Running South through New Brunswick and Maine - March 4 and 5th, 2015

Continuing off the Island and South to the Mighty U.S. of A.

Wed. March 4 and March 5, 2015

Getting used to the road again ... albeit only in a 32 ft easily handled gas powered motorhome.   The Tiffin handles not too bad ... groans a bit on hills, but the Banks power system lifts the power in the Ford V10 to handle hills not too badly.   Some movies attached from Dash Cams.

Crossing the Confederation Bridge in 32 seconds.... pedal to the metal ! Ha.

Connor, Ceilidh and I push south ... 10 legs on a journey in a 6 wheeled dog house.  Fuel up in Moncton with 267 litres @ $1.029 per litre.   With a little help from iMovie, at 20x speed, we 'race through New Brunswick".


Blazing through New Brunswick at 2,000 kph .... pedal to the metal once again ! 52 sec. of Ha !

Push through to the border and pull in to Bangor Maine.  Temperatures are still running well below zero at night, so we grab a hotel room ... no water on in the Moho !   We save $15 due to the last minute purchase of the CAA RV membership.   Thought it was good insurance and a great companion on the road in the U.S.


Thursday Morning  ...

We pick up where we left off ... back on the highway.   Stop in Portland for fuel - 61 US Gallons @ $2.399 per US Gallon.    A NICE change from the $3.49 to $3.89 paid in 2013 !   Almost 40% less cost :-)  

And then ... reward #2 for getting the CAA RV membership ... I jump out the driver door on the motorhome, run in to gas station, pay for a few things, then return ... to find a locked driver door.   HOW did that happen ?   Button must have dropped.  Big Bummer.  And of course, keys are in motorhome.  No matter what I say to Connor, he refuses to open the door.   Twould indeed be a talent if he could !  The main door is locked in transit -- the dogs have a habit of "knocking" on doors to be let in, and with their big mitts, they could open the door while running down the highway ... thus it is locked tight.

So the Pump Jockey says "do you have Triple A ?".    Why YES, I exclaim.    Make a phone call and 20 minutes later, after a speedy arrival in a nice shiny new truck by AAA, (included with Canadian Automobile Association CAA membership), we are back on the road.  Major Phew.  That must have saved $100...

Taking the opportunity being in a major town, I seek out propane on google maps... and we travel to the Lees RV Centre in Wyndham, Maine for a fill.   Connor and Ceilidh are a hit in the shop and, bang, we're off and running again, all fuels full.

Head for the Sun .... Day 1 of 10 legs and 6 wheels !

Heading to Florida ....can I get there by Sunday to catch the islander Picnic in Saint Petersburg, Fla. ?

Standing at the corner of Hwy 2 and Graham's Road, PEI.   Ready to run southward....   March 4, 2015 @ 11:20 am.

Snow ? Oh THAT snow.... Gotta head SOUTH !

Well.... Would you believe it ???     

223 cm of snow in February .... As recorded at Charlottetown.

I have been so very impressed with Mother Nature and what she can create with a good gale and Lotsa snow !    The photos below provide plenty good reasons to head south !

I will update as other pics arise ....   From the storm of Feb.15/15 ...

Jump to 2015 .... Thoughts on CFA and its Application and Use on PEI

It has been a long time since posting last in 2013 !    Much has happened, much has changed, and life proves interesting each and every day.   2014 was a change year .... Relationships, finances, location, prospects, friends, and my outlook.   I skidded into 2015 as a single man, separated after 29 years, and with prospects for either a new life, or a renewed appreciation and attachment to the woman I married in 1985.   Only time and effort will unveil the outcome ... Try,try, try again.

Prince Edward Island has been everything I hoped for and everything I didn't forsee.  Where else in the world would colloquial fixations be heralded to the point of dragging down the economy ?  CFA ?  It is real here, and inextricably often part of daily life on the island.   Come From Away.  In reality, it is a rather silly notion in a cosmopolitan world, but it's local depth does inhibit growth and the economy.  It is found nowhere else in Canada, to my knowledge.   I have yet to visit the Yukon and The Rock (Newfoundland), but have been everywhere else in this great land.  CFA.  Perhaps it is part of the innate financial dependencies found on the island, part of the 14x,000 population which explodes to 500,000++ in July and August, or part of the isolation provided by water on four sides on this island province.

In reality, I am part of the OLDEST group on the island.   For proof, where did the FIRST person who stepped foot on this special island come from ??   They came from away, naturally -  I am part of that group .... CFAs.   It matters not that my Great Great Great Great Grandfather shipwrecked off PEIs coast in 1775, nor that my mother was born in a farm house 5 km away, and my forefathers were the original settlers here when the population numbered in the single thousands.

The island has a special allure for some, and, apparently, an occasional but very real distaste for newbies.  Not in your face distaste, but more an uncomfortable glance cast to the rear.  But in that nuance lies opportunity.  Should some have unease or difficulty with CFAs, then I say get a grip, keep moving on, and realize this is a global world, where money sees no boundaries, doesn't care what your colour is or who your father was.  The economy and opportunity are what one makes of it, how one embraces the thoughts and contributions of all, and, believe it - growth is exciting.

Now, make no mistake, congenial needling and fun application and prodding of CFA is not in of itself negative, and can be fun ......  I would just try to ensure it is only that ...fun :-)