May 31, 2006

May 31, 2006

Rocky Harbour to Trout River & return, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 348

 

Today was sunny and mild. First really nice day we've had since arriving in Newfoundland 10 days ago.

This morning we went to the restaurant adjacent to the campground to try a Newfoundland specialty for breakfast. We had toutons ( rhymes with "COW tins" ). They are sort of like very thick pancakes, made with bread dough. When they bake bread, they always keep some risen bread dough to use to make toutons. They flatten out a piece of bread dough until it's like a patty, then fry it like a pancake. It's served with molasses. Or, for mainlanders like us, with syrup. Molasses must be an acquired taste. I asked our waitress what is the use of seal oil ? She said it has 2 uses. It's used as a substitute for kerosene, for heating and lighting, as I guessed. And it's also used to "grease" the wooden planks that boats are hauled up on for the winter.

After breakfast we headed off for a day of exploring Gros Morne National Park. We drove back southeast on Hwy. 430 to Wiltondale, then turned northwest on Hwy. 431. We stopped at the Interpretive Centre 2/3 of the way up Hwy. 431. It wasn't particularly interesting. It looked like an expensive make work project for Parks Canada university student summer employees. We tried something new with Bo that seemed to work out well. We didn't want to leave Bo in the truck, in the sun. Lanoire's interior gets very hot, very fast. Sometimes we leave him in the truck with the engine running, and the air conditioner on, but there is some risk with that. Today I parked at the far end of the parking lot, in the last parking stall, with grass behind and beside the truck. I tethered him to the trailer hitch under the rear bumper with a tie out chain, and we left him tied there to the back of the truck while we inside the Interpretive Centre. We only stayed inside for 10 minutes, to see how he would react to being left tied to the back of the truck. When we came out, he was lying quietly in the shade under the rear of the truck. Good dog, Bo. Maybe that will be a viable option for leaving him for short periods of time.

We continued up Hwy. 431, stopping at the area known as Tablelands. It's an area of mountainous tundra, with some glaciers high up in the mountains, and glacial streams running down. From Tablelands we drove to the end of Hwy.431, just beyond the village of Trout River. The road ends at Trout River Pond ( Newfie for "Lake" ) where the Trout River begins it's short journey to the Gulf Of St. Lawrence. We took some photos, then drove back through the village looking for a restaurant to have a late lunch. Nothing in Trout River appealed to us, so we drove back to the village of Woody Point on Bonne Bay. There we had a very late lunch in a café, after driving through the little village, sightseeing and taking photos. We started our lunch out on the patio overlooking the bay, with Bo beside us, but the wind off the bay was cold, so we put him back in the truck, and went inside to have our lunch. I regret buying Joanne a walking stick yesterday. The café was selling locally made walking sticks that were nicer than the one I bought yesterday, for the same price. Darn ! Story of my life !

After lunch we drove to Norris Point, then took an alternate route back to Rocky Point. We stopped in the village of Rocky Point, before going back to the campground. Joanne wanted to shop at a store she saw an advertisement for. It was an interesting general store selling, amongst other things, locally hand made wool sweaters, socks, and mitts, and locally home made wild berry jellies. I was going to buy some partridgeberry jelly, but didn't. We will be travelling north from here, and have seen advertisements for 2 specialty stores along our route north that will likely be better choices for purchasing locally made wild berry jams and jellies. We walked across the street to a local bakery and bought some fresh Newfoundland style bread, and some partridgeberry crumble dessert. MMMMM ! ! ! Newfoundland has a strange way of baking bread. They put 3 pieces of dough into a bread pan, so each loaf of bread is like 3 little loaves stuck together.

We returned to the trailer late in the afternoon. Bo was exhausted from his day of exploring. He's always so eager to get in the truck and go "drivey", and equally eager to get out of the truck to go hiking and exploring. He's so enthusiastic about life's adventures, that he's always worn out at the end of the day. Joanne changed the supper she had planned to make, to take advantage of the fresh bread we had just bought. I downloaded and processed today's photos, did today's accounting, then worked on this journal entry.

After supper I went out to the truck to do some reading of the owner's manual. Now that we've had the truck for a month, I can read the owner's manual and make some sense of the truck's "bells and whistles". At 9:00 P.M., as the sun was setting we went "moose hunting". We drove slowly south on Hwy. 430 looking for moose. This area of Gros Morne National Park has a healthy moose population, and they can often be seen feeding alongside the road late in the evening.

Bo saw a moose ! BO SAW A MOOSE ! ! ! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF ! ! ! BO SAW A MOOSE ! ! !

We drove south for about 15 minutes when we spotted a male moose eating leaves off a tree on the side of the road. After viewing him for a minute or two, we turned around to head back to the campground. On the way back, we spotted another one, a female. She was much more "shy", and headed off into the bush when we stopped to watch her.

I'm going to the laundry room in a few minutes to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, update my blog, and most importantly, retrieve month end investment data updates.

DSK

May 30, 2006

May 30, 2006

Leading Tickles to Rocky Harbour, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 347

 

Today started out raining and cold in Leading Tickles, and ended up sunny and cool in Rocky Harbour.

This morning we delayed our departure preparations awhile waiting for the heavy rain to diminish. When it finally did, we prepared for departure and left Leading Tickles, travelling 66 brutal kms. south back to TCH 1. They need to improve the secondary roads here in Newfoundland if they want tourists to visit ! We travelled west, then north, then west on TCH 1 stopping for lunch at South Brook. I noticed that the service stations in the coastal outports sell seal oil by the gallon. I wonder what it's used for ? Could it be a substitute for kerosene ?

After lunch Joanne drove while I napped in the passenger's seat. I awoke when the phone rang. It was my asshole doctor ( in more ways then one ! ) finally returning my phone call from 5 days ago. He had the pathology report from the biopsies taken during my colonoscopy. All is well, relatively speaking. Great ! And that, dear old chap, concludes our relationship, forever more ! Goodbye to you, Dr. Champion !

Joanne drove to Deer Lake where we stopped to refill with diesel. From there we turned north onto Hwy. 430 leading to Gros Morne National Park. When we entered the park, we stopped at the Visitor Centre. I went in to get some information on the national park while Joanne walked Bo. In the gift shop attached to the Visitor Centre there were Newfoundland produced walking sticks for sale. I bought one for Joanne. T'was only fair since I broke her walking stick recently. Shortly after leaving the Visitor Centre we saw a male and female moose on the side of the road. Quite an impressive antler rack on the male !

We drove a short distance further to the town of Rocky Harbour, and found Rocky Harbour RV Campground. We got set up in our site, then chatted with some other campers in the campground. They are from Kitchener, Ontario. They retired and started full time RV'ing about a month ago. It's the first time since our first night in Newfoundland 9 days ago that we have been in a campground where there are other campers besides us. We walked around the campground to find the laundry and Wi-Fi room, then drove into town to buy a few groceries. After buying groceries we drove around the town of Rocky Harbour to sightsee. It's a little larger than most of the towns in Newfoundland we've seen, and since it's in a national park, there are quite a few tourist related businesses. I noticed that the local restaurants advertise home made moose soup. As opposed to Campbell's Moose Soup ? ! ?

We returned to the trailer, and while Joanne prepared supper, I downloaded and processed today's photos, then took Bo for an obedience walk. After supper I did today's accounting and journal entry while Joanne washed dishes, then planned our day tomorrow. We'll explore Gros Morne National Park by road tomorrow, without the trailer. Joanne wanted to do some laundry, so we walked down to the laundry room, and while she did laundry, I got online with Wi-Fi.

When we walked back to the trailer at 10:20 P.M., there was enough twilight to enable us to see. I guess we're quite far north.

DSK

May 29, 2006

May 29, 2006

Terra Nova National Park to Leading Tickles, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 346

 

Today was partially sunny, and cool.

This morning we prepared for departure from Terra Nova National Park, drove over to the dumping station and emptied the waste holding tanks, then drove over to the water fill station and refilled the fresh water tank. Only in a national park would the waste dumping station and water refill station be in 2 different locations !

We drove north, then east on the Trans Canada Hwy. 1, stopping in Gander to fill up with diesel. At Bishop's Falls we turned north onto Hwy. 350. We stopped for lunch, and photos, at a municipal picnic area in the village of Point Leamington, on the Mill River. We continued north on Hwy. 350, a narrow, winding, poor road. It took us quite awhile to reach the end of the road, at the village of Leading Tickles, on Notre Dame Bay.

We drove through the tiny village, and found the campground on the other side of town ... kind of where the road ends ... kind of at the end of the world, it seemed. The lovely municipal campground was deserted. We parked in a campsite with the beach and ocean right behind the trailer, surrounded by cliffs. We found the washroom / shower building was locked, and the hydro at our campsite wasn't working. Joanne phoned the number in the campground guide for this campground, and a lady came out from town to turn on the power and unlock the washrooms and showers for us. Guess they don't get many tourists up here at this time of the year.

We went for a walk on the beach. Bo drank salty sea water, then ate a sand dollar he found on the beach. Bad dog, Bo ! Guess that's going to screw up your digestive tract for a day or two, won't it, Bo ? ! ? We hiked up the very steep, lung and calf burning ascent to Bear Head Lookout, to see the view of the bay, the village nearby, lots of cliffs, and inlets, and far out into the ocean. Too early for whales, and, unfortunately, no icebergs visible today. We're hoping to see an iceberg.

We had a terrible scare with Teddy. We couldn't find him when we returned to the trailer. Joanne couldn't remember having him in her arms when she extended the slides, as is the procedure. We called and called for him, becoming more frantic, imagining that he might have been under the bed slide when it extended, and been crushed to death. We recently read a story in an RV magazine about exactly that happening. He was indeed under the bed slide, and we don't know if he climbed in there after Joanne extended the slides, or was he under there before she extended the slides ? ! ?

We had a cup of hot chocolate to warm up and calm down after the scare with Teddy. I did today's accounting, and Joanne took Bo for an off leash obedience session. He did well. Earlier when we walked along the beach, and then hiked up the cliff, we allowed him to be off leash. He was pretty wild, although he always stayed within sight of us, and returned when called. Now if I could just get him to stop eating crap off the beach !

While Joanne prepared supper, I attempted to repair the cutlery drawer. I removed the broken drawer slide hardware, and installed the new hardware I bought a few days ago in St. John's. It didn't fit / didn't work. < sigh > How discouraging. I removed the new hardware and reinstalled the old, broken hardware. Now I've got $20 worth of drawer slide hardware that's useless to me, and it can't be returned for a refund. We're many hundreds of miles from where we bought it. I guess the lesson to be learned from that is to install things that I buy in the parking lot of where I buy them, to ensure that they work, or if not, get a refund.

