Newfoundland

Despite our original plans, we somehow devised a way to squeeze in a trip to Newfoundland.  It was just too close (relatively) and knew it was likely now or never.  It didn't help that everyone said it had incredible scenery and if you're lucky, you could catch some icebergs off the coastline right about this time of year.  Gros Morne National Park was another reason to come.   So after waiting in the standby line overnight at the port (one huge advantage of an RV) we got on a ship.  As we arrived after the 6 hour ride, it looked exactly as you'd expect when approaching an island in the corner of the world.  Gros Morne has inland freshwater fjords cut off from the sea by years of sediment.  The northern shores are where icebergs are typically found in the spring and we were lucky enough to catch one near the end of the parade.  The locals don't take a second look at them as they're all over the place in early spring and can't wait for them to be gone which means it's finally summer time.  About this time we found out the ferry service from the eastern side of the island is cancelled due to mechanical failure so we'd have to drive all the way back to the west side once we're done.  At least they comped our return trip.  Apparently this isn't an unusual occurrence and bad weather sometimes keeps ships waiting outside a harbor for up to 2 days before it can dock.  On the eastern side of the island near St John's, we reached Cape Spears- the easternmost point of North America.  And to think we were in Key West only weeks ago.  However far fewer Cubans make it up here.  It's all westward from here on out and we'd gone almost exactly 11,000 miles.

Nova Scotia

Took the PEI ferry back to Nova Scotia and drove over to Cape Breton.  Some magnificent coastline scenery here as well as North America's only single malt whiskey distillery.  We had 2 of our best campsites ever in the Cape Breton area and at Meat Cove- the northern most point of Nova Scotia.  Our camper is the little white square in some of the various pictures.  We couldn't figure out why they called it Meat Cove 'cause I know you're wondering.  On the east coast of Cape Breton is a resort and golf course- The Highlands.  I broke down and played it as it was couldn't be passed up.  Canada is great in that it has several golf courses in National Parks and every hole has buttery scenery and no commercial development nearby.

[Editors note] Right now they're in Montana and have a bunch of updates from the last few weeks which will have to wait till a suitable high speed connection. Keep your pants on!

Prince Edward Island

We crossed the 8 mile Confederation bridge to Prince Edward Island. There we saw lots of potato farms, red cliff coastline and they had some sweet campgrounds right on the water. Betsy went to go see the Anne of Green Gables farm and I tried to hit a few balls at a nearby driving range but they were mowing the grass. For some reason they don't take that opportunity to cage the guy up and let you try to gun him down. You sell a lot more balls that way.

New Brunswick

The tides are most extreme in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We had a chance to walk around the Hopewell Rocks at low tide and watch the tide come in at a rate of 6-8 feet per hour. The further up the Bay of Fundy you go, the more ridiculous the tides get. In Canada, they also have Bed and Egg hotels.

Massachusetts and Maine

Cape Cod was very scenic and luckily we hit it just before the mad summer season starts. But only spent a day there. Next we visited an old friend in Boston from UCI hockey and some of Betsy's MBA friends who recently translocated. We happened to get on a train with a bunch of Red Sox fans going to a game and now I know why my good friend Craig is the way he is. Also did the Freedom Trail despite the rain and visited Cheers, of course. In Maine we stopped by Mystic and had some pie at Mystic Pizza. Believe it or not the pizza was awesome despite the cheesy movie constantly playing in the background. Next up is Acadia National Park which is famous for its rugged coastline scenery, lobster, and significant tide variations.

Philly and NY

From DC we drove up to Philadelphia but it was a Friday afternoon and hit crawling traffic about 20 miles out. After 5 days of historic culture in DC we figured it wasn't worth the hassle to see an old bell. Skipping out on a philly cheesesteak, however, almost made us reconsider. Next we had a great visit with some friends in NY despite marginal weather. Continuing north we visited my cousin's family in Connecticut. Then drove up through Rhode Island and into Cape Cod. At this point we were getting real sick of all the toll roads. Probably blew about $30 from DC to Massachusetts. The only measurable value out of it was one toll collector blasting Metallica from his booth- in New Jersey, of course. Sorry, no pics for this section. Instead listen to the soothing sounds of Metallica for effect.