September Sunshine

Exploring Fort Henry

John's September Post

We have now been in Canada for nine months and cannot believe that we only have three months left before we return to Australia. As you complete your last week of Term Three and look forward to two weeks of holiday, we in Canada are back at school and working hard.
We have been back at school now for four weeks after a nine week break over summer. During that time we hired a pop-up caravan and headed east towards the Atlantic Ocean. During a seven week trip, camping out each night, we visited the Canadian Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. We saw moose, icebergs, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks and bears. We visited the thousand year old Viking settlements in Newfoundland and saw many old forts and historical buildings. In the Bay of Fundy we experienced the greatest change in tides in the world. We feasted on local foods such as moose burgers, cod tongues and beaver tails, and met some wonderful people who told us stories of Canadian history.
We then ventured into the United States to visit Boston, Salem and Washington DC before returning home through Niagara Falls. In all, we travelled through nine states of the US and drove over 10 000 km. The final weekend of our holiday was spent waterskiing and fishing at a cottage on a beautiful lake in the area known as The Muskokas north of Toronto.
Everyone returned to school in the first week of September (except for me), and in the third week of school, Max, who is now in Year Eight, was elected School Captain of Mother Teresa Elementary School. Nicholas has moved into Year Five and is impressing all at his school swimming lessons, which take place each Thursday. Emily, in Year Ten, has just found out that she has been selected as a cast member for her school’s production of ‘Westside Story’.
Veronica has thrown herself back into her teaching and I am beginning to get some supply teaching work as the school year starts to get busy.
The seasons are changing rapidly as we move into autumn. It is called ‘Fall’ in North America, because all the leaves begin to fall from the trees, so there will be much raking to be done in the coming weeks. We are hoping for some more snow as the weather gets colder so that we will be able to go skiing and snowboarding again.
We have found a television channel here that shows NRL matches, so next Sunday we will be sitting down to watch the Grand Final between Parramatta and Melbourne. On Saturday, Max listened to his favourite team, St Kilda, get beaten in the AFL Grand Final (it finished here at 3.30am!)
All the children have grown and Max and Nicholas are developing Canadian accents. They continue to swim each afternoon, and Emily is dancing four days a week. Our life is busy, but never boring. We have made some wonderful friends, and will be sad to leave them at the end of the year.
We hope everyone is well back in Australia. We think of you often and look forward to seeing you all again. Have a great holiday.

Little Clipper

During our time in Canada, Nick and Max signed up for a season of soccer with the Cataraqui Clippers Club. The season of soccer runs through the summer so unfortunately, the boys missed quite a few games whilst we were travelling.

Nick played in an Under 9's team and made a few new friends. Last Saturday saw him playing in a tournament consisting of three games. The Maroons won one and lost two games. Nick scored a total of four goals on the day and came home with a trophy. Naturally, this made him quite happy.

On sunday we turned out for Holy Cross to participate in the annual Terry Fox Run. Max ran with his friends whilst Nick jogged the course with me. We finished feeling quite proud of ourselves. We completed the six kilometer course in less than 40 minutes - no mean feat for a nine year old! Em and John took things a little easier and walked the course. John and I agreed that it was a good day and worth coming out to support a worthy cause!

Labour Day Weekend

Back to School

September 1st saw us all heading back to school for a new year. Nick is in Grade 5, max in grade 8 and Em is completing a combination of Grade 10 and 11 Courses!

August Adventures

In Retrospect!

46 days, 10000 kilometres, 6 Canadian Provinces, 9 US States, 4 ferries, 3 kids and one trusty campervan!

We did it all and survived!

Our Vacation comes to an End!

Day 47: 26.08.09
Today we head for Kingston and of course, in true Canadian style, pack up in the rain and head towards Toronto. The traffic through this city was quite slow and we were a little behind our anticipated schedule. We made a short detour to Aurora and had lunch with our friends, Murray & Margaret Bissett. The Bissetts are the couple who billeted us back in January and it was great to catch up with them again.
The drive from Aurora to Kingston seemed endless and it was with relief that we finally pulled into our driveway at 6.30pm. Everyone pitched in to unpack and it wasn’t long before our beds called us.
I totalled up the kilometres travelled. To my surprise, we did almost 10000! No mean feat with a van and three kids in tow!
With school starting on Tuesday, the countdown to Christmas and the end of our time here has begun. The next few months will be a special time for us and we will try and savour every moment!

Day 46: 25.08.09
Our last day! Today we took the kids back to Marineland for some last rides. Max of course, repeated his acts of adrenalin inducing fun by going on the upside down roller coaster and the Sky Screamer for one last time.
For dinner we made our way back into town for an all you can eat buffet next to the falls. We welcomed the opportunity to see the Falls at night. The light show was pretty special. We are all quite tired and will welcome our own beds tomorrow night!