After supper we went for a walk on the beach, beach combing, and watching the sun set. We found mussels, spiny shelled and smooth shelled sand dollars, crab pieces, lobster pieces, lobster trap pieces, fishing net, and lots of interesting drift wood. The sun was shining brightly, the wind had died down, and it seemed warmer at sunset than it had this afternoon. The scenery was spectacular ! ! ! It would have to be to justify the journey on the bad roads to get here !

I spent the late part of the evening drinking tea while I downloaded and processed today's photos, sitting at the dinette table, looking out the rear window of the trailer at the dark bay, listening to the surf crash.

DSK

May 28, 2006

May 28, 2006

Bonavista to Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 345

 

Last night's "blizzard" blew itself out overnight. This morning was cloudy and cold. The afternoon was sunny and cool. The evening was cloudy with light rain.

When I woke this morning my backache was about 90 % improved. It remained that way throughout the day. I guess that back ache medication worked. I'll take more tonight at bed time.

This morning we departed Paradise Farm Trailer Park, drove into and through the town of Bonavista, then up to Cape Bonavista. We drove along a gravel road to the "Dungeon", a collapsed sea cave with an archway carved by the sea. The drive along the gravel road was through pastures filled with cows, horses, and sheep. Bo liked it a lot ! Next stop was right at the cape, where John Cabot landed in 1497. I think there was a question about that on the grade 6 history exam ( that I failed ! ). We drove back down and into the town of Bonavista.

We spent the rest of the morning, and half the afternoon visiting Ryan Premises, a restored 19th century industrial salt fish complex of warehouses and a proprietor's house on Bonavista harbour. It's a multiple building historical museum operated by Parks Canada. It was the fish processing, warehousing, and merchant businesses, and residence of a Newfoundland entrepreneur by the name of Mr. John Ryan .We learned a lot about cod fishing, and small town living, and small town commerce in Newfoundland in the late 19th century. We learned that we were closer to Ireland than we were to Thunder Bay, Ontario. We took a lunch break part way through, and had lunch at Skipper's, a restaurant adjacent to the National Historic Site.

We finally got to experience some traditional Newfoundland food in a restaurant, where we could get some guidance and explanations. We started with Newfoundland Pea Soup With Duff ( a large dumpling ). I had salt cod cakes. They're made by mashing salt cod with potatoes and onions, forming them into patties, and frying them. The salt cod cakes were accompanied by pickled rhubarb. For dessert we shared a piece of Bakeapple ( a wild berry ) Cheesecake.

We listened to the National Parks tour guide whining at some other tourists about the moratorium imposed by the federal government on cod fishing in 1992 that resulted in the closure of the fish processing plant that she worked at. She considered herself fortunate that after 5 years of unemployment, she finally found work with Parks Canada as a tour guide at Ryan's Premises National Historic Site. Many of her friends are still unemployed, waiting for the cod stocks to replenish. It's been 14 years, folks ! Get off your asses ! We have, unfortunately, formed the opinion that some of Newfoundland's social reputations are well deserved. Most people here seem to think that, if they are employed, employment means working for 3 to 5 months per year, then collecting "pogey" for 7 to 9 months. There is no forestry industry here, despite the obvious natural resources. There is no aquaculture, just constant whining about the depleted natural fishery stocks. Their tourism industry is very weak, despite much to attract tourists.

We finished touring Ryan Premises National Historic Site and left Bonavista about 3:00 P.M.. We drove southwest along the northern coast of the Bonavista Peninsula on Hwy. 235, then Hwy. 233 back to the Trans-Canada. We drove north along TCH 1 to Terra Nova National Park. We arrived about 5:30 P.M. and got settled into a campsite at Newman Sound Campground.

I rested, and had a cup of tea. I was feeling a bit run down because I have a cold. I started working on today's journal entry while Joanne took advantage of a lull in the rain to take Bo for an obedience session. I did today's accounting. We went for a walk around the campground, but it started raining. While Joanne prepared supper, I downloaded and processed today's photos. After supper I did a monthly backup of all computer files to CD.

DSK

May 27, 2006

May 27, 2006

Bellevue Beach to Bonavista, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 344

 

The day started out cold and cloudy with intermittent light rain. By late afternoon, the cold, rain, and wind were severe.

This morning as we were driving through the campground on our way out, we stopped at campsite no. 49 which was the trailhead for a trail to the cliffs overlooking the bay. We hiked a short distance to the lookout point. While we were admiring the scenery, a Bald Eagle soared by, just beneath us, along the cliffs. It was quite special to see. Hiking back to the trailer, I spotted ... fiddleheads ! Woo-Hoo ! We picked a huge bowl of them. They are a teensy bit beyond their prime. The ideal time to have picked them would have been about a week ago. We drove over to the campground dumping station, and as we were dumping the waste holding tanks, we chatted with the owner of the campground, a very friendly, very Newfie fellow. When I told him about picking a huge batch of fiddleheads, he didn't know what they were. I explained, and showed them to him. HA HA HA ! ! ! The Manitoban teaching the Newfie about fiddleheads.

We drove north along TCH 1. We drove into the village of Arnold's Cove to see a wild bird sanctuary and a scenic lookout. We couldn't get up the narrow, winding, gravel road to the scenic lookout. There were no wild birds at the bird sanctuary. Goodbye, Arnold's Cove. Further north along the Trans-Canada, we stropped at a larger town, Clarenville. We refilled a propane tank, filled up with diesel, withdrew some money from the Bank Of Montreal, shopped for groceries at Wal-Mart and at Sobey's, then had a late lunch in the mall's parking lot. I bought some back ache medication. It helped somewhat, although it made me drowsy. That made driving this afternoon difficult.

We turned east off the Trans-Canada onto Hwy. 230 to drive across the Bonavista Peninsula to the town of Bonavista. Hwy. 230 was in terrible condition, as are many of the roads here in Newfoundland. And as we drove, the weather deteriorated. The temperature dropped, the rain increased, the wind became very strong. It was quite a storm. We found our way to N & N Campground and Restaurant in Bonavista. It was our intention to stay in their campground, and have supper in their restaurant.

From this point, the day went rapidly downhill. The entrance to the campground was blocked by cars belonging to the very tiny GM dealer adjacent to the campground and restaurant. Their total inventory was about a dozen vehicles. I've never seen a new car dealer that small. The campground owner phoned the car dealership owner to come and move some cars. No answer. So the campground owner moved some cars. I guess he's got access to the car dealer's office ! ? ! We entered the campground, and tried unsuccessfully to get into a site. We tried a few different sites, and a few attempts at each one we tried. I finally gave up. We were both soaked, and freezing, especially Joanne who was outside trying to guide me using a walkie-talkie. The campground owner came over to see how we were doing. In disgust, I told him we would be leaving, and required a refund of our camping fee. This small campground just could not accommodate a rig our size. He had to move more vehicles to allow us to exit.

We drove back to another campground about 8 km. / 5 mi. away. The weather was wicked ! We got settled into a site. I sneezed a healthy sneeze, and ... uh-oh ... I have a cold ! Just what I needed ! Joanne began to clean some of the fiddleheads for supper. She was having difficulty cleaning the brown part off them. When we ate them for supper, they weren't very good. Either they're too old, or ... maybe we picked something that wasn't fiddleheads ? ! ? We threw them all out. Pity !

I did today's accounting and journal entry. Joanne is feeling "down", worried that we drove all the way across the Bonavista Peninsula to get here, and the weather will be too horrible tomorrow to allow us to see and do the things she's interested in here.

My backache persists, although the medication I bought today is helping.

DSK

May 26, 2006

May 26, 2006

Witless Bay to Bellevue Beach, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 343

 

Today was sunny and cold. Cape Spear was windy. Signal Hill was extremely windy !

Today we went to "town", which is how everybody in the entire province of Newfoundland refers to the city of St. John's. It's pronounced something like "tawen". I'm not very good at speaking with a Newfie accent. Joanne, on the other hand, is very good at it.

This morning we prepared for departure and left Felix's RV Park in Witless Bay. While I refilled the fresh water tank, Joanne took Bo for an off leash obedience session. He doesn't do as well with her, especially off leash. We drove north on Hwy. 10, then east on Hwy. 11 through the very quaint little villages of Petty Harbour and Maddox Cove to Cape Spear. Through the villages, the road was so narrow it was almost just one lane. Getting through with the rig was a bit difficult.

We parked at Cape Spear and walked ( mostly uphill ) to the 1836 lighthouse on site. The 1953 lighthouse is still operational. The 1836 lighthouse is restored to the period. We paid the overpriced guided tour fee and took a guided tour. Then we walked all around the grounds. There is an old gun battery from the second world war, established to protect St. John's Harbour. The most easterly point in North America is noted. I took a lot of pictures. We did a lot of walking around, much of it uphill and downhill.

We had lunch in the parking lot, then drove down into St. John's ( a.k.a. "town" ), and found our way to Signal Hill. One thing we note about Newfoundland is the absence of signage directing tourists to the attractions. We just had to stumble around St. John's Harbour area, looking up at what we surmised must be Signal Hill, and finding our way there by trial and error. Easier said than done when towing a 30 foot trailer !

Signal Hill is where Marconi received the first wireless transmission from across the Atlantic. We walked around, Bo included, looking at Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, and looking down into St. John's Harbour, the Harbour Narrows, and the city. Bo was exuberant ! We don't know why, he's just like that sometimes. The wind was fierce up on Signal Hill.

We drove down from Signal Hill into "town", then across the city back to the Trans Canada Highway. Just at the edge of the city, we stopped at Islander RV and I bought some RV supplies I needed, including the slide hardware for the cutlery drawer. We headed south, then east, then northeast on TCH 1. As we were driving, Lorri phoned. Joanne chatted with her briefly, but lost the cell signal and the call dropped. We drove to the narrow isthmus that connects the Avalon Peninsula to the main part of Newfoundland, turned onto Hwy. 201, and found our way to Bellevue Beach Park, at Bellevue Beach on Tickle Bay.

We registered, got set up in our site, then went for a walk to the beach. While Joanne prepared supper, I downloaded and processed today's photos. After supper I did today's accounting, then worked on today's journal entry.

