Bullocks' Bistro

This story is from early July in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories.

As we were travelling towards Yellowknife two folk we encountered along the highway recommended that we eat at Bullocks' Bistro in Yellowknife's Old Town. The advice was the same in both cases, “It's expensive but it's worth it.”

So we made our way to the Old Town, which turned out to be an easier drive than to the visitor centre, and found a parking space by the Bush Pilots Monument. From there we admired the view and took photographs.

The monument

A view of houseboats on the Great Slave Lake.

We fell into conversation with another couple. They were John and Karen Dollar from Windsor, Ontario. They, too, were intending to dine at Bullocks' so we went down the hill together and requested a table for 4 so that we could continue chatting.

The bistro's specialty is fish, and the diner may choose between several species, and select either deep fried, pan fried or grilled. The prices were indeed very high. This better be good, even though our informants had also commented on the very large size of the portions.

A variation on straight fish is what the bistro calls “Slurp 'N Burp” - its interpretation of surf 'n' turf. This is a buffalo (i.e. bison) or reindeer steak with your choice of fish. The waitress added that these were enough food for two to share. The reindeer was unavailable that day, so we settled for a buffalo steak and pickerel meal to share. John and Karen also decided to divide a Slurp 'N Burp.

The servings were HUGE. The steak separated into two decent sized chunks of meat, and there were two generous pieces of fish, which made sharing easy.

When extravagance has already been committed, it was easy to add a drink to the bill. John Dollar even had a second beer.

Not only was there a lot of food, it was every bit as tasty as its reputation. Good food and good company. A great evening. John excused himself. The second beer obliged him to visit the washroom.

When he came back he announced that the bill had been taken care of. For all of us. This generosity was as lavish and sneaky as it was unexpected. Even sharing a plate at Bullocks' is not a cheap meal. And what can you say but “Thank you”.

Karen and John Dollar.

We swapped addresses with them. We determined that we would visit Windsor and reciprocate in some way.

But, alas, we didn't. The closest we got was Niagara. The weather was hot, humid and enervating. Windsor looked a long way away – almost to Detroit – and we were not enjoying driving on Ontario's busy main highways. And when we went to at least telephone, we had lost their address. An Internet search of the White Pages drew a blank. 

Karen and John have one of our traveling cards, but they have not sent an email. Our invitation to them to visit us in New Zealand stands, of course. But in the meantime, if anyone can magically locate a telephone number or an email address so that we may contact them, we will be very grateful.

Maine

This started out to be a post about all our travels in New England, but it was quite long enough for a single post before we got out of Maine. Do not worry that there will be a post for each state. This is being typed near Charleston, South Carolina, which is the 21^ststate we have been in. And that doesn't count the District of Columbia, where Washington is located. It will not require 22 posts to describe our adventures. Probably.

We entered the USA via Maine, with the following immediate objectives:

• Obtain SIM cards for our phone and tablet, so that we stay connected with the world. Verizon or AT&T were recommended telcos;
• Open a US bank account, if possible;
• Visit friends Deb and Kermit in Brunswick, Maine; and
• See Acadia National Park on the way.

Since Acadia NP is on the coast, we stayed close to the sea. Along the way we found several places to stop and educate ourselves.

We saw, from a distance, Fort Knox. Not the famous one that guards America's gold – that's in Kentucky, but an 1844 stone structure built to protect the Penobscot River region from possible British attacks. The bridge over the river is quite a spectacle. We are enquiring of the family engineer what style it is.

A historical site, whose name we have forgotten, had a story that was similar to several in Canada. The first Europeans to arrive were French. They built their settlement (in this case on an island), nearly starved, were aided by the natives and then were pushed out by British settlers.

The very island where the French nearly froze and starved.

There was a particularly nice nature trail in the Cobscook Bay State Park.

The ranger was as pleased as we were when we found a moth resting on the outside wall of her kiosk.

And then we found another one!

The start of the nature trail.

A few plant portraits:

There were many examples of colourful fungi:

As you can see, it was a grey, moist day. The Schoodic Peninsula had been recommended as a scenic destination, but we couldn't find anywhere to stay in Winter Harbour so we gave up on Schoodic.

On the way to Bar Harbour and the Acadia NP we found a visitor information center where we learned several important things.

