24/06/2013 - 17/07/2013 Montreal, Quebec to Shediac, New Brunswick

24/06/2013 Montreal - Travelling to Montreal we drove though major wind and rain. The 50mph rain/wind squalls tested Stubbie's roof.  No leaks so all good. (It turned out to be a very simple fix.  Replace approximately a metre of sealant on the awning seam...$80)

The campground was straight out of a movie set.  It had a lake with a lifeguard tower and a wooden pontoon in the middle.  The water was about 19 degrees (The ice has just finished melting) and there were adults and kids wearing lifejackets.  (The French don't swim well.) Everyone in the campground speaks French (no English at all.) so it was an interesting few days.  Also this RV Park wasn't far from Lac-Megantic where Quebec had the major train disaster recently.  From the RV Park we did some lovely little drives through the French speaking countryside.

We have decided to use the public transport system to get into the city of Montreal rather than drive Shooter - apparently it is called the LimoCar and will take approx. one hour to deliver us into the Bus Station.  Not sure exactly what to expect as we drive to the Station and eventually purchase two adult return tickets - our French is not improving, but our sign language is, we will make a great team for charades.  We are told where to wait and within 10 minutes we see our Bus arrive, whilst not the Limo that we would of liked, it is very comfortable and does have free wifi.

Montreal (Note: the Montreal and French Flags)

We have tended to do a lot of the hop on hop off city tours to give us a feel of the city and also get the lay of the land (definitely helps with our sense of direction as well).  Normally I have a map of the city and know where to go to get the Hop On Hop Off Bus, and / or alternatively we head for the information counter.  So as we haven't had very good wifi reception, we head straight for information to find out where the nearest stop for the Hop on Hop Off Bus is (remember this is the main Bus Depot for Montreal) whilst, the lady behind the counter did speak some english, and after us trying with our english / french to ask for directions she did not know what we were talking about and couldn't help us out at all.  There was a huge poster and advertisement of the Hop on Hop Off Buses right beside the counter.  Oh well we have our newly bought navigation system, and we have a brochure of the route for the Hop On Hop Off Bus, can't be too hard to find for us season travellers.  Unfortunately, we have no idea where we are and the brochure only has the main tourist attractions on their route listed on the map.  So we decide to enter in the address for the first stop of the bus tour - only 2.5 kms away, nice day for a walk so off we head.  I have tried to turn the navigation system onto walking rather than driving, but our new wonderful navigation system is only compatible for driving - you learn everyday.  So after walking up and down one way streets we do find our destination, I'm sure if we headed there directly it would of been less than one km.

Montreal

The bus tour shows us the highlights of the city and surrounds and gives us a bit of information, and of course as we are on the bus, we drive about 100 meters away from where the Bus Stations was.  We normally do a full loop and then decide what we want to see more of.  Our first visit is to Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mont Royal.  The basilica is dedicated to Saint Joseph to whom Brother Andre credited all his reported miracles.  These miracles were mainly related to a kind of healing power.  On display in the church is a wall covered with thousands of crutches from those who were supposedly healed.  Pope John Paul II deemed the miracles to be authentic and beatified Brother Andre.  Pope Benedict XVI then canonised Brother Andre the saint.  Inside the Church there is an area which contains Brother Andre's heart, which he requested as a protection for the basilica. St Joseph's is Canada's largest church and the world's 5th largest.  It is also the largest shrine dedicated to St Joseph.  It really was very majestic.  

St Josephs

Outside the church, the steps are divided into three sections, the middle section has been covered by wood which is set aside for people who wish to climb up on their knees.  The Old Section of Montreal was really quaint and I imagined it was something like a wee street in France.  We had a lovely meal in an Italian Restaurant, yes we ate Italian whilst in Canada in the French Province. We had a nice day in Montreal and enjoyed this city a lot more than Toronto.  

St Josephs

                                     

Time to move as we need to meet Dad and Heather in Quebec.

28/06/2014 - Quebec City.  We have arrived at our RV Park and have secured the last site, it is the long weekend celebrating Canada Day.  

I decided that after about 12 weeks it was time to get my hair done.   First challenge making an appointment.  So I go to a shopping centre and suss out two hairdressing salons, make up my mind which one I would like to go into and walk in to try and make an appointment - a little bit challenging but I get an appointment for the next day.  Not sure if I'm doing the right thing going into a French Speaking Salon to get my hair done - feeling a wee bit nervous - Dave no worries it's only hair it will grow back / out - thanks Dave fills me with a lot of confidence.  So the next day I wander into the Salon get seated and my hairdresser walks on over and starts speaking to me in French, I ask in my best French if she speaks English - a little bit she replies - great.  Now I need to explain what I would like done - I look around for some magazines - but can't see any, then I see one of the other hairdressers walk past who has a similar cut / colour to what I want - surely I can explain this.  Well after a bit the hairdresser wanders away to mix up some colours - let the show begin.  At first she applies a colour to my part, then goes back into the back room and comes out with a damp towel - she has decided to do it differently and starts wiping the colour off - okay now I'm getting really worried - perhaps I should just get up and walk out now - no it's only hair.  So after a few attempts at having a conversation - we settle into silence as I watch her work on my hair.  I have tried to explain that I want a very similar hair cut as the lady in the Salon but not as short.  Well lets say that the clippers didn't come out but the back of my hair is about 1 - 3cm in length - not quite what I was looking for.  Oh well after she has finished blow drying it is looking ok - at least it is better than when I went in.  So I get back to Stubbie and ask the Big Fella how it looks - yes I know silly mistake - to which he replies mmmm I will need a bit of time to get used to it.  I have decided to reserve my judgement until after I wash and blow dry it myself.  Mmmm I have a golden stripe down the middle - I'm assuming this was the first attempt, and whilst I normally use a brush to blow dry the back of my hair, my hair is no longer long enough to do that.  So I have decided that whilst I thought I was being very brave going into a non-english speaking Salon, it may not of been one of my best decisions, to go in unprepared with no photos or french hairdressing terminology - oh well it's only hair and it will grow out (in a year or two).

