Winter in the White Mountains

In 2018 a variety of incidents prevented us from going on many day trips starting with my medical issues in the Spring to my work being overburdened with overtime since they closed the Gray center and merged it with Augusta.  Yes we were able to go on our camping trip with the kids and our Atlantic Canada vacation in September but no day trips into the White Mountains.
 

In December I asked Kate if she would like to try to get away for a night in January, overtime was letting up (two people put in their notice while we were away) and with me being at work so much Kate was running the household by herself.  We both needed this!  So I booked us a cabin at Pemi Cabins in Lincoln, New Hampshire and before we knew it the day had arrived.

Thursday, January 31st, after dropping of the kids where they needed to go, Kate and I hit the road for our overnight adventure.  The sun was shining and the sky was clear both days so it made for nice driving and we did a lot of driving.  Stopping first at Bova's in the North End of Boston we got stuck in a bit of construction traffic heading into the city.  It only hung us up for about 15 minutes, but it was a bit annoying.

I dropped Kate off so she could go in and procure the cannolis which were magnificent.  I drove around the the one way streets making two laps before Kate was ready to be picked up.  We headed straight back out of town going north back to New Hampshire.  Yes we drive to Boston to buy cannolis and we will do it again.

Next stop was in Dover at Le Festa Pizza.  We were both excited because heading North on 95 in New Hampshire when the road splits to either take exit 4 to the White Mountains on the left or stay the course to Maine on the right, we've always went right, it was excited to go left.

La Festa was tremendous!  We each got a slice and garlic knots, first time we've been not for Mother's Day too.  We next drove to Weir's Beach to play some games at Fun Stop!  I wasn't sure how Kate was going to take wanted to stop at the World's Largest Arcade but I knew they had tickets games and that's like a a gambling addict at a Casino for her.

A $20 bill gets you 125 tokens, most games take 1 token, pinball 2 tokens, and some up to 4 tokens.  Kate's "drug" of choice is the cyclone game.  You drop a token in and a light spins around, the object is to stop the light on the Jackpot, which starts out with 100 tickets and climbs by one ticket for each token played.  If you don't land on the jackpot then the spots around it awards tickets from 10 and decreasing for each step further away from the Jackpot that you are.

I don't know how many times she hit the jackpot, but her haul of tickets was over 2,500!  I know it's crazy but she is just so good at this game.  Called Wheel of Fortune other places this is the sixth or seventh arcade we've been to that she has played this game and made a killing on tickets.

I myself played a whole bunch of pinball!  I even played Hercules the world's largest pinball machine that uses a lacrosse ball for the pinball.  I also dropped some tokens into some classic arcade games like Pac Man, Double Dragon, and Tag Team Wrestling to name a few.

I played my share of tickets games including not hitting the jackpot on cyclone and doing fairly well on skeeball.  After over three hours of gaming fun we decided to cash in the tickets and we got some cool swag.  It was funny because Kate carried around the big bunch of tickets for quite a while because it looked impressive, it really did.

We drove to the Pemi Cabins located on the Pemigewasset River in Lincoln, New Hampshire and got check in.  They had gotten over a foot of snow in the area just two days prior so the snowbanks were impressive, it was also bitterly cold in the low single digits dropping below zero when the sun fell.
  

I had booked cabin number 5 based on the photos and we were not disappointed.  The inside was small but had everything we needed with a queen bed, fireplace, tv, mini fridge, and bathroom.  I bought two bundles of wood and Kate didn't waste anytime starting a fire.  We relaxed and enjoyed it for a couple hours before heading to dinner.

We drove down to Woodstock and to eat at the Black Mountain Burger Company.  We had eaten here a couple years ago for Father's Day so we knew it would be good.  It was pretty darn busy for a Thursday night but we got seated without a wait.

We got an appetizer of mac & cheese bits, which is a breaded deep fried ball of macaroni and cheese, yes it was amazing.  We both got burgers and they were fantastic!  They hand cut fries were splendid and while Kate had some hot tea, I got myself a beer, a rare occurrence for sure but when I saw they had something called Great North Robust Vanilla Porter on draft I had to try it.  It was smooth and worth it.  We both left very pleased.

Back at the cabin Kate got the fire roaring again which heated the place up making it nice and cozy.  The cabin also had a screened in porch that overlooked the river and we could hear it roaring by all night, it was quite soothing.  Turning the TV on we found that The Breakfast Club was playing on AMC and out night was set.  

The bed was actually very comfortable and, it must of been because we slept for almost nine hours.  It was chilly minus two degrees when we started the day and even though there is a heater in the room, it was a bit too cold for it.  

Checking out we headed just up the road to Indian Head Resort because I wanted to take a picture of this landmark sign which is self explanatory.

