NY, NE, NB, PE, & NS Day 9
NY, NE, NB, PE, & NS
Day 09 - October 20, 2011 - Thursday - Drive to Portland, Maine
Today was a travel day. We knew when we woke up it was going to be a dark day. It rained all night and it was still pouring when we left the hotel at 7:50. This was not going to be a photo stop day!
Everyone in Halifax was celebrating because the Canadian Government announced a multi-billion dollar contract to refurbish the naval fleet. Most of the work will be done in the shipyards of Halifax. This will mean jobs and a real boost for the economy.
Sarah, the clerk at the desk, showed us an easy and less congested way to get out of town and we were on Canada 102 going north by 8:15. The rain was coming down so hard it was difficult to see the tire depressions in the highway and we saw several cars going too fast and hydroplaning.
We stopped for gas in Truro, NS (131.6/liter) and then went northwest on TCH104 to Amherst and the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. There was a four dollar toll over the Cobequid Pass, a new stretch of roadway.
Crossing the province line at 9:55 and we commented on the beautiful job they had done at the border with the flags of both NS and NB and a very nice garden. The signs are now in French and English again.
We had lunch at a local Subway shop in Oromocto the only place to eat in town????? Oromoto is the home of the Canadian Forces Base, the largest military training area in the British Commonwealth.
When we arrived there were about 20 military personnel eating so we knew this was The Place. Then as we were standing in line a group of local policemen came in followed by a high school hockey team. Last to arrive were four Royal Canadian Mounted Police; we never felt safer having lunch!
We traveled on TCH2 south and east. The rain had stopped and it was 54° with a slight breeze. At 12:43 we crossed the international border at Woodstock, NB going into Houlton, ME. There were a few cars ahead of us so we used the time to reset our watches and clocks back to Eastern Time gaining back one hour.
Mr. Miller, the Border Patrol agent looked at our vehicle rental agreement, leafed through our passports, and asked “what do you people do?” We told him we were retired teachers who traveled a lot. He said – “you sure do”!
Back in the Good Old USA, we got gas at Orono, ME and continued south and west on I-95 through Bangor and Augusta. We had planned to stay in Bangor, but decided to change our reservations and drive to Portland.
We made a brief stop at a camera shop and then found our Comfort Inn on Maine Mall Road at 4:53. Today was a long drive without many photo stops as we were going back to the States. We drove 591 miles but it will shorten our drive back to Albany tomorrow.
After spending a short time getting our key cards and settling in, we went to Newick’s Lobster House for a fresh Maine lobster dinner. I had the boiled lobster and Gennie had the lobster stuffed with shrimp and scallops.
We came back to the room at 8:30 and finished the journal – not many photos for today as you can see from the rainy shot out the window. So we will share some of the photos of figureheads from the 18th century tall ships we saw at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic yesterday.
Accommodations: Comfort Inn, South Portland, Maine
Comments
Post a Comment!what a beautiful trip, fall always a colorful time to travel. Safe home
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