The long and winding road (to Arizona

Its been about 6 weeks or so since our last post.   We left you in Prince Edward Island in Canada,

Since then, we've traveled cross country and now are just 2 days from the winter shack in Tucson.    Due to my busted wrist its kind of hard to type which has made getting this blog published.   I'll try to bring you up to date as best i can.

 Firstly - here is the map from PEI to where we are today

We crossed the Confederation bridge back off the island into New Brunswick.   The toll was about $66cdn.

We stayed a couple of nights in St John, New Brunswick, then crossed the border into Maine.  Our first night in the US was spent at the Pumpkin Patch RV park just outside of Bangor.   It was a nice quiet park with FHU.

Pumpkin Patch RV Park

Next stops was 2 nights at an RV Park in the Mountains of NH, followed by an overnight at the Turning Stone Casino RV Park west of Albany, NY.     Finally a longer 8hr day brought us to Maumee Bay State Park near Toledo, OH.  The highlight of our visit here was a trip to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan.    If you are ever up this way, the Henry Ford is a must.   Its an eclectic mix of all sorts of exhibits that showcase the gains in Technology over the years.

After a few days in Ohio, we were off again.  One night at an RV Park near Madison, Wi was exchanged  with a planned stop at a Harvest Host Strawberry Farm.   Temps in the 90's would have meant long generator hours at the farm so we decided to go for the electric hookups instead.

Our next stop was the Porter Sculpture Park in South Dakota.   A neat place in the country with enormous metal sculptures.   Temps were still warm during the day, but being further west, the dry air allowed things to cool down at night.

The next night found us at Badlands National Park for 2 nights.   Beside the badlands we visited Wall Drugs.

Finally - a long 90 minute drive brought us to the Black Hills, and the Sheridan Lake National Forest Campground.    

When we arrived, there was nowhere to conveniently unhook the truck, and the lady at the contact station was giving me a hard time about where I was parked.    She said I was blocking the entrance even though Rob drove around me in his bus.  So in my rush to get unhooked I tripped over the tow bar and hurt my wrist,   Eventually after a second set of x-rays 2 weeks later,  I learned that it was broken in 2 places.

While in the Black Hills, we visited the sights including Mount Rushmore,

Our site at Sheridan Lake NFCG

The Crazy Horse Memorial under construction.

You can see what it will look like when completed.    I came here as a teen and there was hardly anything done.    It's taken a long long time to get here, but I can see definite progress.

Next on the hit parade was Devils Tower Wyoming.    We stayed at the KOA right at the base.

climbers on the tower

A week or so after we were here a climber tragically fell to their death.

Moving on, next stop was the 7th Ranch RV Park in Garryowen, Mt.

What a nice surprise this place was.   We chose it for the proximity to the Custer Battlefield, but it was a pleasant oasis on the Montana High Prairie.

Sunset from our site

Last Stand Hill at the Battlefield.   In the middle of the gravemarkers is one with a blackened face, that stone marks where General Custer fell.

Next stop was Fairmont RV Resort near Butte, Montana.   We spent 2 nights here and visited the Clark Mansion in Butte.    Built by Copper Baron William Clark it is an impressive local monument.   Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas) is named after him. 

It was here that friends Ron & Maxine joined our traveling group, and now we had 3 PartyBusses on the move.

Finally we arrived at Glacier National Park.  Our objective here was Huckleberry Picking.   Last time here we discovered a motherload of Hucks.   But unlike last time, the park was crowded (was empty last time) and the Hucks had come in early.   Our motherlode had been discovered and picked clean.

So...  we had to content ourselves with the scenery.

Last time the St Marys Campground in the park was empty.   This time it was bursting at teh seams as was all the nearby RV Parks.   We got online and Kate found a nice place about 9 miles away.   A Blackfoot Native owned park.

After a few days - Rob & Pat headed home.    We'd been traveling together since June.

Ron & Maxine would now travel with us for a few weeks.

On a hike in Glacier we spotted this moose across the lake.

After Glacier we moved to Jim & Marys RV Park in Missoula, Mt.    Kate and I had been here a few years ago and loved the park.   Full of flowers and with good access to Missoula.   I had an appointment here with an Ortho Dr who confirmed my wrist had 2 fractures and that I would need to keep the cast on for 6 weeks.

Downtown Missoula

After Jim & Marys, we headed to a new RV Park up in the mountains just outside of Lincoln, Mt.  We arrived in some pretty strong winds that were gusting well over 40mph.

There was a forest service crew staying there in big white tents.   While they were out working 2 of the 3 tents were blown down and a lot of the contents scattered.   When they arrived back from a long hard days work in the forest, they had to clean up their camp.    The decided to break camp and move.   It was long after dark when they finally left.

Next was a favorite of Kate and I....  Bakers Hole NFCG just outside of West Yellowstone, Mt.

Its located in a beautiful spot and is real convenient for day trips into the Yellowstone NP.

Madison River flows thru Bakers Hole

Yellowstone Falls

Hayden Valley in YNP

Old Faithful blows its top

After a week at Bakers Hole, we were off for 4 nights at the Gros Ventre CG in Grand Teton NP.

The fall colors added to the beautiful scenery.

A Bull and Cow Moose took up residence right behind our bus.

Jenny Lake in Teton NP

Old Mormon Barn in Teton NP

Next stop was about 350 miles south into the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and Deer Creek State Park.

The park is just a few miles from Sundance, Ut

Fall Colors in Sundance

We found a good self service Doodlewash to clean off some of the road grime.

