Oct. 29 - 30 Lobster Feast in Dartmouth!!!

You know you are in the Maritimes when having lobster for dinner is ... simply what you do. It's just lobster, nothing fancy. Well, I thought it was fancy!!!!! (Not sure what James thought. He was definitely more skeptical about the whole endeavour than I was. I dont blame him because it was not easy watching these incredible creatures boil to death)

Eric (middle) and Jane (far right) put us up in their basement for two nights. Despite all the other visiting family members and friends, they made us feel very welcome.

So, for those of you who have never even seen a lobster, let alone eaten one, these are the steps for preparing a scrumptious lobster dinner.

1. Find a store that sells live lobsters. (they must be alive!!!!) The colder the ocean water, the better the lobster.

 

 2. Decide how many you want. Usually one per person. I was quite full after half.

 

 3. Gently roll them to the till, pay and carry them home.

 

4. Boil a big pot of water. (dont fill the pot all the way, leave room for the lobsters)

 

5. Carefully remove rubber bands from the claws.

 6. Have your picture taken with the lobster and then bid it farewell.

 

 7. Place lobsters in the boiling water, head first. Boil/steam for about 10 minutes or so. If you can pull the antenna off easily you know it is done. I was told that they cannot be over cooked so\ leave it in there a bit longer than 10 min if it makes you feel better. The lobsters will turn bright orange when cooked. If you lift the lid at some point and they are still moving, rest assured that it is most likely just the nerves causing muscle spasms long after the lobster has died. No time to feel sorry for it. You have a great meal to look forward to!

 

 8. Hmm, where to start. Right, dont forget to melt some butter and add some finely chopped garlic to it. It tastes great poured on the lobster meat. 

 

 9. The parts of the lobster that are most tasty are the insides of the two large front claws and the big tail. (dont eat the head which contains the guts. That's right, no brain!) The small legs do not contain much flesh but if you intend on getting every morsel, they are delicious to such on. Armed with a nut cracker or pliers and something pokey along the lines of a knitting needle you can start mutilating the monster on your plate. Supposedly it gets easier the more often you do it but it is always a messy operation regardless of your experience.

ENJOY!

 \

THANKS ERIC AND JANE FOR THE DELICIOUS INTRODUCTION TO MARITIME CULTURE. WE WISH YOU AND IVY ALL THE VERY BEST!!!

Oct. 26 - 28 Racing Hurricane Sandy to Halifax

 

Seeing this sign was definitely one of the many highlights of this trip. 6 provinces down, one more to go. (sorry PEI and Newfoundland, you will get your turn another time)

 Snack stop at a carpool parking lot.

 Pretty lake along the highway.

 We had planned to follow the Trans Canada all the way to Truro but all of a sudden the shoulder got really narrow and we were forced to exit onto a small road in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. After a few miles we came into a cute little town called Westchester Station. The houses were quaint and the evening sun gave the area a very pastoral feel.

 We asked to camp behind the local church but we ended up getting invited in by the minister. We enjoyed a pleasant evening with Linda and Sterling drinking hot tea, eating fresh apples and watching "The Spy Nextdoor".

 The following morning the church hosted a men's breakfast, which both of us were invited to attend. Mmmmmm fooood galore. 

THANK YOU LINDA AND STERLING FOR YOUR HOSPITALITY. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU!!!

From Westchester we followed a short stretch of gravel road to reach Hwy 4. It was a gorgeous ride. The morning sun contributed to a spectacular leaf display and the fresh air was filled with the subtle smells of an autumn forest.

Below is a commercial blueberry field. I was surprised to hear that this is what these bright red patches of land are. The blueberry plants in BC look like miniature trees whereas here, the plants may reach about a foot in height and grow in large patches. The berries are a lot smaller than the commercially produced ones in BC and they have a much stronger taste. 

Once again we asked to camp on someones back yard which, once again, ended up with us making some more new friends. Paul and Meredith (pic below) took us in and fed us like we were part of the family. Meredith had travelled all over Canada and the USA as a child when her father worked as a truck driver all over Canada. This made for a fascinating exchange of stories at the dinner table. 

THANK YOU MEREDITH AND PAUL FOR THE FUN TIMES AND THE FOOD. WAS SO GREAT TO MEET YOU!!!

When we asked Meredith how to pronounce the name of the town she lives in, Shubenacadie, she passed on one of her Grandfather's lessons to us. "Sounds like 'Shit and apple tree'." Great, eh?

THANKS FOR THE LESSON MEREDITH.

The fringes of Hurricane Sandy. Halifax here we come!!!!

