sent us off with a scrumptious Stoker Bay breakfast, some good conversation, and hugs, so all was good!! Thanks again to both Heather and Dieter for their generous hospitality and a very fun weekend! Nic left just before we did, off to see his lady, Brooklyn, and then take in the CNE with her.
We stopped in Pickering to see my old friend and Karl's new friend, Joe Kulscar. He just had a knee replacement a few weeks ago and from what we saw he is doing great.
And from there it was just the road home. Both of us antsy to get there after 22 days away!
We met up with our friends, Barry and Ann, as we unpacked. They are the good folks who watched over our home while we were gone. Many thanks!!
And so our grand adventure to Newfoundland has come to an end. Many thanks to those of you who have journeyed with us through our blog. We wish you peace, happiness, and many adventures of your own.
We woke to brilliant blue skies, a little chilly at 9 C., but we had the promise of 25 C for later.
It was sad to leave Dieter and Heather because we had such a good time yesterday! But Heather sent us off with a scrumptious Stoker Bay breakfast, some good conversation, and hugs, so all was good!! Thanks again to both Heather and Dieter for their generous hospitality and a very fun weekend! Nic left just before we did, off to see his lady, Brooklyn, and then take in the CNE with her.
We stopped in Pickering to see my old friend and Karl's new friend, Joe Kulscar. He just had a knee replacement a few weeks ago and from what we saw he is doing great.
And from there it was just the road home. Both of us antsy to get there after 22 days away!
We met up with our friends, Barry and Ann, as we unpacked. They are the good folks who watched over our home while we were gone. Many thanks!!
And so our grand adventure to Newfoundland has come to an end. Many thanks to those of you who have journeyed with us through our blog. We wish you peace, happiness, and many adventures of your own.
Stoker Bay, Day 2
September 3
Today was truly an ideal cottage day! Can't think of a better way to end our summer vacation!
Beautiful sunshine and balmy temperatures, the kind that make you want summer to go on forever!!
By the time we were all up and moving around this morning, Nic had arrived from Mississauga. We had a leisurely breakfast of muffins, fruit, and yoghurt. (Thank you Heather💕 ) Great chance to catch up on each other's lives and just chat.
We spent the morning playing a bean bag toss game (in teams), somewhat like horseshoes, that had us all laughing. It was quite the feat to toss the bags onto a small platform, let alone into the hole to score a "ringer". It seemed that the more elaborate the arm-swing and dance routine in throwing, the better the result..... Too funny!
Dieter, who really is quite the BBQ chef, had a pork shoulder roast that looked about 10 lb. and started it on his smoker late in the morning to cook slowly. It was funny to watch him with Karl and Nic bent over the BBQ checking it all out ... guess this is serious business for guys LOL!
I noticed that Dieter was wearing a tee shirt, with "I Swam Buck Naked in Buck Lake" on it. Hmmmm.... After lunch, we donned our suits and climbed onto Dieter's pontoon boat for a tour of Buck Lake. We stopped in a sheltered cove and dove off the boat for a swim. Of course Karl and Nic swam off a bit and before long twirled their bathing suits overhead to prove that they could match Dieter's feat!
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing more of the bean bag toss and just visiting. It was so great to have the Euler family together!
Nic had planned to bring his lady-friend Brooklyn with him, but she couldn't get off work this evening. He sent so many texts and pictures about all the fun we were having that I felt sorry for the poor girl. Only at supper time did we learn that work was slow today and they sent her home! She was more than upset, having missed a lot of fun, and by then it was too late for her to come and join us.
Supper was delicious, the roast turned out great, and Heather matched it up with potato salad (among Karl's favourites), beets (among Karl's favourites), devilled eggs (among Karl's favourites) and lots more.. we were all stuffed!
About a half hour later I saw Nic sitting on the end of the dock, gazing at the sunset so I challenged him to a swim. Dieter joined us, we swam half-way way across the lake with just enough daylight to get back to the dock where Karl and Heather were waiting, cameras in hand.
Heather brought out a yummy birthday cake for dessert (Nic will be 35 on Friday), then topped it off with a gift from them, a tee shirt with, "I swam Buck Naked in Buck Lake!" Now how do you suppose Dieter and Heather knew he would do that?
Since they knew Karl would do it too, they had a certificate ready for him ...perhaps we'll make it into a tee shirt too!
We had a campfire, watched the stars for a while and then headed off to bed. Truly a great day!!!
Oh, as I write this, we can hear the people in Camp Walleye, just across the lake, sitting around their campfire, playing guitar and singing (very loudly) off-key, but, what the heck ... summers last blast!
Today was truly an ideal cottage day! Can't think of a better way to end our summer vacation!