30/06/2013 - Quebec City.  Dad and Heather arrived safely yesterday - perhaps with a few more grey hairs than when they left.  We had planned on going into Quebec City, but as the Big Fella has done something to his back, we have decided that he will stay home and the Turtles and I will go on to see the Montmorency Falls.  When we arrive we notice that there is a cable car or a huge number of stairs to get to the top of the falls, mmm didn't take us long to decide that we are all happy for the cable car.  The Falls were quite spectacular and we had a lovely meal on top of the mountain.  

Montmorency Falls

01/07/2013 - Quebec City.  The Big Fella's back has improved but is still a bit sore, but he has decided to soldier on and come with us into Quebec City.  The drive took us a bit longer than expected, I wasn't thinking that just because it was Canada Day and their week long festival was due to begin next week that some of the roads would be closed - ooops.  Oh well we managed to park at the Hilton Hotel very close to the Old Quebec City.  I fell in love with Quebec City, it has a huge amount of character and is very clean.  The one thing that we have noticed is that whilst we have found the people in Canada and USA to be very helpful, polite and happy, that is not completely true over here in the Province of Quebec.  They Quebecians do say that they are more French than the French, and whilst I haven't been to France, if what I've heard about how arrogant some of the French can be is true than it is true that the Quebecians are more arrogant.  It has come as such a huge shock to us all.  Dave and I have been really taken aback, they certainly don't go out of their way to help and when you do ask for help, it seems to be such an inconvenience to them, and just the overall feeling of Quebec is a bit unfriendly.  

Royal 22 Regiment

As it is Canada Day we have decided to go to the raising of the flag with the Royal 22s regiment.  It was interesting to see the regiment in all there gear.  

Then we are off to the Hop On Hop Off bus to do our little tour.  Well we fell in love with the old city of Montreal and are now falling in love with Quebec City, the character and architecture is really amazing.  Old Quebec City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is North America's only walled city outside of Mexico City.  The Citadel is North America's largest fort and Le Chateau Frontenac is said to be the world's most photographed hotel.

Le Chateau Frontenac

The Citadel (Cher Impersonator)

Outside Parliament is a statue of a very colourful former Premier of Quebec - Rene Levesque.  He is considered sovereigntism's spiritual father. His fingers on his right hand are slightly parted so that people can take a photo of him with a cigarette.  Quebec has voted twice about seceding from Canada.

Rene Levesque - (now who's got the Big Head not to mention hands)

02/07/2013 - Quebec City.  Because we enjoyed the city so much we have decided to go in for another day and have a look around.  Dave and I have decided to go and walk the wall, whilst Dad and Heather have headed off to the church we will meet back up for a late lunch.  This is Dad and Heathers last night before they head on home.

Old Quebec City

03/07/2013 - Quebec City.  Well it was time to say goodbye to Dad and Heather, after a little bit of trouble booking them in, we say our farewells.

It has been interesting talking to travellers / non-Quebecians around the area, it is common knowledge that the Quebecians don't really want to be part of Canada.  The Quebecian flag is flown so much more than the Canadian flag.

04/07/2013 – St-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec. As it’s the Big Fella’s 60^th birthday I have picked this particular RV park for Cable TV.  We knew we were in a French speaking province but were still hoping that there would be 50/50 of English / French speaking channels – we were soon disappointed it was about 30 / 70.  We were able to watch the tour de France (in French) and we did get snippets of the golf channel so overall it was better than nothing.  We are set-up on a hill high above a lake.

 RV Park - St-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec.

05/07/2013 – St Mathieu-de-Rioux, Quebec.  The Big Fella’s Birthday.  We have headed off into the town of Rimouski, about 45 minutes away, so we have a nice drive through the countryside and into the city.  We have stopped at the Marina to have Lobster and Corona’s for his birthday, which I’m pretty sure he enjoyed – the Lobster was devoured very quickly.   

My Big Spunk on his Birthday

One of things we do like about Quebec is that you can buy live lobster in the grocery stores – they are around $6 – 7 a pound.  They are swimming around happily in a huge fish tank in the middle of the store.

09/07/2013 –  Rimouski, Quebec - Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.

We were originally planning to spend a bit more time in Quebec, but have decided to head on over to New Brunswick.  We are looking forward to getting into a friendlier place.  We have spent the night at Walmart and have woken up to a flat tyre on Stubbie.  After a few hours we have finally got the tyre fixed so off we go.  We soon notice the high number of mosquitos – oh well we have insect repellent.  

We go to the dump station first and when Dave is dumping I let him know that whilst we don’t have a dump spot at our site, we do have electricity and water. We have been given a huge space, I did read that the sites were 20 x 20 (meters) – but to be honest I didn’t really believe it – but ours is well over that size. (More like a typical house block.)   Well as we are setting-up Dave comes inside says there is no water connection – oops got that one wrong.  As Dave thought we had water he didn’t refill our tanks – looks like we are on water rations for a while – or we need to pack up and go and get some water.  We have decided to be on rations. We are soon looking for the mosquito spray - I am slapping myself more than a Sumo Wrestler.

