Dingman Falls, Pennsylvania (Road Trip Day 64)

The bears did not eat me. Joe and I slept well at the campground. This morning we met up with Linda at Dingmans Falls which is in the same National Forest as our campground. This forest is in the Pocono Mountains.

The walk into the falls is made up of wooden planks and according to my step counter is 2000 steps one way. We arrived at 10:00am and there was nobody else around so we could enjoy the sounds of nature. I took photos and a few short clips. I think hearing the waterfalls is as enjoyable as seeing them.

Linda snapped a photo of the two of us and another photo of Joe and me. I think she has a filter on the first photo cause it’s true she looks young and gorgeous – this photo makes me look a bit younger. Thank you, Linda!

Beth & Linda, May 31, 2023

Joe & Beth Coehlo, May 31, 2023 at Silver Thread Falls

Thankfully, the path to the falls includes bench seating every 400 to 500 feet. We walked from bench to bench, enjoying nature, and would then sit and talk for a bit. We finished the trip there and back in about 2 ½ hours and I’ll admit most of it was sitting and talking. Joe was a trooper and went the entire trek which included steps and a path up above Dingman’s where he saw a third waterfall.

Linda and I were happy to experience Silver Thread Falls and Dingman Falls.

The creek at Dingmans Falls 

Silver Threads Waterfall @ Dingmans Falls

Dingmans Waterfall

The creek

Silver Thread Falls

Dingmans Falls

After our visit to the falls, we had lunch at a local pub.

Linda had to pick her grandchildren up from school shortly after 3:00 pm and Joe I drove to Millbrook Village (Hardwick, New Jersey) which is a recreation of old buildings to represent a facsimile of a village in the area during the 1700s. We were the only two visitors. The Village is unstaffed and still undergoing restoration. Joe was disappointed in the village; however, we enjoyed the drive through the Poconos.

Now we are sitting in a Starbucks. I am writing my blog from here as our campground has no Wi-Fi or phone reception.

I am happy we got to visit Linda on this road trip. I appreciate her vulnerability and trust in sharing so much of her life experiences. She is a blessing in my life.

Tomorrow, we head to Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania (Road Trip Day 63)

After eight and a half hours on the road today we were excited to get checked into our campground and to connect with my friend Linda for dinner.

Linda and I met over thirteen years ago through ao online forum. We have stayed in touch over the years through Facebook. It was a joy to meet her finally, face-to-face.

We met for dinner at a local Irish pub and talked for 2 1/2 hours. Joe and I enjoyed getting to hear more of Linda’s life story. One thing I appreciate about Linda is that no matter what life throws at her, she is resilient and positive. She is also faith-filled and kind natured. 

Tomorrow we plan to meet up with Linda at Dingmans Falls for another visit. 

I hope to have photos for you tomorrow. I am calling it a night as we do not have internet or phone reception inside the campgrounds. It is almost dark and we want to get settled for the night.

Taylor Edes Inn, Dexter Main (Road Trip Day 62)

We are in Dexter, Maine this afternoon. Our accommodation is at the Taylor Edes Inn. During our tour of the Inn, we were told that they often attract writers and shared with us a story of a writer who has a book coming out in several months – it sounds like a murder mystery. The man accused of killing the person hides in plain sight at the Taylor Edes Inn until local law enforcement figures out he is the killer. It is fiction.

Just thought I should clarify that.

The drive from Fredericton, New Brunswick to Dexter was uneventful. We took the longer route so we could enjoy the backroads of Maine. After we crossed the U.S. border it took almost until Dexter before the landscape began to change. Lots of trees and greenery with rolling hills.

I am sitting on the porch of the Inn, enjoying the view, and wondering how I can convince Ginger and Kim to come late next spring for a women’s weekend (or week) in this idyllic inn. It reminds me of all the inns featured in various women’s fiction I’ve read over the years. By the way there is a hot tub!

Photos from the porch at the Inn:

Photos from our suite at the Inn:

Sun Room off of our room

We are staying in the Yellow Room.

At the United States border today they asked us these questions:

               Do you have any fruit from Canada?

               How long were you in Canada?

               Where did you enter Canada?

               Where are you going next in the United States?

               Why did you choose Dexter, Maine?

               Where are you going after Dexter?

Unlike Canada they did not ask us if we had any weapons or marijuana. They were okay with us bringing an apple in – they were looking for oranges.

Someone else may know why they are interested in where we are going within our own country. It seemed strange to me that I needed to give my itinerary to the border agent to travel in our own country. Please explain why this is if you know. Maybe I’ll Google it later.

Tomorrow’s drive to Dingman Ferry Pennsylvania is a long one. Almost seven hours. With rest stops and a meal, it will probably be 9 hours. We are looking forward to visiting with a friend I met thirteen years ago in an online forum.