More Niagara Falls

Day 45: 24.08.09
Since the weather yesterday consisted of rain, rain and more rain, at times bordering on torrential, we decided to cut our losses and head to the retail outlets over the border on the US side of Niagara Falls. We spent most of the day there cruising for bargains and snagging one or two before returning to the van to settle for the evening.
Today was a better day and we took the scenic route into town to do the famous “Maid of the Mist” Tour. This was everything it promised to be. We boarded a vessel which took us right up to and under the Falls. The roar of the water catapulting over the edge was incredible. Fortunately we were wearing beautiful blue plastic ponchos so we were shielded from most of the water. It was a very unique way to Experience the majesty of Niagara Falls.
When we got back we headed up to Clifton Hill for lunch at a Tim Horton’s. Clifton Hill is everything Niagara Falls is not – its’ rampant commercialism provides a stark contrast to what is one of the natural wonders of the world. It is designed to capture the dollar and lure unsuspecting tourists into staying in town a little longer. From massive indoor water parks, to haunted houses, 4D rides, the regulation Wax Works and Ripley’s, this place serves only to attract the attention of kids and zap parent's wallets. Of course, John and I are very adept at deflecting the forces of “pester power” and whilst we were happy to wander up and down the street, it was strictly a look but dont touch policy along here.
After lunch, we took the pedestrian path across the Rainbow Bridge (the views from here were incredible) into the US to have a look at the Falls from the American side. I must admit, I actually preferred this side. The American Falls is in a State Park and the many vantage points are accessed along well signed paths and tranquil gardens. It really was quite refreshing compared to the Canadian side of the Falls. Unfortunately, the kids were quite tired and tetchy with one another and possibly didn’t enjoy the experience as much as John & I did. We have been travelling for almost seven weeks now and I guess they are longing to be home.
With only one day left before returning to Kingston, we have travelled over 8000 kilometres, seen many incredible sights, enjoyed some unique experiences and hopefully, created lasting memories for the whole family. Coming home will seem strange but it will be great to see everine at school as well as all our canadian friends. Coming home also serves as a stark reminder that our time in Canada is is rapidly drawing to a close.

Marineland

Day 43: 22.08.09
August 22 will be synonymous with Marineland, Niagara Falls. It was kid’s day today and so we decided to take them to Marineland. This is a theme park with something for everyone. From a plethora of thrill seeking carnival rides to black bears and beluga whales there was something to keep everyone in the family amused. Upon arrival at the park, we decided to purchase a season pass – this was only five dollars more and enables us to return whenever we like until the end of the season. John was a bit shocked when he was asked if he was a senior – nonplussed, he replied in the affirmative – all to save a few dollars. I reluctantly went along with this, if only for the financial advantage. Needless to say, the kids were highly amused! To be honest, I dont exactly see myself as a senior yet!
Once inside the gate we headed for the walrus feeding display. This was both amusing and interesting. Then, giving in to Max’s insistence, we headed for the rides. Most were pretty tame, however, we needed to challenge ourselves on the upside down rollercoaster (Dragon Mountain) and the Sky Screamer – a 174 meter high attraction that pulls you up and drops you down at speeds of 90km per hour! We all went on Dragon Mountain – Max and I twice! Nick bravely accepted the challenge and really enjoyed the experience. Emily needed a little persuasion and so, against her better judgement, finally had a go just before we went home. I dont know if she’ll do it again but at least she can be proud of what she did.
As for the Sky Screamer, only John, Max and I accepted this challenge. As I was strapped in and sitting on the ride, I asked myself what I was doing there. I continued to wonder as we were catapulted to the top at high speed. Needless to say, the view from the top was pretty amazing. My legs were like jelly when I alighted from this ride.
After the rides, we took in lunch and a show with performing dolphins, sea lions and a walrus.
At the end of the day we were pretty much exhausted and needed to fortify ourselves with pop and fudge sundaes from Maccas on the way home!

Niagara Falls

Day 42: 21.08.09

Having had a great night’s sleep, we awoke to make the final 300 kilometre trek to Niagara Falls. After the drama of yesterday, the car was running well until 65 kilometres into the journey, the ABS light came on again! This was very frustrating but we pushed on to Niagara and arrived there about 3,00pm. We have become extremely adept at setting up the van (today was our last time) and after doing so, made the short drive into town to see the Falls. The last time we were here was February and the area was in the throes of winter. Summer was very different. For a start, the crowds as well as the open attractions were very different. We took a walk along Table Rock for a spectacular view of the Falls. John bought us all ice creams in order to diffuse the heat and thirst that was beginning to overtake us. The kids checked out the souvenir shops and besieged us with request for various useless items.