Oct. 22 - 25 New Brunswick in a Jiffy

 In Campbellton, New Brunswick, a kind family invited us to sleep in their back room. Our tent got a bit wet the day before but draping it over the kitchen table for a few minutes worked magic.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR YOUR KINDNESS!

 Scenery

 Lunch break in a very scenic, sunny spot.

  View from the bridge in Miramichi

Take a close look at this poster. This poor guy is in for a GREAT surprise! Hahaha

Oct. 17 - 21 Last Portion of Quebec

Can you tell what this is? (solution on bottom of page)

Just outside of Rimouski, a super kind couple not only let us camp on their lawn but they fed us an amazing dinner and gave us a space heater for the tent. It was just lovely. It was a chilly night so the space heater made a huge difference.

Originally we had plans to cycle around the Gaspe Peninsula but we found out that the most eastern section is quite mountainous and that there would be very limited services at this time of year. So since we were both a bit ill, we decided to head inland in Mont Joli and ride towards the New Brunswick border. 

Here is some of the scenery along the way. Most of the maple trees which had dominated forests in central Quebec have made way for Larch, Trembling Aspen and various conifers that I could not recognize.

(Solution: Snow Geese in migration formation)

Oct. 15 - 16  Illness, Blue Specks and Great Hospitality!

"Hey, I gotta tell you a somewhat odd story that happened to me the other day. It must have been about 6pm, two strangers knocked on my door asking whether they could camp in my back yard. I was somewhat taken aback because it was quite cold outside and the weather was not exactly pleasant either. They must be crazy! My wife and I invited them in to warm up and to have some tea. In the meantime it had started raining outside so the two travelers asked to sleep in my garden shed instead. Well, there is no room in there so I offered them the garage. They seemed very happy about sleeping on the floor in an old garage. Next morning at breakfast, both were coughing and sniffling and it was obvious they were not feeling well. They had planned on continuing their trip today but instead they asked if they could sleep in the garage for the day because they were feeling ill. Well, what else was I going to say but yes. My wife and I tried to convince them to move into the spare bedroom where they would be nice and warm but they insisted on staying in the garage. They were there sleeping all day. We felt sorry for them so I brought them some hot tea and muffins in the afternoon, which they gladly accepted. Later they came over to the house for dinner but went back to the garage again right after wards to sleep more. Poor them! Luckily they felt better on the next day and were able to continue on." 

That's how James and I imagine Clement relating to his neighbour about how we took refuge in his garage and turned into a sick room for two nights and a day.

 Hot tea and muffins

 Despite the fact that we were sick, we really enjoyed our stay at Clement and Colette's. Clement serenaded us with his accordion and when we discovered that he also owns a violin, we had a little jam session together in the basement. So much fun!!!!

Clement used to own his own sugar maple plot and sugar shack where he produced maple sugar for many years. He had sold it all a few years ago but he still had a few cans of his own maple syrup at home. It was delicious. Before we left their house, he gave us an entire can of his own syrup as a present. What a treat!!!!!

THANK YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH FOR YOUR HELP, CLEMENT AND COLETTE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND CARING HOSPITALITY!!!! WE WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL. STAY IN TOUCH :-)

Cute little house along the St Lawrence south shore

A sail boat stuck in the mud. At this point the St. Lawrence is so close to the ocean that the river bed is strongly affected by the tides. This image obviously shows a low tide situation. 

 A nice farm along the highway.

 Just south of Riviere-du-Loup

 Clement had suggested we take this smaller scenic road along the river just outside of Riviere-du-Loup. It was great! Thanks for the tip!

 After a quick shop in Riviere-du-Loup, we stopped at a house outside the city and asked to sleep in their garage. It was a really old garage this time but with a nice big tarp to sleep on and a good roof over head we were happy. 

The tarp we slept on must have been a bit old too because the waterproof coating on it had started to flake of a bit. For the next week we kept finding tiny blue specks in our hair, on our faces and in our clothes. They were really stubborn and it took about two showers to finally get rid of them.

Oct. 12 - 14 Quebec City and Beyond

These few days were not overly event full other than what the photos show. 

Below is Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. Unfortunately we just passed through this pretty city in one day. Would love to go back and explore it more thoroughly another time! 

 Old Quebec City

 Riding along the St. Lawrence again towards the Gaspe Penninsula. The shores were lined with Snow Geese which are getting ready for their annual migration to the south. I could not believe how much noise a flock of geese can make. It is incredible.

 

Pierrette and Gilbert who let us camp in their yard and fed us! Food and a bed is heaven when you are on tour. THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOU TWO FOR YOUR KINDNESS!!

 More scenery along the St. Lawrence