 

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada (Road Trip Day 61)

Today is Joe’s birthday and we celebrated by driving from Nova Scotia to Fredericton, New Brunswick. Fredericton is the capital city of the province. While looking for a carwash and a Starbucks we discovered a lovely section of the town with some beautiful homes looking onto Lake Saint John.

After sixteen days of camping, we are excited to spend the night in a hotel this evening. A shower not shared with strangers! Our air/foam mattress has worked well, except for the night Joe deflated it accidentally and I slept in the car. Still, to not have to crawl off the floor, get on my knees, and then get up off the floor to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night will be a real treat!

On this trip we have learned to appreciate electricity, good internet reception, rest areas, the Waze application, gracious hosts and hostesses, friends and family taking time out of their schedules to pamper us, and so much more.

I continue to work on developing better communication skills. Today I had an aha moment while navigating to find a Starbucks because we were 2 hours early to our hotel and the library was closed (it’s Sunday). The aha moment happened when I was directing Joe to the hotel first so I could then find the closest Starbucks. I thought I had explained this to him. It seems he was keeping an eye out for Starbucks, and I’m telling him, “No, hotel first.” He was getting frustrated (no kidding!). He then wanted to tell me how he would have communicated with someone who is a rookie in his shop. I told him to stop as I didn’t need to know how he would do it. I know it would be better. I explained to him that the problem is that we are trying to communicate while he is distracted with city driving and that when I am not communicating clearly, we need to pull over in the closest lot and talk it through.

Joe and I process information differently. He likes the most information he can get while I’m okay with enough to get me where I’m going. Recognizing this I need to step up my game and do what works best for him. The obstacle is that it takes more time than we have when in city traffic. So, we must accommodate by removing ourselves from the traffic, so we are both fully engaged in the act of communicating.

I know – we should have figured this out 61 days ago. 

The good part is that we both have our hearts and heads in the right place and want to find a way to make the trip less stressful while in traffic.

Anyway, we ended up not getting the car washed and never made it to Starbucks. The hotel let us check in early without penalty at 1:30 pm instead of the 3:00 check in time. I love nature and camping. I love hotels and hot showers and soft beds. I think this means I am a well-rounded individual.

Here are photos we took yesterday while traveling from Yarmouth to Walton, Nova Scotia.

Beach at low tide at Young's Cove (Bay of Fundy)

Low Tide at Cheverie (Bay of Fundy)

The gypsum vein at Cheverie

Up close of gypsum

P.S. The highlight of Joe's day was a call from Megan, Jeremy, Charlotte, and Caleb this morning while we were driving. They called to wish him a happy birthday.

Last Night in Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 60)

We are back at the same campground where we started our visit to Nova Scotia. We have only 3G service and internet can only be done through our car Wi-Fi service. So I am going to make this short and sweet.

We drove from Yarmouth to Walton today. Stopped for a late breakfast in Digby. A few stops along the way to take a couple of photos and for Joe to hike out on the beach at low tide. More treasures for Charlotte and Caleb. Joe was excited to check out a vein of gypsum at Cheverie.

I’ll have photos tomorrow of our stops today.

Tomorrow we drive back to New Brunswick and stay in a hotel for the night. 

Tomorrow is a special day as it is Joe’s birthday. ❤️

Yarmouth Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 59)

This morning we drove a short way to Cape Forchu Nova Scotia to check out the lighthouse. Cape Forchu is on the Gulf of Maine. Joe took a few photos.

Cape Forchu looking out at the Gulf of Maine

Lighthouse at Cape Forchu

Tin Whale Skeleton (Tin is the type - not the metal tin)

Joe took a photo of me this morning after I asked him to take some pretty pictures. He was pleased with the outcome.

 

We had a lovely lunch at The Shanty Café in Yarmouth. Joe ate black bean soup, and I ate seafood chowder soup. We shared a Cubano sandwich and part of a beet salad. We brought most of the salad back to camp for dinner. Every bite of the food was fresh and tasted incredible. I rarely rate a restaurant but made a point to write a review as it was so exceptional.

We are having a quiet afternoon. Tomorrow morning, we head up the coast to Digby and back to the campground we stayed in our first night in Wilton, Nova Scotia at the Bay of Fundy.

This trip we are foregoing the northern part of Nova Scotia – we will plan to come back someday and explore more.

All Over the Place - Still in Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 58)

Driving through Nova Scotia today to our next stop, Yarbrough, we saw signs for Ohio, East Berlin, West Berlin, and Liverpool. Joe commented that it felt a bit disconcerting to see signs for these places.

It makes you wonder how creative early settlers were throughout the world. Did they go to a new location and name it after a town in their home country?

Ohio threw us as that is my home state and we were pretty sure that we had not slipped back into the United States.