1. Our vehicle was forbidden to drive the best bit of Acadia NP, and even the permitted roads would not have been easy for a motor home;
2. Tours from Bar Harbour would show us everything;
3. There was another info center nearer Bar Harbour where we could park and catch a free shuttle into the town;
4. There was an AT&T shop not far in the other direction that could fix us up with connectivity; and
5. It is essential to know the height of Gregory, our vehicle. This last was a tip from an Australian couple who dropped in to the info center at the same time. They said that they had encountered several bridges that were too low for their own RV.

We acted on #5 straight away. With the aid of Eve's sewing tape measure, the ladder at the back of the motor home and eyeballing the highest point (the air conditioning unit) we determined “12-and-a-bit feet”. So we will be OK if bridges are at least 13 feet high. That shouldn't be a problem in the 21^stcentury, should it? Except that the Aussies' vehicle didn't look much taller. In our first 5 weeks in the USA we had to turn round or divert our course five times for low bridges. Yes, it is a significant problem.

We had time to visit AT&T in Ellsworth before going into Bar Harbour. It was conveniently next to a Walmart and a bank. We entered the Camden National Bank first and asked about opening an account. It was time-consuming but very easy. They often open accounts for seasonal workers from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. Amazing. We have given up on opening an account in the UK because, even though we are both UK nationals, it is so difficult for non-residents.

We obtained information on AT&T's prepaid deals that seemed to be just right for us from a very pleasant young lady, then had to hurry back to Bar Harbour.

The free parking and free shuttle were exactly as advertised. Great. We had booked a tour online, and arrived at the bus in good time. We were all set to see our first national park.

The first stop was the highest point in the park, Mt. Cadillac. It is named after a person, not a car, but the car is named after the same person. RVs are forbidden, but tour buses are OK. Mind you, it wasn't an easy drive for even a small bus.

This part of the Maine coast has scores of islands and is a popular stopping point for cruise ships.

It is a rocky shore, and the waves were throwing a bit of spray around.

This channel is called Thunder Hole or some such nonsense. Mind you, if the sea were really rough it might make some noise.

Can you see the “face” in the rocks? We can, but we were told what to look for.

There is a small but charming botanical garden of native plants in the Park.

The AT&T shop stayed open late enough to achieve our telecommunications objective that day. The transaction was completed by a helpful young man. That evening we were strong supporters of AT&T. Since then we have found that coverage is uncertain, even in quite built-up areas. The data plan for the tablet is OK, but the telephone plan is a rip-off. We get charged for incoming calls, as well as outbound ones, and we get charged for calling toll-free numbers. These details were not explained before we signed up. So we mainly use Skype instead.

The Walmart next door allowed us to stay overnight and in the morning we were set. Off we went to Brunswick to see Debs and Kermit Smyth. We met them when we hosted them in New Zealand via the Affordable Travel Club. We got on well and we were keen to see them again.

We had two nights of friendship and good conversation with them. In between they recommended a nearby botanical garden as worthy of a visit. It is a recent development, but already has a wide range of plants and a small butterfly house.

Caterpillar of …

… this Mourning Cloak butterfly.

Attractive red flowers. We didn't photograph the label and we have forgotten their name.

Mauve Asters.

Snow Flurry Heath Aster.

Different mauve flowers.

Autumn crocus.

A small frog amongst the fallen leaves.

Children are invited to build fairy houses in the woods.

It was late September and the New England forests are famous for their colours in the autumn or, if you prefer, the fall. We wanted to see some of this spectacle. Kermit found a web site with news of leaf colours, which suggested that we were a week or so early for the very best show, but the maples were definitely clothed in red. It was time to move on. He also gave us several maps of the New England area, since we had not then obtained a road atlas of the whole country. Thank you, Kermit.

Our hosts in Brunswick

A chipmunk foraging in their garden. The birds sometimes drop seeds from the feeder and the squirrels and chipmunks clean up.

Farewell to Canada

If you are travelling Southbound and take the first exit from the Confederation Bridge in New Brunswick you are delivered to the Cape Jouriman Nature Centre. It doubles as a place to catch the shuttle bus. If your work took you frequently between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick you might get ticked off about paying a $45 toll for every return trip, so you can leave your vehicle and catch the shuttle bus. We were told that a number of local folk have calculated that it is cheaper to own a car in each province and take the shuttle across the bridge.

