Today, we are on the CAT high-speed ferry from Yarmouth Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor Maine. It’s about a 3.5 hr ride.
After loading the RV, below decks, we were required to go up to the lounge. Nice venue to see the cruise, eat breakfast and do some writhing.
On arrival we will without a doubt need to to walk our dogs who had stay onboard the RV during the crossing. Then back on the road toward home and the end this trip to the Maritimes. It was fun!
Crossing the Northumberland Strait from PEI to Nova Scotia can can be a long drive through New Brunswick or a short jaunt on a car ferry.
The Northumberland Strait (French: détroit de Northumberland) is located in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. It’s big. We were travelling through Maritimes and wanted to find an easy way to cross over this strait from PEI to Nova Scotia.
The only bridge crosses the strait between PEI and New Brunswick. We took that at the start of our travels to PEI. At this point in our travels, we wanted to leave PEI and go straight to Nova Scotia. Fortunately for us there is a car ferry that goes directly across the strait to and from Nova Scotia and takes only 75 minutes. FYI – plan ahead of your travels because of the limited availability.
With our resevervation in hand, we woke up bright and early and drove our RV to the Northumberland port at Wood Islands to board for departure from PEI to Nova Scotia (see schedule). We were in row 1 to get onboard, and ended up straddling rows 3 and 4 between big rigs. Cars were first in. They do a good job getting everybody onboard no matter what vehicle you are driving (review the vehicle dimension requirements in the reservation process).
Once we launched, we discovered we had to go upstairs. There wasn’t much to see on the way since it was raining.
The boat offers amenities to travelers as noted on the website, “The journey is as significant as the destination. Make the most of your crossing with Northumberland Ferries, where dining, entertainment and amenities ensure a memorable journey. Enjoy locally inspired meals, relax in our spacious seating areas and take in panoramic views from the deck. Throughout the summer, our Seaside Experience Calendar adds extra excitement with live music, local creators, food producers and makers.”
This excursion went smoothly and certainly simplified getting off Prince Edward Island and on our way for more discovery in Nova Scotia. Plan ahead and enjoy your travels!
We will be taking off for the Canadian Maritimes in a few days. Our path will be to cut across Maine to Calais to explore the Bay of Fundy, followed by a ride across the bridge to Prince Edward Island, and then on to Nova Scotia! I will be writing and posting updates to our trip and the wonderful things we discover along the way.
Join us on the blog! Share your travel experiences. Let’s have some fun.
In the middle of planning our first trip in our RV, we suddenly wondered, will our dog like traveling in this thing? Will there be eating, play time, or sleeping problems? Depression or simply boredom?
We didn’t know. But we were determined to go, and the pup was going along, one way or other. We would figure it out.
Travel was a goal of ours, particularly as we were planning our retirement. The idea of traveling in an RV popped up because we had two dogs and wanted them along with us, and were frustrated with timeshare and hotel rules and limits. We were determined to travel WITH our dogs, and an RV presented that option.
Our senior dog Indiana, a 50-lb mixed breed border collie, loved to go for rides anywhere. The other, a mixed breed lab-border collie named Bella, not so much, with a dose of anxiety. Both were rescues with endearing personalities.
Unfortunately, before we were able to find an RV, Indiana passed away after a long fight with pancreatic cancer. A few months later, we found an RV that we believed would meet our needs for our new venture – a drivable 2020 Entegra Odyssey. We would have to see how Bella would do.
As we expected, on first trip with Bella, we could see she was confused and out of sorts. Her entire routine (not to mention ours as well) was thrown out the door. We were defining new territory. RVing was definitely a learning process for all of us. It took me about a month to get used to driving the rig on the narrow back roads and truck-crowded highways. It took several weeks for Bella to calm down with the road noise and new digs.
But the rig eventually became her safe cave. We had a round dog bed that fit nicely between the driver and passenger (navigator) seats. She stayed close to us while we drove, curled up on that bed. That became her safe zone. We also had a larger bed that easily fit in the runway for stretching out and sleeping at night.
With the road noise, loud trucks and trucks, gas and bathroom stops, we needed to keep her comfortable as we drove, made stops for gas, food and targeted destinations. But how?
We kept schedules. We tried to minimize visits to the noisy cities. We also planned our day for travel time, meals, places to stretch our legs, and downtime. We also combined gas stops with food/supply shipping, such as stopping by Walmart or Sam’s Club. Wherever there were lakes or coastline, we looked for dog-friendly beaches where Bella could get some exercise. Whenever possible we also wanted to be where we would stay for the night before dark.
We quickly noticed how excited Bella was when we stopped and went for walks. This required some planning since there are many places that are not dog friendly, such as rest stops by noisy highways, beaches with “No Dogs Allowed” signs, and downtown areas with no grass.
Of course the ideal places were dog beaches and parks that allowed dogs on paths.
Dogs like exploring…
National, state, and county parks offerered options but were often limited, such as no dogs are trails, only roads (e.g., Pinicle National Park). But, as with everything RVing, we learned to adapt. We would find areas for all of us to enjoy excerise and companionship.
These are simply thoughts about being on the road. Please share your experiences with us. Send pictures. We will do the same. Soon we will be off to PEI and Nova Scotia with our dogs on another RV adventure. More fun!!!
I grew up in the northeastern United States. My only exposure to the American West was watching TV westerns of the 1950s and 60s. I really had no clue other than that there were Indians, cowboys, buffalo, cattle ranches, and the Rockies. But western art has opened my eyes.
On my recent travels across backroads of America with my wife and dog I discovered that traveling can change your view, particularly if you take the time to visit the national and state parks, and tribal lands and their museums. Also, local art can also reveal history and perspective. Donn Morris’ art is a good example of the western perspective. I recently talked with Donn and thought you might be interested in his western art perspectives.
89-year old Donn C. Morris, a former green beret medic and teacher for 30 years, creates amazing drawings and paintings of people and scenes about the West.
According to Rim Country Artists, Donn is a “Man of Many Mediums”. He works primarily in watercolors and is still working on his art filling commissions requested by friends and acquaintances.
He noted that some of the cultural influencers of his art were “Blue highways” and Zane Grey books. Blue Highways was a book by author, historian William Least Heat-Moon (born William Lewis Trogdon August 27, 1939) who chronicled unusual journeys through the United States. Pearl Zane Grey (January 31, 1872 – October 23, 1939) was an American author and dentist known for his popular adventure novels and stories associated with the Western literature and the arts (e.g., “Riders of the Purple Sage” (1912) was his best-selling book.) However, Donn’s art captures interesting images from many of his own travels.
We discovered him while visitng the Bruzzi Winery, which displayed some of his paintings for sale. We purchased his Sky City Indian (above Acoma Indian). What caught my attention was the subject of the portrait was wearing what appeared to be Keds sneakers. Hmmm, that’s a little different from standard TV Indian garb. So, I asked him about this particular composition. He told me he encountered the fellow sitting on the edge of the mesa where he lived, and had to draw him. Just another image in the many he has captured in his art about western life.
Visit Donn’s art on Rim County Artists.