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

After dinner and a few drinks Dave has decided to look at the map for our hike the next day (we have been looking forward to getting back into our hiking) and with a few beers under his belt he has decided that we should do the perimeter of the park – 30+ kms, I said you have to be kidding that’s a long way – he says we have all day, we’ll just pack a backpack for the day and head off, I have reiterated that that is a long hike to start with, perhaps we should cut it down, to which he reluctantly reduces the hike to about 22km’s – (I was thinking 10km’s would be more than a good start).  I’ve agreed to go for 22km’s especially since we are in a National Park so we should get to see a few critters and have some lovely scenery.

10/07/2013 - Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.  The next morning it is a slow start, not quite a panadol party but we have decided to wait a bit and head off after lunch – we know we have plenty of sunlight hours, it doesn’t get dark to well after 10:00 pm.  So after lunch we pack one of the backpacks (which I carry) and head off with a little pep in our step.  The hike is actually quite boring the scenery is exactly the same and our expectation of the ‘Beach’ that we have come to see is diminishing from what we have seen so far.  We hit our first beach and Dave’s comment ‘You are Kidding – this can’t be a beach’ - Well 4 hours later we arrive back at our site with no pep left in our step.  As for the wildlife we saw one bird that we hadn’t seen before and other than that just some of the local birds – that we have been seeing everywhere. We have been eaten alive, we did apply plenty of  insect repellent before we left and also on our little hike, not happy.  One thing that I really look forward to after a bit of exercise is a nice shower, but because some Goose (me) has put us on rations, that’s not going to happen.  As we are getting ready for bed – there is a rabbit just outside our door – didn’t see one of these on our 4 hour hike.  The Big Fella is a little sore, his back, his knees, his thighs etc. etc. – he did comment that perhaps that was a bit far to go, since he hadn’t really done any exercise since we left home – really.

Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick

11/07/2013 – Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick.  I’ve decided to keep my walk to inside the camping area, and around 5km’s - I see Groundhogs, squirrels and woodpeckers, certainly more than I saw yesterday.

We have learnt from the adds on the TV (the one station that we get) that you can buy Lobster at McDonalds, SubWay, Pizza Delight (similar to Pizza Hut)– so who knows where else you can buy it from, I’ve never heard Dave say before that he wants to go to McDonalds.

12/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  Today is a small drive to Shediac our next stop, the self-proclaimed Lobster Capital - yummy.  As we drive into town we have realised that we have arrived in time for Lobster Festival - Bonus.  We are in a great park, the staff are extremely friendly and can not do enough for us.  The people in the park smile and say hello - oh it's so nice to be back into the friendly Canada. We have a view of the bay and the sun is shining. So after getting ourselves organised we set off on our walk to the Lobster Festival - it's only about 1.5 kms away and on our way we walk through the little town, really cute with lots and lots of restaurants - and of course, they are all advertising Lobster, can't wait to explore this town (okay restaurants).  Well the Lobster Festival itself wasn't exactly what we had thought it would be, more like a mini mini mini Ekka.  A couple of rides including the Zipper, a couple of food stores and a restaurant selling Lobster Supper - so that's were we head. $30.00 for a full lobster, salad, bread roll and a glass of australian white wine, I'm in my element.  

Shediac Lobster Festival

13/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  We had originally planned to stay two nights, but I have already booked in for another 5 nights.  Today we are heading off to a restaurant that has been recommended to us by the owners of the RV Park (we later find out, it is his brother).  But this time we order the special, full lobster, prawns and oysters all for $25.00 - does eating (a huge part of my life) get any better than this.  The restaurant is right on the Bay, we have few drinks then head on home. As we are driving into the park I see a band setting up, so I find out that they will start playing around 8:00pm, I did ask them what type of music they play - Rock N Roll and Country.  So we settle outside of Stubbie and have a few drinks -  must admit I am getting a little bit happy.  I have met a friend who is going over to listen to the band, so I have decided to go and join her, the Big Fella has decided to sit quietly.  Well lets just say I got home around 1:30am, the band played a fair bit in French, but after a few drinks (ok a lot of drinks) I didn't care. I have realised that I can shake by booty to any music in any language (well I call it dancing).  Oh I love it here, the women that drink wine pour it into a Grande Sized Coffee Stainless Steel mug and drink from there.

14/07/2013 -  Shediac, New Brunswick.  Well the morning is starting very slowly for me.  I had planned on having a rest day today and thank goodness I had, I'm really not up to doing much.  I'm lucky I have a loving husband who is also happy to take it easy today.

15/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  After going into the little downtown area for a lobster roll for dinner, we have decided to check out the beach area - Parlee Beach (apparently, one of North America's finest beach).  It's just after 8:00pm but we know we still have plenty of time as sunset isn't tell well after 9:00pm.  Well, when we hit the famous beach area Dave was in stitches, not only do you have to walk out about 200 meters to get the water up to your waist, there is no surf, not even a little swell and there are people absolutely everywhere.

Parlee Beach

16/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick.  Instead of going out for dinner I have decided to go and buy a couple of cooked lobsters from the Seafood Markets.  I was going to make-up some garlic butter, but instead purchased some from the Supermarket.  Mmmm - life is fantastic.

17/07/2013 - Shediac, New Brunswick. We listened to the State of Origin this morning.  Another Queensland win.....Another couple of lobsters today and tomorrow and then off to Prince Edward Island....