We've just returned from a sunset walk, through the campground, down a trail through the woods to the beach, then along the pebble beach. We watched the sun set behind the cliffs. The bay was calm. The surf was crashing gently onto the pebble beach. Sea gulls were making sea gull sounds. A very lovely and romantic moment. I looked out across the water, and to the cliffs, and felt very privileged. We found Conch shells and Sand Dollars on the beach. Didn't know either one existed on the Atlantic this far north.

My sister phoned, returning my call from yesterday. She was a bit confused about how many time zones away we are, and what time it was here.

My backache persists.

DSK

May 25, 2006

May 25, 2006

Witless Bay, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 342

 

Today was sunny and cold. It was good to finally see the sun again.

Today was dedicated to errands. I repaired things, and Joanne cleaned. This morning I figured out what hardware and supplies I needed, then walked across the road and up the hill to Home Hardware. They didn't have the drawer slide hardware I need. They had regular household drawer slide hardware. The hardware used in RV's is different. It drops and locks the drawer in place when the drawer is closed. I guess I'll have to find an RV dealer in St. John's tomorrow. I bought some screws I needed, then went outside to their lumber yard and got some scrap wood strapping. I replaced some screws in the moulding on the lower front edge of the living room / dinette slide, then spent the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon working on fixing the broken shelf in the rear cupboard.

I paid the MasterCard bills by phone. I phoned our family doctor in Ottawa and made 2 appointments for June 16, for Joanne to discuss test results, and so that he can check my blood pressure. I phoned my gastroenterologist to discuss the results of my colonoscopy biopsies. He did not return my call. That doesn't surprise me. He's a jerk ! I suppose I'm going to have to ask our family doctor's nurse to obtain the results for me from him. I phoned both our sisters to chat. Neither was home. I took Bo for an obedience session. He did well. Joanne went to do some laundry. I lied down on a heating pad for awhile, because I have a backache. I rarely get backaches. I'm a little paranoid about backaches, since the last one I had ended up being caused by such severe colon inflammation that my colon was blocked. I ended up in the hospital in Kenora for 3 days. A nap on the heating pad did not diminish the backache, so my concern / paranoia increased !

I did today's accounting and worked on today's journal entry while Joanne prepared supper. After supper I got online through the cell phone, sent and retrieved e-mail, and updated my blog. I rarely use the cell phone to get online. It's too slow !

DSK

May 24, 2006

May 24, 2006

Green's Harbour to Witless Bay, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 341

 

Today was cloudy and cool.

This morning we prepared for departure, hitched up, and left Golden Arm Park in Green's Harbour. We drove south on Hwy. 80 back towards the Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. We stopped at a Salvation Army Thrift Store in South Dildo to drop off some stuff we need to get rid of. They wouldn't take it. They're going out of business in a month, and won't accept anything more than what they already have. We usually drop off stuff we don't need any longer at Escapee RV park bargain tables, but it will be a long time until we're back at another Escapee park.

We turned east on TCH 1 heading for St. John's, Newfoundland's capital city. As we were driving, Joanne was studying the map, and decided to change our plans. We turned south on Hwy. 90 to drive around the southern portion of the Avalon Peninsula. We drove south along Hwy. 90, eventually reaching the coastline of St. Mary's Bay at Salmonier. We explored all the little villages along the coast, until we reached the village of St. Vincent's on Holyrood Bay.

We stopped at a picnic area on Holyrood Bay, with the village of St. Vincent's on one side of the bay, and the village of St. Stephen's on the other side. Holyrood Bay is deep, and whales often come quite close to shore, visible from the picnic area. This isn't whale season yet, so we didn't see any. We walked along the dark pebble beach out to the crashing surf, took photos, then went back to the trailer for lunch. After lunch, I took Bo for an off leash obedience session along the pebble beach. He did well. Good dog, Bo.

The overhead console trip computer said we had about 150 km. "distance to empty" so we began to look for a service station with diesel in the many sea side villages we passed through. There weren't any ! The road turned inland for awhile, and we crossed Newfoundland's southern tundra. Twice we saw small groups of the world's southernmost herd of caribou. We've seen a lot of wildlife in our travels. Seeing caribou was certainly one of the more exciting experiences !

We were going to stop for the night at a provincial park unserviced campground, but at the entrance to the provincial park we realized the unserviced campground was 6 km. down a gravel road, so we decided not to stay. We had driven south the length of the west side of the Avalon Peninsula, and east across the southern edge, and were now heading back north along the east side. We stopped at the town of Fermeuse to take some pictures in a ship yard. We continued to search for diesel. The "low fuel" light and alarm came on. The trip computer read 30 km. "distance to empty". Finally we found an Ultramar station at the town of Cape Broyle that had diesel. We cut it pretty close !

We stopped for the night at the town of Witless Bay. We have a small campground all to ourselves. Our site is on the shore of Witless Bay. We can hear the surf crashing behind us. It's getting louder as I type this shortly after 9:00 P.M.. The tide must be coming in. A short distance off shore is an island where large groups of Puffins gather.

When we stepped inside the trailer after arriving here, we found some problems. The back roads of Newfoundland are in poor condition. Yesterday Joanne discovered a broken plate in a stack of plates in a kitchen cupboard. Today we found that the cutlery drawer had opened, then fallen out. While Joanne picked up the scattered cutlery, I took the drawer outside to straighten out the bent drawer slide wheel. I broke it as I straightened it < sigh >. I walked to the Home Hardware a short distance down the road to buy new drawer slide hardware, but it was already closed. I'll have to return tomorrow morning. Then we discovered a broken shelf in a rear cupboard in the kitchen. The weight of the items in the cupboard, bouncing up and down on these bad roads, broke the shelf. I guess we'll have to put less weight on that shelf.

We decided to take a day off from travelling tomorrow, and stay here to do some errands. I have some phone calls to make tomorrow, and now I have some repairs to do.

While Joanne prepared supper, I downloaded and processed today's photos. After supper, I did today's accounting and journal entry. Bo is feeling ill tonight. No doubt from eating whatever it was I saw him eating on the beach at St. Vincent's this afternoon. I tried to stop him, but he can chew and swallow faster than I can run on a soft pebble beach.

DSK

May 23, 2006

May 23, 2006

Gander to Green's Harbour, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 340

 

Today was mostly cloudy and cool, with strong winds.

Newfoundland has very interesting place names. Today we drove by, or through St. Jones Within, Little Heart's Ease, Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire, Come By Chance, Goobies, South Dildo, and Dildo.

This morning we got up quite early. I did regular morning chores and preventive maintenance, then took Bo for an obedience session before preparing for departure from Country Inn & Trailer Park. We drove through Gander back to the Trans Canada Highway 1. Gander's main industry seems to be the airport. I think the Gander airport is the last / first refuelling stop before / after crossing the Atlantic Ocean by air. I think it's also the main Air Traffic Control Centre for trans-Atlantic flights. We drove southeast, then south, passing through Terra Nova National Park. We'll stop there on the way back. We stopped to refill with diesel just south of Terra Nova National Park, at Port Blandford. Geeezzz ... a hundred and fifty bucks ! Once we got to the southeast section of Newfoundland, the Avalon Peninsula, we turned north on Hwy. 80 to follow the west coast of the "upper" Avalon Peninsula, along the coastline of Trinity Bay. We drove past Dildo Pond, and the town of South Dildo. Here in Newfoundland lakes are called ponds. We passed Dildo Arm on Trinity Bay, and the town of Dildo. We arrived in Green's Harbour and found our way to Golden Arm Park. We registered and got set up in a campsite. While Joanne prepared lunch, I unhitched the truck from the trailer.

After lunch I napped briefly, then we set off for an afternoon of exploring. First we stopped at the Home Hardware in front of the campground to refill some water jugs, buy some hardware I needed, and buy ... milk. In small town Newfoundland, Home Hardware sells all the essentials. We drove north on Hwy. 80, following the west coast of the "upper" Avalon Peninsula, along the coastline of Trinity Bay. Now this is what I expected Newfoundland to look like. We drove through many little towns along the coast, including Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire, and Heart's Content. Each little fishing village was a collection of white clapboard houses perched on cliffs overlooking the water. We stopped frequently to take photos. The wind along the coast was very strong.

At one point, the land between the road and the edge of the cliff was fairly flat and clear. It looked like the kind of cliff that vehicle manufacturers would use to shoot truck commercials. I couldn't resist. Lanoire got her first taste of "off roading". I turned off the highway, and drove slowly to the edge of the cliff. Joanne took Bo for a walk along the edge of the cliff, and I took photos.

We turned east on Hwy. 74 and drove across the peninsula to the east side, the Conception Bay side. We explored south along Hwy. 70, following the coastline of Conception Bay through Carbonear, Harbour Grace, and Bay Roberts. We stopped for a few more groceries at Bay Roberts before crossing the peninsula again on Hwy. 73 back to the Trinity Bay side, where we returned to our campground at Green's Harbour.

While Joanne prepared supper, I did today's accounting and started today's journal entry. During supper we read tomorrow's newspaper which I bought late this afternoon in Bay Roberts. Must be a quirk of Newfoundland's ! I finished my evening by downloading and processing the photos from the camera to the computer.

DSK

May 22, 2006

May 22, 2006

Doyles to Gander, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 339

 

Today was cloudy and cool, with intermittent rain.

We drove about 550 km. / 330 mi. today. That's much further than we usually drive in a day. Joanne's strategy for exploring Newfoundland was to drive hard from the ferry at Port aux Basques across Newfoundland all the way to St. John's, and then begin exploring from there, working our way around the province back to Port aux Basques.

This morning we prepared for departure from Grand Codroy RV Camping. Just before leaving, Joanne walked to the office to pay last night's camping fee. Gee ... camping and diesel fuel on Newfoundland are obviously going to be a lot more expensive than on the mainland. We departed, heading northeast along the Trans-Canada Highway 1. We stopped for lunch just before reaching Corner Brook. We stopped to refill with diesel at Deer Lake. We changed drivers a couple of times today. Joanne drove twice, for about an hour each time. It was her first time driving Lanoire with Harvey hitched on. The second hour she drove, it was raining, so she got some experience driving Lanoire and Harvey on wet roads, in 4 x 4 mode.

From Deer Lake to Grand Falls-Windsor was a whole lot of nothing. All we've seen of Newfoundland so far was forested wilderness. And one moose. We stopped for the night at Country Inn & Trailer Park on the outskirts of Gander. While Joanne prepared supper, I took Bo for a brief obedience session, then I applied the Newfoundland decal to the travel map on the side of the trailer. After supper I did today's accounting and journal entry.

