Montreal, how I love (hate) you.

Day 55

Current Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)

Total Countries visited: 2

Total Miles Driven: 7,040

Dear Montreal,

Why do you treat me so ?

What did I do to deserve

Your anger, your rejection ?

I have done nothing to you...

And yet you make me feel like

You don't want me anymore...

You know I cannot hate

You have given me so much

But I am leaving you now

To come back at a later time

Perhaps you will have changed your ways?

Montreal, I forgive you.

But please, never do this again.

Monster is back

Thanks to all who helped in the search for lost Monster.  Like the phoenix rising from the flames, he came back !!!!!  He had been hiding underneath the van until I got to Montreal, at which point he ran away and spent a few days in debauchery, drinking and partying... poor Monster, lost all his hair and money, and I had to bail him out after he got in a bar fight.  I guess he had felt a bit smothered by his little life in my pocket.  I will try to give you more space in the future - WELCOME BACK MONSTER !

Monster caught sneaking into the strip club.

Monster enjoying some cupcake decadence.

Trip update

I am currently in the Mall of America, aptly named for the largest mall in the US.  There are roller coasters here, and a Starbucks from where I am writing.

They won't make much money with me today.

It has been 11 days since my last post, and I must admit these haven't been the best 11 days.  There were a few great moments scattered here and there, but in the end I will remember it as a bit of a hassle.

Firstly, I have been a bit sick since I went hiking 2 weeks ago... perhaps I replaced a lost Monster with another type of bug that I'm carrying everywhere...  Coughing and painful throat, some difficulty sleeping... Thankfully, I am now recovered and healthy.

Secondly, on my second day in the city, Large Marge was broken into.  I had parked her overnight in a relatively busy street of downtown Montreal to find a brick on my passenger seat the next morning.  GPS, data logger, iPod were gone.  The silver lining however is that I had my camera with me, and they left the car radio alone.  And most importantly, they did not take Yoda - I don't know how I could have survived his loss.

Thirdly, I have had quite a string of bad luck with mechanics.  I don't think I can attribute this to Montreal alone, mechanics seem to be the same everywhere.  Based on my recent experience (and I have had a lot of experience over the last 50 days), there are three universal truths when it comes to dealing with mechanics:

1) They always promise that they can fix everything and anything (of course we can fix that!  Just bring it in!)

2) They are always too busy to work on your vehicle (I'm sorry, we had 14 appointments this morning.  I didn't know you were going to need your car this week!)

3) They don't ever fully fix the problem (This will require some welding, we don't do that kind of stuff)...

So Marge was at the shop for 6 days.  On the second day, all the broken pipes were fixed.  On day 6, nothing more was done, but the guy had confirmed a few more tiny leaks (that I had noted to him when I brought it in) and told me he couldn't fix the problem.  I then proceeded to call 5 more shops, and either they were booked until December or they didn't deal with welding.

It's just a tiny little leak!  I am going to take matter in my own hands.  I bought some epoxy glue and will attempt to patch the leaks in a few days... wish me luck!

I left Montreal 3 days ago.  Heading West.  Everything has been smooth since I left.  I saw Ottawa for the first time (did you know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada?  HAHA!).  A very pretty town, full of Canadian stuff.  The parliament is very british and quite impressive.

Ottawa Parliament.  This is where important things don't happen.

I am now in Minneapolis, and will leave for South Dakota this afternoon.  Badlands and Yellowstone National Parks, here I come !!!

Thank you

I wanted to give special thanks to all my friends and family in Montreal who have been so great and made my stay there a bit more bearable.  I have met with 4 cousins of mine that I hadn't seen in possibly 15 years... and above all I must thank my aunt Louise, uncle Serge and family who have lodged and fed me for 6 days and uplifted me with their stories and sense of humour... You are the best!

Aunt Louise and little cousin PO.  Always smiling, always happy.

Montreal is truly a gorgeous city, but the timing just wasn't there.  I can't wait to go back and visit you all again.