27/05/2013 - 21/06/2013 Penticton to Montreal

27/05/2013 - 02/06/2013 Penticton.

Dad and Heather have arrived back in one piece from their little escapade across British Columbia and Alberta - more importantly so has the car.  Bobbie and Brant have organised to go out for a nice dinner at the Poplar Grove winery. A beautiful  winery with some spectacular views of the Okanagon lakes.

During the night we developed some heavy rain and gusty winds.  Unfortunately, Stubbie become all religious and developed a hole in the roof.  We managed to control the leak during the night and the next two days the Big Fella was removing the old chalking and replacing it with new material.  Dave believes / hopes that after a fair amount of sealant and some tape, that the roof should now be fixed (fingers crossed).

We did manage to get one game of golf in - which was my first in nearly two years - the driving was okay, but ohhh that chipping absolutely tragic.  The Big Fella picked up exactly where he left off - smarty pants.  It was great to be out on the golf course again - hopefully we will get a chance again soon.

So after a couple of weeks of catching up and spending some wonderful time with the Howard's and Navin's - we needed to move on.

So time to make the trek from Penticton to Niagara Falls, only a small drive of over 4000 km's, about the same distance from Brisbane to Perth.  I get cranky when I have to fly that far.  Let the trek begin.

06/06/2013 - Black Hills, South Dakota.  Our first sightseeing stop is the Black Hills in South Dakota.

Jewel Cave is the third longest cave in the world some 266 kilometres long.  Before you enter the cave they have a hollow cement block to show you how tight the cave is in some places.  You have to be able to squeeze through this if you want to explore certain parts of the cave - well the big fella put the challenge out, so of course as you can see I had to give it a go.  Okay it did take me two attempts, the first attempt my belt got caught on the edge.  Oh well at least I kept a few other visitors entertained for a while.  Dad is not particular fond of caves, and as we finished our 2 hour tour of the cave, his comment was - 'well I'm glad I have done it, but that is that last cave I will be doing' - not sure if he really enjoyed.

Next Stop -  Crazy Horse Monument, Crazy Horse monument is the world's largest mountain carving.  It was built to honour Crazy horse and to let white men know that red men have heroes too. It is not far from Mount Rushmore.  Even though the mountain carving looks similar in size to Mt Rushmore.  There is a substantial difference with Crazy Horse monument dwarfing the whole of Mt Rushmore.

Crazy Horse

Last Stop for the day is Mt Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is the mountain carving of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt.  Dave and I have visited this memorial before, so Dad and Heather went to have a closer look.

Mt Rushmore

07/06/2013 - Rapid City, South Dakota, Bear Country USA Park

One of my all time favourites stops - and one that I have been looking forward to seeing again.  The Park is a drive thru park featuring North American wildlife.  My favourites are the Bears and the Bear Cubs.  This year they only had 4 cubs, they have been practicing birth control in the park - every female is given an injection and some have had tubal ligation.  Last time we were here there was over 30 cubs...  Oh well it just makes these 4 more special to me. 

Dave felt my comment about a great bear rug - probably wasn't appropriate at the time...

07/06/2013 - 08/06/2013 Badlands National Park, South Dakota.  
Today we have had really pretty drive through the Badlands National Park - it has turned out to be a welcome surprise.  The scenery is really quite spectacular.  We are camping in the National Park and Dad has decided that rather than me cook again (not sure if it is my cooking) that he would take us out for dinner.  So off we go - well let's just say that whilst the scenery has been a welcome suprise the food and wine was definitely not.  I think for the first time in my life I couldn't eat my main meal - the Salmon tasted and felt like it had been cooking since Good Friday in a very hot oven, very dry, chewy and had absolutely no flavour - no matter how many condiments I could put on it.  And if that wasn't bad enough, Dad ordered a bottle of wine, which we thought was going to be a dry white and it was the sweetest wine, I have ever tasted, it was that bad that after my initial taste I just couldn't drink anymore - it smelt like a very sweet sherry.  Even Dad and Heather couldn't drink it - it was sent back to the kitchen to let the staff enjoy.  Mmm my cooking now doesn't look that bad.

Badlands National Park

09/06/2013 - Mitchell, South Dakota.  
We have decided to spend our next night at Mitchell, South Dakota, it is about the right distance of driving and they have the Corn Palace - mmm yep Dave and I were excited too.  Dave was so excited in fact he just couldn't bring himself to make the trek.  So off the turtles and I went in search of the Corn Palace - originally built to show that Mitchell had a healthy agricultural climate.  I must admit it wasn't as bad as I had expected (admittedly I didn't have any positive expectations).   Unfortunately that night we have a fairly large storm come through and Stubbie has sprung the same leak - all hands on deck.

10/06/2013 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  

We have decided to try and seek professional help.  So off to Sioux Falls the next large city.  We register into an RV Park and Dave has decided to have another look at the roof - he now wants to go and get some more sealant, so off to an RV Dealership.  Whilst we were in there we asked if they could fit us in, in the next couple of days for a look at the roof, to which they reply 9:00am tomorrow morning - now fingers crossed it doesn't rain tonight.

We have decided to take the advice from the Lonely Planet (yet again) and visit a very small eatery named Bob's.  The Lonely Planet did mention that there were 12 stools at the counter - we just thought that there would be more seating tables as well.  Well when we walked inside we soon found out we were wrong, everyone shuffled around so the four of us could sit together - the food was delicious.