DSK

May 21, 2006

May 21, 2006

Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island by ferry to Port Aux Basques / Doyles, Newfoundland

YEAR 2 DAY 338

 

Today was cool with intermittent rain.

This morning after regular morning chores and routines, I took the rental movies back to the campground store, then took the laptop to the laundry room to get online with Wi-Fi one last time before we left. I refilled the fresh water tank, emptied the waste holding tanks, then took Bo for an obedience session. He did fine, although he shivered every time I left him in a "sit stay", walked away, then returned to him. He's such a sissy about cold weather. Maybe generations of evolution have made southern bred and born dogs less tolerant of cold ? My theory is based on my observation that he has no undercoat, and does not shed. A Yorkshire Terrier cross should have an undercoat, and should shed. We finished preparing for departure and left Riverdale RV Park.

On the way to the ferry at North Sydney we made 2 stops. First we stopped at a Shell service station in Albert Bridge to fill up with diesel ... in pouring rain, at the diesel pump out at the edge of the station, not under the canopy where the rest of the pumps were ! Then we stopped at a roadside shed selling fresh lobsters. I'm not a big fan of lobster, but I thought I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to buy one, fresh and cheap, while we're here, and it's lobster fishing season. The lobster was fresh, and cheap, for lobster. I asked the lady selling them to give me a lesson in how to eat lobster. She came to the trailer and broke the lobster into pieces as she explained the process to me.

We arrived at the North Sydney ferry terminal, I paid our outrageous ferry fee ( $265.50 ), we got into line for the ferry, and went inside the trailer to have lunch. While Joanne fed the animals and prepared lunch for herself, I worked on my lobster, following the instructions the lady gave me. I did quite well. I've had lobster a few times in my life, but I've never been given proper instructions on how it's done. It's a lot of work, and even at the cheap price of $5.50 for a large lobster, it's not really a lot of meat for $5.50. And ... it's not all that great, in my opinion. However, when in Rome ... !

By the time we were finished lunch, the ferry was loading. We drove onto the ferry, and got settled on the passenger deck for the 6 hour journey to Newfoundland. Joanne read a magazine while I composed some e-mail, worked on today's journal entry, and accounting. I watched the ferry's first movie. Joanne watched the ferry's second movie while I snoozed. Joanne had packed some snacks into a backpack, and that became supper, sort of. The cafeteria food didn't look very appealing.

We arrived at Port aux Basques in Newfoundland at 9:00 P.M.. It was dark and raining. We had planned to boondock overnight in the parking lot of the Newfoundland Tourist Information Centre, but when we pulled into their parking lot, it was posted "no overnight parking". We continued driving. We missed the signage to the first campground, a provincial park 10 km. from the ferry. We missed the signage to the next campground, 28 km. from the ferry. I know from previous bitter experience that it's near impossible to find a place in the dark, in the rain, on unfamiliar roads, at 100 km. / hr.! We finally found the third campground, about 36 km. from the ferry near the town of Doyles. We backed into a site, connected the power, extended the slides, prepared some chicken noodle soup, and called it a day.

DSK

May 20, 2006

May 20, 2006

Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island

YEAR 2 DAY 337

 

Today was cold and raining heavily.

We were planning to visit Fort Louisbourg today, but we cancelled that because of the weather. This morning Joanne finished her lengthy letter to Arley, her blind friend at C.A.R.E. in Texas. She had been working on it intermittently for about a week now. I trimmed my beard, and read a book. Bo refused to go outside in the rain. Joanne made him a raincoat out of a plastic shopping bag. He looked like some kind of an Alabama hurricane refugee. Wait a minute ! He is an Alabama hurricane refugee. HA HA HA !

As I was preparing to take my medications after lunch, Joanne commented that "you take more drugs now than you did as a teenager". HA HA HA HA HA ! Aging baby boomer perspective ! After lunch I went to the laundry room to get online with Wi-Fi and retrieve the MasterCard statements. Darn ! I used my U.S.$ MasterCard to buy diesel fuel in Canada. I was expecting a zero balance on the U.S.$ MasterCard. Screwed up again ! And, ironically, I suppose, it was for the last fuel purchase for Dee-Dee ! She just doesn't want to stop haunting me yet, does she ? ! ? I sent and retrieved e-mail, and updated my blog. I returned to the trailer, printed the MasterCard statements, and Joanne's letter. I wrote some e-mail. Joanne baked. I worked on today's journal entry, then reconciled the MasterCard statements. The AOL charge seemed unreasonably high this month. I got onto Wi-Fi and downloaded last month's AOL charges to review. Oh, yeah ... 2 weeks at Raccoon Valley in Tennessee, using the 10¢ per minute 1-800 access number.

We took Bo for an obedience session. He did fine, although he seemed a bit tentative and worried at the beginning. No doubt because he remembers what a bad dog he was on Thursday. Whenever he behaves badly, his self confidence suffers, and it affects his performance. Well, Bo, then don't be a bad dog ! Duh !

Just before supper I went to the campground store, bought a newspaper, and picked up a couple of movies to watch after supper. The campground offers 2 free movie rentals to campers. In Ottawa I bought a dehydrated vegetable snack mix, after my doctor was harping at me about salt intake. The snack mix wasn't very good as a snack. Joanne used it tonight in a soup / stew that she made for supper. The snack mix wasgreat as a soup base.

After supper we watched The Aviator, the life story of Howard Hughes. It was the perfect "date" movie for us. Aviation for me, and mental illness for her. HA HA HA !

DSK

May 19, 2006

May 19, 2006

Louisbourg to Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island, & return

YEAR 2 DAY 336

 

Today was foggy and cold.

I spent the morning working on the replacement of a side marker light assembly on the trailer. The job took much longer than I had expected. I guess that's often the case. What looks like a little job turns out to be not so little. I couldn't get at the wiring behind the side marker light assembly from outside. I had to get at it in the bottom corner of the bedroom closet. That necessitated emptying out half the bedroom closet, so I could crawl into the closet and work on the wiring in the bottom corner.

After lunch we headed to Glace Bay, about an hour away. Joanne wanted to visit the Coal Miner's Museum. We drove down back roads from Louisbourg to Glace Bay, to explore. At one point we came to a single lane bridge. On the bridge was a 1999 GM pickup truck, kin to Dee-Dee. It was stuck on the bridge, blocking anyone else from crossing, because its drive shaft had fallen off. HA HA HA ! What a ******* piece of crap ! Oh, sure ... I can laugh now !

We visited the exhibitions in the Coal Miner's Museum, but this early in the season, they are not yet conducting guided tours down into "the deeps", the collieries. I did not know that coal mining shafts are called collieries. And ... I did not know that the coal is mined from underneath the ocean ! The collieries are beneath the ocean floor.

We drove from Glace Bay to Sydney, then returned to Louisbourg down Hwy. 22. We drove past our campground to find Fort Louisbourg, which we intend to visit tomorrow. Back at the campground, I decided to do a bit more rewiring inside the bedroom closet before we put everything back into the closet. I rewired some sloppy connections done when the trailer was manufactured. While I did that, Joanne took Bo for an obedience training session. He needs to be much more responsive and obedient with her. I'm not the only "top dog". I read the 12 page newsletter I had downloaded from the Guide Dogs Of The Desert website yesterday, and a magazine article I had downloaded from the Escapees website. The Guide Dogs Of The Desert newsletter was very interesting. I'm looking forward to working there next winter.

We both went to the laundry room, and while Joanne did some laundry, I got online with Wi-Fi. I sent and retrieved e-mail, then updated my blog. I made a ferry reservation to Newfoundland for Sunday. I checked out the Fort Louisbourg website. We browsed the many photos in the Guide Dogs Of The Desert photo album web page. Very impressive. Unfortunately, Joanne is still not very enthused about this WorkCamper "job" we have accepted for next winter. I'm very enthused ! Oh, well ... she liked the WorkCamper job at C.A.R.E. in Texas. I didn't !

We had a very late supper. I had the salmon marinated in maple syrup that I bought in New Glasgow the other day. It was superb !

DSK

May 18, 2006

May 18, 2006

Pictou, Nova Scotia to Louisbourg, Cape Breton Island

YEAR 2 DAY 335

 

Today was sunny and mild, until we were near the coastline on Cape Breton Island, where it became foggy.

This morning we prepared for departure and left Harbour Light Campground. We drove to, and through Pictou, then a few miles more to the larger city of New Glasgow. First stop was Air Liquide where we refilled a propane tank. Then Stone's RV for some trailer hardware. Next was the large mall, where Joanne went to Wal-Mart at one end, and I went to Canadian Tire at the other end. Driving from the mall to the grocery store, we stopped at Andy's Tire where I bought a couple of dually tire valve extenders as spares. While Joanne went into Superstore to get started on the grocery shopping, I filled up with diesel at Superstore Gas Bar. We had lunch in Superstore's parking lot, then finally hit the road for a day of driving.

We drove east on Hwy. 104, crossing the Canso Causeway from mainland Nova Scotia to Cape Breton Island, where the Trans-Canada Highway became Hwy. 105. We followed Hwy. 105 all the way around through to North Sydney, where the ferry to Newfoundland is, then Hwy. 125 around North Sydney and Sydney to Hwy. 22. We took Hwy. 22 southeast to Louisbourg. We found our way to Riverdale RV Park in Louisbourg. We got set up in our campsite before going to the nearby convenience store to register. We were planning to stay one night, and catch the ferry to Newfoundland tomorrow morning but the campground had an off season special of "pay for 2 nights, stay for 3", so we decided to stay here 3 nights. Joanne wants to visit Fort Louisbourg, a National Park just down the street. And we'll get some chores done. We're a bit behind on chores, so we'll put the time to good use.

Shortly after we arrived, Joanne opened the trailer door to go outside to get something. Bo dashed out the door, and took off. Bad, bad dog ! He hasn't misbehaved like that in a long time. I thought he would run a short distance, then either return, or allow Joanne to capture him. I became concerned when I heard her voice commanding him to stop, get further and further away. I grabbed his leash, and headed in the direction of her voice. Bo ran and ran and ran, through the residential streets of Louisbourg, occasionally obeying her commands to stop and sit, but refusing to come, and refusing to stay when she would reach for him. She chased him, and I followed both of them, for about 10 minutes. Finally I got close enough to see both of them, and I gave a command to stop, sit and stay that would have stopped a semi-trailer truck in its tracks ! I attached his leash, and we all returned to the trailer. BAD, BAD, BAD DOG ! ! ! We are both very angry, upset, and disappointed in him. His behaviour has been superb lately, and now this !