There is no problem about parking in the gravel lot for shuttle riders, but the man at the Nature Centre gate allowed us to park on the centre's nice, level, asphalt parking lot.

Arrival in New Brunswick meant that we had visited all the Canadian provinces and territories except Nunavut. And there are no roads into Nunavut, which includes large sparsely inhabited tracts of mainland Canada, Baffin Land and all the other major Arctic islands. Nunavut is certainly worth exploring, but it is difficult and expensive to do so.

The Cape Jouriman Nature Centre is not the least of New Brunswick's attractions. We enjoyed the information to be found inside, and then walked a short nature trail ...

… where we encountered this rabbit …

… and these flowers.

New Brunswick's coast is one shore of the Bay of Fundy, famous for having the highest tides in the world. One of the must-see features on the shore is the Hopewell Rocks, but we managed to arrive when the tide was dead wrong and you have to pay a significant fee before you can assess whether there is still anything worth seeing. The high tide would certainly have covered an awful lot as it rose its 40 feet (12 metres) or whatever it is. So we didn't see the Hopewell Rocks. We later met a couple who had visited them at high tide and their assessment was that it was still worthwhile. Damn.

Now why would you name a restaurant “Fred's”? Fred may be an excellent chef but, to us, the name lacks market appeal. Isn't prejudice a terrible thing? We were self-catering anyway.

We were much more successful at Saint Martins.

• We did see the sea caves. 
• We decided it was time for a paid campground and we found a very nice one.
• Eve finally got her birthday present.

The latter needs elaboration. Bill promised Eve that, for her birthday, she would have a lobster dinner. On the actual day we were in Alberta, which has no coastline and therefore no lobsters. During our travels we had been solemnly promised that the best lobsters were to be found in Newfoundland, in Nova Scotia, in New Brunswick and in Maine. Our various informants were, as you might have guessed, residents of one of those provinces.

The campground recommended one of the two cafes by the sea caves and we each ordered the lobster dinner. Whilst it was well outside the hamburger price range, in truth the tariff was reasonable. Compared to New Zealand's crayfish it was dirt cheap. We each got a whole lobster and a device similar to nutcrackers to help with removing the shell. There were also some chips and lots of butter. Neither of us can remember any green vegetables with the meal. It was delicious.

The campground was right behind the beach. There was a full moon that night.

The sea caves (photographed through the windscreen).

The local fishing fleet at high tide. At low tide they rest on the mud.

Saint Martins has a covered bridge. Doesn't that look nice?

In the morning we went into the local butchery. The meat looked excellent. As we made our selection we mentioned to the butcher that we would be entering the USA in a couple of days. “They won't let meat in.” We already had enough meat for our remaining time in Canada, so we sadly replaced what we had chosen. It would have been a criminal waste to see that food go into a customs' trash sack.

Another Fundy attraction is the Reversing Falls in Saint John. At low tide the water tumbles down towards the sea and at high tide it 'falls' upriver. To properly appreciate it you have to either stay there for 6 hours or visit at different stages of the tide.

The tide is coming in and the water is flowing from right to left. It was only about half tide and although the flow was fast it wasn't particularly spectacular.

At nearly low tide the water is flooding out. There are also rapids out of the picture above the bridge.

The current and the rocks interact to create remarkable chutes and whirlpools.

This cormorant had enough confidence to go fishing in the most turbulent water.

Flowers growing beside the steps down to the viewing platform.

Bill was most impressed and would have gone back again nearer full tide. Eve rather wondered what the fuss was all about.

In Saint John we attempted without success to open a US dollar account that we could operate on our Canadian debit cards. The Scotiabank personnel were most apologetic, but it couldn't be done. They suggested we try a competitor bank that they knew offered this service. Only it didn't. So we had to enter the USA with a handful of greenbacks and our NZ credit card.

One other event of note happened in Saint John. We patronised a McDonalds. Only for a coffee each, but it was money in McDonalds' till. After 6 months in North America that is still the only occasion.

