There and Back Again

Summary
3,500 km4 Provinces3 States2 New Teeth1 WeddingDay 1 or 200 km Down 3,300 To Go

We are the type to ease into things; Saturday mornings start with pyjamas, coffee and 2 newspapers. We applied the same philosophy to our road trip. It started with a 2 hours drive and a weekend at the cottage. It rained all weekend. Contrary to what you might expect, this was perfect for us. No pressure to go outside, no guilt about being lazy. We did manage to make it down to the dock and Charlie got to explore the forest. I have a feeling she will be a 'woodsy' girl.








Most importantly we did 5 loads of laundry. In typical Spratt/Taman style we had packed all dirty clothes. As you can see, Charlie even helped with the folding. After a great weekend we packed the car and headed to Quebec City. This was the second time I packed and unpacked the car, I would do this 10 more times.... Never Again.







Day 3 or the Vicarious Tooth Ache

In Q.C. we stayed with Fannie, Nat and their 2 year old daughter, Marina. Charlie enjoyed a chance to escape the car seat that would soon become her prison and we had a chance to eat well and relax. Life was good, then Charlie woke up at 2am screaming. It was not until the next morning that we realized she had acquired 2 new front teeth. When kids lose teeth they get money from the tooth fairy - there should be some sort of parental compensation when babies get their teeth. After a sleepless night we left for somewhere in New Brunswick.




Days 4 and 5 or Not Just For Driving Through

New Brunswick is sometimes referred to as 'the drive through Province'. We were guilty of driving though it many times on the way from Ontario to Dalhousie. This trip gave us the chance to see the sights as Charlie would only stand confinement in her rear facing car seat for a few hours at a time. We spend the first night in Fredericton where Charlie and I enjoyed a 3 am teething walk across the longest pedestrian bridge (in New Brunswick) - 581 meters. Thankfully this would be the last we would hear from those teeth; Charlie ended up quickly adapting to her new mouth.

The next day, after a drive through Fundy Park we stayed in a great bed and breakfast. The best thing about B&Bs is not the food or the room but the eccentric owners who invariably collect angels, glass figurines, ceramic frogs, dolls or other chachkis. Our hosts collected all of the above and had a hobby farm which included llamas and alpaca. Charlie loved the goats.


















We also stopped at the Bay of Fundy itself. I for one am glad that the Rhinoceros Party did not win the 1988 or 1980 election where one of their campaign promises was to pave over the Bay of Fundy to create more maritime parking. Charlie loves the bay at low tide and was very cute sitting on the ocean floor at the Hopewell Rocks although she was not so keen during high tide and refused to put her feet in the water.

Day 6 and 7 or How Charlie Mastered Catan

On day 6 we arrived in Halifax. Emilie and I were looking forward to spending time in our old haunting grounds. It was our first time back to the city where we first met. We spend two nights with Devon and Andrew where we all celebrated my birthday and more importantly our 5 year "Catan-iversery" (it was July 20th 2001 that I received Klaus Teuber's masterpiece The Settlers of Catan for my birthday). Devon won both games, with a little help from Charlie.





Day 8 and 9 or A Wonderful Rainy Wedding

On day 8 we finally arrived at White Point, a beautiful resort on Nova Scotia's south shore. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck. By 'they' I mean brides who have had weddings on rainy days. In this case I think the saying is definitely true. Meg and Jon's wedding was as fantastic as they are. Charlie was well behaved and while rocking her to sleep outside I heard a group of older guest say 'I think this will be one of the ones that stick' - of course they are right. We spent most of the time trying to convince Meg and Jon to move to Ottawa. It was such a pleasure to see them I can only hope they will take our advice.

Day 10, 11 and 12 or Are We There Yet?

We drove home through the States, spending a wonderful night at a cabin in Maine. A perfect way to end our longest road trip to date. The last day of driving was a bit of a chore; Charlie, finally fed up with her confinement, developed a high pitched scream of boredom. With the finish line in sight we tuned her out and 3,500 km after we began we arrived back in Ottawa.... where for the last time I unpacked the car.

The journey was truly the best part of the trip.