We had supper, then I tried connecting to the campground's Wi-Fi. I wanted to show Joanne the Guide Dogs Of The Desert website. The signal in the campground is weak, and my connection was intermittent. I guess I'll have to go the laundry room to get a good signal. I did today's accounting, then today's journal.

DSK

May 17, 2006

May 17, 2006

Pictou, Nova Scotia

YEAR 2 DAY 334

 

Today was cloudy, cool, and windy.

Joanne decided last night that we should stay here for today. She wanted to watch the final episode of Amazing Race tonight on CTV, and we get good reception of the CTV network here. Actually, it's the only channel we can get here. She also thought I could put the day to good use updating my investment files. When we met with Roger in Ottawa, we did a lot of buy and sell tweaking of our investments, so I have a lot of revisions and updates to do to my investment files.

I got up early this morning. After regular morning chores and preventive maintenance, I got the printer out of the basement pass through storage area, and printed all the investment updates I downloaded yesterday. I also revised and reprinted our departure and arrival checklists. The hitching and unhitching procedures have changed a bit from Dee-Dee to Lanoire. Dee-Dee had a V notched fifth wheel tailgate that didn't have to be lowered for hitching and unhitching. Lanoire has the factory tailgate which must be lowered for hitching and unhitching. I think I'm going to shop for a fifth wheel tailgate for Lanoire when we get to Manitoba later this summer. I applied the decals for Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton Island, onto the travel map on the trailer. I cheated a bit. We won't be on Cape Breton Island until tomorrow. I also touched up a couple more scratches on the inside edge of Lanoire's tailgate. I think I've now found and applied touch up paint to all the little scratches on the truck. Sharon phoned to tell me that I received mail from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, denying my request for reimbursement of the $145 towing charge. Okay, fine ... as I mentioned to the park staff while we were there, I won't be spending another dime of my money in your National Park, nor the states of Tennessee and North Carolina. Enjoy the $145, because there won't be any more of my money coming in to feed your economy ... and pay your wages ! ! ! ! !

After lunch we had a series of telephone conversations with Kathie Flamm at Guide Dogs Of The Desert in Palm Springs, California. She phoned to discuss and negotiate some terms of our WorkCamper assignment there next winter. After a series of phone calls, and back and forth discussions, we agreed to be there for 19 weeks, from the beginning of December, until the middle of April. We would be required to work as "dormitory parents" for 10 of the 19 weeks, during a 4 week course in January, a 2 week course in February, and another 4 week course in March.

I spent much of the afternoon updating my investment files. Wow ... lots of decline in the last couple of weeks. Oh, well ... at least I sold investments to buy Lanoire when they were at a high level. I walked to the campground's computer room ( the campground owner's garage ), got online with Wi-Fi, sent and retrieved e-mail, updated my blog, and did some more investment file updating. After supper, we watched the final episode of Amazing Race.

DSK

May 16, 2006

May 16, 2006

Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island through New Brunswick to Pictou, Nova Scotia

YEAR 2 DAY 333

 

Today was cloudy and cool. When we settled into our campsite in Pictou, Nova Scotia, it began to rain. The forecast is for rain for the next 4 days.

This morning I went to the campground office to get online while Joanne prepared for departure. I sent and retrieved e-mail, and retrieved updated investment data. When I returned to the trailer, I did today's preventive maintenance, checking and tightening the truck lug nuts. While doing that, I fractured the 15/16 socket that I was using. That's a bit odd. I've never broken a socket before. The salesman who sold us Lanoire at Belleville Dodge returned my phone call from earlier this morning. I made arrangements to return to Belleville Dodge in about 5 weeks to have their body shop remove and reinstall the "RAM 3500" badging on the driver's door. They had removed it to do some paint touch up on the driver’s door. They reinstalled it crooked and it bugs me !

We departed Bayside RV Campground, heading south on Hwy. 7, then Hwy. 2 back to Charlottetown, then Hwy. 1 back to the Confederation Bridge. While driving, Lorri phoned and chatted with Joanne for awhile. When I turned on the air conditioning in the truck, it wouldn't work. Darn ! It worked fine yesterday.

I was a bit surprised at the toll charge to cross the Confederation Bridge back into New Brunswick. There's no charge to cross the bridge onto P.E.I., but there is a toll to cross back to the mainland. The toll charge is similar to the charge for the ferry crossing before the bridge was built, so I guess that makes the bridge toll reasonable.

Through New Brunswick we drove on Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 2 to Nova Scotia. We stopped at the Welcome Centre when we crossed into Nova Scotia at Amherst. While Joanne went inside to get a map and campground guide, I got under the hood of the truck to check the air conditioner fuse. There were 2 fuses for the air conditioner, which I removed and checked. They both looked okay. There was also a small electronic relay for the air conditioner. I removed it and looked at it, but it's just a little black cube, and there's no way to tell if it's okay or not. < sigh > I was hoping that we would have Lanoire longer than 2½ weeks before I needed to find a Chrysler dealer for service.

My investment broker in Ottawa phoned to discuss the details of an investment trade I want made. We need money again ! We had lunch, then I went inside the Welcome Centre to get the local Chrysler dealer's phone number. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in Amherst. The earliest their service department could accommodate me was tomorrow morning. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in Truro, about an hour down the road. They couldn't get me in until tomorrow afternoon. I phoned the Chrysler dealer in New Glasgow, about 2 hours down the road. They couldn't get me in until late tomorrow afternoon < huge sigh >. I phoned the Amherst dealer again, and made an appointment for 8:00 A.M. tomorrow morning. I also got their permission to park on their lot overnight. I returned to the trailer, to find out if Joanne would accept boondocking in the Chrysler dealer's lot overnight, or did she want to go to a local campground. She wanted to go to a campground.

We got into the truck, to depart the Welcome Centre parking lot and head for a campground. WHOA ... the air conditioner was working again ! I don't know if fiddling with the fuses and relay solved some minor problem, or if the problem is intermittent and will reoccur. Experience has taught me that there is no sense taking a vehicle for service when the problem is intermittent. It's just a waste of time and money to have them try to diagnose a problem that doesn't exist while they're looking for it. I phoned the Amherst Chrysler dealer and cancelled my appointment. We headed out on Hwy. 104 heading east across Nova Scotia. It was cool, but I turned the air conditioner on a few times while we drove to ensure it was working. It was !

We turned onto Hwy. 106, drove through Pictou, then found Harbour Light Campground about 5 km. beyond Pictou. We registered and got set up in our site. I finished up today's preventive maintenance using the lug nut wrench included with the truck's tire changing jack and equipment. Joanne took Bo for a short obedience training session, then went to the campground office to get directions to a Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, and grocery store. I started to work on today's accounting. It began to rain so I took an umbrella to the campground office for Joanne. What a good husband I am sometimes !

While Joanne prepared our P.E.I. cod for supper, I finished today’s accounting and worked on today’s journal entry. And ... a note to my doctor in Ottawa. I'd rather die of high blood pressure than eat these tasteless unsalted pretzels !

DSK

May 14 & 15, 2006

May 14 & 15, 2006

Shediac, New Brunswick to Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island

YEAR 2 DAYS 331 & 332

 

Sunday ; The weather today was variable. On the coastline in New Brunswick it was cool and foggy. On the coastline in Prince Edward Island it was cold and foggy, while inland it was sunny and warm.

This morning we prepared for departure, and left Wishing Star campground in Shediac, heading southeast along the coast on Hwy. 15. Near Port Elgin we turned east onto Hwy. 16 heading for Cape Tormentine, and the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. The last time we went to P.E.I. the Confederation Bridge had not yet been built, and it was a ferry crossing from N.B. to P.E.I.. The Confederation Bridge is quite an engineering marvel, at 13 km. / 8 miles long. It's too bad that the fog was so thick as we crossed the bridge that we couldn't see much.

We stopped at the P.E.I. Visitor Information Centre and picked up a map, campground guide, and some tourist guides. Lanoire was getting low on fuel. We should have filled up in New Brunswick, but we didn't see any service stations with diesel since we left Shediac. We started driving on Hwy. 1 towards Charlottetown, looking for a diesel service station. Lanoire's low fuel warning light and alarm buzzer came on. We checked the overhead console computer, and it said the "distance to empty" was 35 km.. Hmmm ... we were 34 km. from Charlottetown. Might be close ! Before we got to Charlottetown we found a service station with diesel, and filled up. Geeez ... a hundred and forty bucks ! Big tank !

At Charlottetown we turned west onto Hwy. 2 and followed it to Hwy. 7, where we turned northwest to the town of Oyster Bed Bridge. We found our way to Bayside RV Campground on Rustico Bay. We registered, then got set up in our campsite.

We had lunch. I napped. We wasted the rest of the day, unproductively fighting, generally making one another feel quite miserable. Again ! Additionally, I was feeling ill. The colonoscopy seems to have produced a colitis flare up.

 

Monday ; Today was a beautiful, sunny warm day. I started the day by doing yesterday's accounting and journal entry. When Joanne got up, we had a discussion, trying to put an end to our bickering misery. It took us the entire morning to achieve that !

I trimmed some hair off Bo's face. Now we can see his eyes again. I cleaned Teddy's ears. He hates having his ears handled in any way. We had lunch, then set off to do some exploring of Prince Edward Island. First stop was across the road from the campground, where we walked out onto the tidal flats of Rustico Bay. The tidal flats seemed to be a mussels bed. Next we drove toward Prince Edward Island National Park. We entered the national park, then stopped at the fishing village of Covehead Harbour. We walked out onto the fishing wharf, and watched a lobster fishing boat return from a day of lobster fishing. I took some photos. We walked across the road to the beach and looked at the lighthouse there. We continued driving through the national park, exploring by road. At the eastern edge of the park, we turned around and drove back all the way through to the western edge of the park.

We drove out of the national park, and explored the back roads of P.E.I.. All of P.E.I.'s roads are back roads. The island is very rural. Fishing villages along the coast. Fertile farms and frequent small villages inland. We stopped at a small "Mom & Pop" gouda cheese maker in Winsloe North and bought some gouda cheese. We continued exploring by road, stopping in North Rustico to buy some groceries at Co-op, and refill some water jugs at Home Hardware. I didn't realize until I was looking at the map as I type this journal entry that North Rustico is the last little village before coming to "Green Gables" of Lucy Maud Montgomery's story "Anne Of Green Gables". We bought some very nice cod at the Co-op. We didn't buy any salted cod bits. What does one do with salted cod bits ? ? ?