Next stop was Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire!  I love this place, it has the finest pancakes around without question.  It was our first time eating here since they demolished and rebuilt the dining room.  They managed to keep the charm of the old place but now they are open all year round instead of just seasonally.

I'm not a hot drink type of guy but they had something on the menu called a Maple Steamer which is steamed milk with maple syrup, I had to try it.  The first sip was scalding and being a hot drink rookie I just forced it down and that was a mistake.  Once it was cooled it was tremendously delicious!

Kate got Kathie's Combo, 3 pancakes, buckwheat, two eggs and bacon and I got Polly's Sampler Combo, 6 pancakes with sausage and I got a side of bacon as well.  For my pancakes I got two oatmeal buttermilk, two buckwheat, and two gingerbread with pecans mixed in, all amazing but the gingerbread with pecans was the best on this day.

We went over the hill to Harman's to pick up some of the best cheddar cheese there is.  Sincerely they do make the best cheese.  I got there two and half year old really aged cheddar, a two pound block for only $16.

We took the Kancamangus highway home, which was the plan of the trip to begin with to traverse the road in the winter.  It was beautiful drive and the road was quite sketchy at times but in the end it was uneventful for us, we did see one vehicle that of off the road but they had help on hand.
 

We have been to the White Mountains many times in the past but never before in the Winter so it was nice to see it in a different way.  Round trip we drove 482 miles. 

Later Readers!

Atlantic Canada Adventure

On Friday September 7th after dropping the big kids off at school Kate, Wesley, & I headed north for our four night Atlantic Canada Adventure!

Our first stop you probably can guess, was Chick-Fil-A in Bangor for breakfast and play break for Wesley boy.  Our second stop was in Houlton to top the tank off before crossing the border.  Gas was $2.549 a gallon in Houlton, and averaged about $1.282 a litre in Canada.  At 3.78 litre's per gallon, that's about $4.80 a gallon Canadian.  Basically is $20 more to fill the tank in US dollars.

When we got to Houlton we had driven 203 miles and we both felt like, hey we made it!  Truth be told we still have 355 miles to go!

Canadian customs was a breeze, we stopped at the New Brunswick Welcome Center for the clean bathrooms and playground for Wesley to stretch his legs.  We had stopped here in July and Wesley remember getting a flag so he wanted to go in and get another one first thing before anything else.

We stopped in Woodstock, New Brunswick to exchange US Dollars for Canadian Dollars and pick up a few road supplies at Sobey's, and for Kate to grab a Tim Horton's drink, she maintains they are better in Canada.  Then we hit the road not stopping again for 270 km in Moncton, NB at a Harvey's, a Canadian fast food chain that opened in 1959.

They have a cool set up, you place your order and then when the burger comes out they put the toppings on it in front of you like at subway.  However the burgers were nothing special at all.  The onion rings were tremendous though.

When we hit the Nova Scotia line the land was flat and wide open that they had wind turbines sitting there on the ground!  Around here we are used to them being placed on higher elevations, so it was a sight to see!

We stopped in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia for fuel at a little tourist trap called Mastodon Ridge.  In 1991 just a short drive away Mastodon remains were unearthed, so in 1995 this replica statue was erected.  Stewiacke is also a 45th Parallel marker, which Kate and I are big fans of.

When we got into Halifax we stopped at a grocery store that we found called Mike's No Frills.  It was super basic inside and everything was quite expensive.  Kate accidentally stole a dollar from a woman when she took her cart.  You have to put a loony in a slot on the cart to unlock it and have to lock it back in place to get your loony back.  We picked up a few things, english muffins, eggs, & sausage for breakfast.

We got to our Airbnb and for your first experience it was a great one!  We parked in the homeowners driveway and had our own entrance on the side.  The room had a queen bed, couch, kitchen area, bathroom, and stand up shower with an awesome rain fall shower head.  The room also had a TV with Netflix which was great for Wesley.

I grabbed us a pizza that night at Alexandra's Pizza.  It was decent enough, they use sandwich pepperoni and put it under the cheese.

In total we drove 558 miles or 898 kilometers.  Because a kilometer is .62 miles the numbers roll off quickly and doesn't make the drive feel as long.

Saturday morning after a delicious breakfast we headed into Halifax to the waterfront to check out the Seaport, they have free parking on Saturday mornings.  The Seaport is a large complex but the main part we checked out was the Farmers Market.  If only we had one like this close to home we would frequent there all the time. There were restaurants that we would have liked to check out but didn't have the opportunity.

There is a large boardwalk off the Seaport and we didn't have time fully explore the two miles, but wouldn't mind going back some day to check it out.  Georges Island is just off the Seaport and on it is Georges Island Lighthouse.  Built in 1919 it is the third tower to be constructed on the island.

I had wanted to visit a Peggy's Point Lighthouse, which is very scenic and touted as one the best Lighthouses in Nova Scotia, but when we got there we could find no place to park with all the people that were there.

