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