We drove back to our campground. I worked on today's journal entry and accounting while snacking on some fresh cookies Joanne baked this morning. Our family physician’s nurse phoned. He wants Joanne to return to his office to discuss results of blood tests. I really detest “doctor games” like that. We’re on the road, a thousand miles from Ottawa ! What difference does it make whether you discuss these results over the phone, or in person, other than the larger amount of revenue you can generate with an office visit ? ! ?

I downloaded and processed the photos I took today. Joanne went outside to spray paint the undersides of the sink covers ... again. I painted them last summer at West Hawk Lake. The result was unsatisfactory. She painted them with a primer / sealer while we were in Ottawa recently, and now has painted them with a finish coat. The result is still unsatisfactory, in my opinion. I went outside and worked on some paint touch ups on the truck. I bought a can of spray paint recently. I had previously done a few little touch ups with a small brush, and today I did some spray touch ups. The driver's side rear door handle, the back of the passenger's side mirror, and the inside edge of the tailgate. Some people, like Lanoire's original owner, sure are rough on new vehicles. Or maybe, if you're planning not to make your payments, and have the truck repossessed anyway, you don't really care ? ! Actually, the little white paint scratch on the back of the passenger's side mirror happened since we got the truck, in the Dickinson's condo parking lot in Ottawa. Lanoire's huge trailer towing mirrors stick out very far. A white truck parked next to us, and clipped Lanoire's mirror, with its mirror, I guess. I'm going to have to remember to fold the mirrors down flat against the truck when parked in small spaces in crowded parking lots.

While eating supper we watched a show on CBC from Newfoundland. I love learning regional colloquialisms, like "red head step child" ( silent "d" ) from Louisiana. I learned from tonight's TV show that someone in Newfoundland that is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier is "stunned as me arse". HA HA HA !

After supper I went out to the picnic table to clean up Joanne's painting mess. Bo was on his tie out. A skunk walked through the campground. Bo barked furiously at it. Bo ... don't be so "stunned as me arse". HA HA HA HA HA !

DSK

May 13, 2006

May 13, 2006

Shediac, New Brunswick

YEAR 2 DAY 330

 

Today was sunny and mild.

This is a lovely campground. We've driven a long way in the last 3 days. We decided to stay here today and rest. We spent the morning lazing around. When Joanne went to the campground office to pay for another night, she commented on how high the water was late at night. The campground owners told her that in October our campsite is under water at high tide.

We had an early lunch. I printed a revised preventive maintenance checklist, then did today's preventive maintenance. I added some automatic transmission fluid to Lanoire. I carefully and methodically straightened out the bent fins on the top of the automatic transmission cooler. Somebody must have leaned over the transmission cooler to reach something on the engine, or they dropped a tool, bending the thin radiator fins on the transmission cooler. Only somebody as anal retentive as me would take the time and trouble to straighten out bent radiator fins. HA HA HA ! I walked across the street to Napa Auto Parts to see if they carried dually tire valve extenders. They didn't. Joanne left to walk downtown to do some errands. I took a photo of the rig in the campground, then walked across the street to take a photo of Shediac's giant lobster. I downloaded the photos from the camera to the computer. I prepared some outgoing e-mails. I went to the campground office to get online using their Wi-Fi. Their Wi-Fi signal is not strong enough to reach our trailer. I sent and retrieved e-mail, and updated my blog.

While we were in Ottawa, staying at a large, almost empty campground, we had a "neighbour" move in beside us for a couple of days. Their rig had B.C. license plates. They backed up into the site next to us, at an angle, with the back of their fifth wheel trailer about 3 feet from our door. I couldn't understand why somebody would park 3 feet from us, in a large, empty campground. Some people have a strange sense of personal space, I guess. The same rig has just moved in beside us here. Small world !

I put Teddy outside in his nylon screened kennel, on the picnic table. He prefers to be up on picnic tables, for a better view. I took Bo for an obedience session. He did excellently ! His reward was a tennis ball play session, then an off leash romp on the tidal mud flats. When the tide is low late in the afternoon, there are hundreds of feet of tidal mud flats before the water's edge. At night, at high tide, the water is right behind the trailer.

I did some minor repair work to a piece of stair moulding. I removed some screws from the dually mud flaps and replaced them with bolts and nuts, better suited to the application. I spent quite a bit of time working on remounting the moulding over the bed. I have installed it, and reinstalled it, a number of times in the last few months. I tried double sided adhesive foam tape. It didn't last. I tried Velcro. It didn't last. This time I'm screwing it into the wall with tiny screws. It's not as aesthetically pleasant, but it should be better able to withstand the flexing of the trailer that occurs as we travel.

I barbecued for supper. Salmon patties for me that I bought yesterday, pork chop for Joanne. After supper I finished installing the moulding in the bedroom, and as soon as I was finished, I realized I had done it wrong < huge sigh >. Darn ! I should have done it when the trailer was detached from the truck, because of the way the front of the trailer, and consequently the bedroom ceiling, flex slightly when the trailer is attached to the truck. Now, as soon as I detach the trailer from the truck, the front of the trailer will sag ever so slightly, the bedroom ceiling will sag ever so slightly, and it will either crack the moulding, or just strip the screws right out of the wall. Darn ! ! ! I'm sure not very good at "home improvement" type projects, am I ? ! ?

DSK

May 12, 2006

May 12, 2006

Calais, Maine to Shediac, New Brunswick

YEAR 2 DAY 329

 

Today started out with cold rain, but as we travelled from Maine across New Brunswick, the weather improved. The evening in Shediac, New Brunswick was sunny, but cool because of the wind off the water.

In the last 2 days, I have stopped at 6 auto parts stores looking for dually tire valve extenders. I still haven't found what I need.

This morning as we were preparing for departure, it was cold and raining heavily. I did preventive maintenance while Joanne refilled the fresh water holding tank. We prepared for departure, and drove over to the campground's dumping station to empty the shower and kitchen waste holding tanks. There was no one in the campground office this morning, so we left. Last night was a free night of camping. We drove 10 miles north, back to Calais, and crossed the border into St. Stephen, New Brunswick. The border crossing was uneventful. We drove northeast along the Bay of Fundy to St. John.

We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of a shopping mall, then continued northeast on Hwy. 1 until it joined Hwy. 2. As we were driving after lunch, Joanne was reviewing our travel plans, and looking for a campground to stay at tonight. We were planning to drive to Amherst, Nova Scotia today, but Joanne decided that since we were so close to Prince Edward Island, we should go there for a day or two before heading into Nova Scotia, then Newfoundland. At Moncton we turned onto Hwy. 15, and drove to Shediac.

We stopped for the night at a campground on the water front looking out over Northumberland Strait to Prince Edward Island. Our campsite is right on the shore. We settled in our campsite, then took Bo for an obedience session. His reward was being allowed to run off leash along the tidal mud flats behind our campsite. Bo loves romping on beaches, and in water. The water along the tidal mud flats was shallow, and he could run in the water for a long distance out from shore, chasing birds. He had a great time. I put the decals for Quebec, Maine, and New Brunswick onto the map on the side of the trailer. It's surprising to us that only 2 days ago we were leaving Ottawa. We covered a lot of miles in the last few days. I put a Canadian flag decal onto Lanoire. I reset all our clocks and watches.

We walked from our campground about a mile to Shediac's downtown area. We strolled along the main drag, looking for a restaurant to have supper. We didn't find anything that appealed to us. We went into a grocery store and bought some groceries, including something for supper tonight. We stopped and browsed in a fish store. Shediac is very much a lobster fishing town. We walked back to the campground, put away groceries, and watched the sun set. We crossed a time zone today when we crossed from the United States back into Canada, so the sun didn't set until close to 9:00 P.M.. We had supper, while channel surfing through the many cable channels.

I did today's accounting and journal entry while we watched medical procedures on The Life Network. I downloaded a couple of photos of Lanoire from the digital camera to the laptop. We prepared an application for Guide Dogs Of The Desert, and the other documents they've asked for.

Joanne just went outside to put away the printer ( 11 45 P.M. ), and told me to come outside to see the high tide and full moon. The large expanse of tidal mud flats that we were romping around on with Bo a few hours ago is now under water, with little waves lapping at the shore line which is now right behind the trailer.

DSK

May 11, 2006

May 11, 2006

Sarampus Falls Rest Area to Calais, Maine

YEAR 2 DAY 328

 

Today was a miserable, gloomy day of cold rain.

Joanne's spirits were very low today, as they have been for a few days now. I didn't start out that way today, but it's contagious. I certainly felt that way for much of the day.

This morning after regular morning chores and preventive maintenance, we left Sarampus Falls Rest Area quite early. We drove southeast on Hwy. 27, then Hwy. 16 / 27, then Hwy. 201A. We made a wrong turn somewhere around Madison, and drove about half an hour in the wrong direction before we realized it. We turned around and drove back to where we made the error, then headed in the right direction towards Hwy. 2. The condition of the roads through rural Maine was very poor, including some construction areas where the road was mud. The truck and trailer are filthy, from top to bottom, from driving on mud on a rainy day. I'm not very impressed with the route recommended by the agent at the Tourist Information Centre on the Ontario / Quebec border.

Before we reached Interstate 95 we saw a truck parked on the side of the road with a sign advertising fiddleheads for sale. I slammed on the brakes, backed up, and bought a pound of freshly picked fiddlehead greens for $1.75. That's enough to provide 4 servings for two. MMMMM ! We love fiddleheads, having been introduced to them a few years ago by our friends in Ottawa, Erbon & Lorraine, who are originally from New Brunswick. They generously fed us some of their freshly picked fiddleheads when we had dinner at their home last Friday. We knew that fiddleheads were found in the Canadian Maritimes, but we didn't know they could be found here in Maine. And the fiddlehead "season" is quite short, so getting some today was an opportunity not to be missed.

The roads were so wet and slippery, I shifted Lanoire into 4 x 4 mode, to eliminate, or at least reduce, the hydroplaning. When the front wheels are free wheeling, I can feel the truck hydroplaning on wet asphalt roads, because of Harvey's weight pressing down on Lanoire’s rear axle. In 4 x 4 mode, with the front wheels being "driven", the sensation of hydroplaning disappears. We stopped at a Wal-Mart at Newport, on Hwy. 2 just before I-95. We did a bit of shopping, buying some items that we know are cheaper in the U.S., or unavailable in Canada. We got onto I-95, then stopped for lunch at a rest area before we reached Bangor. At Bangor we left I-95, getting onto Hwy. 9 heading for Calais, and the Canadian border. At Woodland, just before Calais, we filled up with diesel, which is a bit cheaper in the U.S than in Canada. The Canadian border crossing is at Calais, but we drove about 10 miles south of Calais to a Passport America campground.