11/06/2013 - The next morning we wake up and send Dad and Heather off in Shooter for the day, whilst the Big Fella and I head on over to the RV Service Centre.  We drop Stubbie off and head on over to Denny's for breakfast.  Well we were gone for just over an hour and when we return Stubbie is outside of the Service Bays.  We are not sure if this is a good sign or a bad sign.  Dave talks to the technician and he thinks he has found the problem and fixed it, he believes there was some creases in one of the tapes, so they have pulled that up and resealed that section.  The only problem is it takes about 4 hours to become waterproof and looking outside the weather is not looking good - so for peace of mind we ask if we can put Stubbie back into the undercover Service Bay until the four hours has passed, needless to say we did receive a few very very light showers.  Dave is really very sceptical that they have fixed the problem - but has decided to head on over to Niagara Falls, see what happens in bad weather and make the call from there.  He has decided that if the roof is not fixed he wants to take Stubbie to the RV Roof Man in Sacramento, California - only approx 4000 km's away.  

13/06/2013 - Warren Dunes State Park, Lake Michigan, Michigan
Well we have finally made it to one of the Great Lakes - Lake Michigan.  Whilst there are children in the water swimming - to us the ice has only just melted and it is way too cold, to even put our feet in the water.

15/06/2013 - Niagara Falls, Niagara, Ottawa.  
We have finally made it - it has been a long journey and whilst some of the scenery was just spectacular a lot of the drive across the plains, for Dave and I at least did become monotonous, both Dad and Heather did enjoy the journey.  As we got closer to the East Coast the roads have been very bumpy with a lot of construction and traffic.  I can see why they say they only have two seasons, Winter and Construction.


16/06/2013 - Niagara Falls, Niagara, Ottawa.  
Well the day has arrived (this has been what Heather has been waiting for - her highlight) and of course it is rainy and overcast, we decide to wait awhile and see what the weather is going to do.  So just before lunch we decide to bite the bullet and head on over to the Falls.   Wow....  Absolutely magnificent - Heather was like a child in a lolly shop and really couldn't stop smiling.  We book ourselves in to do the Maid of the Mist (the boat ride up to the falls) and the Journey behind the Falls (elevator ride down 150 feet and in behind the water fall).  The one thing that did surprise me was that the noise from the falls wasn't as loud as I had expected.





The sheer beauty of watching the falls was mesmerising.

Dave and I decided to have a wander around (whilst Dad and Heather went to have a wee drink and a sit down).  The town of Niagara was interesting, it really was a bit like Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise.  There was Ripley's,  Wax Museums, restaurants, games etc.  It did come as a bit of a shock.

 Town of Niagara..

We decided to stay until sunset (well after 9:30pm) and watch the lighting of the falls.

18/06/2013 - Toronto, Ottawa.  

We have decided to catch the train into Toronto and jump on the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour.  We do do the Hop On Hop Off Touristy thing regularly, we find it a good way to get the feel of a city whilst pointing out the highlights.  

The City of Toronto is doing some major construction work on the roads - so I'm sure that if the roads were all good this tour would only take 45 minutes, but when the roads are all being worked on (and you can see why -winter must really knock the roads around) it takes about 2 hours to do the loop.  The main attractions for us to see are - Dad and Heather the Canadian Tower (know as CN) and for Dave and I - the Hockey Hall of Fame.  So after the full loop of the bus we head our separate ways and agree to meet up at the Hockey Hall of Fame.  Dave and I head off for a bite to eat and then onto the Hockey Hall of Fame.  For me I found the Hockey Hall of Fame a little disappointing - the highlight for me (which was a huge highlight) was to be able to see and touch the Stanley Cup.  The Stanley Cup is the championship trophy awarded to the winner of the National HockeyLeague - other than the cup I really did loose interest quite quickly.  Whilst in the RV park I have had the pleasure of sitting back and watching the little chipmunks running around.  Also, we have had the chance to observe a ground hog.

Best of all we have had rain and no leak in Stubbie.

 A little bit of Silverware we picked up on the way.  "THE STANLEY CUP".

19/06/2013 - 22/06/2013 Toronto, Ottawa - Montreal, Quebec

Dad and Heather have decided to rent a car for just over a week and travel over to Boston and meet us back at Quebec, with a few days to catch-up and look around Quebec City until they make the long journey back home.  Dave and I have decided to take our time and drive up to Quebec via Montreal.  Well as soon as we crossed over from the province of Ottawa into Quebec, all signs are now only in French, prior to this you would find that most signs were in both languages.  Whilst we are driving along and nearing the City of Montreal, we notice the word 'Barree' written on a few of the road signs - Dave looks at me and asks what does that mean - well let me say that my one semester of French in grade 8 does not help me out.  Oh well we continue to drive on.  We are getting close to our turn-off when we notice that the word Barree is now appearing on our exit.  What to do? - so of course we continue on, only to find out that the exit we had planned on taking is closed - no problems we will take the next exit and try and work our way back.  All the while we have a navigation system that insists on taking us on a freeway that is closed.  Of course the next exit takes us into Downtown Montreal - remember we are in Stubbie and towing Shooter - luckily our next turn takes us back on the highway.  We have both realised it is time to get our French for Dummies book out and start reading.  When we get to the RV Park, I start to look up a few of the french words that I will need and also to look up the word Barree.  Yep Barree does mean Road Closed.  The RV Park we are staying in is about 1 1/2 hours out of Montreal.  We plan on staying here for about 5 days, the first two days have been spent catching up on things around Stubbie etc.  We have both really enjoyed these couple of days.

