ticket total

The speeding tix was $550 usa. We paid a Hundred bucks in September.

Off to get Candy

Went over to Vancouver Island to get Candy our energetic Cocker Spaniel. That would complete our trip full circle. Vancouver Island on the West Coast to Prince Edward Island o the East Coast.

Almost home

We had to wait about 45 minutes, but in the end we DID get to see Old Faithful. Unfortunately there was no wifi as advertised at the KOA in West Yellowstone.

Afterward, we spent a pretty whiny trip driving through Montana and Idaho to eastern Washington. There were several mountain passes and they must have done a number on Mary's ears. We stayed in quite a nice Comfort Inn last night. One of the better rates and better hotels, too. Hot tub and great continental breakfast.

We're crossing the border back home today. Don't get too excited - we're not actually returning home properly. We still have to go and pick up Romeo and Izzy's long lost sister, Candy, from her big camping/fishing trip with Grandma on Vancouver Island.

Bursting a bubble

Today we're off to take Scott to see Yogi Bear and Old Faithful. I'm trying to figure out how to break it to him that Yogi isn't real.

The drive yesterday was stinking hot and over 100 degrees. Thank God for air conditioning. We spent the night in Buffalo, Wyoming. Today is expected to be even hotter, but hopefully cooler in the mountains.

Little Baby on the Prairie

The highlight of the trip for me was De Smet, South Dakota, setting of half the Little House on the Prairie series. I read those books several times over for years when I was younger, and they partly helped inspire my interest in historical fiction. It's a shame we were all so tired and pressed for time, or I would have toured the town, too, but we stuck to the Ingalls homestead.

It wasn't as authentic, perhaps, as Green Gables, but it was FAR more interactive. You could actually touch things and experience everything. There were horses, kittens, a replica shanty, a school house with an authentic OLD teacher, and of course a gift shop. Mary got a bonnet and I bought the box set of books. It was actually a deal, vs. buying the box set of Green Gables books in PEI.

We are currently in Wall, South Dakota, home of Wall Drug, a colossal tourist trap made famous by its numerous billboards. We're also quite close to Mount Rushmore, and there's a Wounded Knee museum. I would have liked to see 1880 Town, which we passed on the highway. I think somewhere around here, or perhaps the next state, is a cowboy museum.

It's tough being a baby

I don't understand. I sleep better if Mummy is right beside me and I can eat whenever I want. After just 8 hours of sleeping, she decided she didn't like that. I was mortified! I cried and cried and wouldn't go back to sleep. Mummy hid her head under the covers. Daddy tried his best to get me to stop crying and go back to sleep, but silly Daddy can't feed me the way Mummy can. After a while Mummy got really frustrated and fed me and I fell asleep! It was great. I was happy and they were happy. Then Izzy barked and I woke up and Mummy didn't want to feed me again. I don't understand. It had been a whole 20 minutes. Just a little snack and I'd go right back to sleep. Well, maybe.

Now I'm going to sleep in the car. Mummy is complaining because she won't get breakfast. She could I guess, but I'll wake up and cry cry cry if they stop, and I guess they don't want that.

It's tough being a baby.

No-tell Motel

We got lost in Chicago (big surprise) and ended up in a No-tell Motel of Super 8 in Lansing, south of the city. They snuck in the dogs for us, which was great, but all they had was a smoking room, which made me cough all night. The dogs pissed all over the room, too, because a drug dealer set up shop outside and Scott didn't want to hang around back there. They offered high speed internet, but the connection was so bad it didn't work. We DID order a fabulous Chicago deep-dish pizza, though.

In the morning, plans with friends fell through and we drove onward toward Iowa where plans with another friend were successful. We met up with my friend Holly and her daughter Charlotte and husband Shane. Charlotte was awesome. She wanted to hold my hand when we were walking and got me sucked into carrying her, too. She gave Mary lots of hugs and kisses, but did also kick her in the nose once.

Afterward, we drove onward again. Just past Des Moines we hit some terrible weather. Shortly after, once we'd cleared the storm cell, the emergency broadcast system came over the radio warning of tornado activity in the area we'd just been. Fun! Around this time Romeo also pissed himself in the car. He was desperately asking out and doing everything he could, but the last time we stopped for him the baby woke up and screamed for an hour. She needed her sleep. Poor Romeo ended up losing bladder control at my feet, onto the rubber mat. We apologized to him and told him he was a good boy.

We're in for the night at a Motel 6 in western Iowa. Their high speed internet doesn't work in the rooms. Lame. They've also got rules posted everywhere. Take off your muddy shoes. Don't open the window. And they're going to inspect the room before we check out. The TV is tiny, too.

Tomorrow we'll start to head north to South Dakota.

Zero to slpash

Another hellish drive. I slewed through miles of rain and lightning. One barn was burnt down by lightning in the area. When the road went dry and the condition went poor to good I hit the gas to make up for lost time to Buffalo. Unfortunately, I did it in fron of a Highway patrol man with his radar trained on me. It looks like I might have to pay an excessive ticket in New York. Consulting a Lawyer today. Could be more than $300 USA and as much as a $1,000. Knock on wood on that one. Hopefully the falls will be spectacular.

