July 6, 2011, on the coast of Maine near Bar Harbor<\/p>\n
A moose by any other name is still a moose. As a new friend pointed out, \u201cMaine elk are actually moose.\u201d\u00a0 As you might have guessed, we have neither moose or elk in Florida, but I can tell the difference between a \u2018possum and a coon.\u00a0 But now I also know that an elk is about the size of a horse and has branched antlers; a moose stands 6 \u00bd to 7 ft tall (the size of a SUV) with antlers 4 to 5 ft that you could use to shovel snow.\u00a0 We also do not have snow in Florida.\u00a0 Oh yeah, a moose can more aggressive and less predictable.\u00a0 As I said, I really do not want to meet one on my bike.<\/p>\n
Amazing what food and rest will do.\u00a0 Next door to my motel in Houlton, Maine, was an Irving Big Stop, a Canadian chain of restaurants in truck stops \u2013 they serve very good home-cooked food AND the best desserts you\u2019ll find.\u00a0 A short walk for a couple of meals there, a nap, and a good night\u2019s sleep, and I was back on the road on July 5.\u00a0 I headed back across the Canadian border, in route to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and was again confused by the border patrol.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what answer I gave, he acted as though it was the wrong one.\u00a0 One of his questions was \u201cAre you going to leave anything in Canada?\u201d\u00a0 I thought of that string of things I\u2019ve lost since Florida — a tent, one shoe, my sleeping bag, a ball cap, my cell phone charger, and my dental floss.\u00a0 Could he see that crumb trail on his computer?\u00a0 I responded, \u201cNot on purpose.\u201d\u00a0 He didn\u2019t smile as he touched the screen again.\u00a0 He had questions about my last, brief pass through Canada, and then after several more minutes of being displeased with everything I said, he waved me through.\u00a0 My best guess \u2013 they try to trip you up.\u00a0 And it works.<\/p>\n
I stopped at a Welcome Station in New Brunswick, loaded up with good information, and even made reservations at a B&B near the Hopewell Cape Rocks on the Bay of Fundy. But when the lady unfolded a map to give me directions, I began having visual auras, my precursor to a migraine.\u00a0 (Most of the time my migraines are limited to the auras and nausea; other times they include intense pain and sensitivity to light and noise.)\u00a0 So I took my medicine, sat in the shade awhile, and when the auras faded without pain, I got back on the bike heading east.<\/p>\n
Why was I making this eastward detour from my four corners ride?\u00a0\u00a0 In 2002, I woke up on my birthday and spent a few minutes just looking at the ceiling, thinking of life, things I\u2019ve enjoyed, and things I want to do.\u00a0 And I said to myself, \u201cI want to go to Nova Scotia.\u201d\u00a0 Hmm.\u00a0 OK.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I want to ride a motorcycle to Nova Scotia.\u201d\u00a0 Interesting suggestion, since I\u2019d never put my feet up on the pegs of a bike.\u00a0 But I knew what to do about that minor detail; I called and scheduled myself for the Basic Riding Class.\u00a0 I had fun with the class and the instructors were awesome; then I bought a Suzuki SV 650.\u00a0 After riding it for about a year, I knew it wasn\u2019t comfortable enough for long distance rides, and I bought a Yamaha FJR 1300.\u00a0 I loved the FJR and put 50,000 miles on it before a deer totaled it in July 2009.\u00a0 I next bought a Suzuki Vstrom 650 \u2013 great bike but not comfortable for long rides.\u00a0 Finally this January I bought the Goldwing GL1800.\u00a0 And on July 5, 2011, I rode it to Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n
I continue to meet amazing people, including Uncle Bobby at the Nova Scotia Welcome Center.\u00a0 He struck me as a friendly old man who is retired and a little lonely; he enjoys telling people about his home province.\u00a0 He had his car full of stuff; he gave me several lapel pens (Canada, Nova Scotia) and a CD of gospel played on a ragtime piano.\u00a0 It was getting late and the wind was blowing hard.\u00a0\u00a0 I basically touched base in Nova Scotia and then headed to the B&B \u201cnext door\u201d in New Brunswick.<\/p>\n
This was my first night in a B&B on this trip \u2013 a nice change from the $40 a night, including tax, motel \ud83d\ude09 The Chimera Farms B&B is 7.5 km from one of the prime spots for viewing the tide changes.\u00a0 I enjoyed getting to know something of the hostess, Marg, a lady with a large heart.\u00a0 Over the years she has helped raise 13 kids — not foster kids. When a child needed a home, she and her husband simply put another plate on the table.\u00a0 The child understood he was welcomed, so long as he followed the rules.\u00a0 She laughed and said, \u201cAlmost all of them stayed on, and I have something over 50 grandkids now.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She\u2019s innately kind, very organized, and hard working.\u00a0 She also seems to have a knack for saying the right thing. I was the only guest in the house, so this morning there was one place set at the large dining room table.\u00a0 I felt awkward, and asked her to sit and eat with me.\u00a0 She declined, but stood at the door and talked.\u00a0 I had another round of visual auras; my vision cleared more quickly than yesterday.\u00a0 When I finished my elaborate breakfast that included homemade apple pie, I picked up the dishes to take them to the kitchen; Marg quickly took them from me with a smile and\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s my house and my rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