The RV park we are staying at is quite full because of the Canadian long weekend for the start of summer.  It is strange not to hear any english being spoken and our French is being tested to the limit...and beyond.

We have had a few showers with no leakage - so fingers crossed.....

15/04/2013 - 19/05/2013 - Brisbane to Penticton

15/04/2013 - Brisbane
Last day before we fly out to Los Angeles, Dave had a few errands to do and I had a few catch-ups organised.  Firstly I caught up with Sarah and Darrin to say goodbye.  One of my tasks for the day was to get a few copies of our passports certified, Sarah being a JP offered to help me out, so back to the old office to copy the passports etc.  Next I caught up with Ingrid to say goodbye, then onto the Big House for lunch and to say goodbye to Geraldine, Nat, Kate, Kelly and Tess.  Then over to Lou's and Matt's place where we caught up with Dad and Heather for afternoon tea.  After Dad and Heather left and before we were going out to dinner with Karleigh, Louise and Matt, Dave and I decided to organise some of our money, at which point I decided to check for the passports, and at this stage (it's about 6:30pm, the night before we fly out) I realise I had left my passport under the photo copy at my old work - Dave Not Happy Jan, luckily Sarah came to the rescue and met me at work with my passport - it did give me a chance to say goodbye to the Aitken family - a little added bonus, from my mistake.  

Oh well the rest of the night went to plan.....

16/04/2013 - Brisbane to Banning, Los Angeles
No problems at the airport checking in, we had a lovely cup of coffee and said our final farewells with Karls, Louise, Mum, Tony and Simmy.  So down through customs and immigration, there was a lot of people waiting to get through immigration so it took longer than normal - so we get into the departure area and Dave decides to go straight to the gate, whilst I thought I would have a little look around and do a bit of shopping.  Well before I know it I hear a final call for our flight and then an announcement asking me to come to the gate - Dave had set me up, yes we where on final call, but passengers were still boarding.  The plane flight over was uneventful.  The Big Fella and I had been saying how nice it would be to get on the plane, start our healthy eating and stop drinking for awhile.  Well before we had even moved away from the airport, the steward offered us champagne or orange juice, the Big Fella did well and went for the OJ, mmm me not so well went for the champas, time for dinner, Steward would you like a drink before dinner Dave - just water, Me - what the hell I'll have a Bailey's on ice.  The Big Fella tried so hard to be good but next time the steward came around Baileys all around....

We landed a little bit early at Los Angeles, which was a bit of a bonus as we were the first through to customs and immigration, we did need to fill in a form as we were carrying a bit more cash than a family is expected, we thought the limit was per person, okay I thought it was per person.  It was no drama though.

We have picked up the motorhome and car.  Dave is driving Stubbie and I am driving Shooter.  Well how soon we forget.  Dave is going to follow me. The first thing that I do is to look in the rear vision mirror, oops it is on my right, not my left.  Well I am travelling down the road a bit below the speed limit, whilst the Big Fella appears to be hardly moving - at least we only have about 1km to go.  Just a few reminders to one self - if driving hop in on the left side of the vehicle, drive on the other side of the road, handbrake is on the other side, you are driving an automatic and that's just as I've turned onto the first street.

Dave and I have both decided that we wont drive alone for a little while.

We arrive at the RV Park, park Stubbie at the site and start to set-up.  Mmm it certainly isn't like riding a bike, we really did have to stop and think for nearly every activity we did.  It even took me a while to turn the gas oven on and I have to keep reminding myself to flush the toilet you use your foot.  One of the tasks that Dave was worried about was making sure that he connected the water pump in a cupboard under our bed.  Well luckily (so we thought) he did remember to connect one side - but he had disconnected both sides.  So needless to say when we connected to the city water supply we had an excess of water.  Its a bit like turning a hose on when you are inside your house.  Pretty obvious that something wasn't conenected....

17/04/2013 - Banning, Los Angeles
Not sure exactly how long we will be in Banning - will be a wee bit longer than planned.  Why?  Well one of us who was responsible for making sure the registration and insurance was kept up to date, missed the registration on Stubbie (only just, it ran out in May last year).  Luckily we don't need to go and get a new registration, but we can't renew on line, we need to post away the documents for renewal, this will take between 6 - 10 days (working days of course) - Lucky we have cable tv and plenty to do and clean up.  We also need to wait for our rego sticker for Shooter.  

Some things haven't changed, it has been great to sit back and watch the squirrels and rabbits.  A little bonus was to hear and see a woodpecker, bringing back many memories.

22/04/2013 - Banning, Los Angeles
Woohoo the registration sticker for Shooter has arrived - off to the Outlet Shops for me...  I made a couple of purchases nothing big, but I did buy a jumper and Dave said to me great purchase in this weather (being a wee bit sarcastic). 

Still no news on Stubbie's registration.

23/04/2013 -    Banning, Los Angeles
We have been taking it easy and relaxing.  The Big Fella gives himself one job a day to do and when that is finished (doesn't matter if it takes hime 30mins or 3 hours) it's time for the movie channel.  It really has been great to spend this time just relaxing so in a way it was a bit of a bonus.  

