Canning, Nova Scotia

We had to travel to Canning, Nova Scotia, as we had met the former owners of the local bed and breakfast --- The Farmhouse Inn. When we stopped in the local coffee house for a little tea and toast we met Vera. She owned the coffee house and insisted that we drop by and see her for dinner and to spend the night. After Halls Harbour we made our way to see Vera. We found her large farmhouse and were delighted at our spacious room and soft bed. She is such a lovely lady. Her husband John was there and she had invited over some new neighbours for dinner as well.

Our new friend, Vera

What a great meal! During our dinner Vera shared her story. Born in communist Czechoslovakia, Vera and her friends had learned that if you wanted to travel at all you had to be good in sports. As a downhill skiier and javelin thrower, Vera had the ability to travel quite a bit. She and her fiancee one day decided to develop a plan to leave and not return. They had an amazing plan and it worked. The escaped and were able to begin living their lives in a free society, traveling across Europe and eventually making their way to Canada. Vera ended up with a vineyard in the Okanagan Valley and was bottling and selling wine. She now is considering selling her properties and joining us on the road in an RV. We look forward to seeing her and her husband John on the road some day.

Ernie Myles is a wonderful host

 Ernie Myles is a local collector who opens his property and collection to VW owners every year and has a big BBQ and brings in local talented musicians to entertain on Saturday night. We had a great time. We were able to meet Ernie's mechanic who agreed to help us install two new carburetors into our beloved bus.

Halls Harbour

Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia

One the day that Irene was to let her hurricane force winds unload on the Bay of Fundy, we decided to take a drive down to the famous Halls Harbour to watch the tide slide out. More water moves out and in every 6 hours here than all the rivers in the world empty into the ocean. Over 100 billion metric tonnes of water every cycle!

It was an amazing view from here. Just a tinnie tiny harbour where when the tide moves out the boats descend about 40 feet as the docks float to the bottom with the absence of the water.

We watched as sheets of water moved across the horizon towards us. The rain falling so thick that it obstructed any kind of view. Moving quickly, pushed by the 90km winds, the rain overcame us as we were parked down by the stone walls they built up to withstand the tidal surges. Our wipers seemed to recently have a mind of their own, only working periodically, so upon Tracey's suggestion we decided to move on.

PS... a couple of days later we met a couple visiting from Georgia. They had rented a car and were down at Halls Harbour a few hours after we were there. The winds were so strong and the waves were crashing over the retaining walls. The winds blew their hood right up on their car and they said they were lucky to get out of there and happy they were in a rental car!

VW show in Iona, Cape Breton

Some came to stay, it appears

Westies and Eurovans all sharing the same turf

Some of the VW's showing off in Iona

Iona, Cape Breton

Susan Samways of Highland Heights Inn

When we arrived in Cape Breton we were reminded of home. The beauty of the countryside is breathtaking, as we remembered what we liked of Vancouver Island so much. Winding our way through the twists and turns of beautiful roads, we found our way to the heart of Cape Breton Island... a small community called Iona. Iona, hosts the Highlands Village... a step back in time, this little village is a museum to life on Cape Breton hundreds of years ago as settlers first came to this area. You can join folks in the creation of crafts and activities they would have had to do in day to day life on Cape Breton.

We were coming to Iona to attend a VW event and we arrived late one night. Seeking directions we pulled into a nearby Inn... Highland Heights Inn. When I popped into the lobby, I could see in the dining room some local talent was performing traditional celtic dance and music!

Celtic Music and Dance

I got Tracey into the Inn and said... this was it! This was why we came to the east coast. Traditional Celtic culture and music. It was a wonderful time of music and interaction with the musicians, as they were open to questions from the audience. We had a great time, a wonderful meal and decided to stay the night. Our first night in a Inn since we left Nanaimo back in May.

The next morning Tracey was having a shower and chatting with God. She said, "Wouldn't it be nice to stay for a while in exchange for design work." We had heard from a staff member that the owners had just purchased the inn.
We were having breakfast, when the owner walked up to us and said... "I hear you guys are designers, how would you like to stay for free in exchange for some new branding?"

Lol. We stayed for 6 days! Room, meals, everything comped! It was tremendous. We used Iona as a base to see the rest of Cape Breton, as it is situated right in the middle of the island. A quick drive to anything you want to see.

We took a drive up to the Celtic College, a place where they still teach Gaelic to students who travel from around the world to attend this unique school. They teach the fiddle and bagpipes as well. We journeyed up there for a fiddle fest outdoor concert. It was nice. But your sitting out in a field listening to many musicians on stage playing.  We enjoyed the private entertainment that we had almost every night in the dining room of the Highland Heights Inn.

The Old Signage for the Heights

I will upload the new signage and samples once we have the new photos in.