Once we arrived back at our van we chilled out for a couple of hours before bed. We are trying to make the most of our holidays. It’s hard to believe that school will be back in less than two weeks and that our tome in Canada is rapidly drawing to a close.

Day 41: 20.08.09Another early start finds us on the road again, headed towards Niagara Falls. Because this is quite a long way we decide to break the trip. We are on the road by 7.00am but catch an accident on the freeway which slows us down for a short time. The day is largely uneventful except for some car troubles. The ABS light keeps on flicking on and despite our attempts at resetting it, does not go out. Once we arrive in Binghamton, John takes the car to a repair shop and comes away $680.00(US Dollars) poorer. We do hope the problem has been rectified. Dinner was at an all you can eat Chinese Buffet, so naturally we indulged.

Not much else to report. This was a day that we classify as: en route.

Around Washington DC

Exploring Washington DC

Day 39: 18.08.09
Today was more of the same; another 5.30 am start to be up ay the shop to get the bus at 6.45 am. Once we arrived at Union Station, we decided to walk down to the Capitol to try and get on a tour. Because we were there early, we were able to get ourselves on the first tour of the day. Security, naturally enough was very tight and we couldn’t take our back pack, food and water in. Since there was no where to leave it, John volunteered to sit outside and thus missed the tour. This was unfortunate as the kids and i agreed that it was really interesting. After negotiating security, we were taken into a theatre for a short film on American History. After walking upstairs, we met our friendly guide wh took us to a couple of key spots in the building. Firstly we visited the crypt where dead presidents lie in state. We also stood under the dome – this was a marvel in itself. Built during the time of the Civil War, this dome weighs something like 19000000 pounds. We were also taken to a room where Barack Obama celebrated his inauguration with a presidential lunch. At the conclusion of the tour we visited an exhibit where we saw many original and important documents on display. I got to see Abe Lincoln’s signature.
Once we rejoined John we headed down Pennsylvania Ave to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. One of the most interesting objects on display here was the Hope Diamond – a royal blue 47.5 carat piece of splendour. Another highlight here was a visit to the IMAX Theatre to see Dawn of the Dinosaurs. I suspect John was happy to purchase the tickets for this since it enabled us to sit for forty minutes in air conditioned comfort. After lunch, we almost dreaded going back outside to rejoin our tour – but we did! Our next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. Apart from the relentless heat, this monument was an impressive testament to a brave man who died because he followed his principles. My camera was running out of battery but I managed to get off a couple of decent snaps of this and the reflection pond. In many ways, Washington reminds me alot of Canberra in terms of its planning, monuments, lakes and free attractions – just think steroids and you might have a good idea of the scale of Washington DC.
Tonight when we arrived back at the van we hit the TV room to chill out in air conditioned comfort. I was too exhausted to cook dinner so we availed ourselves of the fare at the park cafe. Good stuff!
Tonight as I write, it remains oppressively hot and humid. The cloudy skies are punctuated with lightning so I can only live in hope that a thunder storm might bring some rain and this relief from the heat that has been plaguing us for five days now.

Day 38: 17.08.09
I am writing this blog after two utterly exhausting days exploring Washington DC. In order to see the most of the City, we decided to purchase a two day Hop On – Hop Off Open Top Bus Tour. This was great as the company picked us up from the RV Park which meant, no car, no driving and NO Metro! The bus took us to Union Station where we had to meet our tour. Talk about an impressive building – I think the style is Neo Classical. Anyway, think columns, columns and more columns, paired with granite and tons of marble! What ever it is, this was more than a railway station; this building is a national treasure.
Our first day was yesterday and we decided to have a look at the White House and so, made this our first stop. We spent a little bit of time strolling around the perimeter of the White House grounds. Of course, you were not allowed any where near the building so although we were on the lookout for the President, we were sadly disappointed. After this we rejoined the tour for many obligatory snaps of downtown Washington and all its famous monuments. Since it was getting close to lunchtime and stinking hot yet again) we stopped in Historic Georgetown for some lunch. It was here that our tour guide pointed out the pub where John F Kennedy proposed to his wife. We were impressed.
After lunch we made a quick stop at Arlington National Cemetery. A highlight of this visit (apart from the air conditioned Visitor’s centre) was the grave of John F Kennedy. We would have like to have stayed longer but hastily decided to rejoin the tour and head for the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. By now, exhaustion was slowly but surly creeping up on us but being true Aussie tourists, we soldiered on. Particularly interesting was the Apollo 11 capsule and several large (decommissioned) nuclear warheads. Nick was impressed when he got to touch some moon rocks. Apart from all the regular air type displays, I think the space paraphernalia was the most interesting part of this visit. By now it was rather late and we headed back to the Bus which returned us to Union Station.
Back at Cherry Hill, it was straight back to the pool. John volunteered to cook dinner that night - so even though I had to wash up, it felt like a bonus!