We did need to get the tyres replaced on Shooter - a job that we knew would need to be done.  So off to Walmart, we book Shooter in and we are told it will be close to an hour, well after about 1hour 15 we receive a call to ask us to come back to the Service Desk, they advise us that they don't have the correct tyres in stock.  We let them know that is okay and that we will just take Shooter home.  Mmm, they need to put the old tyres back on, oh where did they put them???  So after another 45mins they have found our tyres and put them back on Shooter.  So we take Shooter into the GoodYear store in Banning.  Dave gets them to check the brakes as well (not expecting any problems) however we have sprung a leak in one of the rear wheel bearing seals.  We had these replaced two years ago!!!   After a steak and lobster lunch and a couple of bucks later we are on the road again.

The Registration for Stubbie was processed in Vermont on the 25th, and you wouldn't believe that I had left our postal address in Texas on the forms, not where we are now - oops.  I once again needed to phone the Department and they were so helpful it was unbelievable, they will post out new stickers etc. whilst I was on the phone he addressed an envelope to where we are now and printed out the stickers etc (all from a Government Department and done with such great customer service) now we just need to wait until the stickers arrive.  We think that it will be here on Tuesday - which means Las Vegas here we come...

Whilst we have been waiting, I've been getting out and doing a bit of exercise each morning. It really is great to be out there and watching the squirrels scurry around in front of you to get to their homes.  I really have been enjoying it, even though I have felt like the piped piper on one occasion, as I was passing a home about 7 small dogs ran out and started barking at me, but they didn't stop there, they kept yapping and following me for a couple of hundred meters, would of been quite funny if you were sitting there watching me.  There is also another home that has a couple of dogs, some chickens and some roosters, now not only do the dogs start barking, but the Rooster starts crowing - mmm still got it for the old Roosters.

Even the Big Fella has ventured out to the Outlet Stores - ohh and let's see what his purchase was considering he went to keep me company (great, love shopping with the Big Fella in tow) and to buy some shoes - 5 Jumpers/Jackets (great weather for it - NOT), and 4 shirts - no shoes in sight.  Lisa's purchase - Nil.

When we were driving back from the Outlet Stores we needed to stop at the Chemist / Pharmacy to pick up some cold sore ointment (stress of waiting for Stubbie's Rego) for me.  When we walked into the Pharmacy we remembered why we loved America, not only is it what we would call a Chemist, but you can also buy your alcohol, cigarettes, groceries, phones, ice cream cones etc.....  You gotta love that.

One of the Big Fella's job was to organise / diy job to have a new TV put in the front.  Well, I may have suggested (more than once) that it might be a good idea to take it to the experts at CampingWorld.  Dave took my suggestion on board (well that's what he told me) and decided that he would try and save us a bit of money.  I did ask how long the installation would take - Dave 2 Hours.  Okay not as bad as I thought,  and if it was going to save us some money and keep the Big Fella busy - go ahead I said.  Well at 10:00 am off to the nearest Walmart to find out that they didn't have the TV in stock - next closest store 30 minutes drive away - I must admit it was a nice drive.  Okay we've now got TV and tools etc in Shooter so back to Stubbie.  We get back around 4:00pm and the Big Fella sets to work, well at about 8:30pm the Big Fella is watching the TV, I can see that there are a few holes that need to be fixed up, but I think he has done a great job, until he tells me that he hasn't finished he still needs to do a fair bit of work tomorrow.

Well this morning after I came back from my exercise the Big Fella is already into the TV - it's about 9:00am.  It's now 4:00pm and the Big Fella has finally completed the installation of the TV - and though it has taken a wee bit longer than first anticipated - even I must admit he has done a great job - oh and saved us a bit of money.  Now we just need to see if it will stay up whilst we are driving.

2/05/2013 - Banning, Los Angeles
We have finally received our Registration Papers, but just our luck, the winds have picked up and the canyon roads that we need to cross to get to (of course) Las Vegas.  So looks like we will be staying another night in Banning.

03/05/2013 - 05/05/2013 - Banning, Los Angeles - Primm, Nevada
Yeah - today we finally get to go on the road, it took us a little bit longer to pack up and move on then when we finished our last trip.  Dave had to check everything that I had done and I needed to check everything that Dave had done.  

We were lucky enough that we could get through to Las Vegas with all of the fires around, it did slow us down a bit, but not too much.We arrived at Primm, Nevada (a three Casino town with Factory Outlet Stores) about a half hour outside of Las Vegas.  When we arrived at Buffalo's Bill we drove around to the

back of the Casino to park and set-up for the night in the parking lot.  There are normally only  couple of RV's and Trucks in the parking lot, but not today the car park is nearly full.  There are motor bikes and RV's everywhere.  This weekend they have a motocross competition behind the Car Park - The Big 6 Grand Prix Off Road Series.  That explains all the off road motorbikes, quad bikes etc and the dust.   The rider in the photo was one of our neighbours in the car park.  He works in Hollywood as a 'Special Effects' producer for the movies.  He worked on the special effects for the movie "Titanic".  (Very interesting person to have a beer with.)

05/05/2013 - 19/05/2013 - Primm, Las Vegas, Big Sur, San Francisco, Seattle

After picking up Dad and Heather I have been a wee bit busy and a wee bit slack at getting to the blog.  So here goes..  When in Vegas you have to go to "Old Las Vegas"

It was great to see Dad and Heather arrive in Las Vegas, looking a bit weary but other than that they had survived the flight and the transfer in Los Angeles (this is their first overseas trip - so they were a little nervous).  So after they met Stubbie and settled in we took them to the old Vegas.  

 










We showed them around Vegas for a couple of days.  Dad and Heather also took the flight from Vegas out to the Grand Canyon,  we then started to make our journey up to Penticton, Canada.  