We stopped at a few bays on our drive today. Joe walked the beaches and collected treasures. I read. After a while all the bays look the same to me. I love the sounds of the waves. I find it relaxing to read to the sound of the waves.

Photos Joe took at Port Joli. The sky looked incredible.

Last night, I was happy to Facetime with my friends Elizabeth and Kim. It was terrific to catch up on what is going on in Woodland and their lives in general.

I am grateful today that Joe continues to be an easy travel companion. We continue to work on improving our communication with each other. At least we are laughing at ourselves these days and my sighs have disappeared.

This morning as we were leaving Rose Bay, we were behind a school bus that stopped frequently at driveways to pick up youngsters. We found ourselves totally going with the flow. No frustration. One stop a mother (or possible a daycare provider or nanny) boarded the bus with two youngsters of about five and seven. We sat for about two minutes and then the adult got off the bus, picked up a cup of coffee from the driveway, and walked up toward the house. We thought it was cool that the driver let the adult board and settle the children.

Incidents like the adult on the bus, ground us a bit. It reminds us that everyday there are people just going about their normal day while we are adventuring. In another four to six weeks, we will be getting back to our new normal. Whatever that may look like now that we are retired.

Crescent Beach, Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 57)

 We visited Crescent Beach today. The drive was about 40 minutes from our campsite, and we enjoyed the homes and small towns we drove past. Once we arrived at Crescent Beach, we drove down a long stretch of land and then onto the beach.

Joe went off exploring while I connected with a friend on Facetime and had a lovely visit. I found the sound of the waves soothing. I read for awhile while Joe also read (aka ‘nap’), After about 4 hours of multiple walks (for Joe, only 1 walk for me) on the beach and watching the tide go from low to high, we headed back to the town of Bridgewater and ate dinner.

Here are a few photos and a video from today’s beach visit.

Low tide at Crescent Beach

Ducks at Crescent Beach - Noisy group!

Video so you can see and hear the sounds of the waves

Last night, before dark and while the tide was low, Joe went for a walk among the rocks near the beach at where we are camping. He came across initials and a date carved into the rock. He showed the photo to the campground owner's adult grandchildren. They grew up here and explored the area thoroughly. They were excited by Joe's find of the carvings as they had not come across them in the past.

I also wanted to let you all know that in Canada they do not have restrooms, they have washrooms!

Lunenburg & Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 56)

Today we explored along the Bay from Rose Bay to Peggy’s Cove. We started with breakfast at Rose Bay General Store (and Bistro). Then it was over to Lunenburg which is called the prettiest town in Canada. I will say it is a very colorful and pretty town. It is an artist’s colony of sorts, and can you imagine a colony of artists not beautifying their community? This photo is from the town’s website:

                                    Joe and I both loved the colors of the buildings. Fun!
 

I took some other photos of Lunenburg.

In addition to site seeing, we stopped at a bookstore to buy postcards for Charlotte and Caleb. A trip to the post office to mail the postcards. It costs 83 United States cents ($1.17 Canadian) to mail a postcard from Canada to the United States. The postcards themselves only cost 72 United States cents (98 cents Canadian). It was worth it though as we thought it would be cool for the grandchildren to get a Canadian stamp and postmark. Also, I won’t have to remember to mail them when we get back to the states.

From Lunenburg we made our way north to Peggy’s Cove. We made a stop along the way at the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial in Bayswater. Two hundred twenty-nine people perished in the crash on September 2, 1998, when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay. While at the memorial site we met a man, Steve, visiting from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Steve went to high school and college in Minnesota. We chatted for about thirty minutes. He said that parts of Lake Superior remind him of St. Margaret’s Bay plus the climate is very similar.

We then drove on to Peggy’s Cover to take our own photo of Peggy’s Lighthouse, it is claimed to have been photographed more than any other lighthouse in the world. Joe and I both took a photograph, and I am sharing Joe’s photo.

When we started out this morning, I took a couple of photos of the beautiful view near our campground. I am also including a Google satellite view of where we are camping.

Finally, a few photos from our breakfast at Rose Bay Café and Bistro. The décor is simple with handmade tables from local wood and pretty lights. I tried something a bit different for breakfast. French toast with Brie, bacon, candied walnuts, and maple syrup. My friend Kim Farina would have enjoyed the meal. The food photo is for her.

Oops! It seems that my breakfast photo is really a video. It's short though!

Off the Beaten Trail - Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 55)

Our campground for the next three nights is Off the Beaten Path in Rose Bay Nova Scotia. The photo below is from our campsite. The drive across Nova Scotia to Halifax was a beautiful drive with warm weather. A bit of wind - no rain! I should have stopped a hundred times to take photos - it is a beautiful country. However, we were set on spending part of the day in Halifax.

