St John's

More photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewbuchanan/



Made it to Newfoundland!
Fifteen hours is a long time on a ferry. Left Sydney when it was still dark and arrived in Argentia after dark. There wasn't much to do on the ferry but eat, look at the waves, and watch some lame movies. The two women from England that were kayaking at North River were on the ferry and it turns out we were planning to stay at the same hostel. It was about an hour and a half drive to the hostel, and they were there just before me. Yesterday I kept running into them around town, and at Signal Hill. Today they were at Cape Spear. I swear they're stalking me! :)

Today at Cape Spear I did what every good geographer would do and had my picture taken at the most easterly point in North America at Cape Spear. Now I can turn around and head back home, unless I decide to swim to Ireland. Actually I'm closer to Europe right now than to Vancouver. That's my geography lesson for you today. It turns out there was a 24 year old man from Conneticut that was washed away on the rocks a couple days ago. They still haven't found his body. The rescue crews were still there today so it was a bit somber. It seemed weird to be taking pictures and doing the whole tourist thing.

Tonight I am going to try some Newfoundland specialties (smoked caplin and cod's cheeks) and I still have to get screeched in as an honourary Newfoundlander. Probably be here for the week as I'm waiting for my car insurance papers to arrive.

Cape Breton Island

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I've just been having a great time on Cape Breton Island. It is still warm and the weather is still decent but it's pretty crappy out there today. Fall is supposed to hit pretty quickly. I think I have some pretty good photos for the last week or so, and I'll try to post them when I can. I've been fortunate enough to get to know some of the locals around these parts and have been showed a pretty good time in Inverness and also North River / Baddeck. Been to another ceilidh in Mabou. It was a place called the Red Shoe and saw some of the Rankin sisters step dancing. It was a lot of fun, the music was great and the people were really friendly. I drove the Cabot Trail a few days ago and it was a gorgeous area with plenty of dramatic vistas. On the extreme north end of the island I camped at a stunning campground called Meat Cove. My tent was perched on the end of a 50m cliff, saw a gorgeous harvest moon, and woke up early enough to watch the sun come up. Another day I took a long bike ride in the middle of the National Park and it was pretty gnarly. There wasn't anyone around so it was fortunate that I had no problems. Yesterday I booked a kakak tour for the day. It was pretty windy when I got there in the morning and it looked pretty iffy. We went out anyways. There was just the guide and two women from England. Going out was easy but coming back we were battling huge waves in 30 knots of wind with gusts of about 50. Kayak got turned around a few times so it was a bit of a challange, but well worth it.

All in all a great time in this cool place. Everyone should come check out Cape Breton Island sometime if they have the chance. The plan next is to catch the last ferry to Newfoundland on Monday. (taking the long way to Argentia). I'll have to come back on the shorter ferry from the western side of the island, but then won't have to double back.

Halifax

I'm at an Internet cafe in Halifax this morning trying to put my photos on a CD so I can take more. It has been a bit hard so far to put my pictures up on line, but I have a few on flickr that you can look at.

Halifax is a very cool place. I spent most of yesterday along the central waterfront of the Halifax harbour exploring the Maritime Museum and some of the ships docked there. The Bluenose was in port but I wasn't able to board because of a special charter. I'll try again today.

The hostel I'm staying in is pretty cool in a great part of town. Tonight they're organizing a pub crawl.... yeeeah
:)

Nova Scotia

My first few days in Nova Scotia have been really nice. Other than the rain storm at the camp ground at West Point in PEI it has been ideal travel weather. Took the ferry back to the mainland in Nova Scotia then went through Pictou, Truro, and along the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy. Stayed at Grand Pre and Kejimkujik National Park. Headed to Halifax tonight.

PEI Photos

Some pictures of PEI are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewbuchanan/

Had a nice day yesterday exploring the beach, went on a 40km bike ride and stopped for a seafood lunch at small place called Brackley Beach. The woman at the tourist office was very helpful, she even offered to drive me to a bank machine and she recommended a good place for lunch. Later in the evening I went to a concert (called a ceilidh) that was very good. Fiddle and guitar music with great singing. Also saw a couple foxes on the side of the road.
Today I'm off to the west side of the island with a stop to visit Cavendish (the home of Anne of Green Gables)
Matthew

Prince Edward Island

It is lovely in the little island province today. I thought I better check to see what has happened to Alex and Alison but it looks like I missed them at the campground by one day. Perhaps they are still on the island, but it's not that small! :) Staying at the National Park campground right by the ocean and everyone is quite friendly. Today I will check out the beach and do some riding. I'll stay at this campground again tonight and probably head to a different part of the island before going to Nova Scotia.

Moncton

Went through Fundy National Park and Saint John yesterday. Here in Moncton they are cleaning up from the Rolling Stones concert and fortunately I missed all of the crowds. Got my tires rotated and fixed the problems with the power steering. Moncton looks pretty nice, in the downtown area at least, but I think I'll head to PEI after lunch.

Maritimes

Got to New Brunswick today. I'm taking a quick look at Fredericton this afternoon and then I'll spend the night in Saint John. The weather is very nice right now so I should get back outside.

Probably head to PEI by Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Montreal Part 2

Back in Montreal for a brief visit. I have met up with Marty who is back from India now and he is doing well. It was nice to see him again and see if the rest of his familiy was just like him. He invited me to his sister Amy's wedding party which was a lot of fun. It was last night at Marty's parents house. There were lots of people to meet and the food was the bomb (as Marty would say). He'll be back in Cranbrook within a week.

Saturday morning I will resume my eastward trajectory and try to reach somewhere in western New Brunswick. Then I'll try to bump into Alex and family in PEI in a few days.