Angels on the Highway

After we had Al Roberts tweak our carbs, he had mentioned that his family was hosting a VW show in a small town called Iona, on Cape Breton Island. That was fantastic, as we wanted to head that way anyhow. So off we went towards the Celtic Island, looking forward to the culture and music.

On our way we were faced with a tremendously slow vehicle, (and we thought we were slow), well, we went to pass this guy and it happened that we were going into an up hill grade and had two lanes. We moved to pass and up we went. I noted suddenly that the gas petal was unresponsive! It just flopped to the floor and we were running at full throttle!!! Yikes. Thankfully we were going up hill, but something had to be done. Adrenaline was pumping as I said to Tracey... We're running at full throttle and I can't stop it!!!"  "Oh no"... she says what do we do?" I said, "Ok, when we get to the top of the hill, I'll pull over and slam on the brakes, then you'll have to get out, run to the back, lift the engine lid and push the accelerator bar up... cus it's stuck down for some reason!!!"

So we get to the top of the hill and I yell over the sound of the screaming engine.... "OK... you know what you gotta do?"

"No" she yells back!!!

Well, we pulled over and she jumped out, ran to the back of the bus, just when I remembered the right thing to do.... turn the key off!!!!

The engine backfired like crazy, banging and firing off like a gun blast!

I walked to the back and could not see why the accelerator bar was stuck! Engine oil had blasted it's way through the gaskets, spraying a light peppering of oil against the inside of the back tires. Thinking it was significant and perhaps that I'd blow a valve, and not being able to see why the accelerator was stuck, we decided we'd better use a life line and call a friend... (CAA).

Just then, a VW Jetta pulls over, out pops a VW mechanic who says, "Hey, what can I do to help?"

Sticking his head in the engine compartment, he quickly sees the problem. A clip had fallen down off the left hand air breather over the carberator and was keeping the accelerator bar from returning to normal position.

After a little while, as the engine was flooded, we were on our way again! Amazing... anytime we need help... presto --- there it is. We were on the side of the road for less than 2 minutes!

Thanks to .... names to follow as soon as I find my book.

New Glasglow - The Walsh Clan

Nova Scotia's Best

Now you hear about the people in our nation's east. The hospitality is out of this world. Well, we found this to be so true. We entered New Glasgow, having departed PEI via the ferry straight to Nova Scotia. Still having troubles with our carburetors we parked and were walking over to a coffee house to work, and there in the parking lot was a young man who was intrigued by our bus. After a brief conversation he told us he'd call us in an hour someone who could help us out. Chris was true to his word and called us with a guy who could take a look at Olive. Chris also invited us back to his place to work and for dinner. His Dad, retired police officer Danny Walsh, cooked us up a wonderful lobster dinner! After dinner we took a drive out to the bus whisperer, Al Roberts. Al was terrific. Sticking his head into the bus with his tiny screwdrivers... he tinkered about, insisting on silence as he worked. Al got our bus running as good as he could, which was quite a bit better than she was running, and got us on our way. A super thanks to Chris and his Dad, Danny, who represented everything Nova Scotia is famed for... amazing people, super kind, warm and open.

Driving around the Gaspe Peninsula

I have to write a bit about our drive around the Peninsula. It was late in the day when we decided to press on to Gaspe near the tip of the Peninsula. The sun set in a sky full of colour as we began our journey. The twists and bends in the road took us from one quaint little seaside village to the next and as the moon rose over the hills, and the stars came out it became apparent that this drive would be magical. The moon was full and the stars lit up the water as we drove. I remember driving around a bend and seeing yet another little hamlet tucked into a little bay. The moonlit twinkled like a million diamonds on the tips of the tiny waves gently rolling into the harbour. The hills and slopes of this drive seemed harder on our little Olive then that of the Rockies. The mountains were a gentle grade and we made it over into Alberta with not much trouble, but the hills here on the Peninsula were suddenly there as we turned the bend and they were a steep climb up. As Olive was not feeling herself, (needing some new carbs) we did not feel to press our luck around the Cabot Trail, which the locals tell us is much steeper than anything we have yet seen. Next time.

PEI....love this place.

As we crossed over the longest darn bridge I have ever been on...it seemed that we had finally arrived. I had dreamed of being on the east coast of Canada for many years and I was finally here. Another thing off the bucket list!

 Bridge into PEI

 We toured around and savoured the laid back life of an east coaster. Kind of like us on the west coast but x's2.

That evening we went to the Claddagh Oyster House and for the first time in his life Mark had PEI mussels...hey I said "When in Rome". He bravely ate one and then two and you get the picture...yup they were a hit!

tasty morsels

After a great dinner we wandered around Charlottetown. Listening to the music from sidewalk musicians.

Olive at Point Prim...go Olive go!