Montreal my dear, I will be back.

Cheers,

D

Casualties

Day 44

Current Location: Levis, Quebec (Canada)

Total Countries visited: 2

Total Miles Driven: 5,548

First casualty:  Monster.  I went hiking a few days ago in the mountains of northern Maine, accompanied by my loyal green companion.  Somehow I lost track of his whereabouts, and I couldn't find him on the way back.  Perhaps he decided to become a hermit and live in his little shack in the Mountain.  Perhaps he became tired of me and my constant quips about his unusual colour.  Either way, if you see him please tell him I'll be good in the future and I'm sorry.  I am very sad that he left me.

Second casualty: Large Marge.  I knew this trip would help me find deep things about myself.  Well, it took me 40 days to discover this: I am a moron.

I went to lunch at a cute little restaurant near the Bay of Fundy (best Chowder in the World)... I had parked Margie right against a little ridge of earth... I suppose the chowder was that good, because in the afterglow I forgot about the little ridge, and I started the van forward.  I was curious when the wheels went up but did not think anything suspicious, so I kept going.  Until, WHAM!.  Both front wheels dropped and I became wedged on the ridge.  I tried to back out, Large Marge wasn't going anywhere.  And somehow I destroyed the water hoses because LM was losing all her waters as if she was about to deliver.

I needed to call a construction guy with his truck and a chain to pull me out of this one, and LM will need to get fixed again so that she doesn't remain incontinent for the rest of the trip.

Well done, Genius.

Third casualty: Border Patrol.  Those guys are after me !  Really !

First instance, crossing into Canada 1 month ago. They searched Large Marge completely and asked lots of questions.  It took 30 minutes.  They found nothing.

Second instance, crossing back into the US last week.  This time it took 90 minutes.  The agent told me that I had been "randomly" selected for a search.  Another thorough Large Marge search, they went through everything and took away my oranges (oh no).  And they asked lots and lots of specific questions about me, my family, my job and what the heck I'm going to do in the US (hiking).

Well, they found nothing again.  But as he released me, the agent gave me this little word of wisdom:

"You aren't from around here, you're driving this big van, you got this beard that looks nothing like your passport photo, and you aren't working.  This can raise some suspicions."

Third instance was the weirdest, as it did not happen at the border.  I was peacefully driving in northern Maine on a small abandoned road (seemed like a good idea at the time), it was dark out and suddenly this large pick-up truck pulls up behind me... so I slow down to let him pass, but he slows down too... um I figure then I should accelerate so he won't shine his high beams in my rearview, that's when he decides to show me his true colours... all lights on, he promptly pulls me over.  He was border patrol and pulled me over for the following reasons:

(1) I was from out of state

(2) I was driving on a road notorious for sneaking illegals in from Canada (really?  how big a problem is that?)

(3) My speed was erratic (duh)

And of course he probably saw the beard in the side mirrors or something like that.  Oh well.  The truth has been told.  Well, border patrol agents, you can eat my socks!  I ain't shaving anytime soon.

Really !

Fourth casualty: Mt. Katahdin.  Mt. Katahdin is the highest peak of Maine, and is quite the beast at over 5200 feet.  It has multiple trails, including the infamous "knife edge" which is a narrow 3-foot path that follows from one peak to the next over 1 mile, with 2000 foot drops on both ways.  Oh, and sections of it are level 2 rock climbing difficulty.  Nice.

Well, 19 years ago I climbed Mt. Katahdin for the first time.  However, when I saw the knife edge I got too scared to give it a try, so I came back down the easy route.  There was no way I was going to do it.  

Mountain 1 - Moebius 0.

Last month I mentioned in one of my blogs that I tried climbing it again.  But the weather was not cooperating, so I could only go up halfway.  

Mountain 2 - Moebius 0.

Well I had to throw a hail Mary and try it one last time (it was kind of on the way back)... and the weather was good.  I climbed to the top relatively quickly, 3.5 hours.  All was going well and I was confident.  And I didn't stop at the summit more than 5 minutes, I just continued forward onto the knife edge.