Washington DC

Day 37: 16.08.09
Today promised to be the hottest of our summer so far. It was already scorching hot by 8.00am. I actually woke a little earlier to explore the hiking trail surrounding this RV Park and was delighted to see two baby deer in front of me on the track.
After breakfast and bathed in lathers of sweat, we set off into Washington DC to have a look at the National Zoo. This zoo is run by the Smithsonian Institution and so was free. Carefully we navigated our way down town, catching glimpses of some famous American landmarks as we went. The day at the zoo was enjoyable despite the heat. A highlight was the giant panda exhibit. Lunch was ordinary but made bearable with some huge gelato type ice creams.
Back at Cherry Hill we immediately headed for the pool. Several hours later we had dinner before preparing ourselves for a hot and sticky evening in the van. It’s odd to think that just a couple of weeks ago we were complaining about the rain and cold – now that we are experiencing a taste of the Northern summer, we almost wish it was cold again!

En Route to Washington DC

Day 36: 15.08.09En Route to Washington DC!
The day promised to be another scorcher so we packed and headed off reasonably early. We continued our search for Snuffles, turning the room inside out (again). John went downstairs for a look around the grounds of the motel and alas, returned empty handed. Nick tried to accept the fact that he was probably gone for good. When we left, Max, Nick and me, decided to take one last look around the hotel and to our amazement, we found him sitting on a railing. Nick was ecstatic and I guess he is the luckiest kid alive at the moment! Obviously, Snuffles had a big night out on the town but was no worse for wear when we got him back!
As promised, it was a stinking hot day and we were thoroughly exhausted when we finally arrived at Cherry Hill RV Park just on the outskirts of Washington DC. After quickly setting up, we all headed for the pool. Yes, it was so hot that even I indulged in a swim – of course, I didn’t get my hair wet but the water was cooling and refreshing to say the least. We are starting to seel the effects of over five weeks of travel – one can only eat so many French fries and at so many fast food outlets before feeling totally blimp like. Tonight, I cooked fish and salad in an attempt to get us eating more healthily again before school returns.

Day 35:14.08.09We got ourselves off to an early start as the day promised to be a scorcher. (High 90’s – converted to Celsius this means temperatures are expected to be somewhere in the mid thirties.) We have become highly efficient at packing down the van – we had it cleaned, packed and attached in about 30 minutes this morning. We faced a very long day in the car; we were headed for East Brunswick, a town just off the I-95 south of Jersey City. The highway system in the US is very easy to follow and well signposted so we have had no difficulties in finding our way around. Today was no exception. The only aspect of the day’s drive that was uncomfortable, apart from temperatures in the mid thirties, was the section of the journey that took us through NY city. This was very slow. I estimate that it took us something like two hours to cover about twenty kilometres. We had to go through Yonkers and the Bronx, before crossing the Hudson River into New Jersey. The traffic was backed up for miles and miles. Luckily, the kids were very settled and we had no choice but to sit and enjoy a unique New York City experience. We finally arrived late in the afternoon and it was a relief to be staying in a motel. We all collapsed in front of the air conditioner for a while before finding somewhere for dinner. (Bonefish Grill – a decent establishment with seafood at reasonable prices) It seemed like a luxury to be able to watch TV when we got home and we all enjoyed Shrek Three.

The evening was marred somewhat when Nick realised he had lost Snuffles – his toy wombat and most favourite possession. We spent quite a while searching for him but our effort proved fruitless. We think he dropped him when he was carrying him into the Motel but it was too dark outside to see properly. Nick was in tears and was still snuffly and upset when he went to sleep.

Boston Massachusetts

Day 33: 12.08.09
Boston, Massachusetts!
Today we caught a train from Newbury station into downtown Boston. The kids were quite excited because their experiences of train travel have been quite limited. We were happy to travel the 50 or so miles by train rather than have to drive into this city. Boston is famous for its links to the birth of American Independence and there are many sites in the downtown area that were important during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, we only had time for a glimpse of some of these. However, we did stroll through Boston Common and had a great look at the Massachusetts State House. This impressive building dates from 1798 and is the capitol of Massachusetts. One place that we did visit was the site of the original Cheers bar that featured highly in the 1980’s sitcom of the same name. John posed for a snap at the bar set. After lunch we strolled down to Charles River and sighted the city of Cambridge - home to Harvard university – across the river.
By now everyone was becoming a little weary so we made our way back to the station to catch a train back to Salisbury. The boys amused themselves in the pool before a delicious risotto dinner!