The next night we decided to venture out to a local lighthouse, Point Prim. It is the oldest lighthouse in PEI built in 1845 and the only round brick lighthouse in Canada. Down the gravel road from the lighthouse is a true gem of a restaurant. The best seafood chowder!

Ruth playing the pipes

This is where we met Sandy (owner of the restaurant) with a fantastic sense of humor and Ruth a warm and wonderful women who played the bagpipes (or on this occasion the parlor pipes...smaller version) We ended up chatting with them for quite sometime and when it was time to go Sandy told us to just park overnight right where we were....we took her up on the offer to sleep by the ocean. When the ladies left for the night there was no one around (the lighthouse was down the end of a very long road and it was pitch black). In the morning Sandy was back with the coffee on and made us two egg sandwiches with the best PEI cheese. Thanks again to two very beautiful ladies for making us feel so welcome. We appreciated spending time with you and listening to your stories. Blessings.

Sandy and Ruth

Linda, Mark and me in PEI

On the same night we met a Sharon and her daughter Linda  who were spending some time together...just the two of them, left the boys at home. Turned out they were both Christians and we had a wonderful time telling them our story about our adventures across Canada and how wonderful it has been to have opportunities to pray with people and share the "Love". We were very impressed with Linda and how mature she was for such a young women. She had been some major health issues in life but through her faith as pulled through and is on her way to school to become a nurse. Talking to her we know she will make a compassionate and inspiring nurse and we wish her the best of luck with her studies. When we finished talking with them, Sharon said we had made their night...in fact their trip she said! That was very kind and we also enjoyed the moments that we were able to share with all of the wonderful ladies we met at Point Prim PEI.

Gaspe - The Scenic Route

Well we are certainly spoiled by the beauty that sounds us on Vancouver Island.....but those who live in the Gaspe area are equally spoiled. Rolling grassy hills and the cool Atlantic waters. We stopped for the afternoon at a wonderful little Bistro "Marea Cafe" the food was fantastic and the service excellent! Thanks again.

Our hosts and owners....Bon Appetit!

Along the way we stopped and spent the night next to the lapping water....6:00am up and ready to move on.

A room with a view!.... Breathe in the fresh air....loving the sights.

We stopped for lunch in Olive along the way....hot dog anyone?....yes they do taste better when looking at this view : )

Time to Catch Up

Time flies when you are on the road.... Between our design work, seeing the local sights of each new province and hanging with great people we have met along the way, we are getting a bit behind with our blogging!

So where have we been lately and who have we met?

We headed next to Montreal and the old city quarter....this was our overnight parking spot for two nights, an old train yard that allowed you to park overnight. Not much to look at but it was walking distance to the old quarter which was great!

Olive in the parking lot with 13 stray cats...not the music group.

Montreal Old Quarter

While having lunch at a local restaurant we met this wonderful "couple". She was from Pittsburgh and he was from Ontario....we had a great conversation and will hopefully meet up this winter in Florida! Cheers you two!

Enjoying life - Laughing Out Loud!

The St. Lawrence River

Leaving Montreal we headed for Quebec City....
We spent a night at the local KOA...which was wonderful as usual...Great Bathrooms Guys!!

As we travel we have discovered that some things are more important than others and having a clean bathroom to wash up in is a great feeling : ).  Thanks KOA! Keep up the good work.

Our Beloved Gypsy Friends

Our inspiring friends Will Taylor and Laura Leoncini. If you're looking for inspiration, if you're looking for someone to spotlight for any TV documentary or show... here they are. Two internationally educated world travelers who have inspired us to venture forth into a beautiful world full of amazing people.

My hats off to their optimism for a clean, sustainable blue/green world. I would like to encourage anyone to explore what is possible, when we all work together to accomplish true unity and greatness.

http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2011/08/08/govt-private-sector-tie-ups-go-long-way

Funny thing... this recent correspondence from our good friends on the other side of the world... we were discussing our travels and they gave us some tips...

Very cool - you should have no problem relaxing in PEI!  If you get a chance to check out Stanhope beach, my parents used to own land in the area.  Very beautiful if I remember correctly - and I believe there is lots of red sand?

Nova Scotia - definitely do not miss Cabot Trail.  Incredible!

USA - definitely do not miss Maine.  Highly recommend Woodstock.  Savannah Georgia is also a must see.

Here in Asia we've wrapped up in Manila, Brunei, Singapore, and are now in Bangkok. Funny the world we live in - writing from Starucks to Starbucks on opposite sides of the world! lol

Talk soon!:-)

TV Producers... seriously??

Sandy Kybartas

You may laugh... but we had forgot to blog about our new friends Harvey Crossland and Sandy Kybartas. Harvey is a producer with the CBC and has quite a selection of quality productions to his credit on both Canadian and International television. Sandy is an award winning production designer. We met this couple in Niagara on the Lake. Intrigued by our way of life on the road they invited us to lunch at their place in Toronto.