The office was closed, so we just found an empty site and parked. It was raining heavily, so all I did upon arrival was connect the hydro, while Joanne extended the slides. We rested for awhile, then had supper. I did today's accounting, and worked on today's journal entry while Joanne washed dishes.

DSK

May 10, 2006

May 10, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario through Quebec to Sarampus Falls Rest Area on Maine Hwy. 27

YEAR 2 DAY 327

 

Today started out sunny and warm, and stayed that way throughout most of the day. It rained briefly just after we stopped for the night.

Our day did not go according to plan. To stay on the Canadian side of the border across Quebec to New Brunswick would take us much further north than we wanted to go. We planned to turn south at Sherbrooke, Quebec, cross into the United States, and cut across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, to southern New Brunswick. We were going to spend one night camping in Quebec, and one night camping in Maine.

This morning I did regular chores and preventive maintenance, then took Bo for an obedience walk. We prepared for departure, drained the waste holding tanks, refilled the fresh water holding tank, and hitched up. I'm having difficulty lining up Lanoire with Harvey, for hitching. I don't yet have a good reference point figured out.

We departed Camp Hither Hills heading south on Bank Street / Hwy. 31 for about a mile, then east on Hwy. 8 through Edwards to Hwy. 41, then north on Hwy. 41 onto Hwy. 417 heading east for Montreal. At the Quebec border we stopped at the Information Centre to pick up a road map and campground guide. The clerk suggested an alternative route to the one we had planned. We took her advice. Just as we were entering Montreal we stopped at a mall with a Bureau En Gros ( Staples ) and a Canadian Tire. Joanne went into Bureau En Gros to make some photocopies of documents we need to send to Guide Dogs Of The Desert in Palm Springs, California. I went into Canadian Tire and bought some auto supplies I need. We had lunch in the parking lot. I took my first photo of Lanoire, hitched to Harvey.

This morning Joanne was feeling some anxiety about driving across Montreal. After lunch, we drove across Montreal, entering from the west, and exiting to the south. It took about 2 hours. Montreal is the most difficult city in Canada to drive across, worse than Toronto. And the rudeness and self-centredness of Montreal's drivers rival that of Los Angeles. It was made worse today because one of the two bridges that crosses the St. Lawrence River to South Montreal was closed. Some moron had climbed up on the bridge to protest something, and the police had the bridge closed. All the traffic that would normally flow across 2 bridges was forced to flow across one. We managed to get across the Champlain Bridge by about 3:00 P.M.. Listening to a Montreal radio station later, they were reporting terrible gridlock approaching the bridge during rush hour traffic.

We continued east, from the south side of Montreal, on Hwy. 10. Our plan was to stop for the night at a Passport America campground near Granby. We exited Hwy. 10, the freeway, and drove about 15 km. to where the campground was supposed to be. It wasn't there. We phoned. We knew we were close, perhaps within a half mile. The person on the phone was unable to provide understandable directions from where we were, to where we wanted to go. Forget it ! I learned my lesson, in that regard, in Harlingen, Texas. If a campground can't provide an understandable map and directions in a campground guide, and can't provide verbal directions from half a mile away ... Bonsoir ! ! ! Somebody else wants my money ! We returned to the freeway and continued eastbound. Just before Sherbrooke, we turned south for a short distance to bypass Sherbrooke, then turned east again on Hwy. 108. The road was in terrible condition. We stopped at another campground Joanne found in one of our campground directories. There was no one in the office. There were no instructions for late arrivals. Bonsoir ! We had forgotten how camper unfriendly Quebec is. Their "campgrounds" are all geared to seasonal campers. Overnighters just don't seem to fit into their plans, and don't really seem welcome. We stopped for diesel at Cookshire, Quebec. YIKES ... a hundred and thirty six bucks ! She's a thirsty truck, isn't she ?

We turned onto Hwy. 212 heading east. Another road in terrible condition. We're not very impressed with travelling across Quebec, and will avoid doing so on the return trip. We ploughed through all the way to the United States border. At the border crossing, we had to discard a package of roast beef luncheon meat. Darn ! Finally, about half an hour after we crossed into Maine, just as it was getting dark, we found a road side rest area, and stopped for the night.

It's awfully quiet here, with an occasional lumber truck roaring by. We're in the middle of nowhere. It's a small picnic / rest area, on a lovely little river with rapids. We had supper. I did today's accounting and journal entry.

DSK

May 9, 2006

May 9, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAY 326

 

Today was sunny and warm.

Joanne was ill last night, during the night, and most of today. It didn't seem to be a food related problem. More of a stomach flu type problem.

First thing this morning I telefiled our corporate GST quarterly filing. Five minutes of punching " 0 * " into the phone. All fields were "zeroes". Then I removed the 2 dually valve extenders that seem to be leaking, and replaced them with my last 2 spare valve extenders. I hope that solves the problem. I will monitor the tire pressures closely. I drove out of the campground, to the service station next door, and adjusted the pressures in the 2 rear tires that were low. I drove the 100 feet or so to the service station, and back to the campground, on the shoulder of the road. At that time, I was still illegal to drive, having been sedated less than 24 hours earlier. I realized that I was missing my yellow pair of clip on sunglasses. The last time I remember having them was at the Dickinson's on Friday evening. I phoned Erbon and verified that I had indeed left them there.

We had lunch. We drove to the Dickinson's. I picked up my sunglasses, and used their phone line to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, and update my blog. I had Erbon cut a couple of pieces of scrap wood for me that I needed for a project. Thank you, Erbon. While I was chatting with Erbon about Class B Van Conversions, Joanne handled a call from Guide Dogs Of The Desert. They were phoning to schedule a phone interview later in the day, and wanted to fax us some documents to review before the phone interview. We left the Dickinson's, and drove to South Keys, where there is a Staples. We went inside, got their fax number, phoned Guide Dogs Of The Desert, and gave them the Staples fax number. In a minute or two, we received the fax. We drove to Herongate Mall, where Joanne wanted to buy a particular favourite cosmetic. We drove to Southgate Mall where she bought something she wanted at Kardish Health Foods. On the way back to Camp Hither Hills we filled up Lanoire with diesel, so we can depart tomorrow morning with a full tank.

I used the pieces of scrap wood that Erbon cut for me to prop up the rear edge of a new cutlery tray that we recently bought, that is a tiny bit too short for our cutlery drawer. Joanne handled the long telephone interview with Guide Dogs Of The Desert, since I had already spoken to them a couple of times. I took Bo out for an obedience walk. By the end of the hour long telephone interview with 2 people at Guide Dogs Of The Desert, Joanne had succeeded in obtaining us a winter job. WOO-HOO ! ! ! I'm very pleased and excited. Joanne is less so, but she's always pessimistic and lacking enthusiasm about our WorkCamper jobs until they begin.

We will be working as resident dormitory managers at a guide dog training school in Southern California, for January, February, and March. We will actually be "working" for January and March. February is a freebie, so to speak.

I did some minor paint touch ups on a couple of scratches I have found on Lanoire. I wrote some e-mails. We had supper. Ahhhhh ... first perogy meal since last fall. I did today's accounting. I worked on today's journal entry. Joanne did trip planning.

Newfoundland, here we come !

DSK

May 8, 2006

May 8, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAY 325

 

Today was sunny and warm.

This morning when I did Monday's preventive maintenance, I discovered that 2 of the rear truck tires have lost pressure since I installed the dually valve extenders. One tire lost a bit of air, and one tire lost a lot of air. I'll have to make that tomorrow's priority. These dually valve extenders seem somewhat fragile, and prone to leakage, when removed and reinstalled. I've encountered problems with them in the past when moving them from a flat tire to a spare tire. I may end up having to remove the rear tires after all, to ensure the tightness of the valve extenders, or I may end up having to buy new valve extenders. In any case, it's likely to be a somewhat iterative repair process, but as long as I check and adjust the tire pressures frequently until the problem is solved, it should be just a minor, irritating problem. Such is the objective of my preventive maintenance procedures. Find and solve small problems before they become large.

At 10:30 A.M. we left for my colonoscopy at Riverside Hospital. On the way we stopped at a medical lab at Towngate Mall to drop off Joanne's "specimens". Then we stopped at Southbank Dodge and picked up the correct owner's manual and maintenance / warranty manual that they had ordered for me. They phoned early this morning to advise that the manuals had arrived.

The parking lot fee at Riverside Hospital was $13.00. I thought that was a bit steep. Inside we found our way to the Endoscopy Unit, arriving precisely at my appointed time of 11:15. I changed into a hospital gown, then had an interview with a nurse. I was prepared for the procedure which started about 15 minutes late, at 12:30, and was over by 1:00. When the doctor arrived, 15 minutes late, I thought he was a bit more arrogant and rude than usual, but since he's usually arrogant and rude, I wasn't too concerned. The procedure was even more painful and unpleasant than I remembered. After I lay in the recovery area for awhile, and wore off a bit of the effects of the intravenous sedative, I was taken to the change room to get dressed again before seeing the doctor to review the results of the colonoscopy.

I was taken aback when the doctor had little to say to me about the colonoscopy results. He was far more interested in admonishing me severely about the altercation I had with his receptionist when I was setting up the appointment a few months ago. Yeah ? ! ? **** you, pal ! ! ! First of all, my rudeness to her was a result of her lack of respect. Second of all, that altercation has absolutely nothing to do with why you and I are here today ! Get focussed on today's issues ! He really pissed me off. And I consider it rather unprofessional, and cowardly, that he would "chew out" a patient when the patient is so full of sedative he's hardly awake. He seemed to think that the sedated patient was just going to sit there and take what he was dishing out. As he found out, I'm quite able to "retaliate" even when sedated. A*****e ! I'm certainly looking forward to terminating that relationship. We ended by having another little argument, and power struggle, over the results of today's biopsies, available in a couple of weeks. He demanded that I come to his office to review the results with him. NO ! ! ! I will phone from Newfoundland and you will discuss the results with me over the phone. I won that one !

Joanne drove us back to Camp Hither Hills. I had a light lunch, then went to sleep for the afternoon. Joanne painted the undersides of the sink covers with a sealer paint I bought recently. It worked well, except that the paint was black, despite being in a can labelled as white. She took Bo for an obedience walk. When I woke, I was feeling well, although tired. I did today's accounting, then worked on today's journal entry.