YIKES!  Halfway through the knife edge, the clouds cleared up and I saw verticall cliffs going down on both sides of me.  Scariest thing of the trip so far (btw I am afraid of heights if you hadn't noticed).  At that point I was also exhausted, and basically wanted to go home.  If there had been an escalator or zip line home, trust me I would have taken it.  But I had no choice but to go forward, and go forward I did.

Moebius WINS!

Hardest hike of my life.  Took me 5 hours to go back down because of the difficulty of going through the rocks.  But I am proud to have done it.  Would I do it again?  Probably not.

Elevation map of the hike.

Highest point in Maine.  I did it!

Beginning of knife's edge, before I realized my mistake.

2000 foot drops from the edge.  Yikes!

Travel update.  I am officially finished with the Canadian Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia).  And I am officially in love with them.

I really have travelled it all.

Since the last post, I have seen the most wonderful things and met the most wonderful people.  Here are some tidbits from the best of them.

Magdalen Islands.  Or should I call this place "paradise"?  I can't find a better word for it.  The Magdalens are a small archipelago of 5-6 islands connected by sand dunes.  No matter how far you try to go, you are never more than 1 mile from the sea.  The sand dunes are all over 10 miles long, which make for some of the most amazing beaches you will ever see.

But the best is... the people.  Amazingly friendly, and I had the luck of having family friends living there - I was welcome with a hug, and felt at home right away.  Truly great people, who know how to enjoy life, family, the outdoors, and music - every weekend.  And it's paradise for wind sports - I promised everyone that I would come back to do some kite surfing sooner rather than later.

Lost in the dunes.

Happiest bunch on earth.  Merci a tout le monde !

Apparently these sunsets are a daily occurrence.

Nova Scotia.  Nova Scotia license plates read: "Canada's Ocean Playground".  I concur.  It is a fairly large landmass consisting of two islands separated by a short causeway.  Compared to PEI or Magdalen Islands, it is far more rugged and less manicured, which gives it a wild kind of beauty.

First I went to Cape Breton Island (the northern part of the province) to drive the world-famous Cabot Trail - imagine a road winding between cliffs and ocean.

Weird little scarecrow village.

Winding roads and ocean.

Beautiful cove at sunset.

I very much enjoyed the celtic culture going on there.  Every little village has its pub where fiddling and tapping goes on every night.

I then tried the southeastern coast, with the main points being the fortress of Louisbourg and the City of Halifax.  Special love for Halifax - it is a very walkable city, with pubs and friendly people everywhere (and a casino !!!).  I remember walking around with my map, and a nice lady stopped to help me with directions.  She finished with "Welcome to Nova Scotia!"  Talk about a welcoming place.

Halifax waterfront.

Southwest of Halifax, on the coast, there is an uncountable number of adorable little villages that look like they came out of postcards.  My two favourites were Peggy's Cove and Lunenberg.  Peggy's Cove has wild waves crashing on the rocks, and one of the most photographed lighthouses on earth.  Lunenberg has been named a Unesco Heritage site for its incredible architecture and history.

Peggy's Cove lighthouse.

Peggy's Cove adorable village.

Large Marge found a home in Lunenberg.

Lunenberg scenery.

Back home and ready for more.  After Nova Scotia, I spent a little bit more time near the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.  The area is very interesting because it has the highest tides on earth - the water goes up and down about 45 feet every 6 hours - it is quite phenomenal.  You can practically walk out on the ocean for 2 miles at low tide, and the water rises and drops at a rate of inches per minute...

Flower pot shaped rocks created by the tides.

Ocean floor at low tide.

I am finally back in Quebec City after completing my Atlantic loop.  Next stop, Montreal where I will visit friends and family, and get Large Marge back in shape for the West!

Have a good week everyone :)

D

Some adjustments required

Day 32

Current Location: Havre-aux-Maisons, Iles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec (Canada)

Total Countries visited: 2

Total Miles Driven: 3,548

Number of Large Marge technical problems since the last post: 0 (!!!)