Farewell to Nova Scotia...

I know we've been terrible about uploading pictures. Problem is by the time we finish driving for the day, eat, and do whatever work Scott has for school, we're just too beat to go the extra effort to get photos off the camera.

Tonight we're outside Boston, Massachusetts. Great food in this Best Western. We crossed at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and headed south. Our goal was Kittery, Maine, but Scott wanted to keep on going a bit further. We didn't get lost, but did make one poor route choice in the end.

We spent five nights in Nova Scotia. Just beautiful there. We found our dream home. $300K, 15 acres, three bedrooms plus den, huge unfinished attic (our future master suite), and full walk-in basement (for the dogs). It was awesome.

Our little cottage, the "chateau" as they called it, quickly became home. It was rustic but comfortable with everything we needed. The beach was a short walk away and we took many walks at low tide, all the way out to the water's edge with baby and dogs in tow to talk about life, love, and the future. We won't move to Nova Scotia, but it's a nice dream. Scott's first Father's Day was very memorable, too. We were sad to leave but eager to continue on in our adventures.

McDonald's wifi

We're sitting in a McDonalds in Bangor, Maine. I had a craving for Denny's breakfast, but we couldn't find a Denny's. They've got wifi! And free drink refills!

More on our last few days in Nova Scotia later.

Maritimes

I am enjoying the people and my step father in law Gerry's family out here has been extremly helpful. I have enjoyed seeing the earth red everywhere. Went to P.E.I today. The Fog was covering the Island when we arrived and it was 10 degrees, but warmed up and so did are hearts to this new heartland. Many great property deals for a summer home. The Drivers are a little slow and the police on the highway are a little miltant. I hope speed remains our friend as well as St.Christopher.

Free PEI wifi

Thank you, Baker's Lighthouse Motel, for the free wifi we got while parked outside your establishment in Summerside, PEI.

Mary enjoyed seeing Green Gables, I was a bit disappointed as there wasn't much to see.

Mary of Green Gables

We've been in Nova Scotia for a few days now. No internet, but beautiful area. The "chateau" on Clarence's property is actually a converted shed, but it's got everything we need.

Today, we've brought Mary to Prince Edward Island. Apparently it's much colder here than in Nova Scotia and we're all dressed inappropriately for the weather. Mary's got her Anne of Green Gables doll already and we've only just crossed the bridge. We're onward into Charlottetown to find ourselves some warmer clothes, then up to Cavendish for the real Green Gables stuff. The dogs are waiting impatiently back at the "chateau."

No room at the inn

What a loooooong day. We got lost forever in Montreal trying to meet my friend Susan, met her briefly for lunch (she got the bill - thanks Susan!), then got lost on the way out of town. We zipped through the rest of Quebec and decided to push through all the way to Moncton. It didn't work, and we ended up in the dark in New Brunswick with a hysterical child and no room at the inn. This is a mostly rural area. Why is it so popular?

We're at the Best Western in Woodstock paying $120 for a $180 room, and the night manager had us sneak in the dogs ($25/dog otherwise, and they aren't even supposed to be on this floor). What happened to camping? I don't know. It was really fun watching Scott flirt with the manager from my vantage point outside in the van. If I didn't know him, I'd think he was a woman. He kept kicking up his leg like a girl getting kissed for the first time and making sweeping arm movements. It was cute. But we got the cheapest rate we could get, so I guess it all worked!

Laval loves its strippers

Tourism Laval has it's own TV station where they promote local attractions, restaurants, etc. Including two or three strip joints.

A brief accommodation review

Nelson
North Shore Inn
An older hotel that could use some updating, but the beds were amazingly comfortable, they had high speed internet, a complimentary computer, and a continental breakfast. About $80 for two queen beds for two adults, a baby, and two dogs.

Calgary
Dave & Amy's House
New home in a Calgary suburb. We had a futon mattress on their living room floor, but it was free and we got breakfast and good company.

Saskatoon
Lorraine & Esther's House
Great older house in a quiet area outside the city. 15 acres of property, home-cooked meals, and an in-house massage therapist. Free.

Winnipeg
Quality Inn (Pembina)
Very nice updated hotel and a nicely furnished room. Nice big TV and free wifi. Unfortunately, boys hockey teams were booked into the same hotel that night and were rather noisy. Scott also had no hot water for his shower in the morning, and their elevator door didn't open when something was in the doorway (ie. man, stroller, etc.). I was told the manager would be in touch, but I had to call several times the Monday after we stayed before I got her. She discounted 10% off the price because, she said, we already had quite a low rate. We paid $83 plus tax for two queen beds. I don't recall if there was a dog fee.

Thunder Bay
Victoria Inn
Nice hotel with pool, waterslide, and free internet (LAN). The staff was friendly and we had no problems, and they even sent a fax for us at no charge. I think we paid $90 for two queen beds.