Beautiful sunshine and balmy temperatures, the kind that make you want summer to go on forever!!
By the time we were all up and moving around this morning, Nic had arrived from Mississauga. We had a leisurely breakfast of muffins, fruit, and yoghurt. (Thank you Heather💕 ) Great chance to catch up on each other's lives and just chat.
We spent the morning playing a bean bag toss game (in teams), somewhat like horseshoes, that had us all laughing. It was quite the feat to toss the bags onto a small platform, let alone into the hole to score a "ringer". It seemed that the more elaborate the arm-swing and dance routine in throwing, the better the result..... Too funny!
Dieter, who really is quite the BBQ chef, had a pork shoulder roast that looked about 10 lb. and started it on his smoker late in the morning to cook slowly. It was funny to watch him with Karl and Nic bent over the BBQ checking it all out ... guess this is serious business for guys LOL!
I noticed that Dieter was wearing a tee shirt, with "I Swam Buck Naked in Buck Lake" on it. Hmmmm.... After lunch, we donned our suits and climbed onto Dieter's pontoon boat for a tour of Buck Lake. We stopped in a sheltered cove and dove off the boat for a swim. Of course Karl and Nic swam off a bit and before long twirled their bathing suits overhead to prove that they could match Dieter's feat!
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing more of the bean bag toss and just visiting. It was so great to have the Euler family together!
Nic had planned to bring his lady-friend Brooklyn with him, but she couldn't get off work this evening. He sent so many texts and pictures about all the fun we were having that I felt sorry for the poor girl. Only at supper time did we learn that work was slow today and they sent her home! She was more than upset, having missed a lot of fun, and by then it was too late for her to come and join us.
Supper was delicious, the roast turned out great, and Heather matched it up with potato salad (among Karl's favourites), beets (among Karl's favourites), devilled eggs (among Karl's favourites) and lots more.. we were all stuffed!
About a half hour later I saw Nic sitting on the end of the dock, gazing at the sunset so I challenged him to a swim. Dieter joined us, we swam half-way way across the lake with just enough daylight to get back to the dock where Karl and Heather were waiting, cameras in hand.
Heather brought out a yummy birthday cake for dessert (Nic will be 35 on Friday), then topped it off with a gift from them, a tee shirt with, "I swam Buck Naked in Buck Lake!" Now how do you suppose Dieter and Heather knew he would do that?
Since they knew Karl would do it too, they had a certificate ready for him ...perhaps we'll make it into a tee shirt too!
We had a campfire, watched the stars for a while and then headed off to bed. Truly a great day!!!
Oh, as I write this, we can hear the people in Camp Walleye, just across the lake, sitting around their campfire, playing guitar and singing (very loudly) off-key, but, what the heck ... summers last blast!
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Stoker Bay, ON (near Belleville)
Sept. 2nd
Last night the skies cleared over our little part of Montreal and you could see stars, the Big and Little Dippers, Cassiopeia, and Orion, to name only a few. We made a campfire and watched it until only embers were left. Moments like this are what holidays are all about.
We woke after a great sleep (it seems the trains didn't run past the park last night). Beautiful blue skies and warm ... who could ask for more?
Today was a short day travelling, but we had to make a stop in Brockville to pick up food for Max, so we decided to have a picnic in the waterside park by the St Laurence, right next to the Brockville Yacht Club. Pretty spot, but couldn't find a place to park with the camper other than those spots specifically reserved for boat trailers. We figured, 20 minutes, what could happen? Happily Karl saw the policeman just before he left a ticket, and, with sandwich in hand, explained that we would be gone in 20 minutes. The cop took pity on us and relented. Perhaps a good thing Karl was wearing his police choir jacket ... nothing was said, but it may have helped ... LOL!
From Brockville the drive was through the country side-roads, no highways. Just lots of cute little towns, trees, and lakes. With almost every bend in the road you could feel the cottage feeling get stronger. I love to travel and the other provinces are beautiful, but, to me, Ontario is God's Country.
We arrived at Stoker Bay just after 4 this afternoon. Dieter helped set up the camper beside their cottage, in the prettiest campsite overlooking the lake. By far the nicest site we've had this trip, and no trains!
We gave Dieter his birthday presents: a bottle of Newfoundland Screech, and a barbecue apron with Newfie sayings on it. He was thrilled with both, especially the Screech. It got Karl and Dieter remembering another episode years ago that included Dieter and a bottle of Demerara Rum and a bush ... LOL!
Most enjoyable time spent visiting with Dieter and Heather. We were treated to a huge yummy barbecue supper ... corn on the cob, and super-king-size stuffed burgers.