We did stop at a playground on the way as Wesley requested because the boy loves his playgrounds.

Our next stop was the whole reason this vacation was planned in the first place, Oak Island.  Kate and I love the show and last January I discovered that they did tours of the island and tickets were limited and sold fast.  The day they went on sale the system crashed repeatedly and finally we were able to get though and purchase two tickets on the semi-private tour for Saturday September 8th.

When we arrived at the causeway that lead to the island it was very exciting as was driving over it to the island.  We checked out the Interpretive center before the tour started and on display they had the lead cross and the ruby broach that Gary found last season.

Our tour guide was Charles Barkhouse, a local historian who is on the show and he's been giving tours on the island long before there was a show.  When buying tickets we chose Saturday because Charles does the tours that day and it is repeatedly written that chances of meeting any cast members are slim.  We saw a lot of sights that we'd seen on television; the war room, the monuments, the bottom stone on Nolan's cross, the beach, the swamp, the money pit, 10 X, Smith's cove and more.

I can't wait to watch the new season so we can learn about the changes that we saw.  Charles wouldn't talk about them, but he didn't acknowledge "Clearly there is something going on here, but lets not spoil the a-ha moment."

We had the last tour of the day, they are slated for two hours but after 2.5 hours we were finished up and started the 3/4 mile walk back to the parking area.  When we got out there I noticed everyone was gathered in a group and couldn't figure out why, and then I noticed Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton was standing there talking with everyone!

We waited patiently and then had out moment to talk to Rick and Gary and we had our picture made with them.  Kate didn't want to, she said she felt weird, but I introduced her to Rick and he shook her hand and pulled her into the photo.  They were both wicked nice and Rick just seemed so genuine.

All in all the tour was amazing we heard stories that we hadn't heard on the show before, seeing the sights, meeting Charles, Rick, and Gary.  It was completely worth it!

We drove back to Halifax and went downtown to get dinner at Smoke's Poutinerie.  It was good, not the best poutine that I'd ever had, but very good.  I had to parallel park on the busy side streets and I pulled off the greatest parallel parking jobs I had ever done, Katie was impressed.  We got Wesley some McDonald's on the way back to the room.

Sunday morning after breakfast and cleaning up we hit the road for our 327 km / 203 miles drive to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.  The drive was uneventful but familiar to an extent as we backtracked on roads we had driven on Friday.  Right when we got back into New Brunswick we turned off towards PEI stopping for gas before we got to the bridge.

The Confederation Bridge is impressive! Built from October 1993 - May 1997 it links PEI to the mainland spanning the Northumberland Strait 12.9 km / 8 miles in length.  When you get out to the center of the bridge you see nothing but the sea to the left and to the right as far as you can see.  We were fortunate that it was a clear day both days we drove on it.

 I have always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island since I first saw Anne of Green Gables as a kid.  It was based on a book by Lucy Montgomery and the fictional town Avonlea in the stories is based on Cavendish.  The biggest tourist attraction on the island is Anne of Green Gables.  A statue even greets you at the gateway village.  Most everything in Cavendish is geared towards Anne of Green Gables.

The town of Borden-Carleton greets you when get on the island.  We stopped for the restroom and they had a big playground for Wesley to use while I went to take pictures of the bridge.  The Marine Rail Park provided a great place to park and photograph the bridge.  It is also where Port Borden Back Range Lighthouse is located.

Rejoining Kate and Wesley we discovered that basically everything at the gateway village was closed for the season.  Where as Columbus Day in the US is typically the end of the tourist season, here on PEI it's Labour Day, which had been the Monday prior to our arrival.

We found that Tastee-Dawgs was open never one to pass up a hot dog joint we decided to try it out.  It was nice enough outside that we ate on the deck.  We ended up chatting with the owners and they were very nice.  Actually everyone that we chatted with on this trip was wicked nice.

Prince Edward Island is beautiful and everywhere that we drove was so picturesque and scenic.  Repeatedly during our time here we comment on the view.  One thing we noticed is that there were no run down buildings, all the farms seemed to be operational and clean.

We got to Cavendish and found that practically everything was closed, not Ripley's though so we check it out.  I love Ripley's and this is my sixth odditorium and Kate's second.  They have a huge Optimus Prime transformer out front!  Wesley thought it was pretty cool too.

We tried to go to a grocery store, in fact it was called a Tourist Trap and the prices definitely were.  We decided against buying anything.  We went for a drive looking for another one and couldn't find one what we did find though was the North Rustico Harbor and the North Rustico Lighthouse.

We parked and got out and walked around.  The tide was out so Wesley and I walked on the red sands while Kate went a got herself a coffee.  I took some pictures of the lighthouse as well.  Driving back towards Cavendish we took the Rue du Gulf Shore Parkway back stopping at scenic Orby Head to see the unbelievable Cliffs of Cavendish.