I rode the bike to Hopewell Cape Rocks on the Bay of Fundy, home of the world\u2019s highest tides. http:\/\/www.thehopewellrocks.ca\/<\/a><\/p>\n The vertical change in water level can be 50 feet or more!\u00a0 I got there at low tide and walked out on the ocean floor.\u00a0 My Pixs are at<\/p>\n http:\/\/s1141.photobucket.com\/albums\/n595\/gypsyjudge\/?action=view¤t=IMG_1563.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I also watched a Peregrine falcon fledgling on a ledge high above the muddy flats.\u00a0 What an initial flight she will have!\u00a0 Crossing the prairies somewhere in the Midwest, I watched an eagle flying low as she was being pecked at and harassed by some more earth-bound birds, like sparrows or crows.\u00a0 I thought that the more earth-bound birds were probably furious with the eagle, for being an eagle \u2013 and how like people that is.\u00a0 The Peregrine fledgling, after learning to fly over massive cliffs and the raging ocean, would never be happy flitting from bush to bush in someone\u2019s back yard.\u00a0\u00a0 There is such incredible diversity in our world; it\u2019s time to stop pecking on those who are different, for they may have seen more than we\u2019ll ever know.<\/p>\n Back at the parking lot, I was eating a sandwich when I met a group of Canadians.\u00a0 I spoke with one lady and gave her my postcard; she called to her friends to come over, and we all talked.\u00a0 They are an out-going, fun-loving bunch.\u00a0 They insisted on taking my picture and then checking out my bike.\u00a0 One of the men explained that his grandchild had been seriously ill and his son and family had stayed at a Ronald McDonald House; he told the others how important it was that the family be together and wonderful the experience with the Ronald McDonald House was.<\/p>\n I could take another four months on this ride, and still not see everything.\u00a0 The list of \u201cundone\u201d for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is enormous, but it was still time to head back to the states.<\/p>\n Before I got to the border, I studied for my exam – & it helped.\u00a0 The officer asked several questions and then made the statement, \u201cSo, you were in Canada three days.\u201d\u00a0 Aha!\u00a0 I quickly corrected him, \u201cNo, I came over yesterday at Houlton.\u201d\u00a0 He actually smiled and said, \u201cWelcome back.\u201d<\/p>\n I stayed the night in a motel and will go to the Habitat Affiliate in Evanston, Maine tomorrow.\u00a0 Then I head towards my sister\u2019s in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" July 6, 2011, on the coast of Maine near Bar Harbor A moose by any other name is still a moose. As a new friend pointed out, \u201cMaine elk are actually moose.\u201d\u00a0 As you might have guessed, we have neither … Continue reading
![http:\/\/s1141.photobucket.com\/albums\/n595\/gypsyjudge\/?action=view¤t=IMG_1563.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nI also watched a Peregrine falcon fledgling on a ledge high above the muddy flats.\u00a0 What an initial flight she will have!\u00a0 Crossing the prairies somewhere in the Midwest, I watched an eagle flying low as she was being pecked at and harassed by some more earth-bound birds, like sparrows or crows.\u00a0 I thought that the more earth-bound birds were probably furious with the eagle, for being an eagle \u2013 and how like people that is.\u00a0 The Peregrine fledgling, after learning to fly over massive cliffs and the raging ocean, would never be happy flitting from bush to bush in someone\u2019s back yard.\u00a0\u00a0 There is such incredible diversity in our world; it\u2019s time to stop pecking on those who are different, for they may have seen more than we\u2019ll ever know.<\/p>\nBack at the parking lot, I was eating a sandwich when I met a group of Canadians.\u00a0 I spoke with one lady and gave her my postcard; she called to her friends to come over, and we all talked.\u00a0 They are an out-going, fun-loving bunch.\u00a0 They insisted on taking my picture and then checking out my bike.\u00a0 One of the men explained that his grandchild had been seriously ill and his son and family had stayed at a Ronald McDonald House; he told the others how important it was that the family be together and wonderful the experience with the Ronald McDonald House was.<\/p>\nI could take another four months on this ride, and still not see everything.\u00a0 The list of \u201cundone\u201d for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick is enormous, but it was still time to head back to the states.<\/p>\nBefore I got to the border, I studied for my exam – & it helped.\u00a0 The officer asked several questions and then made the statement, \u201cSo, you were in Canada three days.\u201d\u00a0 Aha!\u00a0 I quickly corrected him, \u201cNo, I came over yesterday at Houlton.\u201d\u00a0 He actually smiled and said, \u201cWelcome back.\u201d<\/p>\nI stayed the night in a motel and will go to the Habitat Affiliate in Evanston, Maine tomorrow.\u00a0 Then I head towards my sister\u2019s in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"July 6, 2011, on the coast of Maine near Bar Harbor A moose by any other name is still a moose. As a new friend pointed out, \u201cMaine elk are actually moose.\u201d\u00a0 As you might have guessed, we have neither … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gypsyjudge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"http:\/\/s1141.photobucket.com\/albums\/n595\/gypsyjudge\/?action=view¤t=IMG_1563.jpg\"){kind=link}