Lubec, Maine

Well, we have made it back into the US (technically) but we are still so close to Canada that our phones continue to run on Canadian cell networks.  :-(

We are in Lubec, Maine which is the Eastern most town in the US.  Its a beautiful little area and we are camping right on the coast. 

We had a nice couple of days on the island of Cape Breton which is in Nova Scotia, Canada.  The weather was nice enough for us to do a fantastic day trip to the Louisbourg National Historic Site.  This was an original French settlement that has been rebuilt by Parks Canada to represent life in 1744.  Even though only 1/5 of the town has been reconstructed, it was huge and amazing!

We watched as the costumed staff fired two of the cannons - We could feel it when it went off!  Wow!!

Isn't the size of the building incredible - Great attention to detail!  The reconstruction even contained live animals such as sheep, turkeys & chickens.

Mr. Foley - Matt only has one pair of sunglasses on in this photo

One of the main streets along the Quay.

The gate into the city.

So in a couple of days, Matt and I will be on separate trips.  He will stay with the RV in Maine while I fly to Missouri to visit with my family and await the much anticipate arrival of my newest niece, Madelyn.  She can't quite make up her mind as to when she wants to arrive so I am leaving on Tuesday and will be flying back after spending some time in Missouri.


I will try to keep everyone updated on both of our travels!!

Take care,
Angela

West coast of Newfoundland

We have had a great week of exploring the western coast of Newfoundland.  We stayed for 6 days in Gros Morne National Park and then did a quick trip to the very northern most tip of the island to St. Anthony to view some spectacular icebergs.  We are now in the central area of western Newfoundland in the second largest city in the province, Corner Brook.  You can tell its not a populous island when the largest city has a population just over 100,000 and the second largest's population is just over 20,000.  We will be here two nights before heading a bit further south for 2 nights then its back on the ferry to Nova Scotia and our Newfoundland trip will be all over. 

Here are some photos from our recent excursions:

Here is a map of Newfoundland and all the places we have visited or will visit before out trip ends next Monday.  I think we have covered the island tip to tip.

July 14 - Our boat trip into the fiord of Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park - Absolutely stunning fiord.

The large ice sheets and icebergs floating down iceberg alley in St. Anthony.  Yes, that is a fishing boat in the middle and yes, the ice sheets are huge (over 1 mile long).  These are remants of a 64 sq km ice sheet that broke off Greenland and is now breaking up all along the coast of Newfoundland.

This is a "bergie bit" (Angela's favorite new words).  This is a smaller piece of an iceberg that has fractured off and is now grounded against the shore.  We watched this little guy break up just as we sat on the shore.

And of course Matt has to sample a piece of the bergie bit - Actually pretty good and no salty taste whatsoever.

This floating chunk is known as a Growler.  It is a medium sized chunk that has broken off a larger iceberg.  This was taken from our boat ride out onto the Atlantic Ocean.  This growler was still much much larger than our boat and was estimated to be about 120 feet tall.

Newfoundland Update & Lighthouse Photos

I wanted to take advantage of the fact that we have some WIFI while here in St. John's and give an update of our time in Newfoundland so far.  This country is absolutely beautiful, most likely, one of the most beautiful that we have ever been to.  We arrived last Saturday morning and have spent the last week exploring the Avalon peninsula which is on the east coast of the island (see prior post for map). 

I think the highest temperature we have seen is about 50 and we saw just a few hours of sun yesterday.  It has been very chilly, rainy and FOGGY...  We didn't believe it when we were told that Newfoundland is the foggiest place on earth, now we believe it!!  We have been treated to beautiful rocky coastlines and the whales are in feeding on the capelyn.  We've seen them on several days as we have been driving around the coast.

We just returned from a place at the southern tip of the peninsula called Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve where we photographed over 30,000 nesting pairs of birds.  We will have some photos posted soon of those, it was amazing.  For some more information on the reserve, click HERE.

We are now headed to an area on the next peninsula over called Bonavista to photograph my favorite bird, the Puffin.  We had a permit to visit an island here but have not been able to land on it due to rough seas, so we will try again in a few weeks.

Here is a photo that Matt took last year in Alaska when we visited Alaska of the horned puffin.  The Atlantic puffin that we will be photographing is similar to this little guy.

Horned Puffin - Seward, Alaska

I also wanted to share some lighthouse photos that we have been working on while traveling through Maine and Nova Scotia over the past month.  These photos are all Matt's but I'll hopefully have some ready to post soon.  Just for you Mom!!!

A short ferry ride takes you from the main islands of Hatteras, North Carolina, to the sleepy island and town of Ocracoke.  This brick  lighthouse is the oldest operating light on the outer banks and serves as a beacon for all those returning to the harbor.

The Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers many opportunities for beautiful sites.  The Cape Hatteras Light is only one of the many lighthouses that protect shipping along the outer banks of North Carolina.  This lighthouse is one of the tallest in the world measuring in at over 200 feet in height.  It resides in its new home since 2000 and provides a wonderful look into the past for all lighthouse enthusiasts. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Cape Elizabeth is the home of the Portland Head Light.  One of the most picturesque lighthouses on the Maine shores.  This beautiful lighthouse and keeper's home showcase the very essence of why lighthouses are needed along the rocky coastline.  At sunset, the lighthouse and coastline are bathed in a warm pink glow.  Look closely and you will see another lighthouse off in the distance. Portland, Maine.

Black & White rendition of Portland Head Light - Portland, Maine.

Nubble Light towers above the rocky coastline at Cape Neddick, near York, Maine.  While the lighthouse only stands 41 feet high, its light is over 88 feet from the sea due to its precarious perch on the rocky island.  Can you imagine transporting both yourself and all your goods in a small hand tram high above the rocky shores?

Nubble Light towers above the rocky coastline at Cape Neddick, near York, Maine.  While the lighthouse only stands 41 feet high, its light is over 88 feet from the sea due to its precarious perch on the rocky island.  The rocky island gives us some hint of what a harsh life that the lighthouse keepers must have faced before the light was electrified in 1938.

Cape Neddick Light Station, or more commonly known as Nubble Light is a beautiful place to visit on a warm summer's evening.  It's rocky perch near York Beach, Maine, shows just why lighthouses are so important to shipping near the coast.  It was dedicated in 1879 and still shines brightly today.

While the waters of the Atlantic ocean were calm on our visit to Cape Neddick Light, the rocky coastliine makes it easy to see why these beautiful structures are so needed along the Maine coastline.  The natural beauty is spectacular, but its easy to see why a lighthouse keeper's life was often lonely.

Located inside Casco Bay, the Portland Breakwater light helps to guide ships into the Portland harbor.  This small "bug light" helps guide Coast Guard ships through the rocky coastlines of Maine.

Connected to land by a narrow wooden walkway, the Marshall Point Light Station provides guidance to boats entering Port Clyde harbor.  This vantage point from the light keepers cottage shows the rocky point on which the light sits.  This light station was built in 1857 and has even been featured in the movie, Forrest Gump.

Located on the scenic Lighthouse Trail in Nova Scotia, Peggy's Point Lighthouse is a favorite tourist attraction for those visiting Halifax.  Although only built in 1914, this lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Canada.  Here we witnessed a rare but spectacular sunset

The red light of Peggy's Point Lighthouse guides sailors into St. Margaret's Bay in Nova Scotia.  This small town of a little over 40 is one of the most popular tourist attractions near Halifax.  Sunsets over the Atlantic ocean make this a popular place to visit.

The octagonal shape of Peggy's Cove's lighthouse is one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world.  Photographed by many each year, the setting sun provides a glorious backdrop to highlight the unique rocky coastline of Nova Scotia.

The rocky point of the picturesque Peggy's Cove is home to the Peggy's Point Lighthouse.  Although it can be very busy with the loads of tour buses that come from nearby Halifax, this light is definitely worth a stop for visitors to Nova Scotia.  Planning on enjoying a sunset, be sure to bring your jacket as the chilly Atlantic waters make the point a windy place.

A clear blue day in Nova Scotia is rare, but provides a beautiful backdrop for the scenic lighthouse in Peggy's Cove.  It is easy to see why this lighthouse is needed to help guide sailors around the rocky entrance to St Margaret's Bay near Halifax.

St. Johns - Newfoundland

We had a great overnight ferry and woke up to the chilly but beautiful green shores of Newfoundland this morning.  When we drove off the ferry, it was misty and cold with temperatures at 48 degrees.  Can you believe this is summer here?  We made the 2 hour drive from Agrentia where the ferry landed to St John's on the Avalon coast.  We will be here a week before driving north and west to explore the rest of the island.

Quite the trek north, but still nothing compared to our trip to Alaska last year.  Although the weather is similar!!

Newfoundland... Here we come!

We have had a great week in Halifax with a nice day, several ok weather days and several days that it rained cats and dogs where we didn't leave the RV. I guess that is pretty normal for up here. We leave Halifax tomorrow to drive to the tip of Nova Scotia for our ferry to St Johns. We are so excited to be getting closer to photographing the Atlantic Puffin, however the weather there seems to be quite bad. The weather forecast calls for rain, fog and temps ranging from mid 40's to mid 50's, brrrr... We will be in Newfoundland for the next 4 weeks or so. I will try to post some photos soon.

June 27 to July 7, 2010 - Whitehorse & Dawson City - Yukon Territory - Canada

June 27, 2010 to July 4, 2010 – Alaska Highway – Teslin to Whitehorse, YT (Canada)

We spent the week in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in Canada.  It is the last town of any size that we will be in until we reach Fairbanks, Alaska in a couple of days so we’ll take advantage of it for some restocking.  We enjoyed visiting several of the town’s historical sites and learning more about the history of its Klondike gold rush days. 

We backtracked a bit to drive a portion of the southern Klondike Highway to view Robinson RoadHouse and Emerald Lake. 

Robinson Roadhouse on the railroad tracks - an old stop while the train was running and mining was good.