Salem Massachusetts

Day 32: 11.08.09Salem, Massachusetts

Today we took a short drive down to the seaport town of Salem, Massachusetts. Our first stop was the Visitor’s Centre where we watched a short presentation on the history of Salem and Essex County. Founded in 1626, Salem was a thriving seaport in early maritime trade and grew to become a major industrial centre particularly in leather and cloth. It is also renowned because of its witch hangings in 1692.

Made famous by Arthur Miller in his play, “The Crucible”, the Salem witch hunts are a tourism feature of this town. Everywhere you go there are testaments to witch craft and witches. Consequently, we decided to visit the Salem Witch Museum. Located in an interesting Gothic Revival building, the focus of the museum was a presentation of the witch hunts and trials of 1692. This presentation was based on actual trial documents and was presented using 13 distinctive stage sets. For a short time we were able to experience the web of lies and intrigue surrounding the events in Salem at this time. After the presentation we viewed an exhibition charting the history of witches through the ages. Even the boys agreed that it was a fascinating presentation. Naturally, we also perused the extensive gift shop searching for that perfect souvenir.

After the museum, we took a walk around downtown, had a look at the waterfront and found somewhere for a satisfactory lunch. Upon our return to the RV Park, it was still quite hot so the kids spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.

Mainland USA

Day 31: 10.08.09

Well, we have finally made it to the USA. We came in on a ferry last night to Portland Maine, from Yarmouth Nova Scotia. It was a five and a half hour trip, but luckily we were on time and had little trouble getting through customs, even with the van. We could have been carrying anything inside – they didn’t look in it or ask anything about it. It was about 9.30pm when we got to our campsite just out of Portland so we set up and went straight to bed. This morning we got up and drove the 100km down to the outskirts of Boston ( after visiting a chocolate shop that had a 1700 pound chocolate moose!) where we are going to stay for four nights before we move on to Washington.

The weather has finally decided to warm up so we have spent the greater part of the afternoon at the beach just near the Hamptons, which is where many rich and famous supposedly hang out. Some pretty expensive houses built right down to the sand, but we still have by far the better beaches, even though this one had reasonably white sand. There were literally thousands of people up and down the beach, swimming in almost millpond conditions.

We are now into our fifth week of camping, certainly the longest we have ever been away. The car and van (and our nerves!) are still holding together pretty well, and we plan to take it a little easier over the next two weeks. We have been pretty flat out so far, but now we are going to slow down, go to the beach a bit more, and enjoy the last part of summer break.

(Blogged by John)

Yarmouth and Portland, Maine

Day 30: 9.08.09

We take the Cat to Portland, Maine. We finally depart Canada and make our way into the United States. Our preferred mode of travel is “The Cat”, a high speed state of the art Catamaran. The vehicle is powered by four 9500 horsepower marine diesel engines and travels at an average of 80 kilometers per hour. Our ship sailed at 4.00pm with an expected travel time of five hours to Portland, Maine. The cat itself is luxurious and quite modern in comparison to the other ferries we have been on. Airport type seats recline and there are three cafes, a casino, gift shop and several television areas. This makes for a comfortable trip!

I felt right at home on The Cat – it was made in Australia. From its “normal” powerpoints to its RSL style carpet, this vessel for all intents and purposes resembled the local services club. After 5 and a half hours we docked in Portland and because we already had visas for the US we were able to get through customs very quickly and find or way to Wassamki Springs RV Park. It was quite late and this was a little out of town but of course, expert navigation found ourselves there in no time!

Day29: 8.08.09

Max has been a teenager for exactly one month now!

To celebrate we were once more on the move. Today we packed and left Halifax behind to head for Yarmouth. The day was uneventful (we did have the obligatory Timmy stop at one point) and we arrived at our van park: Camper’s Haven after a little detour (Read: here we got lost but just for a few moments). The van park was celebrating Halloween in July and was in full swing party mode much to our disappointment. So much for a quiet night!

After the boys burnt off energy swimming at the nearby Lake, we decided that we needed to be absent from the park for as much as possible and so we made our way into Yarmouth for dinner. We found a pub and brewery – Rudders, and enjoyed a great meal. This place was the place to be in Yarmouth on a sunny Saturday evening. The kids enjoyed the entertainment – a singer/guitarist with a parrot on his shoulder. Once more, it was back to the van to settle in for the night’s activities.