We had a light supper. It felt good to eat. We spent the evening relaxing, watching TV, me recuperating, Joanne becoming increasingly ill. Must have been something she ate !

DSK

May 7, 2006

May 7, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAY 324

 

Today was mostly sunny and cool. I spent most of the day feeling ill and weak from the colonoscopy preparation medication, and no food.

This morning I did regular preventive maintenance, then refilled the fresh water holding tank. We checked the Damp Rid hanging containers in the bedroom closet. That turned out to be a larger project. The Damp Rid containers needed to be removed and hung differently. I attached a plastic cake box to the counter to keep the toaster in. I cleaned and soaked the shower head in C-L-R. I read yesterday's newspaper.

Breakfast was a cup of tea. Lunch was a cup of chicken broth. I spent the afternoon reading the newspaper and napping. Joanne went out shopping. I received a phone call from Guide Dogs Of The Desert in Palm Springs, California. I am hoping to obtain a WorkCamper position there next winter. I had a long discussion with Kathie Flamm. We discussed their need for a couple to be their guide dog school's resident dormitory managers, from January to April. Their training courses are 4 weeks long, with a 4 week interval between sessions. For us, that would mean being their resident dormitory managers for their January session and March session. There is no training session during February, so the dormitory managers are free to stay at the dormitory, or go travelling, or a combination of both, which is very appealing to me. They have 6 students per 4 weeks session. For 4 weeks, the dog trainers work with the dogs in preparation for students. Then the trainers work with the dogs and the students together for 4 weeks. Hence the dormitories are occupied by students for 4 weeks, then empty for 4 weeks, and so on. The resident managers live in a suite in the dormitory during the 4 week student session. Then they can live in the dormitory, or in their RV, with RV hook ups on the school's property, during the 4 weeks between sessions. The resident managers prepare 3 meals a day for the 6 students, 6 days a week, for 4 weeks. I am very interested. When Joanne came home, we discussed it, and she is also interested, so I'm going to pursue it. Next step is a phone interview on Tuesday with Kim Laidlaw, who I think is the Executive Director. Then I have some application, reference, and background check forms to fill out.

Palm Springs, California seems like a pretty desirable place to spend the winter. It's within a day's drive of the Escapee park at Yuma, Arizona, the Escapee park at Pahrump, Nevada, the Escapee park at Jojoba Hills, California, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree National Park. Lots of places to visit, and things to see and do.

We took Bo for an obedience session. Great work, Bo. I did today's accounting. At 7:00 P.M. I took the second and last dose of the purgative < sigh >. I updated my medications files, entering yesterday's purchases. I compared the costs of my medications here in Canada versus down in Mexico. Some are a bit cheaper here, and some are a bit cheaper there. I spent a lot of the evening in the bathroom < huge sigh >.

DSK

May 5 & 6, 2006

May 5 & 6, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAYS 322 & 323

 

Friday ; Happy 5th Birthday, Amelia. Today was sunny and warm.

This morning I did Friday's preventive maintenance on Lanoire for the first time. Checking all the fluid levels. I got out the owner's manual, and figured out where to find everything under the hood. There was only one other camper in the campground, and sure enough, he came wandering over to see why I had the hood of the truck up. What is it with old men and their inability to resist the urge to stick their head under an open vehicle hood ? ! ? I didn't feel particularly sociable, so I ignored him, and he left, looking hurt. For crying out loud !

We phoned Amelia to wish her a happy birthday. I washed the truck. You know, no matter how old one is, you're never too old to make mistakes. And hopefully, learn from the them. I have owned a black vehicle for 8 days. My first black vehicle. My last black vehicle ! Lanoire shows every speck of dust that falls on her. And the interior is always hot !

We left the campground, and made the long drive from being slightly south of Ottawa, to being slightly east of Ottawa, to our old home at 1308 Quigley Hill Road. I've always felt pleasant memories when driving by a home we previously lived in. But not this time. The owners of our previous home have allowed the beautiful 2 acre forest lot to deteriorate. They chopped down the lovely willow tree in the front yard. They have ripped out some sections of the cedar hedge that surrounds the main part of the yard, and left large piles of dead cedar brush piled up in the yard. The leaves were not raked off the lawn before the snow fell, so this spring the lawn is a mess of rotting leaves. The house itself still looks the same, but the yard has lost a lot of its appeal. I felt vaguely disappointed. Oh, well.

We drove to Orleans, to meet with Roger Gran-Ruaz, our investment broker. Before going in to meet with Roger, we visited PET VALU 118, the store we owned in Orleans for about 12 years or so. It looked good. The staff member working was attentive and knowledgeable. The store was well stocked. We noticed that a neighbouring business, MicroPlay, wasn't in the mall any more. We were "business friends" with MicroPlay's owner. While I went on to meet with Roger, Joanne walked to Place d'Orleans to buy something at Pharma Plus. She joined us part way through the meeting. I had expected that Roger had scheduled a one hour meeting, but he had actually scheduled a two hour meeting. We haven't met face to face in almost 2 years, and there was a lot to discuss and review. We did a fair amount of "tweaking" adjustments to our investment portfolios. At the end of our meeting I showed him some of our travel photos in our laptop. Then while Roger began his next meeting with his next client, I showed his assistant Rhonda some photos.

As we began to drive back to Camp Hither Hills, I realized that I had mismanaged our time somewhat, we hadn't had lunch yet, and it was late afternoon. We still had 2 more errands to run, and we were already late for our planned visit with Erbon and Lorraine Dickinson. We postponed the remaining 2 errands, rushed back to the campground, had a very quick snack, fed the animals, then headed for the Dickinson's. I don't understand how somebody who is unemployed and homeless can be so busy that he forgets to eat lunch, and can't get his errands done on time. HA HA HA !

We had a very pleasant dinner and visit with Erbon and Lorraine. Joanne used their washer and dryer to get some laundry done. I used their phone line to get online, send and retrieve e-mail, and update my blog. They fed us a great dinner. Thank you very much, Erbon and Lorraine, for everything. We talked a lot about travelling. I showed them travel photos. They travelled all last summer, and are seriously considering travelling next winter to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, staying with friends on South Padre Island. We discussed RV's. Erbon and Lorraine are intrigued by class B van conversions, like the Road Trek.

By the time we left, it was very late. When we got "home", we took care of the animals and went to bed. I left the accounting and journal entry for tomorrow.

 

Saturday : Today was raining and cool.

We slept late this morning. After showering and having breakfast, I did yesterday's accounting and journal entry. I also spent some time trying to find the photos of Savannah that I couldn't locate last night when I was showing photos to Erbon and Lorraine. They're gone ! I seem to have mysteriously lost all the photos of Savannah, Georgia. Darn ! ! ! When and how did that happen ? ! ?

We drove into the city, to Wal-Mart at South Keys. I picked up my large, expensive prescription order. I bought the purgative I need to take tonight and tomorrow to prepare for Monday's colonoscopy < sigh >. We drove from Wal-Mart to the Dickinson's to drop off the Rio Grande Valley birding and butterfly map that I forgot to bring last night. We drove back to the trailer, and had lunch. I read some investment information that Roger gave me to review. I napped.

I did Saturday's preventive maintenance on Lanoire. I drained all the holding tanks. We took Bo for an obedience training walk. Once again, great work, Bo. The better he performs, the more challenging we make the obedience sessions. We went for a ride back into the city to buy a newspaper. While Joanne started preparing an early supper, I worked on today's journal entry. We had supper. I did today's accounting. We gave Bo a bath. We trimmed Bo's nails. We trimmed Teddy's nails. I opened the batch of February and March investment mail forwarded by Bruce in Thunder Bay, sorted through it all, and updated my files. I worked on the batch of February and March regular mail forwarded by Sharon, until it was finished. By then I was feeling ill from the colonoscopy preparation medication. I spent the rest of the evening reading the newspaper.

DSK

May 4, 2006

May 4, 2006

Ottawa, Ontario

YEAR 2 DAY 321

 

Today was mostly sunny and warm, with rain briefly in the afternoon.

This morning we got up early. Our first medical appointment was at 8:30 A.M.. I got a physical examination, old prescriptions renewed, new prescriptions, and a wart burned off my hand. Ouch ! At 9:15 A.M. Joanne had a physical examination. From Dr. Anderson's office we headed directly to a nearby medical lab for blood and urine tests. We drove to the office of my accountant, and picked up some documents that were waiting for us. We went into Canadian Tire looking for something, but they didn't have what I wanted. We drove across the city, to PET VALU 234, the last store we owned.

We visited with Iryna, the owner, and Barry, our employee that Iryna kept. The store continues to do exceptionally well. Iryna has built a small grooming room at the back of the store, and added a groomer to the business. It seems like a good addition to the business. We bought cat food. We admired the store's resident pets, a budgie, a cockatiel, and 3 finches. We're fond of budgies and cockatiels, both species with large enough brains to have a personality. Finches are about as intelligent and interactive as pet rocks. We walked through Westgate Mall to see what changes have taken place since we last saw it almost 2 years ago.

We drove back across the city again, to shop at the South Keys mall. First we shopped at Wal-Mart. I discussed all my prescriptions with the pharmacist, and left them for filling. Sheesh ... the bill will be over $1200.00 ! By the time we were finished our shopping at Wal-Mart we decided we should return to Camp Hither Hills and have lunch, then return for more shopping later. We had lunch. I napped. We returned to South Keys. I bought beer at The Beer Store. We shopped at Bulk Barn. We bought a lot ! The concept of bulk stores doesn't seem to exist in the United States. We shopped at Loblaws. Bought a lot again ! We ran our food and supplies down a bit to facilitate crossing the border recently. Gee ... I guess that was already 2 weeks ago. Before leaving the mall parking lot, I drove slowly around in circles in the mall parking lot, calibrating the truck's overhead console compass function.

Back at the trailer, while Joanne put away our grocery purchases, I did Thursday's preventive maintenance, which I did not have time to do this morning before going to our doctor's appointments. Then I took Bo for an obedience training session. As is now the norm, I finished with an off leash play session. Good, good dog, Bo. What a lot of progress from a year ago, when he escaped in a provincial park full of bunnies, in Saskatchewan, and we had a lot of difficulty recapturing him.

We had dinner. I did today's accounting. Just before it got dark, we went for a walk. I'm enjoying the longer days. It's now light outside until 8:30 P.M.. While Joanne washed dishes, I worked on today's journal entry.

DSK