Journal Day 6

Are we having fun yet? We woke up at 6:00 as the rain started again, pounding hard on the Aliner... after an hour of this, I decided to just get in the car and go get the oil changed at the Chrysler dealer we had spotted next to the Dairy Queen stand on the way in.... I got there early and they consented to work me in if I was not an "impatient man"... although now in New Brunswick, it seemed that they were speaking about 65% French here in this border town... most customers were speaking French... the staff switched back and forth even while they were talking among themselves... an hour later it was finished and they checked me out... I thanked them for working me in, and the service manager said "he would even do it for his worst enemy"... not sure what that meant or where I fit into the pecking order, I thanked them again and returned to the campground.

We had to take the Aliner down and hook up to the car in the rain again.... we were getting good use out of the rain suits we bought on sale... soon we were on the road toward Nova Scotia.. These provinces look smaller on the Map next to Canada and the US, but there is a lot to them and we were running behind our schedule... so we decided to skip any side trips and focus on getting to the ferry terminal tomorrow to get our tickets, and then spend the remaining time in the day prepping the Aliner and buying any supplies we thought we would need. So we got the maps and planned for a longer day on the road. It continued to rain most of the day, sometimes heavy. The radio station could only find French speaking stations until we got to Nova Scotia. All through the heart of New Brunswick they displayed frequent "Moose" warning signs, and phone numbers to call to report sightings..

Entering Nova Scotia was like returning to a friendlier more familiar world... friendly people at the rest areas, and good services... great roads and scenery.. I can see why so many like to return here year after year to camp.... we knew now that we would not be able to do this area justice during this trip... too many great places to visit and things to do... so we are going to focus our attention on seeing Newfoundland, then probably focus on northern Nova Scotia when we return..

We decided to stop at Antigonish, Nova Scotia, for the night as it was a short drive from North Sidney and the ferry... it allowed us to stop at about 5:00 pm and they had a highly rated Good Sam campground, Whidden, located right in town.. We pulled in and got settled... it was a city camp with lots of tent sites and children... not so good... cost $26 which was high and seemed others got a better rate... Suzanne checked and they verified the rate... rest rooms smelly... think we will write Good Sam... but it is only one night and a nice little town....

But... a camping neighbor had just returned from Newfoundland and spent about an hour with us describing all the places to see, many we would not have known about.. so we are getting all psyched up for the trip... Tomorrow we will travel up and camp in the town near the ferry station... not far to drive so should have plenty of time to clean things up and get ready for the trip..