From Saint John it is not a long drive to the border crossing between St. Stephen, New Brunswick and Calais, Maine. Now, if you just pronounced the latter place name the French way, Kallay, you are on the wrong side of the Atlantic. In Maine it is sounded Kallis, and the 'proper' pronunciation just gets a blank look. We know.

Along the highway Bill missed an exit signposted to the border crossing. Why the main road doesn't go straight there is a puzzle, but it doesn't. It was a divided highway and we couldn't do a u-turn. So we switched on Malcolm-Edgar, the GPS unit, and followed his instructions towards Calais.

In St. Stephen we were directed along some minor, but quite drivable streets, and then turned across a bridge. On the far side was a US Customs Post. Vehicles are directed off the road into an inspection area. There was a bar across to indicate a maximum height, and that was just OK. And there were concrete poles at the side. The trouble was, the access way was not straight and Gregory is a very long vehicle. We got stuck between the poles.

Eventually we had to back out and drive around to the US side of the building, where we parked and were duly processed and admitted to the USA. The border guard did his duty in a proper manner, and was very pleasant with it. We didn't mention his obnoxious colleague in Poker Creek, Alaska (See Quick update from Watson Lake, Yukon on 6 July). Eve's handbag was inspected to see if she was “packing”, i.e. carrying a gun. He must have seen our astonishment because he justified himself. “It does happen.”

What had happened to get us stuck was that Malcolm-Edgar had selected, in his inscrutable silicon way, one of three border crossings over the river. Internet research had always mentioned the St. Stephen-Calais border crossing as a singular noun so we had no reason to suspect that there is a choice. At the main one they even have a lane dedicated to RVs, but ours was not the first GPS to deliver an oversize vehicle to this small entry port.

And so we were able to drive on to the Calais Walmart to stock up on meat, fruit and vegetables and spend our first night of the trip on US soil.

Prince Edward Island

The abbreviation PEI is recognised throughout Canada as the acronym for the country's smallest province. One informant rather unkindly said that we could drive across the island in an hour, but it is not that tiny.

To take a vehicle to PEI the motorist has a choice of a bridge or a ferry. To encourage visitors, both options are free to enter the island, and to make you want to stay they each have a hefty charge when you leave. We decided to arrive by ferry and depart across the bridge.

The ferry from Pictou did provide tourist information, including maps with several suggested driving routes. There are no major hills, making the island's fertile soil easy to farm so scenery was much more pastoral than Nova Scotia. Much is made of the island's association with the novel, Anne of Green Gables. Bill had started to read the story in his youth and put it aside as “a girl's book”. Eve downloaded it to her Kindle to refresh her memory and found it a bit preachy but enjoyable to revisit. But that didn't detract from the island's genuine charm.

Our first and only night on PEI was at Cable Head on the North coast. Most, or possibly all, of the North side of the island is a large, sandy beach.

Cable Head with another camper's vehicle on the cliff.

Another section of the North coast.

We stopped at the small harbour in Tracadie. Bill had a wander round and got very excited when he came across hundreds of migrating birds. He just had to get out the camera with the telephoto lens.

The harbour.

Plovers. But which species? After very long deliberation the decision was “Black-bellied” rather than the rarer “American Golden”.

The large birds with red beaks are Caspian Terns. The others are one of the sandpiper species, which all look very similar in eclipse plumage.

Scores of sandpipers.

A Great Blue Heron flies low and unhurriedly on its way South.

Further along the coast we saw three men in wetsuits assembling para-boarding gear. (That may not be the correct expression.) The wind was blowing strongly not quite directly onshore. “They'll never get anywhere against that wind” predicted Bill. But he was wrong.

When they really got going they 'jumped' off the water.

We enjoyed our short time on PEI. We didn't drive all the tourist trails, but we followed them for a fair few kilometres before paying our exit tax ($45 – ouch) and leaving via the Confederation Bridge. This is one of the world's longest bridges at 12.9km, and also the longest that crosses ice-covered water. And it's sufficiently high that acrophobic Bill was never going to look down.

Only another 12.8km before we are safely back on terra firma.

The Confederation Bridge from New Brunswick.

The dates of the following pictures place them on Prince Edward Island, but we cannot remember exactly where they were taken.

Shiny, black berries on an unidentified plant.  If you know what it is, please leave a comment with the information,

Wild rose hips.

Quite a small spider seen close up, clinging to its web.