So on August 6th we woke up early and set off in the Space Car to pick Adi up from FSY in Baltimore. The Silver Bullet is inching closer to 300,000 miles every day and Matt didn’t feel comfortable with me driving it through the vast Canadian countryside. The Jolly Green Giant is huge and a gas guzzling lush. So my wonderful dad generously offered (after I asked 😂) to let me use his Space Car. It was so perfect, I’m so thankful. It cut gas spending probably to 1/4 what it would have been and is such a comfortable and fun car to drive.
We were all so excited for this summer adventure!
We picked Adi up and got to hear all about FSY. She enjoyed it but didn’t love it like I hoped she would. She loved the food and learned a lot, and had some fun. Hopefully in 2 years when she goes again they’ll have more kinks ironed out and it will be more like EFY. After Baltimore we stopped at a truck stop for brekkie then drove straight to Croton-on-Hudson and passed out Cousin Camp shirts.
Cue adorable Rockettes kicks.
🤷♀️
Amy and I visited all day and Sandy made us a nice dinner. Delaney started not to feel well in the middle of the night and I couldn’t find any kids medicine and didn’t want to wake Amy. I ended up giving her a regular ibuprofen, but then couldn’t get back to sleep. What if it was Covid and I leave my sick child there and she gets everyone else sick and then I test positive too and am stuck in a Canadian hotel room for a week and, and, and. You know those middle of the night mom worries. Especially when leaving kids for a week. D went right back to sleep and I managed to convince myself that everything would be fine and I could always turn right back around if it wasn’t. Or Matt could come get Delaney. And that Amy would take care of her and it would all work out. I still couldn’t sleep though, and I had a long day of driving ahead of me, so I got up and got going.
Everyone but Delaney started the night out in a tent, but by 4:15 when I checked on them, only Adi and Frankie had lasted the night. 💪🏻
The benefit of leaving at 4:30am is a beautiful sunrise and light traffic.
First potty and gas stop at 6:30, somewhere in the Connecticut hills. Matt and I chatted off and on throughout the day. I was talking to him as I left here.
I can’t pass these up. I love them so much. 8:30am.
And then, 30 minutes later - Maine! And I always appreciate a welcome to our state sign in a safe rest area.
I had looked up the exchange rate so I could kind of know what I was spending. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that for the first day I was thinking the exchange rate was not in my favor, and I’m so glad I realized my error mostly before I got to Canada. I probably bought more Canadian treasures than I would normally have because everything was at an almost 25% discount. How could I not?
I was soooo anxious to drive into Canada. I had researched everything and felt ready, but after a 2 year travel hiatus and with post-Covid rules, plus my lack of solo traveling and I was nervous. I stopped in Calais, Maine for gas and picked up a few groceries (see above about my misunderstanding the exchange rate) and then headed for the international bridge at 3pm. I had downloaded the Canadian border crossing app and uploaded my passport and Covid vaccinations and it all went super smoothly. East peasy. I wish I’d had time to stop in St. Stephen - how could I resist Canada’s Chocolate Town? But I still had a long way to go before bedtime. My 3rd Canadian province!
The benefit of leaving at 4:30am is a beautiful sunrise and light traffic.
First potty and gas stop at 6:30, somewhere in the Connecticut hills. Matt and I chatted off and on throughout the day. I was talking to him as I left here.
I can’t pass these up. I love them so much. 8:30am.
And then, 30 minutes later - Maine! And I always appreciate a welcome to our state sign in a safe rest area.
I had looked up the exchange rate so I could kind of know what I was spending. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that for the first day I was thinking the exchange rate was not in my favor, and I’m so glad I realized my error mostly before I got to Canada. I probably bought more Canadian treasures than I would normally have because everything was at an almost 25% discount. How could I not?
I was soooo anxious to drive into Canada. I had researched everything and felt ready, but after a 2 year travel hiatus and with post-Covid rules, plus my lack of solo traveling and I was nervous. I stopped in Calais, Maine for gas and picked up a few groceries (see above about my misunderstanding the exchange rate) and then headed for the international bridge at 3pm. I had downloaded the Canadian border crossing app and uploaded my passport and Covid vaccinations and it all went super smoothly. East peasy. I wish I’d had time to stop in St. Stephen - how could I resist Canada’s Chocolate Town? But I still had a long way to go before bedtime. My 3rd Canadian province!
And then I was driving the lonely Canadian highway. Totally pinching myself and enjoying every minute!
I drove all through New Brunswick, which definitely had some pretty parts, but I decided might be kind of a dumpy province. 🤷♀️ 7:15pm.
I take bridge safety very seriously, so I didn’t take any pictures crossing the Confederation Bridge, but it was amazing. Here’s a blurb:
“The Confederation Bridge is a world engineering feat. It connects Prince Edward Island to the mainland over the Northumberland Strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. At 12.9 kilometres or 8 miles long it is the longest bridge in the world over ice-covered waters.”
And a picture I found.
I arrived to Northumberland Provincial Park just after 8pm. I had found this cute bare bones cabin for only $60 a night! Since I really only needed a clean place to sleep, it was perfect and the price was right. I was nervous to be alone in a campground in the woods, but Canada is pretty safe and I’m a big girl, so I was brave. I was so happy to have made it safely before it got dark!
So teeny tiny! That couch is a futon, so I made it into a bed, put on the sheets and blanket I had brought, and that was my semi-comfy bed.
The cabins sleep 4, but I can’t imagine! 😂 Very close quarters for 4 people.
I unpacked and walked all around the park. It was a very clean and nice campground. And a pretty little beach to walk to.
Soooo excited for my adventure week and so happy to be done driving. I wrote on Facebook:
The cabins sleep 4, but I can’t imagine! 😂 Very close quarters for 4 people.
I unpacked and walked all around the park. It was a very clean and nice campground. And a pretty little beach to walk to.
Soooo excited for my adventure week and so happy to be done driving. I wrote on Facebook:
Summer Day #52
4 hours of sleep.
815 miles.
13 hours of driving.
5 US states.
2 Canadian provinces.
2 countries.
1 childhood dream fulfilled.
That was the hottest day of the whole trip, and even though the windows in my cabin had been left open all day, it was still warm. So I made another big girl decision and left the windows open all night to allow for some breeze. I decided if the next day was hot again I’d have to buy a box fan, but it wasn’t. And the next day I discovered that the windows didn’t even lock, so open or closed, same, same. 😂
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