Our 50-day road trip to Canada has come to an end. This was the longest trip Eric and I have taken so far and we were curious to see how we’d feel about long term travel. I was also testing my body to see how long days of sustained travel would affect me and whether or not I’d experience rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups.
Conclusion? We LOVE long term travel! It’s officially a lifestyle for us and while it comes with its challenges, the rewards far outweigh any discomforts or risks.
I’ve been sharing our stories about each Canadian destination during this trip, including Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, and later this month I’ll share our Newfoundland tales. For this post, I’d like to try something different and share my journal entries during the road trip to and from Canada. This will give you a glimpse into how we managed such a long trip on a budget, how we incorporated daily walks into the driving days and how we chose private room lodging to create a more enriching experience.
Day 1: Louisiana to Alabama
Loading up our Subaru for a long journey is easy when you’ve got an engineer and librarian on board. Everything we need for 50 days on the road, including our mattresses for car camping and a Ninja blender so we can attempt to eat as healthy as possible. Eric retrofitted the trunk so we can fit a full-size spare tire (good idea because we’ll need it before we reach Canada).
Driving through Concordia and Tensas parishes, crops for miles and some of the prettiest countryside we’ve seen in our home state. The little Mississippi Delta town of Ferriday is special. It’s falling apart and looks forgotten but some of the old homes are still quite beautiful. We stop at Simmons-Wright General Store in Kewanee, where you can get a cup of coffee for 79 cents, homemade sweet tea with a burger and fries, a big hug and a kiss on the cheek, some 8-tracks and old romance novels. Think Ollivander’s Wand Shop, Mississippi style.
We car camp in Alabama our first night at a Hipcamp outside of Birmingham. Feeling confident about this car camping thing until I go to shower. There are silos with showers and toilets and I have everything I need…except a towel. Nix the shower and just wash my face. With damp clumps of toilet paper sticking to my face, I crawl onto our comfy mattress and sleep in the same clothes I wore today, which smell like smoke because we ate at a barbecue joint for dinner. Something wakes us up around 2:00 a.m. that makes our car rock, not sure if it’s a large cat or a bear. No wind, 80°F and high humidity. I go to bed sticky with swollen joints, thinking this car camping may not be a repeat experience.
Day 2: Alabama to West Virginia
Wake up to a soft, foggy sunrise and surprisingly feel well rested (but still grimy). Pass through the adorable town of Collinsville which is bustling with some big market event. Stop in Farragut just outside of Knoxville for a walking break. Farragut has two parks with great walking trails. We choose the park next to the library and walk a mile under shady trees.
Our travel this year is planned to gently take us outside of our comfort zone in terms of minimalism and control. I can already feel this trip stripping away my need to cling to what society says we should have. After one night of hip camping and what I must confess was not the most pleasant experience, we arrive at one of the quirkiest Airbnbs we’ve ever stayed at. It is a whimsical fairy tale cottage that looks to be made out of everything repurposed. Nothing matches, nothing is straight or right angled, door knobs fall off, the kitchen chairs fall apart if you’re not gentle. Fresh zucchini bread and homemade dandelion jam are waiting for us and in this moment we are both ridiculously happy. The bed must be from the 18th century because it is solid as a rock and seems in tune with Victorian sensibilities. I don’t imagine baby-making to be very enjoyable in this bed. But it’s clean and the linens are soft and warm. I can see a pretty pond with handmade boats and the West Virginia mountains all around. Our sound machine for the evening is the loud steady droning of bullfrogs. Sure, we could have stayed in a hotel tonight with a deluxe mattress and modern appliances, but that would not have fed my imagination or connected me with nature as this place has.
Day 3: West Virginia to New York
Dogwoods and rhododendron are in full bloom as we drive through West Virginia. I gawk at the impressive homes and gorgeous landscapes near Grandview and begin collecting roadside names to use for future writing. My favorites are: Muddlety, Puddy Run and Bullfeathers (my new curse word of choice). We stop at New River Gorge National Park to walk and change a tire. This park is stunning and because it’s so new to the national park system it’s still considered a hidden gem.
Can now say I’ve experienced the kitschiness of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. We have a quiet dinner at Punxy Phil’s which has friendly service and average food. Take the requisite photos of various groundhog statues. Drive past the Kane Family Drive-in Theater which catches our eye with its 1950s spaceship entrance. Today we’ve learned that Pennsylvanians are fanatics about their drive-ins. Every town we pass has a drive-in diner or ice cream hut that’s packed to the brim.
Sometimes I question our lodging choices. Like the cottage rental next to a porn shop in Kauai, this evening’s Hipcamp is giving me similar vibes as we pass eight marijuana dispensaries on the way to a farm in New York. Per instructions, we park our car at the top of a hill just behind the barn. I trek my way through questionable mud to the bathroom which is connected to the barn. It’s a small space with compost toilet and shower that reminds me of a college dorm, but it’s clean and I now have a towel so my grooming routine is much improved! The farm owners have created a simple space with thoughtful touches. There’s an honesty jar next to homemade soaps, fresh produce and jams, eggs, frozen meat and activity books for kids.