Incredible sunset over the lake, and another day of our holiday has come and gone. Tomorrow we look forward to Nic's arrival and a swim in the lake.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Montreal, PQ
Well, our 'gypsy' days are nearing the end. Karl groaned this morning about disconnecting and setting up of the camper "yet again" and, horrors, I saw a few red leaves in the campground today. Sigh... perhaps it's time,
A little road weary perhaps, we hit the road this morning, leaving our picture perfect campsite in Quebec City for a new one just West of Montreal. (another KOA ... no point taking too many chances LOL!)
Cooler today, about 23 C., but mostly sunny, so it was a nice drive. Our aim was to cut the drive home from Quebec into 2 short, relaxing days. We stopped for a picnic lunch in a Walmart parking lot and then wandered the aisles looking for supper ideas.
We arrived at the KOA in Montreal West about 3 pm. What a beautiful park, "we thought", and then we realized that although we had come far off the highway along some pretty country roads to get here, the campground is actually right beside another highway. And then we heard the trains that run right on the other side of the highway! I asked at the office and was told that some nights they run 3 times (blowing their horn for a few minutes each time they cross the road behind us) and other nights not at all. We can only hope tonight is a 'not at all' night, sigh.
Otherwise, the park is perfect! We have some steak and sweet potatoes in our instant pot and plan to have a campfire tonight. Like they say, when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!
PS. I just heard another low flying plane perhaps landing or just taking off... could we also be near an airport?
Tomorrow we head for the Belleville area to meet Karl's brother and son for the day Saturday (and you too, Heather!). If all goes well, we'll do the last leg of our homeward trip on Sunday.
A little road weary perhaps, we hit the road this morning, leaving our picture perfect campsite in Quebec City for a new one just West of Montreal. (another KOA ... no point taking too many chances LOL!)
Cooler today, about 23 C., but mostly sunny, so it was a nice drive. Our aim was to cut the drive home from Quebec into 2 short, relaxing days. We stopped for a picnic lunch in a Walmart parking lot and then wandered the aisles looking for supper ideas.
We arrived at the KOA in Montreal West about 3 pm. What a beautiful park, "we thought", and then we realized that although we had come far off the highway along some pretty country roads to get here, the campground is actually right beside another highway. And then we heard the trains that run right on the other side of the highway! I asked at the office and was told that some nights they run 3 times (blowing their horn for a few minutes each time they cross the road behind us) and other nights not at all. We can only hope tonight is a 'not at all' night, sigh.
Otherwise, the park is perfect! We have some steak and sweet potatoes in our instant pot and plan to have a campfire tonight. Like they say, when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!
PS. I just heard another low flying plane perhaps landing or just taking off... could we also be near an airport?
Tomorrow we head for the Belleville area to meet Karl's brother and son for the day Saturday (and you too, Heather!). If all goes well, we'll do the last leg of our homeward trip on Sunday.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Levis PQ, Day 2
Although everything was wet when we woke this morning, the clouds cleared to beautiful sunshine by 10 am. Not too warm, about 20 C., perfect for doing a walking tour of old Quebec!
We started off by looking for a street Karl remembered from 40 years ago, Rue Sous-Le-Cap. Our GPS took us within a few blocks but it still took a bit of looking to find it. It is so small and narrow that a large car could not drive through it. It seems like a back alley now, and yet it truly is an inhabited street. 3-storey old apartments. Beautifully decorated with bright paint and flowers, I can see why Karl wanted to go back!
Old Quebec reminds me so much of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The houses and buildings just reek of history, so well maintained and brightly painted that you could imagine yourself back in the 1700's when Canada's history was happening!
One difference might be the music in New Orleans. There, Jazz echoed from almost every street corner, but in Quebec, today there was just a lone Harpist. Still, the music was hauntingly beautiful.
So much to see, you could probably spend a week checking it all out! We wandered along streets that felt right out of history. Everywhere we turned we saw many quaint little artists shops and gorgeous paintings as brightly coloured as their surroundings. Add to that the street cafes on almost every corner, it looks like something right out of France.
We were stopped so many times by people wanting to pet or ask about Max. He was a very popular dog! One man, Pierre, well-versed in cockapoos, also had a cockapoo and was just enchanted with Max. He and Karl really seemed to "click" and spoke at length, even discussing their old Navy days, and the Québécois attitude to the other Canadians. If all of them were like Pierre, all would be okay!
Our stroll took us up some really steep hills full of artistic shops that came up to the Chateau Frontenac as well as the touristy area overlooking the St Laurence. Almost every building or house had a plaque telling you who lived there or what was its significance for Upper Canada.
We actually stood in the area where parts of the Confederation of Canada was signed!!