Guess this is what happens when the tracks are not maintained.  Tracks at Robinson Roadhouse site.

Easy to see where Emerald Lake gets its name - Gorgeous

 
We visited the transportation museum with its DC 3 weather vane and the Beringia Center to learn more about the ice age. 

Believe it or not, it actually does turn with the wind...  What a weather vane...

 We visited our first river boat (paddle wheeler) the SS (Steam-Ship) Klondike and were amazed at the size and the amount of heavy cargo that it could carry during the mining days. 

The bow of the SS Klondike

The paddle wheel of the SS Klondike

Here we are on our tour of it - Gorgeously restored (better than the other 2 remaining in Dawson City & Fairbanks)

The wheel house of the SS Klondike

 
We found the eagles nest right along the river and were rewarded with seeing the two baby eagles in the nest. 

Here Mom or Dad stretches out - We watched as he or she was dive bombed repeatedly by Gulls who were obviously upset over something the eagle took.

Aren't I a cute baby eagle???

Another nest of 3 that Matt found near the marsh just outside of town.

We also visited the Gold Dredge and saw first-hand what mining can do to the area’s landscape.  Can you say raped and pillaged?  We noticed the landscape all around was full of small rocky piles and after visiting the dredge, we figured out why. 

Here Matt stands next to the dredge buckets that would have been lined up on a chain to dig out the land.

Gold Dredge #8

The tailings left everywhere by the dredges.

 We also hiked from Miles Canyon on the Yukon River down to the lake and back. 

The suspension bridge over the Yukon River at Miles Canyon

 
The McBride Museum was a great stop to see wildlife examples and more gold rush history.  From here we will leave the Alaska highway and continue on to Dawson City Yukon via the Klondike Highway and then into Alaska on the Top of the World Highway. 

July 4, 2010 to July 6, 2010 – Dawson City, Yukon (Canada)

Dawson City was a very interesting town with its dirt streets and interesting building structures to accommodate the permafrost that they built the town on.  We saw firsthand what happens to the buildings if they don’t build them elevated and eventually they start to melt the ground and end up leaning into each other. 

The "Kissing" buildings as the locals call them - What happens when your ground starts to melt out from under your house.

We did a great walking tour of town and visited an old bank, salon and post office that were wonderfully preserved.  We did have to wonder how much Parks Canada had spent trying to re-furbish so many of the old buildings (they did a fantastic job).   We also visited the SS Keno which is a paddle wheel that operated on one of the smaller rivers.

Pictured here are two of the townspeople dressed in period clothing for our tour of the SS Keno.  Much smaller than the SS Klondike.

We walked out to the Riverboat graveyard where they parked several (maybe 4) old paddle-wheelers to let them decay since they are no longer used.  Its amazing how they were just left to rot with boilers, smokestack and paddle wheels still intact. 

You can see the boiler and the smoke stack of this one closest to the rivers edge.

View of same ship from the rear.

Boat name of one other boat.

Its amazing that part of the exterior wall is visible next to the smokestack.

We visited the Dawson City Museum with its great history of the gold rush days again.  Its hard to believe that this town of 1500 was once over 30,000 in 1898.  To leave Dawson City, we have to cross the Yukon River on a small car ferry so I went on the ferry ahead of Matt to capture him and the trailer coming across.  We had originally planned on staying 3 days, but we learned that a big RV caravan was planning on leaving the same day as us so we decided to not get caught up in the ferry line and leave the evening before to start our drive on the Top of the World highway.  We have been warned that the Top of the World Highway is 108 miles of very bumpy dirt road and to expect to travel only at 20 mph along it.

Are we gonna fit?  It looks a little big to be on that thing....

Yep, we fit - Thank goodness it was only us and one other truck for this trip.

Whew...   Dry Land....   made it across without sinking...  and without driving it off the ferry into the water.

July 6, 2010 to July 7, 2010 – Top of the World Highway (Yukon 68 miles and Alaska 40 miles) to Alaska Highway into Fairbanks, Alaska

We crossed into Alaska at the very most northern border crossing at Poker Creek.  It was an easy border crossing and we guessed that it’s a dream job for the border patrol up there (not much traffic).  After crossing into Alaska, we stopped at a BLM campground for the night (after more than 6 hours of bumping along the dirt road).  We had originally planned on stopping at either Tok or Delta Junction along the Taylor Highway, but decided to go ahead and drive the extra 3 hours into Fairbanks (via the Alaska Highway) to settle down for a bit.  We arrived into Fairbanks, got our reservations changed at River’s Edge RV park (a very nice park) and settled into civilization for the week plus.

Alaska at last...  Just across the border on Top of World Highway

 Just as a side note, we are glad that we traveled this road last week as on Monday, portions of it washed out in a heavy rainstorm stranding quite a few RV's and their owners.  As of today, they are still stuck on the road and can't get off until it is rebuilt.  Click HERE for a link to the news-story about the closure.

This is a very smooth section of the road...  It got much worse...  At times, 10mph was too fast...