On our way to San Francisco, we drove via the Big Sur and stopped at Hearst Castle the Seals and stayed in a few State Parks where we had some lovely camp fires.  


On one of the nights in the State Parks we somehow managed to break the lock on the door - which meant we couldn't open the door to Stubbie - yes we only have one way in and out, via a door.  Heather and I are locked in and Dad and Dave are locked outside.  Well after a while of me trying to take orders from the Big Fella on the inside to see if I could somehow manage to unlock it, out comes the step ladder, next minute the Big Fella (this is where being the Big Fella isn't a good thing) is climbing through the bedroom window.  He wrestles with the locks inside for about an hour and then decides that we need to get Stubbie to a workshop, this door is not going to budge.  So our first plan was to have Dad and Heather drive Shooter behind us whilst, Dave and I drove Stubbie.  This meant getting Heather outside, via the bedroom window and step ladder.  

So off we drove and only after about 15 mins we pull over to see the seals.  Dave and I stayed inside whilst Dad and Heather went for a walk.  We then decided that it would be silly to drive two cars, so we decided to hook Shooter up to Stubbie.  Yep we are still climbing in and out via the bedrooms window and the step ladder.  Dad is 70 and has a little bit of a beer belly and is afraid of heights ....  The sight to all the other tourists must of looked well,,, lets say interesting. We all manage to get inside safely and off we head to a Camping World Workshop, we are lucky enough to pull into one that has two wonderful mechanics on and who get the door to open in about 15 minutes - and all this for no charge. So onto San Francisco, the door can open and shut now and we can lock it, but you can not open it from the outside unless you have a key so we need to either get a replacement mechanism for the lock or a whole new door lock.  Well we haven't been able to find a store that stocks either one of these in San Francisco or on our planned route to Canada, so we order one on line and decide to get it sent to Seattle.

We have gone into San Francisco and put Dad and Heather on a trip to Alcatraz, whilst the Big Fella and I wandered around the Piers - we really do enjoy San Francisco.  The next day we put Dad and Heather on the ferry and send them on their way to do the Hop On, Hop Off Tour, so they can get more of a feel for San Francisco.  On one of these days Dad decides to take Shooter for a wash - the Car Wash is about 100 meters down the road.  Well Dad successfully gets the car washed and thought that he would do the right thing and fill her up with Petrol.  But on his way out of the car wash he finds himself turning on the wrong side of the road and ends up on the Freeway.  To cut a really long story short Dad turns up over 2 1/2 hours later, and yes he was a bit frazzled.

After San Francisco, we start our next leg to Seattle, via the RedWoods (the world's tallest trees), and one on the items on Dad's bucket list.  

We have arrived in Seattle and our order for the door lock and the glass crisper shelf have arrived (oh that's right in amongst all this fun, Heather opens the door to the refrigerator and accidently breaks the glass shelf).  So Dad and Dave get to work.

We have a nice day in Seatlle, showing Dad and Heather the sights, i.e. Pioneer Square (the old district), the Pier, Pike Market and off course the Needle.  Dad decides that he is going to brave the Needle (even with his fear of heights), so whilst they do that Dave and I wander around.  When we go back to meet them Dad is white as a ghost, he says that he really enjoyed it, but I don't think that he has recovered, and when we got back to Stubbie, the first thing he does is to reach for a Scotch....  

The scenery along our way is just breathtaking and I know that Dad and Heather have really enjoyed themselves so far.  

Now on to Penticton.

20/05/2013 - 23/05/2013 - Seattle to Penticton.
20/05/2013 - We have decided to make the trip in one day so have decided to get the Turtles up early.  After about a 7 hour drive and making our way through Customs on the border we arrive into Penticton.  On our way to the RV Park we drive past the Howard Hacienda, nothing has really changed it is all so familiar.  We spot a couple of deer and see the quail scooting everywhere.  At this stage we don't have any cell phones working in Canada, but we do manage to contact our friend Peter via email / Skype and have decided to meet up at the Howards after to dinner to catch up with everyone. I must admit we were in the middle of cooking a roast, but when plans changed it was toasted sandwiches all round.

 It is just great to see Bobbie and Brant and Peter and Lisa and to finally meet Jett (he is so gorgeous), and a wonderful surprise was that Mike and Karyn and their two beautiful children Hayden and Presley are both visiting from the Island as well - it was just so wonderful to see them all and to catch-up, they are just an absolutely fantastic family.


21/05/2013 - We have a few chores to do today so needed to do a bit of running around Penticton, nothing has really changed and the Big Fella remembers where everything is still.  We now have cell phones - yeah.  Tonight we have all been invited over to the Howards for Cedar Wood Planked Salmon - yummy, as if Bobbie doesn't have enough going on... It was another great night and the food was just delicious, Karyn had made a scrumptious Coca-Cola Cake, of which the Big Fella had two helpings.

22/05/2013 - Today we have organised for Dad and Heather to hire a car and travel up to the Rockies.  Dad is a bit nervous about driving, but Dave and I have assured them that they will be fine.  So after two and a bit weeks, we have Stubbie to ourselves for a little while, Dave is finally smiling.  Tonight we went to the Barley Mill for dinner with Bobbie and Brant and their friends, this is a weekly event which we have been invited to before.

23/05/2013 - 26/05/2013 - We have spent the last few days catching up with Bobbie, Brant, Peter, Lisa and Jett.  Bobbie and Brant have been their usual fantastic hosts.  We have moved Stubbie into Peter and Lisa's driveway.  It really is wonderful to catch-up with everyone.