Well hello there!  This is my first post written from inside Large Marge.  She's quite comfortable !

I am technically in the middle of the ocean, on a tiny archipelago 60 miles (by ferry) off the coast of Prince Edward Island called Iles-de-la-Madeleine (Magdalen Islands).  Can't be much more remote than this !  13,000 inhabitants here, and the entire island is cliffs and beaches.  It's gorgeous.

See how I got here in the picture below:

I'm at the upper rightmost arrow on the map.

I have done many great things since my last post, it has been a wonderful time.  I drove around the Gaspesie peninsula of Quebec, across New Brunswick, spent some time walking and hiking at the National Parks, saw a lot of wildlife, went deep sea fishing, saw magnificent sunsets... everything was just perfect.  If you have never gone to the Canadian maritime provinces (Eastern Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia), I highly recommend it... cures stress every time...

Day 32.  I have been on the road for more than one month.  What a start!  It has been even more exciting than expected, but quite different in some aspects.

For one thing, everything is going much slower than anticipated.  Disregarding the time spent waiting for Large Marge to get fixed up, I am spending a lot more time visiting the sites, doing fun activities, relaxing...  I think that's a good thing, but requires adjustment on my part.  

Also, I finally am starting to feel relaxed.  I can't say whether today is Thursday or Friday, every day feels the same (that's different from before, when Mondays felt like a slap in the face and Sunday evenings I had my weekly indigestion).  Up until last week I was somehow feeling pressed for time... I would feel bad if I spent one extra hour in a cute little village, or if I didn't get to my desired campground by nightfall... I quickly realized that was wrong, so I forced myself to take a day off (and now, 3 more days off on the islands).  That did the trick.  I don't care anymore how far I go on a given day, as long as I enjoy it fully.  Who knows where I'll end up in 6 months?  Maybe Argentina, maybe not... it doesn't matter.

As for the last few days in more detail:

Gaspesie

Gaspesie is a peninsula in Eastern Quebec, giving into the St. Lawrence seaway.  It is a gorgeous area, with mountains inland, cliffs on the shore, ocean always in sight... quite dramatic.  The highlight of the region is Perce, which has a huge rock in the middle of the ocean with a hole in it (probably not the most elegant description, but looking at the pictures you'll see).  As luck would have it, I met Irene as I was in Perce and she was visiting the area.  The sea was very angry that day my friends !  And Large Marge was rocking back and forth through the night because of the wind gusts... a bit scary.

The sky glows pink at night.

Unbelievable sunsets.

Cliffs of Perce

Pierced rock of Perce

Spent the night right on the sea.

Monster rockin the rock.

A bit inland from the shore is Gaspesie National Park, with some of the highest mountains in Quebec.  I went hiking on a 11 mile trip up and around one of the most technical mountains, Mont Albert.  It was very difficult but rewarding with the beautiful views.

Mysterious forest.

I'm on top of the world !

Quite an amazing view.

Acadia

Acadia is an area Northeast of New Brunswick where Acadians live.  Acadians are another group of french descendants who settled on the Atlantic, distinctly from Quebecers.  They have quite the accent (even for me)!  The Acadian accent is like typical Quebec accent, with a rolled "r" and interchanging all "a"s for "o"s.  I can't ever get tired of hearing them speak... And they are very proud of their heritage.

Acadian village.

Pastoral scenery.

Lady making wool.

Beaches

The beaches of atlantic canada are a world apart... Rugged, not crowded, they often go on for miles... I spent a day at a wonderful beach in Kouchibouguac (don't ask me how to pronounce) National Park in New Brunswick... I walked about 5 miles on the beach just for the heck of it, and there was absolutely nobody in sight.  It was just the bearded man and the sea (and a lot of birds).  I loved it.

Neverending beach - NB.

Rocky Red Sand Beach - PEI.