We had a marvelous lunch with Harvey and Sandy, and met another producer MaryAnn, who had an enchanted childhood traveling the world with her parents.

What a wonderful conversation we had. It was a pleasure to share our time with them as they have such a perspective on the world around us. I suppose that is what captivated them about our story.

Stepping out of the rat race and selling all our possessions. Discovering a life on the road, where living is simple and the need to be driven by pop culture is eliminated. We laughed when we saw a poster in the Scotia Bank window... "Borrow to get ahead". I mean really, completely out of touch. How can you be telling your clients that the way to get ahead is to borrow? Don't get me started.

Microphones in our bus were one of the things discussed. Images of Tracey turning towards me holding a Starbucks cup, (with the logo strategically positioned) stating how the flavor of her Grande White Chocolate Mocha made for such a perfect roadtrip drink.... floated through my head.

We will wait and see what comes of this cool encounter.

Volksfest 2011

Olive in the Lineup

It was early in the morning when we reached Embrun and found our way to the park where the show and shine was to take place. We found a spot and popped our top and it wasn't long before we were surrounded by interested fans. The fact that we were living in the bus full time was the shocker to everyone as we told them our story.
It is so amazing to me to watch the reaction of people when they hear we are living this way. The inspiration it seems to spawn is a thrill to watch. There were so many couples asking questions of our day to day living challenges that they were curious about. One particular couple seemed to be so moved by our story that they are seriously considering doing the same thing next year. They are a year of so from retiring to some property in PEI, but now are thinking... why not complete the restoration on their van and hit the road. I think they'd love it.

One of their questions was how we manage to live in such close quarters and not kill each other. lol. Actually Tracey and I are completely compatible and there has not been any issues or fights with living in such a tight place. I think you need a great sense of humor and patience. We just love each other and have such a good time on our adventurous life that each day is just a lot of fun. Perhaps we'll see you on the road sometime.

Good folks in Ottawa

Serge and Helen, Ottawa

No one could ask for better hosts. Serge met us in a mall parking lot as we were getting ready to settle into another day of work from a Starbucks.

We talked VW's, many he had owned during his life, and we had mentioned where we were camping. A small family campsite that marketed itself as a "Good Sam" Campground. Honestly the site was far from something that we'd recommend. KOA's, so far on our journey, have consistently been the cleanest sites with the most features.

It was the next day that Serge popped into the campgrounds with his wife Helen and invited us for dinner. A wonderful cook, Serge had prepared homemade Lasagna and we dined, shared some wine and had a very interesting conversation. Spending the night we headed off to the VW Show in Embrun early in the morning.

Capital Hill, Ottawa

Welcome to Ottawa. We honestly were more excited about reaching the East Coast and hence made a push to get to the cities we wanted to see before we could continue our journey. When you get a place stuck in your mind, your feet get itchy to keep going until you have finally reached your destination. So we drove practically straight through from Dundas to Ottawa.

We laugh at ourselves as we are not the kind of tourists to linger in a city and check every nook and cranny of a place we feel were passing through. It is the nation's capital so we did feel we had to stop.

Here is a lovely lady poising by the walkway up to the parliament buildings. We were completely not satisfied with the services we have been receiving from our Government so we went up here to get our money back. No luck. They wouldn't see us. Perhaps I needed to have a receipt. But without an appointment we couldn't get in. No chance at getting an appointment because the House of Liars were all on vacation for the summer anyhow.



This is Frank. A truly gifted artist who worked for 5 days on a masterpiece, chalked into the sidewalk here on the streets of Ottawa. With a hope to raise enough to travel to Italy to study, I have no doubt that he will reach his goal.

The Museum of Civilization was alright. Good value for the $12 admission fee but unless your were a strong fan of native culture you'd be moderately interested. We made it through the museum in probably record time, watched a IMAX show and that was pretty much a wrap.

We had heard that there was going to be a VW show in a small town south of Ottawa called Embrun so that was to be our next destination.

Ancaster / Dundas

You know you'd think we'd be better at this by now. The amount of times that we simply forget to pop out the camera and snap a photo is remarkable. We spent a week or so in my hometown of Dundas and visited with my Uncle and Aunt in Ancaster. My parents flew out from Vancouver Island and not a single photo snapped. What? Yes.. can you imagine.

We did discover that public libraries are a great place to hang out. High speed wi-fi service and quiet working conditions. We had a busy week of work and got a lot done. Parking in the shady parking lot during the heat of the recent warm spell in Ontario, was quite comfortable, and being able to stream high speed internet was very convenient.

We met up with my cousins for the first time in almost 15 years. That was very nice and had a chance to go out to see the horses that my cousin owns.

Heading off to Ottawa and Montreal next... and yes we'll have photos.