We got into Halifax about 10:30 am and stopped for breakfast at Cheeky Neighbour Diner and enjoyed getting to know our server, a student at Dalhousie University (Law and English Major). She recommended a bookstore to us, Bookmark, as Joe needed a backup plan for books when the battery dies on his iPad as it did over the past 2 days.

Bookmark happened to be within a block of the Citadel in Halifax, so Joe bought a couple of books and wandered over to the Citadel. I stayed in the car with the windows down, reading, and listening to and watching young adults playing games in the park. They entertained me with their techno music (it was their soundtrack). In all, the areas of Halifax we were in were clean and appealing. I shot only one photo in the downtown area (below). 

Photos Joe took while at the Citadel.

Parking in the small downtown lot near the Citadel and Bookmark was free today as it was Victoria Day. I enjoyed watching people go to pay the machine the parking fee and then get excited when they saw it was free today. 

 After a few hours of Joe wandering the citadel and me people watching, we headed to the library. Only the library was closed to celebrate Victoria Day. Fortunately, there was a Starbucks one-half mile away, so we hunkered down long enough to charge up my laptop and discover that my blogs for the past two days did not post with photos and needed cleaning up.

A stop for dinner to take with us and we headed out to Rose Bay. The drive from Halifax to Rose Bay was one of the most beautiful drives I have ever been on. I will try to get pictures in the next two days as we head out to do some exploring. 

I am excited to have 5G service again and to be off the beaten trail.

More Walton Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 54)

It was windy and rained for the better part of the day. It was warm, though! 

Last evening we drove to the beach at the end of our campground to see the low tide.

Joe walked out between rain showers today to get photos at high tide.

This area includes part of where Joe was walking earlier during low tide. 

On our way to a local pub for an early dinner we checked out Walton’s lighthouse. I was expecting something a bit larger.

Reminds me of the pump houses on farms in California.

We can’t all be the biggest, though.

This was our view earlier (and most of the day) today.

Below is the view at the end of the day.

The weather forecast is beautiful for tomorrow. We are heading to our new campground tomorrow where we will explore Halifax, Lunenburg and other coastal areas.

We hope to have better Wi-Fi service.

Revised 5.22.2023.

Walton, Nova Scotia (Road Trip Day 53)

Woke up to 38 degree temperatures and winds of 20 miles per hour at 6:30am in Saint John New Brunswick. The wildflowers at our campsite seemed to enjoy the weather.

This afternoon I am sitting in Walton, Nova Scotia where it is 64 degrees. There is a slight breeze at our camp site. It is glorious.

Our drive today was filled with beauty and we were blessed with very little traffic. Once we hit the Nova Scotia border we began to see fields of dandelions everywhere. 

We stopped at a Fundy Bay Interpretive area where Joe walked out to an overlook area and visited a museum. 

Due to technical difficulties I cannot share with you his photo.

I took this from my vantage point while waiting for Joe.

This reminded me of Joe telling me that people in Canada stop for pedestrians even if there is no crosswalk. This happened to him several times while we were getting money exchanged in St. Stephen, yesterday. Canadians are kind people. 

Later yesterday, Joe stopped for a pedestrian and the person just stood there and stared at us. Maybe it’s the California plate that bedazzled the gentleman. The man waved us on.While I was waiting at the Interpretive Center for Joe, an older woman (looked to be ninety) walked up to me and said, “you’re a long way from home!” Anna lives in Moncton New Brunswick and originally hails from Slovenia. She shared that she had visited Los Angeles and San Francisco while chaperoning students on trips.

Anna found the cities interesting; however two weeks was plenty of time to be around so many people and she was glad to come home to Moncton. She mentioned that she brought a bottle of California wine to bring back home and her husband was confounded. He thought she could have found something of more interest.We had a short but pleasant visit and she wished me a safe trip home.

Joe and I took highway 215 to the campground and it seeemed every time we turned a corner there was a breathtaking view. We were unable to get photos of the eagles soaring over the water. There are dandelions everywhere. Joe asked at the museum about the dandelions and was told that farmers used to mow the fields to keep the dandelions down. Now they are encouraged to leave them as they attract bees.

After we got to the campground, Joe walked to a nearby beach and collected shells and lava rock pieces for our grandchildren, Caleb (9) and Charlotte (7). As he walked up to me, I noticed he looked a bit disheveled. I asked if he had fallen and he said yes. It appears he lost his balance on some rocks. He said he was fine though as he pulled shells and rocks from various pockets. He looked at me and said, “I guess I’m a little boy.”

It made me feel happy to see how happy he was about his treasures.

The other cool item today was the Canadian $5 bill. The bills are a texture that feels like a thin sturdy plastic.

Edited 5/22/2023 once back in Wi-Fi reach.