Kouchibouguac National Park - funny story

One thing I learned to adjust as I reached this national park in New Brunswick... start the day earlier, end the day earlier... meaning while it's still daylight, leaving enough time to unwind, prepare food, get ready for the night etc.

I arrived at the Park on Wednesday I believe.  I got there at 7:45pm.  Sunset was at 8:00pm.  And as I was driving to my campsite I saw that there was some kind of "show" on a little stage at 8:00pm as well.  So I parked, plugged Large Marge in for the night, rushed through it all, and at 7:59 I ran to the stage so I wouldn't miss the show.

I get there, and am greeted by the host.  There was nobody else.  Just me.  He told me to take a seat and wait to see if anyone else would show up.  They didn't.  This was truly a one-man show. And I felt so bad I just couldn't get up and leave.  So I stayed through an incredibly boring account of the types of flora in the Park, which lasted all of 1 hour.  And to top it all, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  Within the first 5 minutes, there were so many mosquitoes swarming around me that I was doing a little tap-clap dance on my seat... but I felt so bad I couldn't leave.  Thank god after 10 minutes the host had pity on me and offered me some bug spray.

Then the show ends.  It's pitch black.  No moon.  I don't have my flash light.

Hilarity ensued.

Next time, take your time buddy.

Beard update

It's been 1 month and it shows.  Beard is growing fast, can't say so much about the hair... The other interesting fact is that I am starting to have dandruff in my beard (but not in the hair... weird isn't it)?  Should I shampoo it?

Day 0

Day 32

--> Day 180 ?

Navigation

Ok... I used to have blind faith in my GPS... Now I have the cynical type of faith where I believe she's going to get me where I need to go, but through the most little bumpy roads in the middle of nowhere possible.  I'm not kidding - I'm driving on a major highway, and she asks me to get off the highway (which I dutifully do) to travel on "Road" (it doesn't have a name) for 15 minutes, then reconnect on the same highway I was on before... WTF?  Did I save time?

I think the lesson here is that I have to trust my gut first.  If the road doesn't feel right, then don't take it.  Some of those little roads are very remote, choppy, don't have any lights or traffic and I wouldn't want to get stranded on them.

Food


I have been eating very well so far... I'd say about half of it at restaurants to sample local fare, the other half inside of Large Marge.  Quite obviously, the key item has been fish and seafood which are fabulous and always fresh.  I have been eating fish pretty much every day in some shape or form.  In fact, I went fishing yesterday (deep sea fishing) and caught some mackerel and cod which I cooked for dinner tonight - delicious.  And yesterday I ate PEI oysters which were caught the same morning 1/4 mile away (the best I have had).  You can see some of what I have been eating in the following pictures:

Pasta Chez Large Marge.

Starting to crave Beef.

Delicious lobster roll.

Poutine Rapee - very fattening.

PEI oysters

Wildlife

I also saw a lot of wildlife - the most notable were a moose and bear, but I also saw all sorts of birds, squirrels, fish, insects and more.  See for yourself:

The bear necessities.

Moose au chocolat.

You're gonna love my nuts.

Prince Edward Island

Such a tiny island... the main way to get there is by the Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick which is 8 miles long.  The island itself isn't much more than 30 miles wide by approximately 70 miles long.  I wanted to make special mention of PEI because it is so unbelievably pretty.  Rolling hills mixing up with the sea, and the earth is red (not brown)... it's quite inspiring.  This is in fact the land that inspired Anne of the Green Gables.

Which one is the true Monster?

Beautiful colours.

Fisherman at heart.

Moebius of Avonlea.

Green Gables - a bit cheesy.

Horsing around

I will leave you now with some final pictures from my trip - everything is so beautiful, I easily take 100 pictures a day.  I can't post all of them here, but if you want to see the bulk of it, go to gallery.me.com/droy006.

Old shack on the beach.

Fisherman's life.

Beard and sunset.

Swampy bog looks like the moon.

Iles de la Madeleine.

Can't get enough of the sky.