Slightly foot weary, we traced our steps to the car, and after checking out Quebec's version of an open air market (fresh corn for supper, yum) we found a park overlooking the St Laurence and had a picnic lunch. (The cafes were tempting, but don't always appreciate Max the way we do)
We wandered along the river for a bit and then opted to check out The Battlefields Park. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought there. The "field" looked like an overly large football field, but when we read the info boards, it turns out that the battleground was actually the entire upper Quebec promontory, so much bigger. Almost 100 years ago, they built a Park on part of the actual site and added lots of buildings etc. to tell the story. It likely would have taken us all week to check it all out!
Again the history is everywhere and, this trip, the people of Quebec have been really kind and welcoming to us.
So we returned to our campsite tired but happy, it was a good day!
Oh, by the way, as I write this it is raining again! 🙄🙄
We started off by looking for a street Karl remembered from 40 years ago, Rue Sous-Le-Cap. Our GPS took us within a few blocks but it still took a bit of looking to find it. It is so small and narrow that a large car could not drive through it. It seems like a back alley now, and yet it truly is an inhabited street. 3-storey old apartments. Beautifully decorated with bright paint and flowers, I can see why Karl wanted to go back!
Old Quebec reminds me so much of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The houses and buildings just reek of history, so well maintained and brightly painted that you could imagine yourself back in the 1700's when Canada's history was happening!
One difference might be the music in New Orleans. There, Jazz echoed from almost every street corner, but in Quebec, today there was just a lone Harpist. Still, the music was hauntingly beautiful.
So much to see, you could probably spend a week checking it all out! We wandered along streets that felt right out of history. Everywhere we turned we saw many quaint little artists shops and gorgeous paintings as brightly coloured as their surroundings. Add to that the street cafes on almost every corner, it looks like something right out of France.
We were stopped so many times by people wanting to pet or ask about Max. He was a very popular dog! One man, Pierre, well-versed in cockapoos, also had a cockapoo and was just enchanted with Max. He and Karl really seemed to "click" and spoke at length, even discussing their old Navy days, and the Québécois attitude to the other Canadians. If all of them were like Pierre, all would be okay!
Our stroll took us up some really steep hills full of artistic shops that came up to the Chateau Frontenac as well as the touristy area overlooking the St Laurence. Almost every building or house had a plaque telling you who lived there or what was its significance for Upper Canada.
We actually stood in the area where parts of the Confederation of Canada was signed!!
Slightly foot weary, we traced our steps to the car, and after checking out Quebec's version of an open air market (fresh corn for supper, yum) we found a park overlooking the St Laurence and had a picnic lunch. (The cafes were tempting, but don't always appreciate Max the way we do)
We wandered along the river for a bit and then opted to check out The Battlefields Park. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought there. The "field" looked like an overly large football field, but when we read the info boards, it turns out that the battleground was actually the entire upper Quebec promontory, so much bigger. Almost 100 years ago, they built a Park on part of the actual site and added lots of buildings etc. to tell the story. It likely would have taken us all week to check it all out!
Again the history is everywhere and, this trip, the people of Quebec have been really kind and welcoming to us.
So we returned to our campsite tired but happy, it was a good day!
Oh, by the way, as I write this it is raining again! 🙄🙄
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Levis PQ
As I write these words, it's 9:30 pm, back on good ol' EDT. In the past 2 days, we have traversed 3 time zones, so the numbers do not mean the same thing to my body as they may to my head... lol!
We left our campsite in Sussex, New Brunswick, this morning with the goal of stopping in Edmundston, N.B. tonight. In the interest of having more "non-raining" time in Quebec City, we decided to carry on to Levis, Que. rather than stopping.
The result was a long day of driving, sigh. Good and bad of course! Karl and I alternate driving every 2 hours, "usually", so neither of us get too tired. Trick is that I am not good at backing up with the trailer, or getting out of tight spaces, so Karl often gets a bit more time behind the wheel. (but he does not do much of the kitchen thing so perhaps it works out 😀)
We actually got a chance to do some fishing today, or at least to dream a bit. Check out the picture for today's blog! At a truck stop no less!!
Another day of quick stops and a picnic lunch in the back parking lot of a truck stop. We finally made it to the Levis KOA (just a few miles from Quebec City) by about 7 pm. And then realized we had nothing for supper! It's always fun trying to look for a grocery store when none of the signs are in English. We persevered and found an IGA, with rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, and wedgie fries. Supper was at long last on the table for 9 pm. Sigh....
But it will be worth it tomorrow because we'll have a chance to check out Old Quebec City.
Karl just left to walk Max and it's raining again - it has rained, just a bit off and on all day.
Here's hoping that Murphy (Murphy's Law) will give us a break tomorrow!
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