West by Downeast

The morning broke frigid and cloudy, with fresh snow starting to fly, and the cold realization that the furnace had cut out at some time during the night. The weather report, the trivia, and the joke on the loudspeaker loop had been updated, so we learned that last night's predicted storm hadn't quite hit yet, but by noon this part of Nova Scotia would be under several inches of new snow. So we transferred the bins back to the van, had a last walk on the grounds where we discovered Dixie's paw was even more sensitive, and then headed west into New Brunswick and on towards the US border.

It was Sunday morning, there were just enough vehicles on the road to keep the right hand lane clear, and the traveling was easy. We stopped at the Big Stop in Salisbury, where we found a dog loving waitress who sent us on our way with full bellies, best wishes, and a doggy bag of potatoes and toast and sausage for Dixie, that she had made from the cleared plates of other diners. Our trip had again started with the reality we have so often found, that people all over are wonderful and generous and friendly, if you just open up to them and give them a chance.

The drive through New Brunswick was safe and swift, with the drivers patient, and no one attempting to use the snow covered passing lane. We passed the wonderfully named towns of Petitcodiac and Pocologan, Musquash and Digdeguash, and made our way west to the border crossing at St. Stephen. There the border guard sullenly looked at our passports, and checked us out on his computer. He then asked to look in the trailer, and quite adamantly told me to get back into the van as I saw him fumbling with the lock. Eventually, he opened, inspected and relocked the trailer, and ordered us on our way, having found nothing of note to delay us further (he obviously missed our PEI garlic we had tucked away under the bed). Past the parking lot, we pulled over, and made sure the door was securely fastened, but I failed to check all the cupboard doors. An hour later, when we stopped again, I discovered he had been thorough in his search by opening every door and drawer, but negligent in closing them securely...so half the contents of our tall, many shelved storage closet were in a pile on the floor. Fortunately, only a plastic wash tub was broken, and everything else survived. It was a cheap reminder to check all door and drawers, and batten down the hatches, each time before heading onto the highways.

As we starting down the highway in Maine, we remarked how good the conditions were for driving, with the only thing that could be better would be if the roads were dry. 15 minutes later, the sun came out, the roads dried completely, and we continued on our way with the big grins on our faces even bigger. We were actually away, on the road, and life was not only good, it couldn't be better.

We carries on down the Maine Skyline, route 9 from Calais to Bangor. Late in the afternoon, we stopped in a gas station before Brewer, and were told that motels in Brewer, across the river from Bangor, were cheaper and friendlier, so we decided to start our search for the night's accommodations a little sooner than expected. Donna had already made the concession that we could get a room for the night so that I could fulfil my male needs of watching the Super Bowl (yes, I am an american, and was looking forward to the big game, hype and all. Actually, being in the US of A, there was the added attraction of actually seeing the gazillion dollar ads that are broadcast during the game. In Canada, all the ads are replaced by local ones, and despite all the money that is spent on those thirty seconds of innovative marketing, they never get seen north of the border.) We also had left Halifax not fully rested, we weren't sure what was wrong with the furnace, and we wanted to find a vet to check Dixie's paw, so a night in the big city seemed the best thing to do. The first two places seemed nice, but were way too scented for Donna to spend more than 17 seconds in, so we carried on to the place recommended by both: Vacationland! It turned out to be perfect. The room was small but well equipped, clean, relatively scent free, dog friendly, and with both an interior and exterior door. We unloaded our bins, let the wind blow through to do a final airing, and then continued our splurging by having a meal out at the adjoining restaurant. We returned just in time for kick-off, and Donna rested, repacked a few things, took a long, hot shower, and watched the ads, while I enjoyed a few beers and an exciting, well played game. Eventually, we all settled in for a warm, quiet, long night's sleep. Our first full day on the road was under our belts; there were a few obvious problems, but nothing major; we were safely past the border; and the reality that the adventure was underway was keeping our spirits high.