The temperature drops to 35°F and I’m glad. I may not want to get out of the car to pee in the morning but at least my joints won’t swell like they did in Alabama. The only thing that disrupts our sleep is the Great Pyrenees which circles our car and barks every hour. We can hear him covering the entire perimeter of the farm in a perfect pattern that he repeats throughout the night. In this way we become a part of the farm’s cycle. We fall asleep and wake to a beautiful pink sunrise over the New York countryside.
Day 4: New York to New Hampshire
An early start this morning means we see the Amish farmers out in their buggies and the women watering their gardens. Driving through the Allegheny countryside, I’m surprised to see that the trees still have a variety of color in May. Farm stands everywhere selling firewood, maple syrup, eggs and bundles of pansies. We stop to walk along the lake at Watkins Glen County Park, where we watch Canadian geese herding their young chicks.
Ithaca is one big traffic jam so we pass through without stopping, but the county roads from Ithaca to Cooperstown are calm and rotate between farmland and state protected forests. There are so many white dandelions flying around that it gives the impression of snowfall. I’m sad to see so many beautiful old homes in complete disrepair along this drive. It’s a stark reminder that so much of rural America is slowly being lost to rot and neglect.
We stop in Cooperstown to eat a picnic lunch on Lake Otsego and sit in the seats at Doubleday Field. I knew Cooperstown was a baseball town, but no one ever mentioned the beautiful historic homes and the lake.
In the evening, we dine on burgers while we watch kids explore a small creek behind Wahoo’s Eatery in Wilmington, Vermont. This place is definitely worth including in an itinerary, both for its excellent food and fun outdoor vibe. As we approach Concord, we see a search and rescue party and find out later that a hiker got lost in the mountains. Our Airbnb hostess said it happens quite often.
Day 5: New Hampshire to Maine
I am in love with Concord, New Hampshire. The town and surrounding neighborhoods are postcard pretty and I can see why our Airbnb owner decided to move here. We visit with her over coffee and she earns my respect when she says “there are two kinds of winter people, those that complain about the weather and those that learn to love winter sports.” She’s a school librarian who has traveled extensively across the world. We especially love her stories about meeting her husband at an airport and why they chose to raise their children abroad.
Cherry blossoms and dogwood trees are in full bloom as we head into Freeport, Maine. Home of L.L. Bean, Freeport is a great place to visit if you love shopping and historic buildings. We’re here for bread from When Pigs Fly Bakery. Maybe we could come back, they’re hiring part-time seasonal bakers. Bread in hand, now we need coffee and much to our delight we find a great pour-over at Green Tree Coffee and Tea, where we chat with the owner about his days living in New Orleans.
Acadia National Park is closed for the season, which is fine by us because it means we can walk Bar Harbor’s Shore Path without crowds, sharing space with like-minded travelers who appreciate this seaside town during the off-season.
The rugged side of Maine quickly reveals itself as we drive to Bangor, where we spend a night in a fully equipped VRBO. Ahhh, the luxury of a full kitchen, private bath and laundry.
Day 6: Maine to Prince Edward Island
Our morning drive begins with a classic Maine visual. A scraggly haired man in mud-covered Carhartt boots, wearing a camo kilt while working on his campervan at a gas station that looks like it closed in the 1950s. Nothing but wilderness and cannabis shops until we reach the Canadian border. Short trees, dense thicket and a few small meandering rivers. Really not much to see for travelers and I can see why this part of Maine is appealing to hermits and anyone wanting to escape society.
We cross the border in Calais and it only takes six minutes. Our border guard once lived in Newfoundland and he’s excited that it’s our final destination. St. Andrews, New Brunswick, is a precious seaside town with its colorful houses and perfectly preserved historic shops and lighthouse. Deer are roaming around the visitor’s center and it’s a sunny 52°F day so people are outside sunbathing along Passamaquoddy Bay.
Our entertainment today is trying to guess what the Canadian road signs mean. Symbols that we’ve come across so far: hand holding a pottery vase (artisans), bed and an egg (bed and breakfast), spinning loom (antiques), people standing in a barn waving (agritours), man standing on a ledge hanging from a tree (still clueless about this one). Lunch is fried clams and seafood chowder at New Brunswick’s best road stop, Ossie’s Lunch. They have clean bathrooms and enough picnic tables to host some serious parties. Just make sure to bring cash because they don’t accept cards.
Today’s drive is the most boring of our trip so far. It’s a long drive to Prince Edward Island, where we’re staying in Charlottetown for the week. We’re in a basement apartment with a noisy toddler above but how wonderful it feels to be settled in one place with a kitchen!
Days 7-12: Prince Edward Island
Days 13-23: Cape Breton
Stay tuned for the rest of our 50-day trip to Canada, including our time in Newfoundland and the wonderful people we meet on our journey home.