Sault Ste Marie
Super 8
New, clean hotel with free internet. They waived the dog fee. It was $83 plus tax, government rate. We had some girls soccer teams who made some noise at night, but that was quickly resolved with a complaint to the manager.

Ottawa
Comfort Inn
Very nice night staff who waived the dog fee. Free wifi, but our TV didn't work and we lost wifi around 11. The next morning, the office ladies fawned all over Mary and the manager gave her a rubber duck. They discounted are stay by 50% for the lack of TV and internet, so we only paid $50.

Montreal (Laval)
Best Western
Two queen beds, TV that works, and wifi. Dogs stay free. It's further away than we'd like to be from downtown, but downtown was more expensive. Free breakfast that was hot and served at the table (we ordered eggs, bacon, and roast potatoes), and Mary got some fruit and yogurt!$100.

Bonjour

I couldn't have picked a better doggie daycare at random from the phone book. It was actually just a pet supply store and groomer, and the owner took in doggie daycare dogs. Romeo and Izzy were his only daycare clients that day. We were worried, because Romeo can be an absolute jerk to other dogs. However, he's breedist - the only dogs he's accepted right away without incident have been cocker spaniels. His favorite are blondes. The owner, a pleasant Russian man and former veterinarian, breeds cocker spaniels and had his nice blonde male in today along with his assistant's (wife's?) two cockers, a blonde and a red. The kids seem to have had a great four hours there and were fed good organic food and Russian sausage all day.

We, on the other hand, got lost in downtown Ottawa and ended up going 7 storeys down in a parking garage with no elevator. The attendent made us pay anyway when we left. We finally found parking right across the street from where we were going, Scott's Museum of Civilization. It was nice, but not as cool as he remembered. A good half of it was dedicated to Aboriginal culture and artifacts, with a huge collections of West Coast native stuff, like totems. We were like... been there, done that. UBC's Museum of Anthropology and Victoria's Royal BC Museum cover it extensively, and we also couldn't help but think it was just stolen culture. We did see the ancient canoe that was recently discovered in the rafters of some Scottish museum and returned to Canada for restoration. Mary liked the Children's Museum (I'm sure she'll remember it for the rest of her life). Otherwise we were glad tickets were only $10 each.

After we collected the dogs we headed east to Quebec. We stopped at the tourist bureau just across the border and a very helpful woman named Andreanne helped us book the cheapest hotel we could find that took dogs without charging a huge dog fee. We're in the Best Western in Laval. After we took our stuff in, we ventured into downtown Montreal to find a restaurant. Instead we got lost and frustrated and came back to the hotel after an hour and a half. I discovered my purse was missing and Scott went to search for it (I found it under the bed, grr!) and came back with Subway. So we're in one of the most beautiful cities in the world that's reputed for its excellent restaurants, and we're eating Subway subs for dinner.

Part of what got us lost is Scott forgetting the French directional words. "I don't know what Quest is." "It's not Quest, it's Ouest! West! Go West!"

Ticked off

I found a tick on me this morning after my shower. A TICK! I freaked out and Scott pulled it out. It hadn't embedded itself yet.

The pups are booked into doggie daycare for the day. We haven't told them that Romeo can be a jerk.

Mary learns to crawl...

... on the floor of the Comfort Inn in Ottawa, Ontario. It was pretty cool. She spotted what she wanted, moved forward, and got it.

We left Sault Ste Marie around 10am and arrived around 7pm in Ottawa. Yet another hotel, but we weren't expecting cheap since it's a big city. Scott scored us a free room upgrade unintentionally, too. We have a fridge and microwave!

After we unloaded our stuff we took our first trip downtown to walk around. I caught some cool nightshots of Parliament. We certainly are in BilingualLand now. Scott's having a bit of a hard time. We've argued that, yes, there IS a difference between Laurier and Laurent, and they are two completely different streets. He also reads both the French and English on signs and ends up with something like "the Pont Bridge." A pont IS a bridge, so that's not going to help when asking for directions either.

Kid fell asleep in the car on the way back, so she then woke up when being taken out, and she's doing the same thing as last night. It'll either be the all-night boobfest or a lot of being awake and screaming. Scott doesn't understand that both these scenarios stress the crap out of me and thinks it's just fun to keep her up playing.

I might try to get some photos up tonight, but I've got a LOT to organize now and Scott needs to work on a project for his advocacy course (it doesn't really count as "working on it" to open a Word document and save it with nothing more than the question copied and pasted at the top).

Tomorrow we're doing the Museum of Civilization and more wandering about downtown. We're unsure where we'll end up last night. It depends on how much time we spend in Ottawa. We'd like to camp, since the weather will be warm.

Sunday the Day of Worship

Well;

I would like to be getting ready for church back home, but instead I am slowly getting everyone up and ready for the arduos journey towards Ottowa. Many complaints and petty arguments about our timeline, but we are slowly getting to our departure.