A wet Annie

A clean Annie

Our site at Deer Creek SP

After 6 days at Deer Creek it was time to say good bye to Ron & Maxine.   They headed west and we continued south,   Our next stop was another 350 miles to Wahweep on Lake Powell outside of Page Az.

Its starting to look like the Southwest

Lake Powell

Glen Canyon Dam

While at Wahweep, we finally got to see some Northern Lights.   I keep close tabs on Geomagnetic conditions and was hoping all the time while we were way up north in Newfoundland that we'd see some. It took traveling south to 36°N to finally see some.

Some greens and reds

You can see the Big Dipper on lower left

Well that brings me to today.   We left Wahweep yesterday and traveled about 180 miles south to Camp Verde, Az.   Not far from Sedona.   We are here for 3 nights and then will make the final 180 miles or so to Tucson where we'll park the bus for a bit.

I have to bring it in for service a week after we get there and that might turn into a 2 day trip, but that is about it,

The map below shows our travels this trip since leaving in April.   It was a fun summer.

All that remains is to close the loop.

So next up will be our winter travels and then off to Europe, the UK, and Ireland next summer.

We fly to France on April 2nd so i'm busy planning that one now.

Prince Edward Island

 

Not wanting to sound like a broken record but its now been over 5 weeks since my last post.

We left you just after we arrived at Graves Island Provincial Park in Nova Scotia, so that is where I'm starting this post.     The trip map below will show you the travels covered in this post.

Graves Island to St John Nb via PEI

Our site at Graves Island.   We had 30a electric but had one site for 3 nights then moved to another for the remaining 4 noights.    With the warm temps - having the electric for the Air Conditioner was a bonus.

While here we traveled north to visit the Peggy Cove area.   On the way we stopped by to see the memorial to the 249 passengers lost on Swiss Air Flight 111 which went down 5 miles off of the coast.

After the memorial we went to Peggys Cove.   This scenic small village is one of the most photographed places in NS.

Foggy Day at Peggys Cove

Peggys Cove Lighthouse

Below - A granite sculpture by artist William deGarthe in Peggys Cove.  Carved into a granite outcropping, it It depicts 32 fishermen, their wives, and children enveloped by the wings of Saint Elmo, the patron saint of sailors.

Another day we went to visit Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.    It was here that many of the bodies from the Titanic first reached the new world, and many remain interred in 3 cemeteries in town.  The largest of these cemeteries being Fairview Lawn, with 121 bodies.

Below - the Titanic section is laid out in the shape of a ship.   In the background you can see the grave line turning towards the right in the shape of the bow (front) of the ship.

Some interesting stones in the plot:

Erected by J Bruce Ismay, the disgraced survivor and Chairman of White Star Lines

The "unknown" child, who was identified by  DNA in 2007 as Sidney Leslie Goodwin.

The inspiration for Jack Dawson on the movie Titanic?

Another day trip brought us to downtown Halifax and their beautiful waterfront walk loaded with shops and restaurants.

Colorful Halifax Houses

Halifax Waterfront

Halifax Harbour

After a week at Graves Island, we moved onward, our destination being beautiful Prince Edward Island.

To get onto the island your two choices are the ferry or the Confederation Bridge.   The bridge being much faster, and the price pretty much the same, it was the bridge for us.

The PartyBus Crossing over to PEI

Our first stop was Cabot Beach Provincial Park.   We stayed here in 2016 and really loved it and this time was no different.

Great sunsets over the ocean right from our campsite.

Drives thru the bucolic countryside....    A beautiful scene awaits you around every turn.

We visited the Green Gables Historic Site.   The home which served as the inspiraton and setting of the Anne of Green Gables Novels.

Kate and Pat took a picture with "Anne"

We drove along the Cavendish Seashore.   The red sands behind us are all over the island.

A pretty church near the Provincial Park.

Roses line the harbor wall in the pretty town of Summerside.

We went to the Cape Egmont Lighthouse and discovered it was also a unique boondocking location.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse

More pastoral scenery heading back to camp.

Followed by another pretty sunset over the ocean.

And another...

Our week up, it was time to move over to the eastern side of the island.   This time our destination was Brudenell River Provincial Park.

Our site at Brudenell PP

To get into our campground we had to cross a wooden decked bridge which served as part of our morning walk each day.

View from the bridge

Another view in the park

One day we drove to Charlottetown, the capital city of PEI.   Another beautiful small city with a great downtown on the waterfront.

Shops along the waterfront

Outdoor cafes line some streets

And yet, another days outings was to visit several lighthouses along the coast.

Panmure Island Lighthouse.  The oldest lighthouse on PEI

The Wood Island Lighthouse marks the approach to the harbour for the PEI to Nova Scotia Ferry

This pretty much ended our visit to PEI.   The next day it was back across the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick and points south.   The Map below shows our travels from Nova Scotia, to PEI, and south into the US and westward.

I'm trying to get caught up with my blogging because I started writing this post from the Black Hills in South Dakota, but have already moved onward thru Devils Tower Wyoming and tonight we're just a few miles from the Custer Battlefield in Little Bighorn, Montana.

I'm also typing with a freshly injured left wrist in a soft cast.  X-rays were inconclusive but point to a hairline fracture....   So it makes the work much slower.

So...  I still have Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota,  and Wyoming to cover in order to get you back up to speed and with us here in Montana.    We're gonna be in Montana for a while so hopefully I can get it done soon.

Many of those states we just drove thru, but there were a few highlights along the way and we dont want to pass them over.

Pedal to the metal folk!    We'll get there.

Thanks for riding along!