The cottage was wicked nice!  Very old fashioned and rustic, but very well maintained.  We got placed right next to the playground which Wesley loved.  I really like the big storm windows in the kitchen and bathroom.  Kate really like it too, said I pick out a good place.  When we checked into the cottage we got directions to one about half an hour away in Summerside.

It was a very nice drive to Summerside and back for supplies.  It's funny that you can literally drive from one side of the island to the other in half an hour.  We had a nice evening at the cottage with Wesley playing on the playground.

Monday morning after a delicious breakfast that Katie made us we headed to Charlottetown parking at the Confederation Court Mall and walking around the block.  We wanted to go to the museum but it was under construction so we couldn't.  We stopped a nice used book store and picked up a couple Little Golden Books for Wesley.

We found this fun store called Freak Lunchbox that is full of neat candy that to them is not locally available but for the most part is commonplace for us in the States.  The had a lot of cool retro carnival banner style paintings all around the store.  Also they had an exclusive official Garbage Pail Kid art of Anne of Green Goobers that Kate bought Jonny a t-shirt of.  I picked up some stocking stuffers for the kids myself.

We headed over to Cow's Creamery for a tour of the cheese and ice cream factories.  Cow's Creamery founded in 1983 in Cavendish, now based out of Charlottetown, started as an ice cream manufacturer and expanded into cheese and butter production.  They also launched a successful line of t-shirts that are all made on site here.  This is a large complex that features many other establishments on the grounds including out lunch spot.

We went for lunch at the Moo Moo Grilled Cheesery before having ice cream.  It was excellent! The cheese is made on the same grounds, the bacon is smoked locally, the chips are locally produced Spud Island Chips, and the bread is baked locally.  You can't get more homegrown.  Kate and I both went next door and picked out a beer for later at the Prince Edward Island Brewing Company.

Before finally checking out the ice cream we walked through the Anne of Green Gables Chocolates were I got the kids some chocolate loonie and twonies coins for their stockings and Kate and I got something for ourselves and Wesley.

Wesley didn't want an ice cream, he wanted a squishy ice cream cone that cost like $13 but whatever makes him happy.  Kate and I both got chip chip hooray, which is vanilla ice cream with sea salted English toffee, and cows chocolate covered chip pieces.  TREMENDOUS!

We took a different route back to the Cottage and I can't say enough just how gorgeous this island is.  Wesley and I dropped Kate off for some alone time at the cottage while Wesley and I went to the Toy Factory in New Glasgow.  This place specializes in making wooden toys and for $6 kids can make their own wooden vehicle.

Wesley picked out a vehicle shape, and they helped him as he put on the axles and glued the wheels on.  They then sanded it down and she burnt Wesley's name on the side and a license plate of PEI 2018.  It's so cool and well worth every penny.  We checked out the magic fairy trail and the yard ornaments before leaving.

Later that evening we tried to go watch the sunset but the cloud coverage prevented it.  However the lighting was outstanding for some selfie action.

The next morning we got on the road after Katie made us breakfast.  We had 770 km / 479 mile drive ahead of us.  It cost $47.50 to take the Confederation Bridge back to the mainland.  We stopped in Moncton to fuel up and check out a mystery spot called Magnetic Hill.

The hill is located in the confines of a complex that also houses a zoo, water park, and winery.  A covered bridge takes you into the park. Normally you have to pay $6 but as no one was there to accept our money we didn't have to pay and in total we did it three times.  You drive down the road, pull up to a marked spot and put your vehicle in neutral.  The van then just started rolling backwards up the road and it picked up speed as it went.  It was so cool and freaky!  We filmed it three times, once in the van, second time Kate filmed out from outside, and then once more from inside.  So cool!!!  There are other mystery spots around the world like this and I want to check them out if possible.

It was a nice ride back across New Brunswick, we stopped once more for bathroom and a drink.  Then stopped in Woodstock to get some more Covered Bridge Chips and grab some lunch at the A&W where I got a frosty mug of Diet Root Beer, it was great!

We ended up driving over to the Hartland Visitors Center which is next to the World's Longest Covered Bridge.  When we visited with the kids in July we saw an art print that we liked that they had about traveling Atlantic Canada.  We both liked it a lot and since we didn't see it on this trip we decided to go and pick it up.

We crossed back into Maine and stopped in Houlton to get fuel then made the long drive to Bangor for late lunch at Chic-Fil-A then rolled on home.  In total we drove over 1700 miles / 2735 km.

Wesley was awesome the whole time too, yeah we make it a point to find him playgrounds to play on but it's the least we can do.  This was a tremendous trip across Atlantic Canada, we both like it so much that next September I'm thinking we should explore Ontario.

Thanks for reading!