Reflections On Our Trip

2007 Summer Road Trip, 5176 miles 103 hrs 53 min (driving time)

Our trip this year stayed mostly on plan. It deviated only at the end by not going to Quebec and Montreal. Still the length was same. It was an enjoyable trip. I was able to visit places I have always wanted to see and revisit others. The weather was fine other than the few days of rain and even then we didn't get to wet.

We saw a lot. We saw places that were special not because of who did what or what was built there but because of the beauty of the place or the memories they provided. Some places I may never return
and wish I had taken a picture of, like rows of dancing bears cutout of steel plates, a giant lobster trap, two whale tails along the highway in Vermont, the amazing restaurants along Route 1 North out of Boston, and a huge wooden horse towed behind a pickup truck in New York. (Perhaps heading to Troy?).

Acadia National Park was definitely the favorite. It is a beautiful park with so much to do. We will return there again someday soon hopefully. I would like to go in the off season to avoid some of the crowds, perhaps even in winter. I have always liked Maine and each time I return I wish I could stay.

Other highlights of the trip were Cape Breton Island's Cabot Trail. A more scenic drive may be out there but I don't know of it. Driving up through the mountains with the ocean on one side even in the fog and rain was breathtaking.

Prince Edward Island is a gem. From Charlottetown to the beaches of PEI National Park it was a refreshing stay.

Joe is still talking about the Halifax Citadel and the Fortress of Louisbourg and Ned retells the stories of our hikes.

The people we met all through Maine and Canada were friendly and welcoming. Many going out of their way to help. There were also the accidental fellow travelers that gave a familiar face to the journey. There were a number of people on the ferry from St John, NB to Digby, NS that I kept seeing all along the way through Nova Scotia including an older gentleman on a bike that we passed going the opposite direction on the Cabot Trail. There was a couple from the Netherlands we met at lunch in the Fortress of Louisbourg and then later running into them in a grocery store in Prince Edward Island.

It was also great to see our relatives. The boys love visiting their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. And having Mary join us on Cape Cod made the visit all the better.

So now we are back and I have started thinking of next year, perhaps Route 66? But for now we are going on vacation to Cape Hatteras for a week on the beach.

By the numbers:
Days on the road: 31 days
Totals miles driven: 5176 miles
Time spent driving: 4 days 7 hrs 53 min
Gas used: 230.37 gallons at $765
Food: $860
Lodging: $423


Two Whales Lost in the Ocean of Farmland in Vermont